Taran is a young boy who dreams of being a grand hero, mostly
as an escape from the drudgery of his real job:
that of assistant pig-keeper at Caer Dallben. Taran’s responsibilities include caring for a
mystical pig named Hen Wen, who one day runs away into the forbidden
forest. Taran gives chase, an act which
leads to an epic adventure with an absent-minded sorceress named Eilonwy, a
mighty prince named Gwydion, and an odd man-beast known only as Gurgi. Together, the group faces off against The
Horned King, an evil warlord who rules the land with an iron fist.
One of the reasons that I love this series is that all of
the the five books follow Taran through his adventurous childhood in the land
of Prydain. The wide-ranging cast of
characters is based largely on Welsh mythology, a country where Mr. Alexander
was stationed during World War II.
Although Mr. Alexander wrote over forty books for children, the Prydain
series are his best-known works. If you’re
looking for a way to escape the drudgery of your own “normal” life, just pick
up a copy of The Book of Three from your local library and stand by to be swept
away!
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