The Book of Three, the initial installment of The Chronicles of Prydain, a fabled five-volume series, was only Lloyd Alexander’s second novel, yet it permanently established him as a writer for adolescents whose work could be enjoyed with uninhibited and even critical pleasure by adult readers as well. Deriving their uncommon template from Welsh legends, The Book of Three and its sequels offer not only thrills, but humor and romance in delightful measure, providing a sense of human scale amid the fantastical doings that makes the characters’ extraordinary experiences relevant to the perilous real-life heroics of growing up.
This is only the second time in my life that I've seen Lloyd Alexander's masterwork of fantasy on a book list. I read the Book of Three and the other Chronicles when I was a teenager, and I loved them, much like I loved Rowlings Harry Potter series, and for much the same reasons.
I discovered this book, or the series, in about 1970, and recommended that our local library carry it, so that my children could read it. And myself, of course. And they did.
Surprisingly, I've never read Lloyd Alexander before. I've always liked fantasy and I would have loved this as a kid. It has some very good lessons for kids to learn weaved in the stories. It teaches you about the different types of pride, that everyone matters, that all deserve respect, that no matter what your position in life, if you do your best you should be proud of your work and that working together is important. It also shows the importance of knowledge, truth and love
We use cookies to recognize you when you return to this website so you do not have to log in again. By continuing to use this site, you are giving us your consent to do this. You can read more about our practices and your choices here.