Lloyd Alexander

The Black Cauldron (The Chronicles of Prydain)

Sarah Sammis

I tried and failed about three times to read this book before finally finishing it. My husband loves the series but it just doesn't hold the same sort of magic for me. There are bits and pieces of it that I love but the Black Cauldron isn't part of the love.

Wynter

Rachel Kanyid

So fun but not quite as charming as the first book.

Celeste Richardson

Actual rating: 3.5 stars, rounded up.

The Black Cauldron is the second installment in the Chronicles of Prydain series. Picking up almost immediately after the ending of The Book of Three, this novel is probably the most well-known of the series, as it was the basis for the 1985 Disney animated feature of the same name. Taran and the friends he made in the first book embark on a new adventure here, this time to help capture, and hopefully destroy, the Black Cauldron, which can birth unkillable zombie warriors and thus raise an unbeatable army if left in the hands of Arwen, their enemy.

I have to say, I enjoyed this book a good deal more than The Book of Three. I didn’t find the characters nearly as annoying. Taran has already gone through a good deal of character development by the end of this second novel, and has grown on me tremendously. He’s not nearly as annoying as when he was first introduced, though his temper can still run away with him when he isn’t looking. Eilonwy has grown on me a bit, as well, though she is still often snide and shrewish in ways that make me roll my eyes. But my favorite characters are actually supporting roles: Fflewdur the errant bard with the lie-detecting harp; and Gurgi, the much furrier, cuter, sweeter, braver Gollum-esque being. Gurgi is just freaking adorable. I was iffy on him in the first book, though his manner of speaking softened me up to him. By this book, however, I was a huge fan, and very excited to see him again.

I felt like the narration and plot both made more sense in The Black Cauldron than in The Book of Three, and that the pacing was more on point. I read this little book in the span of 24 hours, and I never felt like it dragged in any section. There were plot twists that I predicted from very early on in the story, but instead of being annoyed by having guessed so early, I was gratified when proven correct. This removed some of the tension from the story, but I don’t think that would be the case for the age range that are the intended audience.

While this isn’t a series that I was familiar with in my own childhood, I can see why it holds such a special place in the memories of others. Including my husband, who loved these books as a child. If you’re a lover of epic fantasy and looking for an easy-to-digest version through which you can introduce the kids in your life to the genre that holds your heart, this would be a fantastic choice. I’m interested to see where Taran’s journey takes him and his friends next.

Megan McGuire

Ashley shackelford

Darcy Lambert

George

Luca Masters

Casey Mulholland

Ryan LaFerney

renee badenoch

Rikki Doppler

Julia M

Kevin Gilbert

Elizabeth Hagenlocher

Jenna T.

Sara

The land of Prydain is threatened by the evil Arawn and his band of invincible warriors.

The Black Cauldron (The Chronicles of Prydain)

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