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    The Book of Three
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    The Book of Three
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    The Book of Three
    Audiobook5 hours

    The Book of Three

    Written by Lloyd Alexander

    Narrated by James Langton

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

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    About this audiobook

    Taran dreams of adventure, but nothing exciting ever happens to an Assistant Pig-Keeper--until his pig runs away. A chase through the woods leads Taran far from home and into great danger, for evil prowls the land of Prydain. With a collection of strange and wonderful friends whom he meets on his journey, Taran finds himself fighting so that good may triumph over evil--and so that his beloved home will not fall to a diabolical fiend.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateFeb 24, 2004
    ISBN9780807223154
    Author

    Lloyd Alexander

    Lloyd Alexander (1924-2007) was the author of more than forty books for children and adults, including the beloved children's fantasy series, the Chronicles of Prydain, one of the most widely read series in the history of fantasy and the inspiration for the animated Disney film, The Black Cauldron. His books have won numerous awards, including the Newbery Medal, the Newbery Honor, and the National Book Award for Juvenile Literature.

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    Reviews for The Book of Three

    4/5

    1,649 ratings93 reviews

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    • 3/5
      The whole Chronicles of Prydain series is well-written, imaginative, and was my introduction as a kid to a lifetime love of fantasy fiction. These books tackle large philosophical issues like bullying, the nature of heroism, social responsibility, altruism, and good vs. evil. Appropriate for middle-schoolers or even 5th and 6th graders.
    • 3/5
      In which Taran the assistant pig keeper sets out with a merry band of followers, to find a pig and thus save the world.

      If the Amazon.com reviews are any indication, Lloyd Alexander's five-book series, The Chronicles of Prydain, has its detractors. They see it as a pale imitation of Lord of the Rings, complete with gollum-esque creature (who at least happens to be working for the good guys). They point out Alexander's expository dialogue, his rapid descriptions that leave little time for characters or sequences to make an impact, and the fact that - unlike the best children's fiction - his work is designed to appeal only to children and not to adults.

      Well, I won't deny: all of those things are - to some extent - true. The obvious debt to Tolkien (and C.S. Lewis) is undeniable and occasionally uncanny. And Alexander is neither a literary giant nor a consummate non-literary storyteller on par with, say, J.K. Rowling.

      Yet, I'm inclined to think the haters are being a bit unsporting about it all. The Book of Three, which opens the series, is a delightful little quest story. It's an easy, fast-paced read, which opens up an entire world of characters and species. The most delightful characters are the Princess Eilonwy, whose refusal to be relegated to the role of "female" is laudable, and the dwarf Doli, who wishes he could be invisible. Alexander's morals are in the right place for a book aimed squarely at children, but this is no bloodless Narnia. The injuries and horrors committed by the Horned King and his minions are all too real. It really raises the stakes, and if the book is about Taran learning there is more to the world than an idyllic life raising pigs, it succeeds.

      There's also a great humanist skein running through the book. Medwyn, the protector of animals, eats only a vegetarian diet, while Taran is constantly forced to learn that there are many outlooks and ways of being in Prydain. And the dialogue is actually quite apt for each character. You know you're in safe hands when Gurgi - Prydain's equivalent of Gollum or, dare I say, Jar Jar Binks - is adorable rather than mawkish.

      I do wish sometimes that Alexander would let each sequence breathe. I'm halfway through the second book, The Black Cauldron, and I feel like I've met an endless array of characters while drunk at a party, never able to get a firm grasp on them. But perhaps these are the limitations of a children's author when facing book length and the attention span of youngsters.

