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justlily's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed this even more than the first one. Would give it a solid 4.5 stars. I just don't think you can ask for more out of a series. Great characters going on cool adventures. Epic battles. Twists. It's just good stuff.
joannaautumn's review against another edition
3.0
In case you missed my review on book one , which has all of my thoughts on the beginning of the series.
As I said in that review, book two is more interesting both plot-wise and in the character development portion. Here we see Tarran actually recognizing his mistakes and working on making things right in the future.
We also have a trope I enjoyed since I was a kid and my mom was reading me fairy tales in bed: three witches in a cabin with a deal for the main adventurer.
Besides that, we have a healthy dose of realism in form of political betrayal – a good start for future Joe Abercrombie fans.
In conclusion: Not bad for a middle-grade fantasy book, would read it again.
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That one passage about squirrels saving food for later reminded me of elementary school essays of Autumn - silly and unnecessary.
As I said in that review, book two is more interesting both plot-wise and in the character development portion. Here we see Tarran actually recognizing his mistakes and working on making things right in the future.
We also have a trope I enjoyed since I was a kid and my mom was reading me fairy tales in bed: three witches in a cabin with a deal for the main adventurer.
Besides that, we have a healthy dose of realism in form of political betrayal – a good start for future Joe Abercrombie fans.
In conclusion: Not bad for a middle-grade fantasy book, would read it again.
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That one passage about squirrels saving food for later reminded me of elementary school essays of Autumn - silly and unnecessary.
kristensk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
murphyc1's review against another edition
5.0
I truly loved these books in middle school. They were my introduction to fantasy, predating Potter, Rings, and even Narnia. Here your ten-year-old reader will find less whiny angst than in the exploits of the Boy Wizard, far fewer subtly-allegorized religious tropes than in C. S. Lewis, and none of the insipid libertarian cynicism that is offered by the likes of The Hunger Games and Divergent.
saroz162's review against another edition
5.0
I often think that the most acclaimed book in a series is rarely the best, but The Black Cauldron is the rare exception: it's the best-regarded because it is, by my estimation, the best one. Alexander's writing is as engaging as ever, but his sense of structure is smoother and the mechanics of his plot move easier; everything seems to be moving toward the same goal, and everything builds to an overall purpose. I suspect he was feeling more confident about what he was doing here, and perhaps he had a more familiar relationship with his editor, too.
As in The Book of Three, Alexander makes a slightly odd choice to delay the arrival of his overall villain, Arawn, and focus in on the threat of Arawn's tools. In the first book, the Horned King was a (literally) faceless adversary, and the confrontation with Taran felt a little underwhelming, but here Alexander uses the same idea to his benefit. Taran is not up against a single superhuman force but a supernatural cauldron that creates zombies—as well as his own pride and ambition as he enters adolescence. Taran's own nature is the bad guy, and the turmoil Alexander puts him through makes up for any shortcomings in action sequences.
There's also a general portentousness through The Black Cauldron that adds a layer which was implied, but never really demonstrated, in The Book of Three. The bard Adaon can see things in dreams, including "the beast on the back" of Ellidyr, Taran's smug competition. Later, the witches Orddu, Orwen, and Orgach—a very funny take on the Three Fates—threaten to eat Taran and his friends. There's always a simmering undercurrent that something bad will happen—an unsettling aspect that Alexander continuously reinforces through the "whispering" cauldron of the title.
In the end, of course, the heroes win the day, though at cost. Taran grows up a little, relationships are intensified, and Arawn, while thwarted, is understood to be ever more vengeful in his retaliation. It's really about as perfect a "middle" book as you could possibly read when you're 12 years old.
My copy of The Black Cauldron is the now-rare 50th anniversary edition, gorgeously stamped in silver and purple on black. Along with the map and pronunciation guide that I believe have now been standardized across every American edition, the extras include a brief but pleasant introduction by author Rebecca Stead (First Light); three letters from Alexander to his editor, Ann Durrell, including his response to having won the Newbery Honor; and one of the short stories ("The Foundling") from Alexander's collection The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain. I can't say I'm a big fan of this short—it picks up on a couple of references from The Black Cauldron in a way that just seems far too pat and simplistic—but it is nice to see Orddu, Orwen, and Orgach again, as funny and creepy as ever.
As in The Book of Three, Alexander makes a slightly odd choice to delay the arrival of his overall villain, Arawn, and focus in on the threat of Arawn's tools. In the first book, the Horned King was a (literally) faceless adversary, and the confrontation with Taran felt a little underwhelming, but here Alexander uses the same idea to his benefit. Taran is not up against a single superhuman force but a supernatural cauldron that creates zombies—as well as his own pride and ambition as he enters adolescence. Taran's own nature is the bad guy, and the turmoil Alexander puts him through makes up for any shortcomings in action sequences.
There's also a general portentousness through The Black Cauldron that adds a layer which was implied, but never really demonstrated, in The Book of Three. The bard Adaon can see things in dreams, including "the beast on the back" of Ellidyr, Taran's smug competition. Later, the witches Orddu, Orwen, and Orgach—a very funny take on the Three Fates—threaten to eat Taran and his friends. There's always a simmering undercurrent that something bad will happen—an unsettling aspect that Alexander continuously reinforces through the "whispering" cauldron of the title.
In the end, of course, the heroes win the day, though at cost. Taran grows up a little, relationships are intensified, and Arawn, while thwarted, is understood to be ever more vengeful in his retaliation. It's really about as perfect a "middle" book as you could possibly read when you're 12 years old.
My copy of The Black Cauldron is the now-rare 50th anniversary edition, gorgeously stamped in silver and purple on black. Along with the map and pronunciation guide that I believe have now been standardized across every American edition, the extras include a brief but pleasant introduction by author Rebecca Stead (First Light); three letters from Alexander to his editor, Ann Durrell, including his response to having won the Newbery Honor; and one of the short stories ("The Foundling") from Alexander's collection The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain. I can't say I'm a big fan of this short—it picks up on a couple of references from The Black Cauldron in a way that just seems far too pat and simplistic—but it is nice to see Orddu, Orwen, and Orgach again, as funny and creepy as ever.