The five novels take place in Prydain, a fictional country ruled by a High King who oversees several minor kingdoms. The setting is based on Wales and inhabited by creatures and characters inspired by Welsh mythology and folklore. The series follows the protagonist Taran, a youth of unknown parentage living on a farm with an old enchanter named Dallben and a farmer named Coll. Taran, who dreams of being a great hero, is named "Assistant Pig-Keeper" and tasked with helping to care for and protect Hen Wen, a white oracular pig magically empowered with clairvoyance. Taran has a series of adventures wherein he helps protect the land of Prydain from various threats, chief among them the evil Arawn, whose forces include an undead army known as the Cauldron-Born. Throughout the novels, Taran's major companions are the Princess Eilonwy, the bard Fflewddur Fflam, the wild beast-man Gurgi, and the dwarf Doli. The heroes frequently work alongside the Fair Folk (a society of elves and similar beings) and the warriors known as the Sons of Don. Along with various battles against forces of evil, the novels focus on Taran's journey of maturity. [1] [2] [3] In a late 16th-century manuscript, Peniarth ms98, a summary of the earlier Welsh poem "Cad Goddau" provides details not found in the original poem:

There is a web comic adaptation of “The Book of Three” (ongoing), by the talented artist Dawn Davidson. which can be found here: Taran took his place on the wooden bench, as he always did when Dallben was in a mood for giving lessons or reprimands. The most haunting events include Taran and Gwydion spying on the Horned King when he and his followers offer up human sacrifices, and Taran getting lost in the caverns under an ancient castle and winding up in the barrow of a long dead king:

Music for Tigers

This is the start of my first Fantasy series. This is the one that started me on my long trek through hundreds of other great books and dozens of other great series. I still love this series to this very day! The strength of “The Chronicles of Prydain” is the way the books build on each other. “The Book of Three”, when you look at it by itself, may be considered the weakest in the series -- but the whole is greater than its parts and should be consumed as such. Hooboy. I have conflicted feelings about the book, and my feelings about those conflicted feelings are also conflicted. So there's that. Taran is a young man, hungry for adventure and excitement, though he spends his days working on the farm of Caer Dallben. Of course, it isn't quite a normal farm -- among the animals is Hen Wen (an oracular pig of great fame and importance, though Taran has seen no evidence of her powers) and the owner of the farm is Dallben (a scholar and wizard who is over three hundred years old). Still, Taran wishes to learn swordplay and fight like his hero, Prince Gwydion. When he longs for a title and destiny, Coll (a middle aged farmer that is clearly more than he appears to be) names Taran "Assistant Pig Keeper." So when a disturbance causes the animals to flee and Hen Wen to escape, Taran feels responsible and so he runs after her. Almost immediately, Taran discovers that the animals fled because the Horned King is near and Taran becomes injured. He wakes up to find his hero, Prince Gwydion, caring for his injury. Gwydion had been traveling to learn something from Hen Wen, and so he joins Taran in his search for the pig.

As a kid, I loved these books. They're notable in my past as being responsible for my first (and only) request for an extension on a paper. In sixth grade, I asked for a single day extension on a book report, which was granted, as I was writing about the whole series and not just one book. I rather wish I still had that paper, as I'd be curious to read my initial impressions. I'm sure it touched on my elementary understanding of Welsh mythology, but I seem to remember a lot of summarizing of the books... kind of similar to this. Hm. Taran is an assistant pig keeper at Caer Dallben, and when Hen Wen (a white oracular pig) runs off, he sets out on an adventure to save her from the Horned King. He meets up with the sassy Eilonwy who bosses him around, and the annoying & smelly creature Gurgi who always wants his munchies and crunchies. Is he good? Is he bad? Read it and find out because I'm not telling you.Fingers smarting, the shamefaced Taran hurried from the cottage and found Coll near the vegetable garden. Dallben's head poked out of the window. He looked irritated. "It has become absolutely impossible for any kind of meditation whatsoever," he said, with a severe glance at Taran. "I have warned you once ..."

A few of its inhabitants are drawn from the ancient tales. Gwydion, for example, is a "real" legendary figure. Arawn, the dread Lord of Annuvin, comes from the Mabinogion, the classic collection of Welsh legends, though in Prydain he is considerably more villainous. And there is an authentic mythological basis for Arawn's cauldron, Hen Wen the oracular pig, the old enchanter Dallben, and others. However, Taran the Assistant Pig-Keeper, like Eilonwy of the red-gold hair, was born in my own Prydain.La narración es simple, desde el punto de vista de Taran, quien se deja sorprender por todo. Los diálogos los encontré ingeniosos, en especial los de Eilonwy; la personalidad de cada personaje se nota bien a través de sus palabras, y me parece que esa es la característica mejor desarrollada del libro. Tiene sus cosas, sin embargo: a Alexander le gustaba mucho la palabra " plunge", que de tanto leerla ya la puedo usar en un lenguaje cotidiano más o menos, y que, después de tanta espera, le había puesto muchas expectativas al libro. Me habría gustado mucho ponerle cinco estrellas, pero se queda corto en algo, no sé en qué. Eso no quita que tengo muchas ganas de leer los siguientes. As I have explained to you before," Dallben went on, "--and you have very likely forgotten--Prydain is a land of many cantrevs--of small kingdoms--and many kings. And, of course, their war-leaders who command the warriors." For the time being!" Taran burst out. "I think it will always be for the time being, and it will be vegetables and horseshoes all my life!"

Taran remained in the dungeons of Spiral Castle until a golden sphere dropped into his cell. Its owner was a chatty girl called Eilonwy, who helped Taran escape. On the way out, Eilonwy acquired an ancient sword with magical powers, called Dyrnwyn. As they fled the castle, it collapsed. Taran, assuming Gwydion had been in the next cell, had asked Eilonwy to free his neighbour; this turned out to be Fflewddur Fflam, an aspiring bard of the harp. Taran and his new friends mourned Gwydion as dead. Once ruled over by the evil sorceress Queen Achren, Prydain is now under the authority of the just High King, a member of the family known as the Children of Don, descendants of Lady Don and her consort, Belin. The High King and his warriors, known as the Sons of Don, are based in the stronghold called Caer Dathyl. The rest of Prydain is divided into territories and minor kingdoms (called cantrevs) ruled by many lower kings who owe their loyalty to the High King. A collection of villages called the Free Commots exist outside any cantrev's jurisdiction, answering only to the High King. Underneath and within Prydain is the kingdom of the Fair Folk, a society of diminutive supernatural beings that use magic to stay hidden and mostly keep to their own affairs. Having no love for Arawn, the Fair Folk occasionally aid the humans of Prydain against him. a b "The book of three". LC Online Catalog. Library of Congress (lccn.loc.gov). Retrieved 2015-11-02.a b Jacobs, James S.; Tunnell, Michael O. (1991). Lloyd Alexander: A Bio-Bibliography. Greenwood Press. I did not say I was surprised at you," remarked Dallben. "But perhaps I am, after all. I think you had best come with me." Coll's shining head glowed even brighter. A trace of a smile appeared on his face, as though he were savoring something pleasant. "True," he said quietly, "I have held a sword once or twice in my day." The Huntsmen of Annuvin. A band of wild, merciless fighters notorious for their endurance, tenacity, and bloodthirst. They serve in Arawn's army, each branded with the mark of Annuvin on their foreheads. When one is slain, his strength is magically transferred to his nearby comrades, making each stronger as their numbers dwindle.