I think this is one of the best things about making TH-cam videos because when I said that sentence this thought didn't even cross my mind haha. Times were definitely different - but luckily enough because of that we got this amazing series.
These days, it takes a masters degree to become a priest. Back in the day, it would have been a bachelor's degree, but a bigger one, probably an extra year or two in college.
He wanted to be a priest when he was still like 13 in 1937 or so. This was still in the great depression when his father a stockbroker was bankrupted by the market crash. He was attending public school now instead of a private quaker school and his parents could not afford to send their 13-year-old to private divinity school. So, it wasn't a one or the other situation be a priest or go to college. He graduated from high school at age 16 in 1940 so he still had three years until he went to college. He went to West Chester State Teachers College for one semester a college owned by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. So, a public state college. In the 1940s it was very cheap to attend college in general compared to our costs now and even cheaper back than versus a private divinity school.
I was fortunate enough to meet Lloyd Alexander before his passing, and it is one of my happiest memories that I was able to convey to him how much his books meant to my childhood. I was working in Springfield, PA (a suburb of Philadelphia, and Mr. Alexander lived for much of his years in Drexel Hill, another suburb of the city) at the Borders Books & Music in the early 2000's. Working at the register when this small gentleman with a mad wisp of dandelion fluff white hair and very impressive nose came up to purchase a DVD of WWII battles. This was back in the day when you handed the cashier your credit card and they compared signatures to what was on the back of the card, so out of habit I look at the name as he's signing away. Already in awe, I ask him "Are you Lloyd Alexander... the author?" He looks up at me with a sly smile, before faux stumbling back and clutching at his chest while looking around for the friend who accompanied him. "Someone knows who I am!" It was a quick meeting, but I will never forget it in all of my years.
"There is more honor in a field well plowed than in one drenched in blood." I am working on a farm, and when hoeing the rows of garlic, I sometimes remember the words of an old turnip-farmer named Coll. When I thrilled to the tales of Prydain it always struck me as odd, because I was caught up in the excitement of battle and heroic derring-do. Wanting, like Taran, to follow the way of the sword, and never considering that it might find myself walking the path of Dorath or Morgant or Pryderi. I have 20 times as many garlic plants as the Spartans who stood with Leonidas and they defy the elements much longer than the single day the Spartans held off the Persians. But I don't think anything could have convinced my younger self of the wisdom of Coll's words. That is how the architecture of a young man's mind works. I tend to think that in any decade Hollywood would miss the point of Lloyd Alexander, what makes Prydain different from Tolkien's great kingdoms of Middle Earth or Lewis and the house of Pevensey. That was true in the eighties, probably the nineties, and I worry would be doubly true in the current year.
It reminds me of the conclusion that Voltaire comes to at the end of Candide--where Candide and Cunegonde realize that chasing foolish dreams is nothing compared to a simple life well lived. And of course I'm playing in my head Leonard Bernstein's adaptation of that scene from Candide with the song: "Make Our Garden Grow".
Could you explain what sets Alexander apart from, say, Tolkien? Tolkien certainly didn't glorify the way of the sword, and also expressed a fondness for peaceful soil-tilling.
@Easttowest45 Tolkien's wise enchanter is Gandalf, who keeps visiting the Shire to lead members of the Baggins family on great adventures and deeds of derring-do, which eventually lead to Bag end passing out of the family and into the hands of the gardener. Gandalf leads troops into battle like the bishop in Roland. He has no home of his own, but Saruman another member of his order has a great tower. Alexander's wise enchanter is Dallben, who does not seek adventure and does not ride to battle but stays throughout the books in his cottage, accompanied by a turnip farmer and an assistant pig-keeper, except when they ride off on adventures, but we understand the specifics of their vocation better than we do master Samwise. "Two strongholds have long stood against the Lord of Annuvin: a golden castle and a farmer's cottage." When a minor king, Pryderi comes to steal Dallben's life, and his great tome, the Book of Three, he taunts Dallben "You cannot do what the lowest warrior can do, you cannot kill." But there is a sense that Dallben's vocation, like that of Irish monks whose Celtic vision of the Trinity forbids them from taking life, is still meaningful, at least in a land never enslaved by Roman-style military discipline. Because he stays close to home, we never see Dallben fall into the doubt and anger that Gandalf does "Fool of a Took." "There never was much hope." There are other aspects of world-building as well. The feminine is more powerful abd independent in Alexander, the three weird sisters, still weave the cloth of fate. They are much more pagan and outside society than Galadriel. Rohan and Gondor in Middle Earth are much bigger and older than the patchwork of dozens of petty kingdoms in Prydain. The gradient between King and commoner isn't as big in Alexander. It's not just class, it's also morality where the divide is less stark. Especially in the fourth book, Taran has many adventures which don't revolve around slaughtering legions of orcs like in Tolkien, or mythical monsters like Beowulf or the Greek heroes. I read the Mabinogion, though I don't know it well, but stories about lame ants and forest creatures aren't things I remember from Tolkien. It is the Celtic fringe at a stage in society when they had more in common with native Americans than Mediterranean Europe or Londinium did within recorded history. Now that may also be because Tolkien's books treat "The great War of the ring" and the battle against Annuvin is only the last book of five. The fourth book was not part of Alexander's original vision but I feel that that one, in which "the little Robin must scratch for his own worms" without Coll, Dallben, or Gwydion to give advice is a large part of why I feel the way I do. Meeting the craftsmen (and women) of the free Commots, and that the return of lost skill and knowledge for yeoman and craftsmen rather than simply the restoration of King Aragorn bridegroom of an Elf princess.
@@vernonchow2032Absolutely, Taran Wanderer is the book that exposes the true heart of the series for me, and it would still be amazing without that book… but not, I think, truly great.
Honesty, one of the things I love about this series is how you see Taran grow and develop; it's quite subtle most of the time, and you might only really notice it when you read the whole thing back-to-back. In "The Book of Three" he's actually quite childish, and reading as an adult, you have to remind yourself that he's still just a kid. In "The Black Cauldron" he's brash, and full of pride and insecurity, but you start to see the hints of maturity in his decisions by the end. Through "The Castle of Llyr" you see his motivations have changed - pride and expectation are practically absent from his decision-making, and he is driven by his concern for the people he loves. In "Taran Wanderer" he sets out on a quest, but for knowledge and self-discovery, rather than glory, and he eagerly sets himself to learning trades that he would have dismissed as innocuous at the start of the series. Finally, in "The High King", he becomes a leader, gratefully taking advice from his companions and making decisions not for himself or his friends, but the entire world. If you read through it, the progression is slow, and you don't see a massive change in Taran across any individual book, but the stubborn, whiny boy we meet in "The Book of Three" is scarcely recognisable in the thoughtful and serious man we leave at the end of "The High King".
This is a good comment. Reading it I felt again the emotions I experienced reading the books as a child long ago and it made me reflect on how Taran's story might have influenced who I became. Such a good series.
@@keithtorgersen9664 I think they are intended as a Celtic version of the Norns. The Triple Goddess is probably the closest Celtic figure, and thinking about it matches pretty well.
The Chronicles of Prydain was my first introduction to the world of heroic fantasy at the age of ten. I can't overstate how influential this series was to my development and outlook as i got older.
I was a little older when I first discovered the book series, after having watched The Black Cauldron when it came out. I was 13 at the time and my 4 year old brother loved the movie so much, so we ended up watching it a lot. Eventually I learned the source material from the credits and pretty soon thereafter, I randomly found the book series at the local LA Public Library branch. I devoured those books and to this day, it's the only piece of literature that has ever made me cry. I then borrowed the books again for my brother, once he got old enough to read more advanced books, and he fell in love with the series too. We bonded heavily over that over the years and even now as adults at both ends of our thirties. Knowing now that Lloyd Alexander cried writing the same part of the story that cried at hits me hard.
Good on you for putting in the work to find the source material! Disney should have done a better job of acknolwdeding the books in the movie. It's amazing how these books can bring people closer. And I think alot of us felt the same as Alexander after going through all of Taran's adventures...
@@exitsexamined Well, if Disney had simply changed the names of Taran and Eilonwy (and whatever that fuzzy thing was they claimed was supposed to have been Gurgi), they could have gotten away with not citing Alexander's name at all. It's so utterly unlike the source material Alexander wouldn't have had a plagiarism case. The only good thing about the movie is that a few people discovered five of the best books ever written after watching it.
These books, alongside playing Zelda games, sparked and cemented my love of Fantasy throughout life. The Black Cauldron was my favorite Disney movie to watch for a long time, and I only found out about the books much later, in 4th grade. My friend handed me a book he'd been reading and told me he thought I'd like it. It was The High King, which opens with an interaction between Taran and Gurgi. My mind was blown realizing that there were more stories and adventures to be experienced than the same movie I'd seen countless times. I spent a lot of time in the school library that year reading The Chronicles of Prydain, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings. Great memories. Also, hard agree with the best book being Taran Wanderer. That one was my favorite right from the first read through the series.
@exitsexamined Not that I can think of off the top of my head. That's why Prydain is so fascinating! The best I could think of is traditional versions of Arthurian Legends, but that has some Old French and Gaelic admixture. Susan Cooper's "Dark is Rising" looks like a Welsh backdrop.