      Either way, I'll give the thumbs-up to The Chronicles of Prydain so far. Even if it isn't always beautifully or densely written, it's intelligently written, and that makes all the difference.
    • 4/5
      Sometimes re-reading an old favorite doesn't lead to bitter disappointment. There's a reason Lloyd Alexander has inspired generations of kids and writers. If you haven't re-read these books in a while, why not do so now?
    • 4/5
      Fun fantasy book set in a traditional fantasy world and scenario. This book is just fun, entertaining, and plain-old enjoyable. It has a great message about what it means to be a hero and that sometimes it is not as exciting or enjoyable as you would hoped it would be. Characters are great and memorable. Has an ending and could be read as a stand alone.
    • 5/5
      Well-written, clever and amusing, a novel written in 1964 that has a modern tone and outlook built on a solid core of traditional fantasy. A delightful read.
    • 5/5
      A superior fantasy for children, which is equally enjoyable for adults. A fairly gripping plot laced with plenty of humor, and engaging characters keep the reader entertained but not over-taxed. The story is a mix of Welsh mythology and Alexander's imagination. Highly recommended, especially for the tween set.
    • 4/5
      This first in the series introduces Taran who wants to be a hero but discovers that heroism is more than adventure and fame. With the help of friends along the way and some needed experience, Taran finds that being a hero isn't necessarily what he really wants.
    • 5/5
      Loved this series from the day I first read it in the fifth grade. Now, my children are reading it and seem to like it also. (Ok maybe not as much as I did, but we live in different times.)The story development is wonderful and definitely preps you for the other four books.
    • 3/5
      I'm not completely sold on this. I was turned off by the Gollum knockoff who kept talking about munchings and crunchings, but 10 year old me probably would have really loved this book.
    • 1/5
      I made my first attempt at reading this book sometime during my primary school years, got about a chapter and a half through, gave up in disgust. Rediscovering it in my high school years, and remembering other books that I had initially not been able to finish, but had liked in the end, I decided to give it another go. Bah. Same problem. Given that it had won a Newberry Medal, and that a number of people had recommended it, I gave it another try.Grrr. One of the least sympathetic main characters I've come across in a childrens/YA novel. The kid is inconsistent, selfish, and poorly characterised. It is impossible to tell what age he is, and his reactions to events are so chaotic that the only justification for what he does would appear to be the movement of the plot in the correct direction. This problem with characterisation is not quite so bad with the others, but they are also less detailed, so it is harder to tell. The 'beast' Gurgi is all about food, with a side order of loyalty. The bard is all about learning that others will respect you for who you are, if only you stop and let them know. The female character, who may or may not be a princess, depending on which section of the story you are reading at the time seems to oscillate between being the sulky helpless character who doesn't want the help that she obviously needs, and a perfectly capable person whos abilities are being ignored. Even allowing for the age group that the book is presumably aimed at, this characterisation was unacceptable.I'm not so sure about the plot, either. It may be that this book was a leader in its genre, and that there have been many derivative knock-offs which have influenced my expectations, but none of the surprises were particularly surprising, and the sequence of the plot seemed very regular - each chapter about the same length, the same build up. Or maybe it just felt like that because after the first 1/3 of the book I was just finishing it through sheer bloody mindedness - I'd made the effort, and damned if I were ever going to do it again.In general, when I read something written for children that I have this negative a reaction to, I put it down to being mainly due to me not being the target demographic - like the Lemony Snickett's 'Unfortunate Events' series, where I read one, and have sworn never to read another, because of the sheer awfulness of the writing and the plot. Here though, I have the evidence of my younger self that tells me that this is not the case - the approximately 11 year old me didn't manage to finish it, and had the sense to declare this and give up.And to suggest that this problem may be common to the author, rather than specific to the book, I also remember having a copy of 'The Black Cauldron', which I never read, and at that age I didn't care particularly much about reading series in sequence. 2/10
    • 5/5
      Book 1 of 5 of The Chronicles of Prydain Series. Lloyd Alexander has used Welsh mythology as inspiration for creating Prydain, an imaginary Celtic land. His main characters are endearing, Taran, who longs to be a hero and dreams of heroic deeds, and is actually an Assistant Pig Keeper to Hen Wen, an oracular pig belonging to Dallben the enchanter who is 379 years old. The first sentence sums up Taran’s current life ‘Taran wanted to make a sword; but Coll, charged with the practical side of his education, decided on horseshoes’ (Alexander, 1966, p. 1). After Hen Wen escapes Taran sets off after him. He meets up with Gwydion, the great warrior prince, with whom he must journey to warn the sons of Don about the evil Horned King’s coming attack. On the way his band increases to include the headstrong Eilonwy of the red-gold hair, Gurgi who is part man, part beast and Fflewddur the bard. ‘When fantasy becomes the battleground of Good and Evil, as it does in the novels of such writers as Lloyd Alexander ... we call it high fantasy - a developed poetic art from which gives meaning to life, enhancing the primary or real world, leading to the solution of problems and the development of characters to maturity’ (Saxby & Winch, 1994, p. 273). And these battles do develop the character of Taran, showing him qualities within himself that he didn’t know he possessed. ‘Throughout the book runs the muted theme of the hero, the champion of good against the forces of evil - not just the external manifestations of it, but the evil within oneself - the hero who emerges triumphant at the end’ (Sutherland, 1997, p. 234). At the back of the book the author has provided a Prydain pronunciation guide which is very useful, it would have been more useful if it had appeared at the beginning of the book, rather than finding it when I had finished the book. An excellent book that I really enjoyed and became involved with.
    • 3/5
      _The Book of Three_ is the first in a classic fantasy series by Lloyd Alexander and is hugely beloved by those who have fond childhood memories of reading it. Growing up in a small town, my local library did not actually own a copy of _The Book of Three_, or any of Alexander's books, so I missed out on reading it in elementary school when I first discovered and devoured the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and similar children's fantasy stories. It's a shame, because if I'd read this book back then, I think I would have gotten more out of it. _The Book of Three_ is not a book that an adult can't enjoy, per say. Alexander keeps the plot moving briskly forward and introduces a fun cast of quirky characters (although I personally found them a bit too quirky - their catchphrases got very annoying and I think a younger reader might find them more colorful and endearing.) Alexander also writes with a liberal dose of humor, which made the book much more enjoyable to read than if he'd taken the whole Assistant Pig Keeper Boy Wants to Be a Hero Goes on Quest to Find Magical Pig and Save Kingdom plot one hundred percent seriously. Another charming aspect of this book is how quick he is to have the supporting cast point out the hero's (or want-to-be hero's) failings and short comings, which is amusing and helps the characters seem more like real people than fantasy archetypes.The plot is extremely straightforward: boy wants to be hero, but is instead a lowly Assistant Pig Keeper. Boy loses magical pig, goes on a quest to find her, ends up going on a quest to warn the kingdom about the threat of an evil dark lord villain type, and recruits a colorful assortment of companions to aid him on his quest, including a feisty young girl with magical abilities, a nobleman turned traveling bard whose harp strings break when he tells lies, a bizarre part-animal part-man creature that whines a lot and begs for food, and a noble horse that belonged to a great prince. They go on an adventure across a magical kingdom that incorporates elements from Welsh mythology and folklore. Alexander's writing is smooth, polished and humorous enough for an adult to enjoy this, but I still think I missed something special by not getting to experience the wonder and adventure through a child's eyes. I would highly recommended this book for children. As an adult you can enjoy it, but you will probably find the action less than suspenseful, the mythology references a tad superficial and the fantasy elements quite archetypal. My personal opinion: 3/5 stars.
    • 5/5
      excellent read, I highly recommend it, suspenseful.
    • 2/5
      I wanted to read this since it was the inspiration for much of the original dungeons and dragons. I see now that it's mostly in the world building, and that being pulled from Welsh mythology leaves little credit to the book itself.

