The Black Cauldron
By Lloyd Alexander
Taran wants to be a warrior more than
anything else. So when a council of kings, held by his guardian,
discussing the need for destruction of the Black Cauldron, Taran is
excited to join their cause. Afraid he'll never be more than an
Assistant Pig-Keeper, he learns the true meaning of being a hero.
For years and years I passed by this
book. I'd seen the movie. Same thing, right? WRONG. The movie takes
the characters and minimal plot, chews them up and spits them up in a
cacophony of story-telling vomit.
From the first page, I knew, no one
writes like this anymore. It's beautiful, descriptive, and
enthralling. Alexander is a master at building the world around Taran
and his friends.
I especially liked the antagonist. In
the movie, you think the antagonist is the Horned-King and the Black
Cauldron. In the original story, the subplot antagonist is compelling
and shouldn't have been cut from the story. A high born prince
believes he's better than Taran because of his birth. And constantly,
he insults Taran and believes he should be the hero because he's a
prince and princes are heroes. It's a great topic to explore. What
makes a hero?
My favourite character by far, of
course cut from the movie, is Adaon. He's a Renaissance man: a wise
bard, seer, and prince. He's mysterious and the best quotes are
attributed to him.
I'd now like to read more of
Alexander's writing.
4/5 STARS
Classroom: Absolutely I'd use this.
Again, discussions on what makes a hero, class status, friendships,
bullying, and self-discovery.
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