@@exitsexamined Y'know, when you were describing his life, he reminds me a lot of Tolkien, especially the stuff about "micromythology", him being into history and translating books, and serving in a world war.
I was wandering around my middle school library when I found an old blue book titled "The High King" and saw that it was part of a five book story. It was my first real step into fantasy novels and I loved every second of it. I read the Chronicles of Pyrdain long before I ever picked up Lord of the Rings or The Wheel of Time and it holds a very special place in my heart even about 20 years after I read it.
The Black Cauldron game was made by Sierra On-Line, and the writer / main designer of the game, Roberta Williams, was a fan of the novels, so it was somewhat truer than the movie itself to the source material (it was licensed as an adaptation of the movie). I read the books in my teens, but sought them out because (a) I had vague memories of seeing the movie at the drive-in, and (b) had the game on floppy disc. Since Disney did not release it on VHS, I sought out the books instead. No regrets.
Cool to know about the video game! I'm jealous that you have the original floppy. Glad you found your way to the books, just hope one day we get another game in the series
Never played Black Cauldron, don't even have specific memories of the film or books. But I remember noting how much of King's Quest III seemed to be homage of some sort. Alexander of Llewdor?
Thanks for making this post, Otto. I, like you, think that The Chronicles of Prydain is one of the timeless hallmarks of fantasy. I grew up in a rural town in Michigan, where books of fantasy were not common. I first came across a mention of The Chronicles in an essay in the old fantasy fanmag, Amra, when I was 19. Intrigued, I went to the public library and found the first three books in the young adult section. I loved them. Then, I wound up joining the Navy to avoid being drafted and being sent to Vietnam. It wasn't until I got out, fours years later, that I came across an edition of the whole series. I go back to it every 10-15 years ago and immerse myself in Alexander's world and words. I have given it as a Christmas present to a couple of my nieces and nephews.
Another absolutely FANTASTIC book by Alexander is Outcast. One of the most memorable books I've ever read. It follows the story of a young Briton boy, growing up in tribal society before being captured and enslaved by Romans and spirited away to his new life in the drastically foreign and dynamic Roman colonies. I cannot overstate how good this book is, and the characters and dialogue in it is as good as any of his works. I cannot recommend this book enough for history nerds who want to dive into a unique historical perspective, narrative driven readers who love GREAT characters and arcs, or even casual readers looking to pick up something interesting and fun. Alexander's character and narrative writing shines in this book, and it should be remembered as one of his great works.
It was my second fantasy series and I absolutely loved it. I am so thankful I found it in a second hand book store. Redwall was my first fantasy series.
My local Pizza Hut franchise had a deal set up with my high school in which if you read books, you got a certain amount of points. I discovered the "The Black Cauldron", which had a high point value and I vaguely remembered the Disney animated movie. I read it and loved every single page. My middle school didn't have "The Book of Three" or "Taran Wanderer", but I read the other two as soon as I could figure what they were. And, I enjoyed some free tasty pizza of questionable health value. Ah, public schools in the south in the 90s.
I reread these books at leas half-a-dozen times as a kid and loved the Sierra video game too - gotta agree that Taran Wanderer is the most poignant of the five books, I love the classic high fantasy of the other books but the more character-centred narrative and the difficult situations and choices Taran has to deal with really resonated with me and I can still remember the book clearly 40 years later... I really enjoyed the somewhat darker Westmark series as well, those and the entertaining The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha were the only Alexander books available in my local library, sadly I never encountered any other of his books... He really was a peerless children's author.
My mom gave me the full set of Prydain in middle school and the series still holds a special place in my heart, Taran Wanderer especially. Taran's time with Annlaw Clay-Shaper still hits me to this day with how relatable it is
When I was in grade 3 (about 30 years ago) joined a book giveaway, and won! The book was The Black Cauldron. This video reminded me of how much I loved that book, and how much I wanted to finish the entire series. I immediately went on audible and used my one credit to purchase the first two books 8n this 5 book series. Thank you so much for reminding me of that bucket list wish, and of reminding me of some long lost buried memories.
Thanks for recognizing this series - I loved these books as a kid. The ones I read had the covers shown at 4:10 - so great to see them again! For that reason, Taran will always have black hair to me.(don't remember how he was described in the book - as a kid, art always made more of an impression 😁)
Those cover designs might be my favorite versions. It is interesting to see how his character design was represented in the various covers across the years
These books felt like a Hidden Gem even when I found them in 6th grade and I'm so grateful that my school library had the entire Chronicles. I'll be honest I don't want Disney to touch these works at all. They have proven less than Stellar to be very very kind when it comes to every other property they've touched that I grew up with. Lloyd Alexander was a master, in this video brought a smile to my soul. Thank you.
My whole family grew up with these books. Had them on our shelves, reread them constantly. If you enjoyed them, you should check out Tamora Pierce’s books Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, The Circle, The Circle Opens, and such good storybuilding. One of my favorites is the series The Provost’s Dog, a magical police drama set in the fantasy medieval world all her books inhabit. It follows a young woman as she makes it through the police academy and how that would have to work in a world with magic, monarchies, and thieves guilds. It’s masterfully written. If you haven’t read any of them, I would really encourage you to. I alternated between Lloyd Alexander and Tamora Pierce for most of my young adult and teen years and still go back to reread them all!
My Uncle and late Aunt bought me the books in 1983. I read them over and over, completely entranced. Like you, Taran Wanderer was my favorite book, and in many ways the Chronicles would inform many events in my life, from turning me way from suicide, to finding closure with loss, participation in war, and I even fell in love with and married a lady with Red-gold hair. It's good someone remembers these books. I read them to my children and I occasionally re-read them, and they are close to my heart. Thanks for this.
So great to find someone else out there in the world who appreciates this special, special series. It's amazing how a book can be a guiding light through challenges The Chronicles of Prydain definitely deserve to be remembered, and it's great you're sharing them with your children. It's heartwarming to hear how much these books mean to you!
buddy got done kinda dirty in the Disney version, though they all kinda did, not like they could cram a book series worth of character development into one animated kids movie
Hey, nice to have a Welsh person on my channel! I don't doubt you! I'm going off Llyod Alexander's usage of it he made a pronunciation guide for many of the names that appear in the book, and he gives the same pronunciation for Prydain that I use! Alexander's pronunciation guide can be found online. Pronunciation is always scary!
@@Happyland1971 it may be what the author has said about His work and he is entitled to say so about His work but when the inspiration (and Exact spelling) comes from the Welsh language and Welsh Mythos then i have a duty to combat misinformation
That’s kind of neat to learn about the pronunciation. I just checked with Google Translate and, sure enough, the Welsh word “Prydain,” is pronounced (prih-DINE). Thank you for sharing that!
I was in high school when Disney first dug The Black Cauldron out of the vault. I enjoyed it, but a friend of mine who had read the books and was less than enthused about how they were adapted convinced me to read the series. I'm glad I discovered Prydain in this order because I don't know if I could have ever enjoyed the movie otherwise. XD But to this day I've got the books sitting happily on my shelves, one of my favorite series. Thanks for covering it!
That makes sense, probably would have felt the same. I'm jealous you have the entire series on the shelf! Did you check out any of Alexanders other works or the side stories of pydrian?Thanks for watching!
There were so many amazing quotes from these books and a lot of them are just pears of wisdom."″‘In some cases,’ he said, ‘we learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.‘
With Hollow Wood traipsing through with DIE? Do you WANT a race/gender-swapped Taran of Cair Dalbin? You'd think after the failed Distard movie from the 80's, the Prydain fans would have learned their lesson.
I really don’t want this, if only because Taran is never physically described, so anyone, or at least anyone who thinks or has thought of themselves as a boy, can more easily imagine themselves in his place. Either no one should be able to cosplay as Taran, or anyone should. Make yourself a cloak and a sword and wear them, and carry an ugly little pot you made and love, and you’re as much of a Taran as anyone.
@@muddlewait8844 I hear ya. Would like to see more adaptations of Welsh stories sometimes and Prydain is more or less based or inspired by Welsh folktales.
@@muddlewait8844 anyone can cosplay as any character, no matter who or what they look like. Anyone can identify with any character, no matter who or what we look like. What we look like is probably the least interesting thing about us.
I had no idea this even existed. I looked it up and bought the series. Thank you for this. I've heard nothing but great things about this. worth a look-see and read through.
My favourite series of all! I watched The Black Cauldron for the first time in 1998 when it was released for the first time on VHS here in Italy and I fell in love with it! It took me 10 years to find the books because they were out of print here. Now I have two versions: one from the '80, bought through ebay, and the new one published two years ago (FINALLY!) which contains all six volumes.
@@exitsexamined Italian. Unfortunately it's a common thing with fantasy books here. It's a genre that Italian publishers do not like very much, unless it is Tolkien or something that has really sold too much to be ignored. I have lost count of the number of famous series abroad of which they have translated only the first volume. In fact, the volume of short stories of Prydain had never been translated until the new edition came out in 2022... and now I'm happy with the complete series!
One of the greats. I remember the last book was the first to ever make me cry. As a child the choice seemed incredibly harsh and unfair. As an adult it (and the themes of the 4th book) seem incredibly realistic and human.
