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The High King (The Chronicles of Prydain) by…
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The High King (The Chronicles of Prydain) (original 1968; edition 2006)

by Lloyd Alexander

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6,023571,629 (4.22)3 / 141
In this final part of the chronicle of Prydain the forces of good and evil meet in an ultimate confrontation, which determines the fate of Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper who wanted to be a hero.
Member:kzlibrary
Title:The High King (The Chronicles of Prydain)
Authors:Lloyd Alexander
Info:Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks (2006), Paperback, 272 pages
Collections:Your library
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Tags:recommended

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The High King by Lloyd Alexander (1968)

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English (55)  Spanish (1)  All languages (56)
Showing 1-5 of 55 (next | show all)
Actually really poignant. Whether it's deliberate or just a maturation of Alexander's writing, this final book in the series sheds much of the bland, expository dialogue in favour of a poetic, elegaic tone. The series became increasingly aformulaic and, while "The High King" starts out very traditionally, it gradually expands into a mournful yet thrilling climax. ( )
  therebelprince | Oct 24, 2023 |
I read the whole series but am just listing this one. Really excellent books. Part of a mythic model of a young boy not worth much who does great things with interesting companions. ( )
  kslade | Dec 8, 2022 |
After finishing Taran Wanderer, this one just didn’t quite hold a candle to it. It was longer than the other books, so there was more action and the story more involved, that was nice. We were back to striking parallels between this story and LOTR, it’s really hard to miss. Obviously, Taran’s company doesn’t have enough people to match 1:1 with Frodo’s, but it’s still amusing. Also, more of Taran’s friends die in his story than in LOTR, that was much less amusing.

The ending was a little surprising, but completely (I think?) satisfactory. It made me think a lot more than I had expected, especially since Taran was essentially choosing to give up one of the things he had worked toward for the last couple of books. ( )
  Annrosenzweig | Oct 15, 2021 |
Thrilling finale to a great series. Have loved these books since childhood & reread every several years. ( )
  usuallee | Oct 7, 2021 |
You can find this review and many more on my blog:
Into The Heartwyld

The final book in the Chronicles of Prydain and I can safely say this was my 2nd favorite of the entire series (My first being The Black Cauldron)

One thing I can for sure say that I truly enjoyed about Alexander's storytelling was his ability to not shy away from death. I have read my share of childrean's books and while there are some out there that do include death, I feel the amount that was present in this book was a lot, and it was all characters that while being a side character still managed to hurt when their life was taken, and it's because he had a way of making you care for everyone that came into the story.

The story starts out sweet and then it turns and war finally starts, and we finally get that long awaited battle with the Death Lord Arawn, which to be honest was nice, for awhile there he just kept being mentioned in passing that it almost felt like the big battle would never come.

Glew was a character I could have completely done with out this entire book, and I mean that whole heartily, he just didn't bring anything to the story for me. Eilonwy was back and her usual self so I was glad for that, after going two books with her being basically non existent it was nice to have the leading lady return.

I will say the final battle was a little disappointing but it was expected. The thing I didn't like most was the final chapter, something about this Summer Country bit just felt.... odd. I cant really explain it, but it felt so out of place left this weird vibe with me.

Overall, it was great read and If I was child I would have enjoyed this very much. ( )
1 vote SweetKokoro | Sep 29, 2021 |
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» Add other authors (12 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Alexander, Lloydprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Killer, UlrikeÜbersetzersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Langton, JamesNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lee, Jody A.Cover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ness, EvalineCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pilhjerta, Ritva-LiisaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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For the boys who might have been Taran and the girls who will always be Eilonwy
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Despite their shortcomings, no books have given me greater joy in the writing than the Chronicles of Prydain. [from the "Author's Note"]
Under a chill, gray sky, two riders jogged across the turf.
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In this final part of the chronicle of Prydain the forces of good and evil meet in an ultimate confrontation, which determines the fate of Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper who wanted to be a hero.

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When the sword of Dyrnwyn, the most powerful weapon in the kingdom of Prydain, falls into the hands of Arawn, Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper, and Prince Gwydion raise an army to march against Arawn's terrible cohorts. After a winter expedition filled with danger, Taran's army arrives at Mount Dragon, Arawn's stronghold. There, in a thrilling confrontation with Arawn and the evil enchantress Achren, Taran is forced to make the most crucial decision of his life.

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