The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander

 

 

The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander

Fantasy, Adventure

ages - 9-12

grades -4-7

206 pages, paperback

c. 1966

              The Castle of Llyr is a change of pace from the dramatic tension that ended The Black Cauldron. It deals with Princess Eilonwy’s background, introduces some new characters, and continues to show Taran’s growing maturity and self-awareness.  

            The story begins as Eilonwy is reluctantly preparing to travel to the Island of Mona to be trained as a proper princess by the king and queen there. Unbeknown to Eilonwy they also expect her to marry their son, prince Rhun. Taran is unhappy about her departure as he begins to realize how much he cares for her. Shortly after her arrival she is kidnapped with the help of the evil Chief Steward Magg and delivered into the hands of the evil enchantress Achren. Eilonwy is from the ancient and powerful house of Llyr whose women were powerful sorceresses. Achren hopes to use her powers to restore herself to a position of power.

            Much of the book describes the attempts of Taran, Gurgi, Fflewddur, Gwydion, and Prince Rhun to rescue Eilonwy. Prince Rhun is an interesting combination of a cheerful, good natured person and clumsy and naïve bungler who is often the cause of more problems. Taran’s relationship with him is further complicated by the fact that he is jealous of his potential relationship with Eilonwy and has promised his father, the king, to look after him and bring him back safely.  During their adventures the companions, except Gwydion, are trapped in a hut by a gigantic cat, Llyan, who has a great liking for Fflewddur’s harp playing and in a cave occupied by a depressed giant named Glew. When they finally reach Eilonwy they discover she is under an enchantment and does not recognize any of them.

            Though there is plenty of adventure I feel the real focus of the book is the growth of the characters Rhun, Taran and Eilonwy. Through his adventures, failures, and successes Rhun grows in self awareness and in the end is capable of great love and self - sacrifice. As Taran sees this he can put aside his jealousy and impatience with Rhun and accept him as a friend and companion. Perhaps the greatest change occurs in Eilonwy. At the start of the story she is the same strong willed, opinionated girl who likes getting her own way. At the end she is still strong willed but is using her will to save herself, her friends, and all Prydain at great personal cost. Again, without being didactic, Lloyd Alexander shows the superiority of humble self-sacrifice over the quest for power and glory.

           

 

            

Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

Adventure, Fantasy

grade 4-7

ages 9-12

190 pages, paperback

c. 1964

            The Book of Three is the first book in the five- book series called The Chronicles of Prydain. It is a classic epic fantasy adventure for younger readers and can be enjoyed by older readers as well. It is inspired by Welsh mythology but is not a retelling of the Welsh myths. I think one of its best elements are the characters and especially how the main character, Taran, develops throughout the series. I also find the theme of the true cost involved in the battle against evil to be both inspiring and a more realistic view than what is often shown in the superhero world.

            The Book of Three introduces the main characters that will continue through the series and establishes the main conflict between the forces of good and evil that are fighting for control of the imaginary land of Prydain. All the major characters are well developed and shown with their virtues and weaknesses, often in a comical way. Taran, who is given the title of Assistant Pig-Keeper, because he longs to be important and heroic, is stubborn, impatient, prideful, and sometimes rude. He also tends to blame others for his mistakes. By the end of his adventure he has grown in kindness, learned some leadership skills, and takes responsibility for his own mistakes, and sometimes those of others as well. He also develops a more accurate picture of what a hero really is.  Eilonwy is a strong-willed, opinionated, talkative, and somewhat scatterbrained princess. She is also an enchantress. During their journey she too grows in her ability to be kinder, generous, and self-sacrificing. Gurgi is a curious character, part man and part beast. In the beginning he is cowardly, whinny, and mostly interested in getting fed. As Taran learns to treat him with kindness and respect he becomes a loyal, brave, and selfless member of the company. Fflewddur Fflam is a king bored with his duties, and a would-be bard given to excessive exaggerations about his bravery and accomplishments. He also becomes a truly brave, loyal, and selfless companion.

            There are also other characters taken from the Welsh legends. Gwydion, the noble warrior, and prince of Prydain's House of Don, Arawn, the dread lord of Annuvin, the land of the dead, the Horned King, war leader of Arawn, Hen Wen, the oracular pig under Taran’s care and Dallben, the old enchanter who has taken care of Taran since infancy. Gwyn the Hunter and his hounds also have some bases in Welsh Mythology. Their presence normally signifies death.

            Taran’s adventures begin when Hen Wen becomes frightened and runs off into the forest. Taran immediately runs after her though he has been forbidden to enter the forest. He quickly becomes lost, encounters and is wounded by the Horned King then found and helped by Gwydion. Taran is initially disappointed by Gwydion modest appearance but gradually comes to realize “it is not the trappings that make the prince, nor the sword that makes the warrior.” Gwydion needs to find Hen Wen to discover what she knows of the Horned King and since it is too dangerous to send Taran home himself it is decided that they will both seek Hen Wen. They are captured and separated. Taran meets the Princess Eilonwy, who helps him escape from the dungeon, the bard Fflewddur Fflam, and Gurgi, half man half beast. Believing that Gwydion is dead they decide to travel to Caer Dathyl to warn the Sons of Don that the Horned King and his army of Cauldron Born, deathless warriors, are coming to attack them.

            Taran and his companions face many dangers as they continue their perilous journey trying to avoid running into the Horned King and his warriors. Along the way Taran makes some bad and some good decisions. In the end the companions, by working together, do reach their destination. Through Taran eyes we see that that to be a great hero one does not need to be the greatest swordsman or most powerful magician. It is our choices that make us heroes and our friends and companions who make us great, and these lessons are told with a generous dose of humor. I highly recommend this book and the entire series.

           

Code of Honor by Alan Gratz

                                                         

                          

                   Code of Honor by Alan Gratz

                 Adventure, Terrorism, Brothers, Loyalty, Prejudice,  

                                         Stereotypes, Young Adult

                                               

                                                       Age 11-13
                                                       Grade 6-8

  293 pages
c. 2015

Brothers Kamran and Darius Smith are very close and loyal to one another. Darius is in the army having graduated from West Point and Kamran is the star of the high school football team and dating the most popular girl at school. Their family is from Iran but they feel 100% American and Kamran hopes to follow in his brother’s footsteps.

Everything changes when Darius is accused of being a terrorist. He is shown in several videos making threats against America. Suddenly Kamran is also being accused of being a terrorist and abandoned by all his friends. He continues to believe in his brother even when the family is interrogated by Homeland Security and he is taken to be a “guest” of the government.

When they were younger Darius and Kamran created a “Code of Honor” and also made up games based on Persian mythology, books like Harry Potter and movies like star Wars. Studying the videos, Kamran believes that Darius is sending him clues about upcoming terrorist plots. He manages to convince agent Mickey Hagerty to help him escape from the government facility in hopes of finding his brother and stopping bombs going off at the Super Bowl.

An intense read that deals with death, violence, prejudice, but also love and loyalty between brothers, patriotism and the willingness to sacrifice for what you believe. Hard to put down once you start reading it. A thought provoking read on the war against terrorism. Readers who like Anthony Horowitz’s Aleck Rider books will probably like this one.

                                                           

                                                     The Code of Honor is

                                                         1. Be the strongest of the strong

                                                         2. Be the bravest of the brave

                                                         3. Help the helpless

                                                         4. Always tell the truth

                                                         5. Be loyal

                                                         6. Never give up

                                                         7. Kill all monsters

              

                                                Not a bad code to live by