My favorite book series of all time. I found it young and read it through multiples times. Taran, in my opinion, is the best example of taking a well worn character trope (Orphaned farm boy dreaming of adventure outside his sheltered dull life) and turning him into something so much more. His character growth from boy to man within the 5 books is stunning, tragic, and so well drawn it's weird to think these are a kid's book, especially after the revelation in the 4th book Taran Wanderer. As a kid I was stunned by what he discovers. This could be an amazing series for TV. I hope it happens.
I hit me at the right time, I never had the books until later, so I picked up the first book when I was about 11-12 and the last when I was 13-14. In particular, Taran Wanderer hit me in that transition between being too old for everything I had known up to that point and too young for everything else.
Was not expecting Time Cat to come up while looking into a fantasy series I'd never head of before. I love time travel stories, and Time Cat was a really fun take on it. I need to track down some of the Prydain books now, see if I like the rest of his writing as much.
I vaguely remember seeing my brother read The Book of Three at some point when I was young. I think I was aware of the Black Cauldron Disney movie, but didn't see it at the time. I actually read the last book, The High King, first. It was on the shelf in my Junior High Reading class at school, and I borrowed it to read, not realizing that it was the last book in the series. I really enjoyed it and I think for a time it was a big influence on my view of fantasy tropes (I didn't actually read Lord of the Rings till I was in college). It wasn't till years after that that I went back to read the series from the start. Also went back to watch the Disney movie. I liked it, it was fun, though I can see its flaws as both a mass-market disney movie and as an interpretation of the books. Pretty clear the Disney movie is what killed further adaptations. Lord of the Rings was able to get its big movies after a series of questionable adaptations, but it was such a bigger deal overall than Prydain, it was inevitable that someone would pick that up and try it again. But with Dune being given a second try... maybe Prydain has a chance. Would love to see the Horned King on the big screen.,
My favorite of his books is "The Truthful Harp"--just fun! Lloyd Alexander was a fantastic writer. He won bunches of awards, with the most notable being the Newbery for best children's book of 1969 for "The High King." As a librarian, he had a special place for me because he helped start "Cricket" magazine, a literary magazine for children. He was the best!
The Truthful Harp is such a great addition and Alexander is amazing. i had no idea about the Cricket magazine, I'll have to add that to the description! Did you have a subscription to the magazine? How was it?
@@exitsexamined It is a literary magazine for kids--upper elementary, pretty much. Great stories, great illustrations! Really high quality. They also have added several other magazines to the list targeted at different ages and interests, but Cricket was the flagship.
Thank you. I very much enjoyed the black cauldron. And had no idea where they got it from. I love token, dungeons, and dragons, all other forms of fantasy. I will now begin looking for these books..
@@exitsexaminedme! I learned about this book series from a Disney-watching podcast (Dis-Order) that I’m in the middle of. I love The Black Cauldron and enjoying reading it.
Recently went through all of these for the first time, got a huge commute and audiobooks are my go-to entertainment. They’re obviously geared toward a younger audience but it’s no less an amazing story with wonderful characters and life lessons. Also, now anytime I’m speaking for my dogs, I preface everything with “Yes! Yeeeessss!!”
Had a dreamlike childhood memory of seeing The Black Cauldron in the theater....my parents got me a picture book and audio tape set so I knew I did not imagine the movie. Disney did not release it again until I was in college.....this makes me want to check out the source material
The Book of Three was arguably my first introduction to literary fantasy. Discovered it around age 8 and still remember it. Haven’t read The High King, though, and may have to go through the previous four again to refresh myself.
I've working on a series of books about an anthropomorphic fox who is a prince in hiding, and the Prydain series and the King Arthur myths have been inspirations. Obviously, I'm making my stories more unique, but I am trying to learn from the strengths and flaws from other medieval time-based stories. I do know I do not want it to end like either the Prydain stories or the King Arthur myths. Speaking of Arthur, I would love to see you cover how King Arthur's myths have been adapted over the years, some a lot looser than others.
Its mainly because of the Disney failure The Black Cauldron that some readers today don't get into the Chronicles of Prydain but I have had the spare time to read the books myself and let me say they are much better than the movie. Also this series is up there with The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, Harry Potter, and The Chronicles of Narnia as some of the greatest fantasy series ever.
Thank you so much for this. Love Alexander’s writing and this is an all time favorite of mine that I sorely need to reread. It really does deserve to be remembered and read.
You're so welocome! It's so cool to find other people out there that the series meant alot to. If you don't have time for a reread I'd rec the audiobooks!
I remember reading those books as a kid (I think my dad had an omnibus copy that had all the books compiled). I still think about the series sometimes, there's bits of it that stuck with me into my adult life. They're kind of profoundly wise novels in ways that I only partially understood as a child and only really appreciated after I grew into adulthood.
I loved this series growing up. Westmark was very important to me as an older child as well. I am just outside of the age range for Harry Potter to have meant much to me and I didn't read LOTR until I was an adult so when I think of the most important fantasy books of my youth, it was Prydain, Westmark, Narnia (for the most part), and Dragonlance. Edited: I forgot to add L'Engle's Time Quintet. Unforgivable error!
Hey sounds like we had very similar childhoods! So cool to see other people into Dragonlance (Dunno if you saw but I actually covered that on the channel!) How was Westmark, especially compared to Prydain? I only listened to snippets of it on Audiobook for this video - but I'm considering checking it out more
Time Cat was my favorite as a kid. I used to want my own black cat with red eyes. Almost came really close to adopting one that was black with the most red-orange eyes. Never seen a cat like that since. (Couldn't adopt the cat because my landlord at the time would have tossed me out in a heartbeat.)
When I was a kid in the 70s there were only four fantasy series for kids in our library (Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising, Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, and Prydain - you gotta remember in the 1960s and 70s there was a whole "kids books need to be grounded in 'real life'" thing going on). And wow, did Prydain blow me away. Taran Wanderer is still one of the most profound and impactful books I'd ever read. On the one hand, I'd love for someone to make Prydain into a movie or streaming series. Flamm burning his harp would nail everyone as hard as Sam carrying Frodo up Mount Doom. On the other hand I've seen too many streaming adaptations . . . I hate for Prydain to get the Wheel of Time/Rings of Power treatment. But "what ever happened to the Chronicles of Prydain" is kinda the opposite of when I was a kid. It's now just another (old) fantasy series competing for space on bookshelves flooded with books like Harry Potter or Redwall or Percy Jackson or Crestomancy or the Magical School of Good and Evil - and libraries and bookstores only have so much shelf space (that are biased to more modern books).
That was the Big Four of the influential fantasy series which dared to reach out to children and young adults and impart some fine life lessons in the form of thrilling adventures and the confrontations of definite Good and Evil. I read them all, collected them all, enjoyed them all.
I found Taran Wanderer first, and fell in love with it, then went back and read the whole series when I realized it was a series. It was one of the first boxed sets of books I ever bought for myself, and the cover of the Black Cauldron was the Disney artwork, which was how I found out about the Disney movie. I was pretty disappointed when I finally watched that, but I would LOVE to see a more mature adaptation of this series.
Hey! So interesting that you read Taran Wanderer first! Did it make sense as a stand alone? And yeah I think the best way is to watch the Black Cauldron before reading the novels to keep your expectations low haha
@@exitsexamined Take this with a grain of salt, since it was back in I think 1995 when I read it? But I seem to remember following the story okay, but feeling like I was missing some things. LOL When I read the entire series through, it was like, "oh yup! I was definitely missing some things." And The Black Cauldron (novel) still makes me cry every time I read it. LOL
Great video! Maybe this is off in right field here but I've always loved this book series and I also play a game called Dungeons and Dragons. Anywho, in my world building for DnD I've definitely taken elements of Prydain and lovingly used them in the game. I like to think of it as a way to pay a bit of honer to his writing.
I cant believe this just popped on my youtube feed. Im literelly reading this series right now. Ive came across this book set on a thrift store and was wondering why was the price 17 dollars then i looked it up and saw it went for more than that thankfully i got it or 7 dollars and i dont regret buying this book set.
It's been over 25 years since I last read the series, and a lot of it is foggy in my memory, but the Cauldron Born stopping in their tracks, even just briefly when facing King Math still resonates.
I reread or relisten to the entire series at least twice a year. There is also a wonderful Prydain Companion that compiles all the information from the books.
Hey thank you so much for the kind words! So cool to find other people out there into these series! I've considered Narnia but I think other creators have done the series to death - but I haven't checked in awhile, maybe most of their focus is on the movie as opposed to the whole series / books
I loved the Prydain Chronicles. One of my favorite fantasy series as a kid. I hope some day the series gets a proper adaptation instead of the compressed and neutered Black Cauldron film we got in the 80s.
Reading west mark right now, I honestly hope we never get another Prydain book because 1.The story is over 2.Lloyd has been dead for years, so he can’t write a new book.
Wow I had totally forgotten about the game! I remember playing it on an Apple IIe back in school. I loved these books and they were my introduction to fantasy as a child.
@@exitsexamined Yes! I had totally forgotten until you showed the screens and I remembered playing it. I don't think I got very far but I was thrilled there was a game from my at the time favorite book series.
When I was a kid I picked up The Book of Three from the library and fell in love with the books very quickly and read all four of the original books. I had no idea the Disney movie existed until much later. I still haven't seen it. 😂
So cool you got into the series as a kid! And maybe it's best to not watch the movie or just go in with the mindset that it's not really like the books haha. Have you reread any of the books as an adult? They're great!
