The Black Cauldron

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Continuing on down the bildungsroman, children’s fantasy rabbit hole that I appear to have fallen into, this week my mind played host to a conceited prince, a hoard of wicked Hunstmen, a hundred battles and betrayals, and a wealth of friendship… this week I read The Black Cauldron.

The second book in Lloyd Alexander’s series, The Chronicles of Prydain, The Black Cauldron follows Taran and his companions as they join Prince Gwydion and his fearless friends Prince Adaon, Prince Ellidyr, King Smoit, and King Morgant as they venture towards the evil realm of Annuvin to steal Arawn’s Cauldron, the wicked instrument with which he makes his armies, with the intent to destroy it.

This is the book where the series begins to take on a more adult edge, a little like Prisoner of Azkaban in the Harry Potter series. While the central story describes battles, betrayals, and heroic moments, the underlying theme of the tale is growth, in particular Taran’s growth from childhood to manhood. Where he began his adventures in The Book of Three as a headstrong young lad who desired adventure and heroics, now he has wisdom and has seen the darker side of those heroic tales and he enters into his second adventure with a similar sense of enthusiasm to prove himself, but also a clearer sense of worldly wisdom, though none so developed as the authority figures.

Some of the book's most exciting and emotionally piquing moments are indeed ones where Taran is faced with ethical conundrums and decisions that conflict with his own sense of honour, pride, and morality, and these scenes are given just as much attention as any battle, sometimes more, and prove to be some of the most moving and entertaining moments: they are where the real story begins to take shape and follow its course.

Indeed the themes of growth and the wisdom that comes with it are so inspiring, that Disney had a crack at amalgamating the first two books into an animated feature, which from memory was not so great, but the fact that the tales inspired a Disney feature are alone something to marvel at.

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In terms of the fantasy elements and depictions of heroism, The Black Cauldron has many wonderful scenes of combat, magic, and the fantastical, but overall the book explores the darker side of fantasy, focusing on the central conflicts being between the heroes themselves rather than any maniacal monster, and featuring a lot more death, loss, and grief.

The Black Cauldron is a wonderful second instalment in what promises to be a lovely, lengthy adventure and I eagerly pluck my bookmark from the final pages of this one and place in the cover of the next!

Author: Lloyd Alexander, 1965

Published: Holt, Reinhart & Winston. Pictured edition published in 2004 by Usborne Publishing Ltd.

The Black Cauldron is the second book in Alexander’s The Chronicles of Prydain series.