Thom reviewed The Black Cauldron (The Chronicles of Pyrdain) by Lloyd Alexander (Chronicles of Prydain (2))
Review of 'The Black Cauldron (The Chronicles of Pyrdain)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Starts off as another adventure, continuing the previous one, but then evolves into a more character driven tale. Taran grows more in the last third of this book than all the rest. Disney's famed flop is "inspired" by the first two books of this series.
The first book ends with the defeat of the villain, but they still have the power to create more "cauldron born" zombies, so this book starts with a detailed plan to capture that particular loose end. Like all plans, it goes awry, and we focus on Taran's story for the remainder. The small band with him echo the larger story, including tension with a rival - the minor noble Ellidyr.
It is Adaon's brooch that turns the tale, lending Taran wisdom and foresight. Even with this advantage, the Cauldron (and its excellent guardians) stymies his group. Dealing with that challenge takes this book nearly to …
Starts off as another adventure, continuing the previous one, but then evolves into a more character driven tale. Taran grows more in the last third of this book than all the rest. Disney's famed flop is "inspired" by the first two books of this series.
The first book ends with the defeat of the villain, but they still have the power to create more "cauldron born" zombies, so this book starts with a detailed plan to capture that particular loose end. Like all plans, it goes awry, and we focus on Taran's story for the remainder. The small band with him echo the larger story, including tension with a rival - the minor noble Ellidyr.
It is Adaon's brooch that turns the tale, lending Taran wisdom and foresight. Even with this advantage, the Cauldron (and its excellent guardians) stymies his group. Dealing with that challenge takes this book nearly to the last page.
Looking forward to reading and reviewing the other books in this series. I found this a better story than the first one - will it be the high point? 4 stars for now - I really liked it.