Thanks for covering this much-neglected series! It was a childhood favorite; I found & read The High King first (!) in 6th grade, I obtained and red the entire series the following year, and read the entire series into semi-memorized state. Even though the series didn't nicely mech with D&D (despite a nod from Gygax in Appendix N of DMG) it remained with me despite other new favorites in fantasy fiction. I gave the series to my niece & nephew to read, and have thought about tracking down a set for reference purposes these days. If you liked Hobbit/LOTR as a child, you'd like The Chronicles of Prydain, as Alexander & Tolkien shared the same vibe. Now, I wasn't happy with the animated movie, but I felt then that the series deserved more than the standard Disney adaptation treatment. I guess I'm with Bluth there... But hey, one bad movie doth not a masterpiece mar.
Hey I'm happy to! Interesting to know about the nod, I'll have to look into that. And awesome on you for passing down the series to your family. We can always hope for another movie or adaption in the future!
Interesting! I think I read the first of Prydain, as well as Time Cat, ages ago, but don't remember them. I guess I'll have to give this author another try soon!
I loved these novels as a child and still enjoyed them when rereading them as an adult. Like Mr. Alexander, I too, cried at the end of The High King; a testament to how "real" the characters felt to me at that point. I would dearly love to see these made into live action movies but am not sanguine as to the quality said movies would exhibit.
Going through all the books with the characters together, the end was tough. I agree it would take a really special team who appreciates the source material to make a movie that would capture the magic, but in the meantime we always have the books
I really love the Chronicles of Prydain. They are right at the top of my list of favorite books. I reread them a couple years ago.The thing is both "Prydain" and "Albion" or long standing names of Great Britain. They are also used in the writings of Stephen Lawhead. Off this subject, have anyone read the Tripod series? My favorite of the John Christopher series is "The White Mountains."
Prydain is a little messier, as it came to refer specifically to the territory of the Britons later on, as distinct from the Caledonians (and possibly the Hen Ogledd as well).
We read the first book in school in 6th grade. I bought and read the rest and it set off a long love of fantasy literature. *spoilers* It's interesting how American the story of Taran Wanderer is. He sets out to find himself by learning about his ancestors/family. But he ultimately develops his sense of identify and self-worth based upon his own actions and choices rather than by anything his ancestors did. He grows up, finds his moral core, learns who his real friends are. It's really interesting because so many others would have gone with "you are the long lost son of the true king!" as the message. How different from, for example, the story of Aragorn in LOTR (not saying either is bad, just how different) where it's super important that he can trace his lineage to the dawn of elves and men.
100% agree, that deconstruction of the hero trope is such a surprisignly unique take in the fantasy genre and it really worked well with Taran's character development especially considering the earlier titles
Great video, though, I'd say it's more of a Dark Ages setting than a classic Middle Ages setting, such as Song of Ice and Fire. And speaking of George R.R. Martin, while the Chronicles of Prydain are never quite that dark and have none of the sex and way less explicit violence, it's still pretty dark for mid-grade fiction and the betrayals by Morgant, Magg, and, in particular, Pryderi, are right up there with the Red Wedding in how it messed with me. Great stuff.
It was my first and still very memorable fantasy series that I read. Bought it through a school book order after the class read Book 1. 😊 I'm going to re-experience it through audiobooks.
What happened? The same thing that happened to Marvel and Star Wars....DISNEY. Ugh. Disney is where fantasy franchises go to die. I read this in middle school. So fantastic. Went form here to Dragon Lance and on from there.
So cool to see other people into Dragonlance (Dunno if you saw but I actually covered that on the channel!) Well although we'll see if Disney manages to do the series the justice it deserves, I wouldn't mind a video game version
When i reread these books during covid i was SHOOK. Taran wanderer stands out as uniquely profound and depressing. I cried for a week after finishing the series and felt lost in this grey modern world
Lloyd Alexander and the Prydain Chronicles are genuine treasures and while I strongly desire for them to be more recognized as such, they should not be sullied by modern media adaptations, which would inevitably butcher the reputations of both. Spread the word that they're amazing.
I found the first two of these in a closet as a kid and read them so many times, but I'd never been able to find the others. I really should go find them now that I can like ... buy things off the internet
I like how Lloyd Alexander likes the Disney movie, I love it too, even if it's not exact to the books. He's considered it another timeline of his work & he likes how that timeline goes
The audio books on Audible do an amazing job with these books. The narrator uses various Welsh regional accents. And does a great job with the voices of female characters that isnt just talking in a falsetto.
They did my man Fflewder so wrong in that movie… (as well as everyone else but yeah). I discovered Taran Wanderer while waiting for jury duty. (The courthouse had a small bookshelf and I was unprepared.) It was enthralling! So I read the whole series, and Taran Wanderer is still my favorite. Though The Black Cauldron was also really good.
That's so true he deserved so much better then being an old man comic relief. And sounds like a great escape from jury duty, I'll have to try that haha
Taran Wanderer is one of my all time favorite books. Truly wish it could see a wider audience with a prestige series that remained faithful to the material.
10:30 Nice to see some love for the game! I personally think it's one of the best game adaptations that no one remembers. In particular, all the branching plot paths were practically unheard of at the time. It was possible to almost perfectly recreate the story of the movie, or you can do things totally differently. That was impressively complicated design for 1986! Too bad it will never ever get a rerelease and now only lives on as abandonware.
You know that's a great point about it being one of the first games with branching paths. I remember when I came across that I was really shocked because it is an older game. Who knows with the rerelease, can always hope someone in the modding community does something with it!
I can't remember the character's name now, but with that one prince in The Black Cauldron going from Taran's enemy to frenemy to begrudged ally to someone who really did respect Taran and ultimately sacrificed his life for him, I believe that went a long way in helping Taran learn humility.
"He seriously considered a career as a priest, but his family couldnt afford it and he went off to college." The past is a different country indeed.
now it's probably cheaper to become a priest!
@@SkyeIDand where the US fit is a better fit for a genius poet than college. It wasn't just a bunch of jarheads.
I think this is one of the best things about making TH-cam videos because when I said that sentence this thought didn't even cross my mind haha. Times were definitely different - but luckily enough because of that we got this amazing series.
These days, it takes a masters degree to become a priest. Back in the day, it would have been a bachelor's degree, but a bigger one, probably an extra year or two in college.
He wanted to be a priest when he was still like 13 in 1937 or so. This was still in the great depression when his father a stockbroker was bankrupted by the market crash. He was attending public school now instead of a private quaker school and his parents could not afford to send their 13-year-old to private divinity school. So, it wasn't a one or the other situation be a priest or go to college. He graduated from high school at age 16 in 1940 so he still had three years until he went to college. He went to West Chester State Teachers College for one semester a college owned by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. So, a public state college. In the 1940s it was very cheap to attend college in general compared to our costs now and even cheaper back than versus a private divinity school.
I was fortunate enough to meet Lloyd Alexander before his passing, and it is one of my happiest memories that I was able to convey to him how much his books meant to my childhood.
I was working in Springfield, PA (a suburb of Philadelphia, and Mr. Alexander lived for much of his years in Drexel Hill, another suburb of the city) at the Borders Books & Music in the early 2000's. Working at the register when this small gentleman with a mad wisp of dandelion fluff white hair and very impressive nose came up to purchase a DVD of WWII battles. This was back in the day when you handed the cashier your credit card and they compared signatures to what was on the back of the card, so out of habit I look at the name as he's signing away. Already in awe, I ask him "Are you Lloyd Alexander... the author?"
He looks up at me with a sly smile, before faux stumbling back and clutching at his chest while looking around for the friend who accompanied him. "Someone knows who I am!" It was a quick meeting, but I will never forget it in all of my years.
That's awesome.
"There is more honor in a field well plowed than in one drenched in blood."
I am working on a farm, and when hoeing the rows of garlic, I sometimes remember the words of an old turnip-farmer named Coll. When I thrilled to the tales of Prydain it always struck me as odd, because I was caught up in the excitement of battle and heroic derring-do. Wanting, like Taran, to follow the way of the sword, and never considering that it might find myself walking the path of Dorath or Morgant or Pryderi.
I have 20 times as many garlic plants as the Spartans who stood with Leonidas and they defy the elements much longer than the single day the Spartans held off the Persians. But I don't think anything could have convinced my younger self of the wisdom of Coll's words. That is how the architecture of a young man's mind works. I tend to think that in any decade Hollywood would miss the point of Lloyd Alexander, what makes Prydain different from Tolkien's great kingdoms of Middle Earth or Lewis and the house of Pevensey. That was true in the eighties, probably the nineties, and I worry would be doubly true in the current year.
It reminds me of the conclusion that Voltaire comes to at the end of Candide--where Candide and Cunegonde realize that chasing foolish dreams is nothing compared to a simple life well lived.
And of course I'm playing in my head Leonard Bernstein's adaptation of that scene from Candide with the song: "Make Our Garden Grow".
Could you explain what sets Alexander apart from, say, Tolkien? Tolkien certainly didn't glorify the way of the sword, and also expressed a fondness for peaceful soil-tilling.