      There are some funny moments but ultimately the dialog felt forced and overly formal, the plot moved more due to accident and coincidence than the efforts of the characters, and the characters themselves felt flat. It's a product of it's time, I suppose.
    • 3/5
      Inoffensive Tolkienesque children's lit. The main character seems designed specifically for young boys to project themselves onto, and functions well on that level. However, older readers could find the characters and setting unremarkable and simplistic.
    • 3/5
      This is a fantastic series, but "The Book of Three" is definitely the weakest of the series. Its plot is relatively uninspiring, its ending sort of disappointing, and ultimately it doesn't real inspire. But it's a fast read, still relatively unenjoyable, and it introduces the world and the main characters that the subsequent four books in the series will use to much greater effect.
    • 5/5
      A superior fantasy for children, which is equally enjoyable for adults. A fairly gripping plot laced with plenty of humor, and engaging characters keep the reader entertained but not over-taxed. The story is a mix of Welsh mythology and Alexander's imagination. Highly recommended, especially for the tween set.
    • 5/5
      I have loved these books since I discovered them at age 10. I'll probably always re-read them every 5 or 10 years.
    • 4/5
      Short read. A little cheesy, and some deux ex machina. But some great messages. Characters are interesting.
    • 5/5
      Hands down one of my most favorite series of all time. I read the books in fifth grade and it ruined medieval fantasy for me forever -- because nothing ever seemed to be as good.
    • 5/5
      I borrowed this book from the library. What a gem! I am a kid at heart and love easy to read, adventure-filled, "good" stories. It wasn't until much later that I discovered this book was actually written in the 1950s. Who would have known? Not I. It felt modern and fresh to me.I loved the characters. They felt whole and real. They complimented each other. Each had their quirks, which made them stand out and enjoyable.The plot was entertaining with its evil twists and turns. The world, the scenery, the storyline and the characters fit together like a well-worn glove. Honestly, I loved reading this book and recommend all young at heart read it.
    • 3/5
      This review can also be seen at Written Permission.

      I first read The Book of Three in junior high school. I may have read another one of the series, but I honestly do not remember. I decided that it was time I revisited the series.

      While reading The Book of Three, I came to a realization. Short books have a really tough time of it. What normally takes hundreds of pages to convey in a high fantasy story needs to be done in a short time. It is a fine line. Either there isn't enough story and the book is boring, or there is so much story, the reader feels overwhelmed. And when there is too much going on, the text tends to be denser than in even the thickest fantasy novels I have read. (Wheel of Time, I am looking at you!)

