Disparate strings finally coming together as a story finally comes to a close. In The High King, the fifth and final book of the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander, we see the story that started all the way back in The Book of Three ending. Taran has just returned from his wandering adventure in the previous book and has planned to ask Eilonwy to marry him the first chance he gets upon their reuniting at Caer Dallben. Before he has the chance to ask her though they are interrupted by Prince Gwydion and Fflewdur Fflam arriving with Prince Gwydion gravely wounded. They had been attacked by Arawn who had managed to take Dyrnwyn, the magical royal sword, during the attack. Gwydion, despite being injured, starts immediately making plans to travel towards Annuvin and try to recover Dyrnwyn from Arawn. Taran, Gurgi, Eilonwy, Fflewdur and various others decide to travel with him, at least as far as King Smoit’s castle. However, things quickly don’t go as planned when they discover that not all is well at King Smoit’s castle and that they are in more danger than they had thought. What was meant to be a stealth mission to recover the sword ends up evolving into an all-out campaign against Arawn, one that has no guaranteed good outcome.
I enjoyed this book even though I was sad to see the story ending. What I found really interesting though was how many disparate threads had been pulled back in from previous books to play a role in this story. We see the reappearance of previous characters in the form of Prince Rhun, now King Rhun, along with Glew the former giant as they help out Taran and Prince Gwydion. I do have to admit that Glew was probably more of a problem than a help but he still reappeared. However, we also see the reappearance of other characters as well such as the various kings that showed up in the second book during the search for the black cauldron. At the same time various villains show back up as well such as Achren who decides to leave and go after Arawn on her own and Magg, the former councilor that had worked for Rhun’s family but is now working for Arawn as well. There are also the various craftsmen that Taran had met during his wandering of the previous book, Taran Wanderer, that show up to help out during the campaign. We see the reappearance of more than just the characters though as the sword Dyrnwyn shows back up after hardly being mentioned since the first book. The Book of Three also shows back up to play a rather interesting role in the proceedings. What’s interesting is that many of these elements are pulled from different previous books in the series and not all from the same one. It feels like it is really pulling together the different previous adventures and wrapping up all of the loose ends that still may be lying around. The one thing about the book that really caught my attention though is how much Taran has grown since the events of the first book. At the very beginning Taran was an assistant pig-keeper who wished to be a hero and war-leader but now Taran is a hero and a war-leader who wishes for nothing more than to be an assistant pig-keeper. It creates an interesting comparison for what it means to grow up and discover what the real world is actually like. To discover that war is not really glorious and being a hero is not all it is cracked up to be. I think this book, and this series, helps to show what is really important in life so I am gladly giving this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Overall a great book and one that I would definitely recommend for younger readers. I would consider this book to be a kids book primarily though I could see it holding appeal for teens and young adults as well. Though I am not sure if it would hold appeal for older readers as you can definitely tell it is aimed at younger readers. In terms of genre it is obviously fantasy, though fantasy with a heavy basis on Welsh mythology and folklore. If you happen to be the kind of reader who enjoys those genres and themes than I suggest you consider trying this series out. As I said it is pretty good but make sure to start with the first book to get the full story. Remember, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.