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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
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.
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.
adventurous
medium-paced
Better than the first! This is such a classic, timeless series so far. It reminds me of the Chronicles of Narnia in its moral, sweet simplicity. Good vs evil, children growing up slowly to their true, good selves by facing down evil both inside themselves and out. Dashing heroes, purely evil villains, good people who make mistakes. Lovely.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read The Book of Three when I was twelve and am only just getting around to continuing the series now. I liked this one even more than my reread of book one and will be borrowing the rest from the library soon!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Suicide
Minor: Sexism, War, Injury/Injury detail
Short review: Good continuation of the story. Essentially we are watching Taran grow up through out this series. Again he does some real growing in this book, primarily around the area of his desire to have honor and glory. Again this is a very good book as a read aloud for boys (although I am not a fan of the audiobook).
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/black-cauldron/
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/black-cauldron/
Summary: A second adventure for Taran and his companions. Taran sees the problems of seeking glory and honor and the weight of leadership.
I have been in a bit of a reading rut lately. So many books I want to read theoretically, but I have been not finishing much while starting a lot.
I stumbled across The Black Cauldron because there was an update to the Kindle edition, which pushed it to the front of my kindle. Last weekend I read through it in two sittings. These children's books seem so much simpler reading them as an adult compared to my memory of them as a child. They are not simplistic, but the plots are much less detailed than some modern children's books like Harry Potter and certainly less than many adult fantasy books.
What I like most about Lloyd Alexander as an adult and I think what drew me in as a kid was how seriously he takes Taran and Eiloiwy. They are not just some kids, but they are unique individuals, and while they are flawed people, they can grow and change, be self-reflective, and do important things. Unlike some kids books that have the kids do big things because the adults are incapable, Alexander has kids and teens do extraordinary things because there are important things to be done. This isn't a rejection of adults, but part of the maturing process of becoming an adult.
I am about halfway through a book on discernment by Thomas Green (Weeds Among Wheat) that I am reading for my Spiritual Direction class. Green suggests that often when thinking about discernment, we believe God is either the puppet master, who controls all the things, so discernment doesn't matter. Or we think about God in deistic ways with God not being involved in the world at all. Green thinks a better social imaginary is God as parent of adult children. There are times that a parent of an adult will intervene and get involved, but there are times when the parent of adult children will allow their children to make their own decisions and live with the consequences as part of the process of growing up.
The Black Cauldron is filled with these types of discernment lessons, where Taran or other characters are choosing between several options, and theoretically, many of them could be acceptable. The story plays out as the story does, but Taran does not know the end of the story from his position in the middle of it. One of the reasons that I am looking forward to reading these with my children when they get older is that seeing others make decisions (both good and bad) can help kids learn about the importance of their discernment.
I realized last night as my kids were watching Tangled that my six-year-old had not understood that Ryder did not leave Rapunzel voluntarily. She did not know that the Mother Gothel character was setting up Rapunzel and gaslighting her into disbelieving that Ryder loved her. We talked through what was going on, and despite the many times that we have watched the movie, and my adult understanding of the interpersonal dynamics, it was above her head. Similarly, books can introduce children to interpersonal dynamics and concepts that they would not understand except through experience. And I do not want my daughter to be forced to experience gaslighting and false narratives experientially before she is introduced to the concepts theoretically.
Because I have Disney+ and I have never watched the Disney Black Cauldron movie, I put it on in the background while I was doing paperwork when the kids were at school. It merges parts of the Book of Three and The Black Cauldron while significantly altering other aspects of the story. I understand why it did not do well in the box office. It did not work well as a cohesive story arc. And it was not a very faithful translation of the book to the screen.
So I don't recommend the movie, and I don't recommend the audiobook. But I can now advocate the kindle edition. There are complaints about the formatting on Amazon, but any formatting problems that existed in prior versions of the Kindle edition have now been fixed.
I have been in a bit of a reading rut lately. So many books I want to read theoretically, but I have been not finishing much while starting a lot.
I stumbled across The Black Cauldron because there was an update to the Kindle edition, which pushed it to the front of my kindle. Last weekend I read through it in two sittings. These children's books seem so much simpler reading them as an adult compared to my memory of them as a child. They are not simplistic, but the plots are much less detailed than some modern children's books like Harry Potter and certainly less than many adult fantasy books.
What I like most about Lloyd Alexander as an adult and I think what drew me in as a kid was how seriously he takes Taran and Eiloiwy. They are not just some kids, but they are unique individuals, and while they are flawed people, they can grow and change, be self-reflective, and do important things. Unlike some kids books that have the kids do big things because the adults are incapable, Alexander has kids and teens do extraordinary things because there are important things to be done. This isn't a rejection of adults, but part of the maturing process of becoming an adult.
I am about halfway through a book on discernment by Thomas Green (Weeds Among Wheat) that I am reading for my Spiritual Direction class. Green suggests that often when thinking about discernment, we believe God is either the puppet master, who controls all the things, so discernment doesn't matter. Or we think about God in deistic ways with God not being involved in the world at all. Green thinks a better social imaginary is God as parent of adult children. There are times that a parent of an adult will intervene and get involved, but there are times when the parent of adult children will allow their children to make their own decisions and live with the consequences as part of the process of growing up.
The Black Cauldron is filled with these types of discernment lessons, where Taran or other characters are choosing between several options, and theoretically, many of them could be acceptable. The story plays out as the story does, but Taran does not know the end of the story from his position in the middle of it. One of the reasons that I am looking forward to reading these with my children when they get older is that seeing others make decisions (both good and bad) can help kids learn about the importance of their discernment.
I realized last night as my kids were watching Tangled that my six-year-old had not understood that Ryder did not leave Rapunzel voluntarily. She did not know that the Mother Gothel character was setting up Rapunzel and gaslighting her into disbelieving that Ryder loved her. We talked through what was going on, and despite the many times that we have watched the movie, and my adult understanding of the interpersonal dynamics, it was above her head. Similarly, books can introduce children to interpersonal dynamics and concepts that they would not understand except through experience. And I do not want my daughter to be forced to experience gaslighting and false narratives experientially before she is introduced to the concepts theoretically.
Because I have Disney+ and I have never watched the Disney Black Cauldron movie, I put it on in the background while I was doing paperwork when the kids were at school. It merges parts of the Book of Three and The Black Cauldron while significantly altering other aspects of the story. I understand why it did not do well in the box office. It did not work well as a cohesive story arc. And it was not a very faithful translation of the book to the screen.
So I don't recommend the movie, and I don't recommend the audiobook. But I can now advocate the kindle edition. There are complaints about the formatting on Amazon, but any formatting problems that existed in prior versions of the Kindle edition have now been fixed.