@Easttowest45 Tolkien's wise enchanter is Gandalf, who keeps visiting the Shire to lead members of the Baggins family on great adventures and deeds of derring-do, which eventually lead to Bag end passing out of the family and into the hands of the gardener. Gandalf leads troops into battle like the bishop in Roland. He has no home of his own, but Saruman another member of his order has a great tower.
Alexander's wise enchanter is Dallben, who does not seek adventure and does not ride to battle but stays throughout the books in his cottage, accompanied by a turnip farmer and an assistant pig-keeper, except when they ride off on adventures, but we understand the specifics of their vocation better than we do master Samwise.
"Two strongholds have long stood against the Lord of Annuvin: a golden castle and a farmer's cottage."
When a minor king, Pryderi comes to steal Dallben's life, and his great tome, the Book of Three, he taunts Dallben "You cannot do what the lowest warrior can do, you cannot kill." But there is a sense that Dallben's vocation, like that of Irish monks whose Celtic vision of the Trinity forbids them from taking life, is still meaningful, at least in a land never enslaved by Roman-style military discipline. Because he stays close to home, we never see Dallben fall into the doubt and anger that Gandalf does "Fool of a Took." "There never was much hope."
There are other aspects of world-building as well. The feminine is more powerful abd independent in Alexander, the three weird sisters, still weave the cloth of fate. They are much more pagan and outside society than Galadriel. Rohan and Gondor in Middle Earth are much bigger and older than the patchwork of dozens of petty kingdoms in Prydain. The gradient between King and commoner isn't as big in Alexander. It's not just class, it's also morality where the divide is less stark. Especially in the fourth book, Taran has many adventures which don't revolve around slaughtering legions of orcs like in Tolkien, or mythical monsters like Beowulf or the Greek heroes. I read the Mabinogion, though I don't know it well, but stories about lame ants and forest creatures aren't things I remember from Tolkien. It is the Celtic fringe at a stage in society when they had more in common with native Americans than Mediterranean Europe or Londinium did within recorded history. Now that may also be because Tolkien's books treat "The great War of the ring" and the battle against Annuvin is only the last book of five.
The fourth book was not part of Alexander's original vision but I feel that that one, in which "the little Robin must scratch for his own worms" without Coll, Dallben, or Gwydion to give advice is a large part of why I feel the way I do. Meeting the craftsmen (and women) of the free Commots, and that the return of lost skill and knowledge for yeoman and craftsmen rather than simply the restoration of King Aragorn bridegroom of an Elf princess.
@@vernonchow2032 Thank you very much for your effort writing that down, I took a lot from it.
@@vernonchow2032Absolutely, Taran Wanderer is the book that exposes the true heart of the series for me, and it would still be amazing without that book… but not, I think, truly great.
Honesty, one of the things I love about this series is how you see Taran grow and develop; it's quite subtle most of the time, and you might only really notice it when you read the whole thing back-to-back. In "The Book of Three" he's actually quite childish, and reading as an adult, you have to remind yourself that he's still just a kid. In "The Black Cauldron" he's brash, and full of pride and insecurity, but you start to see the hints of maturity in his decisions by the end. Through "The Castle of Llyr" you see his motivations have changed - pride and expectation are practically absent from his decision-making, and he is driven by his concern for the people he loves. In "Taran Wanderer" he sets out on a quest, but for knowledge and self-discovery, rather than glory, and he eagerly sets himself to learning trades that he would have dismissed as innocuous at the start of the series. Finally, in "The High King", he becomes a leader, gratefully taking advice from his companions and making decisions not for himself or his friends, but the entire world.
If you read through it, the progression is slow, and you don't see a massive change in Taran across any individual book, but the stubborn, whiny boy we meet in "The Book of Three" is scarcely recognisable in the thoughtful and serious man we leave at the end of "The High King".
This is a good comment. Reading it I felt again the emotions I experienced reading the books as a child long ago and it made me reflect on how Taran's story might have influenced who I became. Such a good series.
My second favorite fantasy series. It is seen as a kids series, but the wisdom and insight elevates this above most series.
Absolutely agree, rereading them for this video was a real treat.
What’s your first?
@@faerrrrr1222 Not to be trope-y about it, but Tolkien.
I was wondering if the 3 sisters are supposed to be goddesses or if they are still mortal just extremely long lived.
@@keithtorgersen9664 I think they are intended as a Celtic version of the Norns.
The Triple Goddess is probably the closest Celtic figure, and thinking about it matches pretty well.
The Chronicles of Prydain was my first introduction to the world of heroic fantasy at the age of ten. I can't overstate how influential this series was to my development and outlook as i got older.
I was a little older when I first discovered the book series, after having watched The Black Cauldron when it came out. I was 13 at the time and my 4 year old brother loved the movie so much, so we ended up watching it a lot. Eventually I learned the source material from the credits and pretty soon thereafter, I randomly found the book series at the local LA Public Library branch. I devoured those books and to this day, it's the only piece of literature that has ever made me cry. I then borrowed the books again for my brother, once he got old enough to read more advanced books, and he fell in love with the series too. We bonded heavily over that over the years and even now as adults at both ends of our thirties.
Knowing now that Lloyd Alexander cried writing the same part of the story that cried at hits me hard.
Good on you for putting in the work to find the source material! Disney should have done a better job of acknolwdeding the books in the movie. It's amazing how these books can bring people closer. And I think alot of us felt the same as Alexander after going through all of Taran's adventures...
@@exitsexamined Well, if Disney had simply changed the names of Taran and Eilonwy (and whatever that fuzzy thing was they claimed was supposed to have been Gurgi), they could have gotten away with not citing Alexander's name at all. It's so utterly unlike the source material Alexander wouldn't have had a plagiarism case.
The only good thing about the movie is that a few people discovered five of the best books ever written after watching it.
These books, alongside playing Zelda games, sparked and cemented my love of Fantasy throughout life. The Black Cauldron was my favorite Disney movie to watch for a long time, and I only found out about the books much later, in 4th grade. My friend handed me a book he'd been reading and told me he thought I'd like it. It was The High King, which opens with an interaction between Taran and Gurgi. My mind was blown realizing that there were more stories and adventures to be experienced than the same movie I'd seen countless times. I spent a lot of time in the school library that year reading The Chronicles of Prydain, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings. Great memories.
Also, hard agree with the best book being Taran Wanderer. That one was my favorite right from the first read through the series.
It's just nice to see Welsh/Brythonnic Celt mythology and folklore come to life.
Totally! It's interesting to that it came from an American of all people. Do you know other series or works that pull from it?
@exitsexamined Not that I can think of off the top of my head. That's why Prydain is so fascinating! The best I could think of is traditional versions of Arthurian Legends, but that has some Old French and Gaelic admixture. Susan Cooper's "Dark is Rising" looks like a Welsh backdrop.
Try Alan Garner and Susan Cooper.
@@exitsexamined Y'know, when you were describing his life, he reminds me a lot of Tolkien, especially the stuff about "micromythology", him being into history and translating books, and serving in a world war.
I loved the series. Alexander did a great job detailing Taran's growth.
100% agree. Which is all the more impressive because in each book you could really see him grapple with new and believable issues.
Taran gets some of the best character growth in any media.
I was wandering around my middle school library when I found an old blue book titled "The High King" and saw that it was part of a five book story. It was my first real step into fantasy novels and I loved every second of it. I read the Chronicles of Pyrdain long before I ever picked up Lord of the Rings or The Wheel of Time and it holds a very special place in my heart even about 20 years after I read it.
The Black Cauldron game was made by Sierra On-Line, and the writer / main designer of the game, Roberta Williams, was a fan of the novels, so it was somewhat truer than the movie itself to the source material (it was licensed as an adaptation of the movie). I read the books in my teens, but sought them out because (a) I had vague memories of seeing the movie at the drive-in, and (b) had the game on floppy disc. Since Disney did not release it on VHS, I sought out the books instead. No regrets.
Cool to know about the video game! I'm jealous that you have the original floppy. Glad you found your way to the books, just hope one day we get another game in the series
@exitsexamined Unfortunately, I do not have the floppy discs anymore.
Never played Black Cauldron, don't even have specific memories of the film or books. But I remember noting how much of King's Quest III seemed to be homage of some sort. Alexander of Llewdor?
@@johnaucamp7106 There are still ways to play this game...
I remember getting lost all the time back in the day. lol
Thanks for making this post, Otto. I, like you, think that The Chronicles of Prydain is one of the timeless hallmarks of fantasy. I grew up in a rural town in Michigan, where books of fantasy were not common. I first came across a mention of The Chronicles in an essay in the old fantasy fanmag, Amra, when I was 19. Intrigued, I went to the public library and found the first three books in the young adult section. I loved them. Then, I wound up joining the Navy to avoid being drafted and being sent to Vietnam. It wasn't until I got out, fours years later, that I came across an edition of the whole series. I go back to it every 10-15 years ago and immerse myself in Alexander's world and words. I have given it as a Christmas present to a couple of my nieces and nephews.
