The Book of Three is the first book in the The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. It is a light hearted adventure steeped in mythology that takes place in a fantasy realm called Prydain. The story follows a young Assistant Pig-Keeper named Taran. He was raised by an old sorcerer named Dallben, and a bald, retired hero named Coll. Taran’s duties consist of tending to the only oracular pig in Prydain, named Hen Wen.
When Hen Wen runs away Taran is forced to go after her, even after learning of the growing evils in the form of an evil warlord called The Horned King. Along the way Taran meets several new friends, such as the warlord Gwydion, the princess Eilonwy, and the retired King and failed bard, Fflewddur Fflam. He learns how vast the evils at work truly are and must expand his mission to more than just finding Hen Wen, He must warn the Sons Of Don of the growing evils.
The balance of the characters and how they play off each other adds the perfect level of humor and allows this book, that subtly hints at dark themes, to remain fun and easy going. This book has many themes presented in a fun and easy way, but if the reader is willing to do a little thinking it can lead you down a winding rabbit hole of social issues having to do with our place in the natural world. In that way it is suitable for all ages. It discussed how you matter as a person even, possibly even especially, if you make mistakes, and that sometimes looking for an answer is more rewarding than finding it, and how there is a piece of everyone in everyone else. It talks about how even if you don’t do everything perfectly it doesn’t matter, you never do anything alone in life, and you share everything you do with others.
The Book of Three is a brilliantly humorous and fun story suitable for anyone who is a fan of fantasy and doesn’t mind taking a break from the dark intensity of so many other novels. It is lighter than some readers may want, and it is written with a slightly younger audience in mind, but I firmly believe it has the ability to be enjoyed by the right people of any age. It is the kind of book that you can appreciate on another level if you understand the mythology it is based on. As my dad said when he went back and read it as an adult, after loving it as a kid he found new parts to appreciate, specifically the parallels with Welsh mythology. It may be a hard book for some readers to get into without the nostalgia of reading it as a kid, but it is still truly a solid pillar in the fantasy genre. It was written in the old style Tolkien loved and expanded on. Each of the characters have relatable aspects for the modern reader, yet they maintain their folkloric charm.