It is time to return to a world based around Welsh mythology and folklore with The Black Cauldron, the second book in The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. In in we get to see the continuing adventures of Taran, the assistant pig-keeper, and his loyal group of friends. The story opens with a council being called by Prince Gwydion to be hosted at Caer Dallben in order to determine the best method of combating the forces of Arawn. In this instance, Gwydion proposes finding a way into Arawn’s fortress and stealing away the dreaded black cauldron, the source of Arawn’s undead army known as the cauldron-born. Taran is assigned to be part of a group with Fflewddur Fflam, Gurgi, and Doli, along with the newcomers of Adaon, son of Taliesin, and Ellidyr, prince of Pen-Llarcau to serve as one of several potential forces trying to infiltrate the fortress. Once they actually set out though Taran quickly discovers that things will not go as planned. First, Ellidyr develops an enmity with Taran due to their difference in social class. They are then joined by the princess Eilonwy who has run away from Caer Dallben in order to join them on their quest, despite knowing the potential danger in doing so. Shortly thereafter they discover that they are being hunted by the forces of Arawn and then upon arriving at the fortress they find out that the black cauldron has already been stolen by someone else. This means that they have to decide to either continue trying to track the cauldron or go back to Caer Dallben in order to report the news to Gwydion but lose precious time in doing so.
This book is a great sequel to the first book, The Book of Three, and does a great job of continuing the story of Taran. You can tell the story is heavily based in Welsh mythology and folklore due to the types of names used for the characters, names such as Gwydion, Taliesin and Ellidyr. I find this element rather interesting as you rarely see it outside of books about King Arthur and Camelot. However, just using parts of it in order to create a new world is really fascinating as it allows for a considerable amount of fairly unique elements that can be utilized in the story or just for background purposes. In fact, there are actual indirect references to stories and characters from Welsh Folklore that are sprinkled throughout. Doli is a member of the fair folk which is a term used for those who are considered to be of fae ancestry such as elves, dwarves, sprites, or leprechauns, amongst others but it is a term typically only used when referring to Welsh, Celtic or Irish mythology and folklore. Another, though more minor one, is Adaon, son of Taliesin. In this story Taliesin is a bard and a high ranking one at that. However, Taliesin the bard is often considered to be an alias or title more frequently associated with Merlin so I was a little surprised to see that variation of his name. It happens to be one of the more infrequently used ones and is also heavily associated with the variations of Merlin from Welsh folklore. I find it rather incredible how well the author is able to take rather disparate elements of a pre-existing folklore and world to create a similar but original world. One that is both similar and wholly different at the same time. Not many authors are able to do that in such a way that it feels like the new story should have been part of the old stories even though it obviously isn’t. I am giving it four out of five stars.
This book is a bit of a classic in terms of children’s literature but I would still recommend it to younger readers. In my opinion, I think it is one of those books that will long have an appeal to younger readers and will probably be read for generations. It is relatively simple and easy to read but also has an easy to follow storyline that should be relatively enjoyable for kids. I think the only part that might be difficult for kids is the funny pronunciations of some of the Welsh words, specifically names, as they are not always pronounced as they are spelled. Due to the relative simplicity of the book I am not sure how well it would appeal to older readers but I would suggest if they happen to be a fan of the fantasy genre that they consider trying it anyways. If you happen to be familiar with the series feel free to share your thoughts in the comments as always.