Another absolutely FANTASTIC book by Alexander is Outcast. One of the most memorable books I've ever read. It follows the story of a young Briton boy, growing up in tribal society before being captured and enslaved by Romans and spirited away to his new life in the drastically foreign and dynamic Roman colonies. I cannot overstate how good this book is, and the characters and dialogue in it is as good as any of his works. I cannot recommend this book enough for history nerds who want to dive into a unique historical perspective, narrative driven readers who love GREAT characters and arcs, or even casual readers looking to pick up something interesting and fun. Alexander's character and narrative writing shines in this book, and it should be remembered as one of his great works.
My first fantasy book series. I still remember the exact moment I found it at my school library in 7th grade.
Wow, those were the days! Did they have the whole series? That's an amazing school if they did
It was my second fantasy series and I absolutely loved it. I am so thankful I found it in a second hand book store. Redwall was my first fantasy series.
My local Pizza Hut franchise had a deal set up with my high school in which if you read books, you got a certain amount of points. I discovered the "The Black Cauldron", which had a high point value and I vaguely remembered the Disney animated movie. I read it and loved every single page. My middle school didn't have "The Book of Three" or "Taran Wanderer", but I read the other two as soon as I could figure what they were.
And, I enjoyed some free tasty pizza of questionable health value. Ah, public schools in the south in the 90s.
same😂
I reread these books at leas half-a-dozen times as a kid and loved the Sierra video game too - gotta agree that Taran Wanderer is the most poignant of the five books, I love the classic high fantasy of the other books but the more character-centred narrative and the difficult situations and choices Taran has to deal with really resonated with me and I can still remember the book clearly 40 years later... I really enjoyed the somewhat darker Westmark series as well, those and the entertaining The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha were the only Alexander books available in my local library, sadly I never encountered any other of his books... He really was a peerless children's author.
A tragically forgotten minor gem of the fantasy literature. Another would be Michael Ende's "The Neverending Story".
i remember reading the first book as a child, after spotting the cover in a used book store. loved it so much and always think back on it.
The cover art always stuck with me! Do you remember which cover it was?
My mom gave me the full set of Prydain in middle school and the series still holds a special place in my heart, Taran Wanderer especially. Taran's time with Annlaw Clay-Shaper still hits me to this day with how relatable it is
When I was in grade 3 (about 30 years ago) joined a book giveaway, and won! The book was The Black Cauldron. This video reminded me of how much I loved that book, and how much I wanted to finish the entire series. I immediately went on audible and used my one credit to purchase the first two books 8n this 5 book series. Thank you so much for reminding me of that bucket list wish, and of reminding me of some long lost buried memories.
Thanks for recognizing this series - I loved these books as a kid. The ones I read had the covers shown at 4:10 - so great to see them again! For that reason, Taran will always have black hair to me.(don't remember how he was described in the book - as a kid, art always made more of an impression 😁)
Those cover designs might be my favorite versions. It is interesting to see how his character design was represented in the various covers across the years
These books felt like a Hidden Gem even when I found them in 6th grade and I'm so grateful that my school library had the entire Chronicles. I'll be honest I don't want Disney to touch these works at all. They have proven less than Stellar to be very very kind when it comes to every other property they've touched that I grew up with. Lloyd Alexander was a master, in this video brought a smile to my soul. Thank you.
My whole family grew up with these books. Had them on our shelves, reread them constantly. If you enjoyed them, you should check out Tamora Pierce’s books Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, The Circle, The Circle Opens, and such good storybuilding. One of my favorites is the series The Provost’s Dog, a magical police drama set in the fantasy medieval world all her books inhabit. It follows a young woman as she makes it through the police academy and how that would have to work in a world with magic, monarchies, and thieves guilds. It’s masterfully written.
If you haven’t read any of them, I would really encourage you to. I alternated between Lloyd Alexander and Tamora Pierce for most of my young adult and teen years and still go back to reread them all!
My Uncle and late Aunt bought me the books in 1983. I read them over and over, completely entranced. Like you, Taran Wanderer was my favorite book, and in many ways the Chronicles would inform many events in my life, from turning me way from suicide, to finding closure with loss, participation in war, and I even fell in love with and married a lady with Red-gold hair.
It's good someone remembers these books. I read them to my children and I occasionally re-read them, and they are close to my heart. Thanks for this.
So great to find someone else out there in the world who appreciates this special, special series. It's amazing how a book can be a guiding light through challenges The Chronicles of Prydain definitely deserve to be remembered, and it's great you're sharing them with your children. It's heartwarming to hear how much these books mean to you!
Big, big shoutout for my boy Fflewdur Fflam!
*twang!*
buddy got done kinda dirty in the Disney version, though they all kinda did, not like they could cram a book series worth of character development into one animated kids movie
Hi, Welsh person here, Prydain is the Welsh word for Britain, it rhymes with mine, and doesn't rhyme with main
Hey, nice to have a Welsh person on my channel! I don't doubt you! I'm going off Llyod Alexander's usage of it he made a pronunciation guide for many of the names that appear in the book, and he gives the same pronunciation for Prydain that I use! Alexander's pronunciation guide can be found online.
Pronunciation is always scary!
Lloyd Alexander said that it was pronounced Prih-DAYN
@@Happyland1971 it may be what the author has said about His work and he is entitled to say so about His work but when the inspiration (and Exact spelling) comes from the Welsh language and Welsh Mythos then i have a duty to combat misinformation
That’s kind of neat to learn about the pronunciation. I just checked with Google Translate and, sure enough, the Welsh word “Prydain,” is pronounced (prih-DINE). Thank you for sharing that!
I was in high school when Disney first dug The Black Cauldron out of the vault. I enjoyed it, but a friend of mine who had read the books and was less than enthused about how they were adapted convinced me to read the series. I'm glad I discovered Prydain in this order because I don't know if I could have ever enjoyed the movie otherwise. XD But to this day I've got the books sitting happily on my shelves, one of my favorite series. Thanks for covering it!
That makes sense, probably would have felt the same. I'm jealous you have the entire series on the shelf! Did you check out any of Alexanders other works or the side stories of pydrian?Thanks for watching!
I remember reading some quote that went along like "Tears from the author, tears from the audience." So, no doubt the work was emotionally powerful.
There were so many amazing quotes from these books and a lot of them are just pears of wisdom."″‘In some cases,’ he said, ‘we learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.‘
Been waiting for you to cover this! Brings back some great memories, well done!
If there is any series that needs a live-action adaptation it’s Chronicles of Prydain.
Maybe a limited series. 10 Episodes per season or something.
I would rather see a fan adaptation in live theatre than see the Woke Left cultural Marxists destroy it.
With Hollow Wood traipsing through with DIE? Do you WANT a race/gender-swapped Taran of Cair Dalbin? You'd think after the failed Distard movie from the 80's, the Prydain fans would have learned their lesson.
I really don’t want this, if only because Taran is never physically described, so anyone, or at least anyone who thinks or has thought of themselves as a boy, can more easily imagine themselves in his place. Either no one should be able to cosplay as Taran, or anyone should.
Make yourself a cloak and a sword and wear them, and carry an ugly little pot you made and love, and you’re as much of a Taran as anyone.
@@muddlewait8844 I hear ya. Would like to see more adaptations of Welsh stories sometimes and Prydain is more or less based or inspired by Welsh folktales.
@@muddlewait8844 anyone can cosplay as any character, no matter who or what they look like.
Anyone can identify with any character, no matter who or what we look like.
What we look like is probably the least interesting thing about us.
I had no idea this even existed. I looked it up and bought the series. Thank you for this. I've heard nothing but great things about this. worth a look-see and read through.
My favourite series of all! I watched The Black Cauldron for the first time in 1998 when it was released for the first time on VHS here in Italy and I fell in love with it! It took me 10 years to find the books because they were out of print here. Now I have two versions: one from the '80, bought through ebay, and the new one published two years ago (FINALLY!) which contains all six volumes.
Whoa respect! It's crazy they were out of print for so long in Italy - were they in Italian or English? Awesome you finally got your hands on them!
@@exitsexamined Italian. Unfortunately it's a common thing with fantasy books here. It's a genre that Italian publishers do not like very much, unless it is Tolkien or something that has really sold too much to be ignored. I have lost count of the number of famous series abroad of which they have translated only the first volume. In fact, the volume of short stories of Prydain had never been translated until the new edition came out in 2022... and now I'm happy with the complete series!
One of the greats.
I remember the last book was the first to ever make me cry. As a child the choice seemed incredibly harsh and unfair. As an adult it (and the themes of the 4th book) seem incredibly realistic and human.
My favorite book series of all time. I found it young and read it through multiples times. Taran, in my opinion, is the best example of taking a well worn character trope (Orphaned farm boy dreaming of adventure outside his sheltered dull life) and turning him into something so much more. His character growth from boy to man within the 5 books is stunning, tragic, and so well drawn it's weird to think these are a kid's book, especially after the revelation in the 4th book Taran Wanderer. As a kid I was stunned by what he discovers. This could be an amazing series for TV. I hope it happens.
I hit me at the right time, I never had the books until later, so I picked up the first book when I was about 11-12 and the last when I was 13-14.
In particular, Taran Wanderer hit me in that transition between being too old for everything I had known up to that point and too young for everything else.
Taran Wanderer always reached me, no matter age I read it. I'd say give it a go again sometime now, see how it handles on a reread!
The Book of Three was required reading for my English class. I've been waiting for a long time for a video like this!
This was an amazing series, they were the first books that actually made me cry at times.