      The Book of Three tries really hard, but it comes down on the side of too much happening in a short period of time. The heroes, and therefore the reader, have very little time to breathe and get their bearings before something more is happening. Thankfully, it didn't seem to suffer from the dense text affliction as well. So there was that, at least.

      The other plight of short books and plot, and one that The Book of Three did not escape, unfortunately, is that a lot of the "juicy bits" tend to get glossed over. It could also be because this is a juvenile book, and Lloyd Alexander didn't want to get too much into the maiming and the killing, but it seemed like the ending was very anti-climactic after everything that the merry band of adventurers went through. Through the whole book I kept thinking there was so much more story there, just itching to be told. However, instead of getting to explore these possibilities, I am stuck with a 219 page book and a mild sense of dissatisfaction.

      Lloyd Alexander does a great job of writing flawed characters, if not exactly likeable ones. I found the character of Taran to be infuriating, because he was always doing the exact wrong thing. This seems to be the polar opposite of Mary-Sue-ism, but it is no less aggravating. You can't have a character running off and doing absolutely everything wrong. They have to have something redeemable in them. We see glimmers of it in both Taran and Eilonwy, but not enough to make me really grasp on and hope everything wound up OK in the end.

      I feel like Eilonwy was meant to be outspoken and strong, and maybe at the time of publication, she was. But at the time of reading The Book of Three, Eilonwy comes across as a nagging, somewhat petulant girl who is always putting Taran down, deserved or not. I really think my favorite character is Fflam, because he at least acknowledges his flaws and has a humorous way of displaying them.

      Bottom Line: The story that is present is well written, and as a juvenile book, The Book of Three would probably delight. However, beware reading this with the critical eye of an adult, as you may find flaws.
    • 3/5
      Reminded me of a less compelling The Dark Is Rising. I didn't find the characters particularly memorable (Taran is kind of a dull, hapless hero), and I never felt that they were in any actual peril. I might've enjoyed it more if I'd read it as a kid--still, I'm withholding ultimate judgment until I read more of the series.
    • 5/5
      Approved for the dude.
    • 4/5
      My kids and I listened to the audiobook of this one, and aside from the fact that Medwyn sounded vaguely Jamaican, I totally loved it. I cannot believe I didn't read this series as a child. Okay, I can believe that I didn't read it (I was too busy brooding over Edgar Allan Poe for much other extracurricular reading), but I can't quite believe that no teacher or friend ever suggested it to me and that I never even heard of it until I started homeschooling my kids.

      This is just a fabulous book...incredibly imagery and complex characters. I almost look forward to the long, long drive to flute lesson every week when we have this audiobook in the car. Now to pick up The Black Cauldron at the library.
    • 3/5
      I think I should have read this book when I was younger. I feel I missed my chance because now the writing is too juvenile for me. I couldn't really stand Eilonwy either, the way she always degraded Taran. Taran was a spoiled young brat. The rest of the character's weren't too bad. But definitely meant for young fantasy readers. It doesn't help that i pictured the animated characters from the movie based off of this series the whole time I was reading it. It's a series, but I won't be continuing.
    • 3/5
      When I was in the fourth grade, my teacher forced me to read this series because she wanted me to try different genres. I was so angry that I had to read something as stupid as fantasy, when all I really wanted to do was re-read the Little House books. However, I ended up loving this series and have thought on it with fondness all these years. I thought I would re-read it to see if it was as good as I thought when I was in fourth grade. While I enjoyed it this time, it was hard not to compare it to The Lord of the Rings because there are really so many similarities, and it was left wanting in that comparison. So I guess you could call it The Lord of the Rings -lite. My fourth grade self would have given it 5 stars... my adult self gives it a 3 because I liked it but I didn't love it. I love the characters, and love the fact that there is a pronounciaton guide at the back of the book for their names. Kind of wish I would have discovered that sooner. There was excitement and adventure, good guys and evil guys, an interesting world, and growth in characters. I highly recommend this series to upper elementary/lower middle school students.
    • 4/5
      Still a classic, even if Taran's a bit younger and foolish than I remember (Eilonwy has more than enough wits for both of them). The mix of action and humor keeps this from being too slow or too serious, and I do like how Taran matures a bit, even if he seems to forget it all by the next book.
    • 3/5
      First book of the Prydain cycle based loosely on Welsh myth. Sometimes a bit childish but even that can be fun, with Gwergi and his munchings and crunchings. Not (to my mind) as good as the second and third books (Black Cauldron and Castle of Llyr) but a fair beginning.
    • 3/5
      I never read this book or this series growing up. The Disney movie 'The Black Cauldron' was always something that I enjoyed and a girl I met freshman year of college told me that if I liked 'The Chronicles of Narnia' that I would like this. I did like it. It took me a little while to get into it, mainly because the writing just didn't catch me. However, I really love the story and the characters!