The Book of Three

Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain Chronicles are most definitely aimed at much younger children than The Owl Service. Also Alexander was an American so, although he clearly has a great fondness for Wales and Welsh legend, he’s not going to get things right.

To be fair, he says up front that his Prydain is not Wales, even though it might look very like it when you look at the map, and many of the characters have obviously Welsh names, but his hero, Taran, hails from Caer Dallben which, on the map, is pretty obviously Bristol. That probably didn’t go down well with Welsh readers.

Obviously I am way too old for the target audience, but I could see the attraction of the book. It has a bunch of amusing, relatable characters and the young hero goes on a meaningful and character-building quest. I’m not surprised that the book did so well.

On the other hand, although the influence of The Mabinogion is very obvious, the book owes at least as much to Tolkien. If I wanted to do an elevator pitch for it I would do something like ‘Peregrine Took as the hero of a mash-up of The Mabinogion and The Lord of the Rings.’ Taran is no Frodo, he’s always getting into trouble. Gwydion is an Aragorn-like figure. Gurgi is a hairier and less damaged version of Smeagol (not Gollum). Medwyn is Gandalf and Radagast. Eilonwy is Eowyn and Arwen. His Tylwyth Teg are the comedy dwarves from The Hobbit (which surely will have earned Alexander a curse or two). Only Fflewddur, the incompetent bard, doesn’t seem to have an obvious origin in LotR.

Well, and Hen Wen, of course. Pigs are special.

There is a pronunciation guide at the back. It is, um… not good.

The Book of Three is only the first of the Chronicles. There are four other books in the series, which I shall read because they are short and fun. As fantasy books for kids they are great. As Welsh fantasy they are rather less impressive.

Title: The Book of Three
By: Lloyd Alexander
Publisher: Square Fish
Purchase links:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Bookshop.org UK
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