I read this series in second grade. I’ve been working my way through a reread (currently listening to The High King audiobook)
The audiobooks are great! The High King is a great read, I hope you enjoy!
Was not expecting Time Cat to come up while looking into a fantasy series I'd never head of before. I love time travel stories, and Time Cat was a really fun take on it. I need to track down some of the Prydain books now, see if I like the rest of his writing as much.
I vaguely remember seeing my brother read The Book of Three at some point when I was young. I think I was aware of the Black Cauldron Disney movie, but didn't see it at the time.
I actually read the last book, The High King, first. It was on the shelf in my Junior High Reading class at school, and I borrowed it to read, not realizing that it was the last book in the series. I really enjoyed it and I think for a time it was a big influence on my view of fantasy tropes (I didn't actually read Lord of the Rings till I was in college). It wasn't till years after that that I went back to read the series from the start.
Also went back to watch the Disney movie. I liked it, it was fun, though I can see its flaws as both a mass-market disney movie and as an interpretation of the books.
Pretty clear the Disney movie is what killed further adaptations. Lord of the Rings was able to get its big movies after a series of questionable adaptations, but it was such a bigger deal overall than Prydain, it was inevitable that someone would pick that up and try it again.
But with Dune being given a second try... maybe Prydain has a chance. Would love to see the Horned King on the big screen.,
My favorite of his books is "The Truthful Harp"--just fun! Lloyd Alexander was a fantastic writer. He won bunches of awards, with the most notable being the Newbery for best children's book of 1969 for "The High King." As a librarian, he had a special place for me because he helped start "Cricket" magazine, a literary magazine for children. He was the best!
The Truthful Harp is such a great addition and Alexander is amazing. i had no idea about the Cricket magazine, I'll have to add that to the description! Did you have a subscription to the magazine? How was it?
@@exitsexamined It is a literary magazine for kids--upper elementary, pretty much. Great stories, great illustrations! Really high quality. They also have added several other magazines to the list targeted at different ages and interests, but Cricket was the flagship.
Totally Agree… The Prydain Chronicles need more love!!!!!!!
Thank you. I very much enjoyed the black cauldron. And had no idea where they got it from. I love token, dungeons, and dragons, all other forms of fantasy. I will now begin looking for these books..
You are in for a treat. I wonder how many people felt the same and didn't realize the Black Cauldron came from a series!
@@exitsexaminedme! I learned about this book series from a Disney-watching podcast (Dis-Order) that I’m in the middle of. I love The Black Cauldron and enjoying reading it.
Recently went through all of these for the first time, got a huge commute and audiobooks are my go-to entertainment.
They’re obviously geared toward a younger audience but it’s no less an amazing story with wonderful characters and life lessons.
Also, now anytime I’m speaking for my dogs, I preface everything with “Yes! Yeeeessss!!”
The audiobooks are fantastic! That's amazing about the dogs, hopefully they appreciate it haha .
Had a dreamlike childhood memory of seeing The Black Cauldron in the theater....my parents got me a picture book and audio tape set so I knew I did not imagine the movie. Disney did not release it again until I was in college.....this makes me want to check out the source material
You 100% should! And I think the order is right - movie first, then books. While the movie is interesting it doesn't come close to the books!
Loved these as a kid and now my kid loves them.
So cool to see these being passed down to kids, I'm sure they appreciate them!
The Book of Three was arguably my first introduction to literary fantasy. Discovered it around age 8 and still remember it. Haven’t read The High King, though, and may have to go through the previous four again to refresh myself.
I've working on a series of books about an anthropomorphic fox who is a prince in hiding, and the Prydain series and the King Arthur myths have been inspirations. Obviously, I'm making my stories more unique, but I am trying to learn from the strengths and flaws from other medieval time-based stories. I do know I do not want it to end like either the Prydain stories or the King Arthur myths. Speaking of Arthur, I would love to see you cover how King Arthur's myths have been adapted over the years, some a lot looser than others.
Its mainly because of the Disney failure The Black Cauldron that some readers today don't get into the Chronicles of Prydain but I have had the spare time to read the books myself and let me say they are much better than the movie. Also this series is up there with The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, Harry Potter, and The Chronicles of Narnia as some of the greatest fantasy series ever.
Thank you so much for this. Love Alexander’s writing and this is an all time favorite of mine that I sorely need to reread. It really does deserve to be remembered and read.
You're so welocome! It's so cool to find other people out there that the series meant alot to. If you don't have time for a reread I'd rec the audiobooks!
That’s probably just what I’ll do 😆
I remember reading those books as a kid (I think my dad had an omnibus copy that had all the books compiled). I still think about the series sometimes, there's bits of it that stuck with me into my adult life. They're kind of profoundly wise novels in ways that I only partially understood as a child and only really appreciated after I grew into adulthood.
Absolutely my favorite series growing up. I’ve read them all at least 5 times each.
I loved this series growing up. Westmark was very important to me as an older child as well. I am just outside of the age range for Harry Potter to have meant much to me and I didn't read LOTR until I was an adult so when I think of the most important fantasy books of my youth, it was Prydain, Westmark, Narnia (for the most part), and Dragonlance.
Edited: I forgot to add L'Engle's Time Quintet. Unforgivable error!
Hey sounds like we had very similar childhoods! So cool to see other people into Dragonlance (Dunno if you saw but I actually covered that on the channel!) How was Westmark, especially compared to Prydain? I only listened to snippets of it on Audiobook for this video - but I'm considering checking it out more
Time Cat was my favorite as a kid. I used to want my own black cat with red eyes. Almost came really close to adopting one that was black with the most red-orange eyes. Never seen a cat like that since. (Couldn't adopt the cat because my landlord at the time would have tossed me out in a heartbeat.)
Well if it is the time cat, it might just appear next to you at a random time haha - there's still hope!
These are really my absolute favorite young adult fantasy books. I've re read them many times lloyed Alexander is just a wizard with words
Absolutly agree - any favorite quotes from the series? Aside from Gurgi? haha
It is an incredible series. It really should see a revival as a visual series.
When I was a kid in the 70s there were only four fantasy series for kids in our library (Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising, Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, and Prydain - you gotta remember in the 1960s and 70s there was a whole "kids books need to be grounded in 'real life'" thing going on). And wow, did Prydain blow me away. Taran Wanderer is still one of the most profound and impactful books I'd ever read.
On the one hand, I'd love for someone to make Prydain into a movie or streaming series. Flamm burning his harp would nail everyone as hard as Sam carrying Frodo up Mount Doom. On the other hand I've seen too many streaming adaptations . . . I hate for Prydain to get the Wheel of Time/Rings of Power treatment.
But "what ever happened to the Chronicles of Prydain" is kinda the opposite of when I was a kid. It's now just another (old) fantasy series competing for space on bookshelves flooded with books like Harry Potter or Redwall or Percy Jackson or Crestomancy or the Magical School of Good and Evil - and libraries and bookstores only have so much shelf space (that are biased to more modern books).
That was the Big Four of the influential fantasy series which dared to reach out to children and young adults and impart some fine life lessons in the form of thrilling adventures and the confrontations of definite Good and Evil. I read them all, collected them all, enjoyed them all.
Holy shit, time cat! I forgot about that for like 30 years until just now. I don't recall any details though, I will have to reread it.
I found Taran Wanderer first, and fell in love with it, then went back and read the whole series when I realized it was a series. It was one of the first boxed sets of books I ever bought for myself, and the cover of the Black Cauldron was the Disney artwork, which was how I found out about the Disney movie. I was pretty disappointed when I finally watched that, but I would LOVE to see a more mature adaptation of this series.
Hey! So interesting that you read Taran Wanderer first! Did it make sense as a stand alone? And yeah I think the best way is to watch the Black Cauldron before reading the novels to keep your expectations low haha
@@exitsexamined Take this with a grain of salt, since it was back in I think 1995 when I read it? But I seem to remember following the story okay, but feeling like I was missing some things. LOL When I read the entire series through, it was like, "oh yup! I was definitely missing some things."
And The Black Cauldron (novel) still makes me cry every time I read it. LOL
Legit one of my favorites. I have the omnibus version the thumbnail comes from, and I reread it fairly frequently.
Great video! Maybe this is off in right field here but I've always loved this book series and I also play a game called Dungeons and Dragons. Anywho, in my world building for DnD I've definitely taken elements of Prydain and lovingly used them in the game. I like to think of it as a way to pay a bit of honer to his writing.
That sounds awesome! I'd love to play as Gurgi in your group haha
I cant believe this just popped on my youtube feed. Im literelly reading this series right now. Ive came across this book set on a thrift store and was wondering why was the price 17 dollars then i looked it up and saw it went for more than that thankfully i got it or 7 dollars and i dont regret buying this book set.
Wow, the algorithm knows haha. Sounds like you got a steal my friend, I would have loved to get the entire set!
It's been over 25 years since I last read the series, and a lot of it is foggy in my memory, but the Cauldron Born stopping in their tracks, even just briefly when facing King Math still resonates.
I reread or relisten to the entire series at least twice a year. There is also a wonderful Prydain Companion that compiles all the information from the books.
That's a great point! I should have mentioned the Prydain companion book in more detail for this! Do you have a book version of it? I would love one!
I love this channel so much. Every video is honestly fantastic - have you considered covering the Chronicles of Narnia?
