A review by nigellicus
The High King by Lloyd Alexander

adventurous emotional tense

5.0

This is the most epically fantasy volume of the series, packing its epic fantasyness into an enviable 200 pages. The final showdown between the people of Prydain and the lord of Anuvin tellingly does not feature our young hero tearing off by himself and maybe one or two loyal friends to sneak into the Dark Lands and end the reign of the evil lord with a plot token. Instead, Taran must take up the burdens of leadership, rousing the levies of the Free Commots and taking them on a perilous and grueling mission that will see loss piled on loss as each of the faithful Companions makes a terrible and selfess sacrifice for their friends. Painful but also beautiful and rousing, and the final choice isn't really a choice at all, but it is, nonetheless an unforgiving one. There are some aspects of these books that haven't aged well - Gurgi and Elionwy are both lovable but their portrayal highlights certain weaknesses in the writing - but the themes remain universal and the whole journey rather wonderful.