Reviews

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

catm9's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

katmiranda's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I've always had a soft spot for the Chronicles of Prydain, and I do consider it to be quite foundational in my journey as a fan of fantasy, as I was introduced to this series as a teenager. I love that this series scratches the Welsh Mythology itch for me just as much as The Dark is Rising Sequence scratches the Arthurian legends itch in me, and it struck me that for a book that was written in the 60s, it's quite modern, especially with the spunky Princess Eilowny. I like how the dialogue is so snappy, the characters are fun without feeling too trope-y, and I love that I could just imagine how everything sounded looked and smelled like, without the long descriptive paragraphs of Tolkien, or leaning more into true fairytale-ish fantasy like CS Lewis. Its surprisingly very grounded, and feels real. I have always felt like Taran very much subverts the Chosen One archetype--he's always given a choice and he always goes for the harder but right one, and I like that he's not the one who saves the day in the end. However, without him being the heart & glue of their little band, the main antagonist would have never gotten defeated, even if he wasn't the one that struck the final blow. I also love how he learned how to appreciate the small things in life, like the farm at Caer Dalben. 

It's an excellent and quick young adult fantasy read if you are opting to just read it as a stand-alone, but definitely reading it with the intention of reading the whole series really elevates it more. It's more character driven than plot heavy, with the plot being quite straightforward. While this is an excellent introduction to this world and the characters we'll see grow as we go along with the series, I found that I was much more invested in the characters rather than the main plot that the climax portion of the story felt like it was resolved too quickly. 

Aside from that, I have no other complaints- a great timeless fantasy story- and a great way to begin one of the best young adult fantasy series of all time. 

sirensfindings's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

spicy_g's review against another edition

3.0

I am now ready for the black cauldron. I listened to it and sometimes got lost. I'm not sure if it was because of that. I plan to read the rest of the series instead of listening. But I have always liked this story, but I hadn't actually read the books.

vickeyfoggin's review against another edition

3.0

This book is the weakest of the series. I read this as a 10 year old after reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I liked it, but even then I remember thinking it was like a washed-out version of LOTR. Same plot, less detail. Re-reading it, I found the main characters of Taran and Eilonwy frustrating. Taran is a stupid and prickly boy and Eilonwy is a terrible nag. Gurgi the half-person half-beast thing is the Jar Jar Binks of this universe. They must start out lame so they can grow over the series but gahhhhhh sooooo annoying. The book reads really quickly - like half an hour quickly. Even so, I think modern kids might not like the book because the characters are so unpleasant. I'd tell them to start with the Black Cauldron which is marginally better!

emma_lynn_95's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

meryinred's review against another edition

3.0

Tenía pendiente leerlo porque soy una de las pocas personas a las que le encanta la película de Disney basada en esta saga. He visto críticas bastante negativas sobre la adaptación, pero después de leer este primer libro me ha parecido bastante fiel al espíritu del libro. Así, he disfrutado mucho la lectura, que definiría como ‘Tolkien para niños’.
Sus virtudes: es muy disfrutable y se le coge cariño a los personajes pese a tener cierto carácter estereotipado, y esos toques de folclore galés me han gustado mucho.
Lo que me ha gustado menos: no deja de ser un libro de carácter infantil/juvenil y, por ejemplo, el héroe tiene una evolución demasiado rápida o esos personajes estereotipados a veces pueden ser un poco pesados. Y tiene un aire de ‘quiero dejar una moraleja clara’ que me parece excesivo, no es nada sutil al respecto (volvemos a lo mismo, el público objetivo es infantil/juvenil).

as3's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

dskullz's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars. The setting and characters are very fun to read about and although Alexander didn't delve into them very far you could tell he knew his location and characters with depth. I thought this book was really good up until the end when it resolved itself so suddenly and we got a condensed page of Gwydion's story that could have filled out at least a chapter.

savaburry's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0