In which Taran sets out to put an end to an army of undead grotesques, and can't seem to avoid a heck of a lot of familiar faces.

Picking up where The Book of Three left of, the second novel in the Chronicles of Prydain series is overall a better experience. Alexander's prose still sometimes seems to skip through entire sequences at breathtaking speed, and characters are prone to overtly state elements of the author's mission statement, but - as I said in my review of the first book - that is only because the Chronicles are that rare type of children's fiction meant only for children, and not older readers too.

The world of Prydain is further expanded here, and all the characters are back. Taran gets a greater emotional journey here, although most of the other characters are given short shrift in favour of (admittedly interesting) new ones. In some cases that's quite sad - Eilonwy deserves more than to be an outspoken follower, and there's more to the bard's tale that can surely be examined. Others, however, seem like they could become quite one-note if they mysteriously appear on every journey just to provide another voice. We'll see. I remain optimistic about this series because, once you except the obvious limitations of Alexander's prose, it's a captivating and easy-to-read novel. My favourite element of the first book remains: Alexander is a staunchly moral writer, and the lessons Taran and his gang learn are always important and honest. Yet, he's refreshingly mature. The fates of numerous heroes and villains are often truly tragic or horrific. This is a novel about going from the innocence of childhood into the dark complexities of the real world - and the fact that it creates a world which is genuinely real is a treat.

As a sequel it more than lives up to the first novel, and overall The Black Cauldron is a success. I look forward to finding out what happens next to Taran, Eilonwy, Gurgi, and the gang. ( )

A quick but enjoyable read...Taran the Assistant Pig-Keeper has learned a few more things about life and is on his way to becoming the man he wants to become.... ( )

In this second novel of the Chronicles of Prydain Taran and his companions go on a quest to destroy the cauldron that is being used by Arawn to make deathless warriors.

Just like the first book in the series, there is a familiar feeling to reading the book. I guess it’s because of the traditional tropes. The series is heavily influenced by Welsh mythology, but since I don’t know much about it what it keeps reminding me of is Lord of the Rings and fairy tales. It is a lighter version of those that has very clear lessons for kids, delivered in a brilliant way.

As much as I liked this book and the fact that there were many wonderful quotes in this volume, the arcs of the two of the characters introduced weren’t as satisfying as I would have liked. I would have loved for their character journey to be more fleshed out. When it comes to the usual group, I still really love Doli and Eilonwy. They are still my favourites. Taran has a lot of growth to do and in this one he had to face his pride and find out what really matters. Ellydir was really annoying, but still an interesting character and important in the way that he mirrors the darkest facets of Taran.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and I will definitely continue the series. The characters and the writing style are comforting to me and give me a feeling of nostalgia even though I never read the books before. ( )

One of my favorite books, much better than the movie! I loved the tale, and the characters became like family. ( )

I liked this one better than the first, the action started right off, there was a quest and work to get to, and off they went. I found the story more interesting as well, and in general, as I listened, I could see in the story the stuff of Disney movies - a dwarf that can turn invisible, a trio of amusing enchantresses, an underdog hero. I can still find echoes of Middle Earth and the flavor of the Lord of the Rings, but it feels an homage, and there exist in them both elements of great stories, truth, goodness, and beauty.
So far, this series is shaping up to be a good starting point from which to delve into a realm of fantasy with a younger child. ( )