Rating: My bookshelf
Reading Level: Middle School, (Mid-late Elementary Needs Parent Supervision)
Much like The Chronicles of Narnia, this fantasy book series illustrates the character and nature of Jesus.
Possible Concerns:
- Tough to get through the first few chapters. I started out wondering if I would be able to finish this book, but my colleague, Tom, recommended the series so highly that I persevered. I’m so glad I did! I struggled because there were a lot of names, histories, and such that were difficult to track, and because the main character was whining a lot. Note: Listening to the audiobook in tandem with reading helped me with pronunciation and characters.
- Portrayal of women. The two main women in the story were an evil enchantress (yikes) and a chatty, easily offended little girl who is an enchantress-in-training. By the end of the series, the girl has grown into a lovely and brave young woman.
- This is fantasy to the core: enchantresses who pretend to be good in order to snag you, evil warlords who have been endorsed and empowered by forces of evil, a sasquatch-like half-human, a diviner who meditates most of the day, beasts with supernatural powers.
- An oracular pig. Yeah, it’s weird. A pig who knows secret things of the divine, and of whom prophecies can be obtained using sticks with spells written on them. This is why I recommend parent supervision for ages below middle school, and at any age I encourage discussions about how we no longer need oracles because the Holy Spirit is our guide.
Things I like: If you are able to read or listen to this one with your kids, there will be so much to talk about.
- Taran doesn’t recognize Gwydion because of his shabby clothes. What does it really look like to be a true hero? ..What is it like to be true royalty? How can you see past the outside and look at the heart, like how God does for us?
- (Spoiler alert) The horned king is destroyed when Gwidyon calls out his true name. How does naming evil weaken it? Has confession of a sin in your life ever empowered you to more easily overcome it?
- Taran is hopelessly powerless against the horned king, but Gwydion comes to his rescue just in time. Have you ever had a rescuer in a time when you were powerless?
- The evil enchantress first displays herself as kind and generous, but Gwydion sees through it and warns Taran. How does this reflect the nature of sin? Have you ever been enticed to something because at first it seemed harmless? Did you have any friends warn you?
- Gurgi the half-human monster becomes more valiant, loyal, and trustworthy—essentially more human—when Gwydion treats him with radical kindness. We all are sinners with weaknesses making us not the true people God created us to be. Have you ever been shown kindness even when you hadn’t earned it, in a way that made you respond well and become more fully human? Or have you seen such a transformation in someone else? How has Jesus done this for all of us?
- The members of the troop all have weaknesses and strengths, as Dallben points out to Tahran in their final meeting. Do you identify with any of them? How so?
If you like this book, I’ve got a story for you about a hero who, like Prince Gwydion, traveled to the pit of hell to overcome death. My prince saved a fumbling, earnest, yet helpless youth who had no hope. The story is the Gospel. The hero is Jesus. And the youth who was saved is me.
I love this series and highly recommend the next book in the series, the Newberry-Award-winning book 2, The Black Cauldron. Below are links to my reviews of all the books in the series.
| title | link | rating | reading_level |
| The Book of Three | https://jesuslovesthebookworms.wordpress.com/?p=2265 | My bookshelf | Middle school |
| The Black Cauldron | https://jesuslovesthebookworms.wordpress.com/2024/07/26/the-chronicles-of-prydain-the-black-cauldron-by-lloyd-alexander/ | My bookshelf | Middle school |
| The Castle of Llyr | https://jesuslovesthebookworms.wordpress.com/2024/05/08/the-chronicles-of-prydain-the-castle-of-llyr-by-lloyd-alexander/ | My bookshelf | Middle school |
| Taran Wanderer | https://jesuslovesthebookworms.wordpress.com/2024/05/17/the-chronicles-of-prydain-taran-wanderer-by-lloyd-alexander/ | My bookshelf | Middle school |
| The High King | https://jesuslovesthebookworms.wordpress.com/?p=2318 | My bookshelf | Middle school |
Jesus loves bookworms 