What mood I'm in today: Listening
I'll start by pointing out that when I started reading this book I immediately thought my ten-year-old son would love it. You can find it in the children's and young adult's sections at the library, so I thought, why not? Especially after a friend recommended it.
Taran, our protagonist, is an eager hero wannabe and moves faster than his brain can think. Just a boy, he quickly finds out how difficult it is and how much is required of a hero. He is named Assistant Pig Keeper, but quicly loses her when she is scared away by the horned king, and goes on a journey to find her and bring her home.
Along the way he runs into Gwydion, a prince who was actually coming to see the oracle pig to find out what evil was stirring in Annuvin. They set out together to find Hen Wen (this is the pigs name) and are captured by the servants of Achren, an evil queen. Taran is thrown into a dungeon where he meets Eilonwy, a girl who can't stop talking but has a keen knack for digging tunnels in and out of the dungeon. Together they escape, but the castle falls behind them and Taran feels his friend Gwydion is lost forever. Now he has two missions; two rescue the pig and to tell Gwydion's people that Arawn is gathering evil forces and that the Horned King is at his doorway.
This story reeks of Lord of the Rings type stuff, but it really is a great story. I give it four out of five stars for several reasons. I love Taran's character, how brave he is and wants to be, and how he learns from his mistakes. He becomes more humble in his journey and more aware of life and what has to be sacrificed to overcome evil. I won't say much about the story here, only that it is the beginning of the Chronicles of Prydain, and the next book is The Black Cauldron, which I can't wait to read.
I don't know that there was much I didn't like about this book, except that it was very much from a guy's prespective. IIt's not like I hated that, I just felt slightly disconnected from it because of it. Maybe that was a good thing, not to get too emotionally involved, like I do with other books...
But I would definitely recomment this. Goodreads averages it 4 out of 5 stars, which you know must mean good things. And even though you will be fiercely reminded of LOTR, it really has its own story and its own characters that make it an entirely different story, one to be shared.
