The Book Of Three
1964
- fantasy
- juvenile fiction
- swine
- celtic mythology
- heroes
- good and evil
- prydain (imaginary place)
- fiction
- adventure and adventurers
- children's fiction
The story
Taran is bored with his Assistant Pig-Keeper duties, even though his charge is none other than Hen Wen, Prydain's only oracular pig. He'd rather be doing something more heroic, like making swords and learning to use them. When Hen Wen escapes and Taran goes after her, he finds himself farther from home than he's ever been. Soon he begins to realize that heroism is no easy task. With the dreaded Horn King on the loose and King Arawn gathering the forces of evil, Taran must look past his own dreams to warn the population of Prydain before it's too late. - Back cover. Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper to a famous oracular sow, sets out on a hazardous mission to save Prydain from the forces of evil.
What it’s like
Sunlit farm country and open hillsides give way to wind-scoured moors, mist-filled forests and dim, smoky halls, all rendered in plain, lucid prose with a storyteller's cadence that suits being read aloud. The voice is wry and warm, with a touch of folk-tale formality and frequent gentle jokes about the pig-keeper's blustering self-importance. The mood is bright adventure with a gentle undertow of unease: dark lords and cold landscapes press in now and then, but the hard edges stay blunt. Violence is present, mostly in brief skirmishes and battle scenes handled with restraint, and there is some peril and a few frightening creatures, though nothing graphic, cruel or sexual. The pace is brisk and episodic, moving from one small misadventure to the next, and the arc follows a restless, earnest boy learning that heroism is slower, humbler and more costly than he imagined. Good for a cozy weekend read, a bedtime chapter, or a long train journey, and for readers who enjoy mythic settings, quiet humour and a hero who grows up on the road.
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