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A review by saroz162
The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
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.