Hey thank you so much for the kind words! So cool to find other people out there into these series! I've considered Narnia but I think other creators have done the series to death - but I haven't checked in awhile, maybe most of their focus is on the movie as opposed to the whole series / books
I loved the Prydain Chronicles. One of my favorite fantasy series as a kid. I hope some day the series gets a proper adaptation instead of the compressed and neutered Black Cauldron film we got in the 80s.
Totally agree! Or at the very least I'd be up for an anime or a game!
Reading west mark right now, I honestly hope we never get another Prydain book because 1.The story is over 2.Lloyd has been dead for years, so he can’t write a new book.
And 3.) it'll just do nothing and ruin his legacy, especially with mindsets nowadays.
Wow I had totally forgotten about the game! I remember playing it on an Apple IIe back in school. I loved these books and they were my introduction to fantasy as a child.
Wow, you played the game when it came out? That must have been awesome haha. So cool your school had it!
@@exitsexamined Yes! I had totally forgotten until you showed the screens and I remembered playing it. I don't think I got very far but I was thrilled there was a game from my at the time favorite book series.
When I was a kid I picked up The Book of Three from the library and fell in love with the books very quickly and read all four of the original books. I had no idea the Disney movie existed until much later. I still haven't seen it. 😂
So cool you got into the series as a kid! And maybe it's best to not watch the movie or just go in with the mindset that it's not really like the books haha. Have you reread any of the books as an adult? They're great!
I am glancing over at my full set of the Chronicles on my bookshelf right now.
Jealous! Do you have the side books as well? The Foundling? I sadly don't have the full collection myself yet
@@exitsexamined Agh, the set didn't come with the side books, unfortunately.
Thanks for covering this much-neglected series! It was a childhood favorite; I found & read The High King first (!) in 6th grade, I obtained and red the entire series the following year, and read the entire series into semi-memorized state. Even though the series didn't nicely mech with D&D (despite a nod from Gygax in Appendix N of DMG) it remained with me despite other new favorites in fantasy fiction. I gave the series to my niece & nephew to read, and have thought about tracking down a set for reference purposes these days. If you liked Hobbit/LOTR as a child, you'd like The Chronicles of Prydain, as Alexander & Tolkien shared the same vibe. Now, I wasn't happy with the animated movie, but I felt then that the series deserved more than the standard Disney adaptation treatment. I guess I'm with Bluth there... But hey, one bad movie doth not a masterpiece mar.
Hey I'm happy to! Interesting to know about the nod, I'll have to look into that. And awesome on you for passing down the series to your family. We can always hope for another movie or adaption in the future!
These were the first books I ever read and they really remain dear to me.
That's a pretty impressive first book to read! How old were you?
@@exitsexamined Not super young. I think I was about 9-10 years old.
When I was little I always saw a row of these books standing in the public library. Never read them though. Maybe some day...
They are on audible now. ❤
Solid channel my dude... subbed after watching this.
Interesting! I think I read the first of Prydain, as well as Time Cat, ages ago, but don't remember them. I guess I'll have to give this author another try soon!
I loved these novels as a child and still enjoyed them when rereading them as an adult. Like Mr. Alexander, I too, cried at the end of The High King; a testament to how "real" the characters felt to me at that point. I would dearly love to see these made into live action movies but am not sanguine as to the quality said movies would exhibit.
Going through all the books with the characters together, the end was tough. I agree it would take a really special team who appreciates the source material to make a movie that would capture the magic, but in the meantime we always have the books
I really love the Chronicles of Prydain. They are right at the top of my list of favorite books. I reread them a couple years ago.The thing is both "Prydain" and "Albion" or long standing names of Great Britain. They are also used in the writings of Stephen Lawhead. Off this subject, have anyone read the Tripod series? My favorite of the John Christopher series is "The White Mountains."
Prydain is a little messier, as it came to refer specifically to the territory of the Britons later on, as distinct from the Caledonians (and possibly the Hen Ogledd as well).
@@NevisYsbryd dang....that's cool that you know that. I always enjoy learning something new. Thanx for the lesson my friend.
We read the first book in school in 6th grade. I bought and read the rest and it set off a long love of fantasy literature. *spoilers* It's interesting how American the story of Taran Wanderer is. He sets out to find himself by learning about his ancestors/family. But he ultimately develops his sense of identify and self-worth based upon his own actions and choices rather than by anything his ancestors did. He grows up, finds his moral core, learns who his real friends are. It's really interesting because so many others would have gone with "you are the long lost son of the true king!" as the message. How different from, for example, the story of Aragorn in LOTR (not saying either is bad, just how different) where it's super important that he can trace his lineage to the dawn of elves and men.
100% agree, that deconstruction of the hero trope is such a surprisignly unique take in the fantasy genre and it really worked well with Taran's character development especially considering the earlier titles
I used to have the whole series and i wish i still had the series. I dont know what happened to my copies of the books :(
Same here :(.
Great video, though, I'd say it's more of a Dark Ages setting than a classic Middle Ages setting, such as Song of Ice and Fire. And speaking of George R.R. Martin, while the Chronicles of Prydain are never quite that dark and have none of the sex and way less explicit violence, it's still pretty dark for mid-grade fiction and the betrayals by Morgant, Magg, and, in particular, Pryderi, are right up there with the Red Wedding in how it messed with me. Great stuff.
iirc the black cauldron was the film Don Bluth walked out on mid-production, bringing other animators with him to make his own studio.
And now they own his films , sadly
Disney's Black Cauldron was ahead of its time, around 16 years. Think a Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings great success in 2001.
It was my first and still very memorable fantasy series that I read. Bought it through a school book order after the class read Book 1. 😊 I'm going to re-experience it through audiobooks.
The audiobooks are excellent - excited for you to experience it again!
What happened? The same thing that happened to Marvel and Star Wars....DISNEY. Ugh. Disney is where fantasy franchises go to die. I read this in middle school. So fantastic. Went form here to Dragon Lance and on from there.
So cool to see other people into Dragonlance (Dunno if you saw but I actually covered that on the channel!) Well although we'll see if Disney manages to do the series the justice it deserves, I wouldn't mind a video game version
Hey, the black cauldron is a great movie!
This is why the series needs a reboot for a new generation. Not just a shot for shot remake, but as a faithful adaptation.
No, thanks!
When i reread these books during covid i was SHOOK. Taran wanderer stands out as uniquely profound and depressing. I cried for a week after finishing the series and felt lost in this grey modern world
Lloyd Alexander and the Prydain Chronicles are genuine treasures and while I strongly desire for them to be more recognized as such, they should not be sullied by modern media adaptations, which would inevitably butcher the reputations of both.
Spread the word that they're amazing.
I found the first two of these in a closet as a kid and read them so many times, but I'd never been able to find the others.
I really should go find them now that I can like ... buy things off the internet
I also remember the sensation that the story really leveled-up in Taran Wanderer.
I still look for a Gurgi every time I go for a hike in the woods!
Do you remember to bring crunchings and munchings?
I just love that Gurgi was more a poet than Fflam
I like how Lloyd Alexander likes the Disney movie, I love it too, even if it's not exact to the books. He's considered it another timeline of his work & he likes how that timeline goes
The end of the short story ‘the Foundling’ always broke me
The audio books on Audible do an amazing job with these books. The narrator uses various Welsh regional accents. And does a great job with the voices of female characters that isnt just talking in a falsetto.
I listen to so many audiobooks for this channel and I 100% falsetto girl voices are the bane of my audiobook listening life
They did my man Fflewder so wrong in that movie… (as well as everyone else but yeah).
I discovered Taran Wanderer while waiting for jury duty. (The courthouse had a small bookshelf and I was unprepared.) It was enthralling! So I read the whole series, and Taran Wanderer is still my favorite. Though The Black Cauldron was also really good.
That's so true he deserved so much better then being an old man comic relief. And sounds like a great escape from jury duty, I'll have to try that haha
Time Cat is how I know him! One of my favorite books!
Respect! Curious how you heardo f time cat before Chronciles? Most people it's the other way around
@@exitsexamined it was at my school and as a poor kid I was relegated to reading what was in the library. It was 5th grade.
Taran Wanderer is one of my all time favorite books. Truly wish it could see a wider audience with a prestige series that remained faithful to the material.
One day we can hope, but awesome to see someone else who loves that book!
I do love the Chronicles, but my favorite work of Alexander’s are his Westmark books.
I'd love to cover them to at some point, which is your favorite book?
10:30 Nice to see some love for the game! I personally think it's one of the best game adaptations that no one remembers. In particular, all the branching plot paths were practically unheard of at the time. It was possible to almost perfectly recreate the story of the movie, or you can do things totally differently. That was impressively complicated design for 1986!
Too bad it will never ever get a rerelease and now only lives on as abandonware.
You know that's a great point about it being one of the first games with branching paths. I remember when I came across that I was really shocked because it is an older game. Who knows with the rerelease, can always hope someone in the modding community does something with it!
I loved these books when I was a kid.
I still love them as an adult!
I can't remember the character's name now, but with that one prince in The Black Cauldron going from Taran's enemy to frenemy to begrudged ally to someone who really did respect Taran and ultimately sacrificed his life for him, I believe that went a long way in helping Taran learn humility.