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    The High King
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    The High King
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    The High King
    Audiobook7 hours

    The High King

    Written by Lloyd Alexander

    Narrated by James Langton

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The Sword of Dyrnwyn, the most powerful weapon in the kingdom of Prydain, has fallen into the hands of Arawn-Death-Lord. Now Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper, and Price Gwydion lead an army against the powerful lord. After a winter expedition filled with danger, Taran's forces arrive at Mount Dragon, evil's stronghold. There Tara is forced to make the most crucial decisions of his life as he confronts the evil enchantress Achren and the diabolical Arawn.


    From the Cassette edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateFeb 22, 2005
    ISBN9781400085620
    Unavailable
    The High King
    Author

    Lloyd Alexander

    Lloyd Alexander (1924-2007) was the author of more than forty books for children and adults, including the beloved children's fantasy series, the Chronicles of Prydain, one of the most widely read series in the history of fantasy and the inspiration for the animated Disney film, The Black Cauldron. His books have won numerous awards, including the Newbery Medal, the Newbery Honor, and the National Book Award for Juvenile Literature.

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    Reviews for The High King

    4/5

    1,060 ratings37 reviews

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    • 3/5
      The whole Chronicles of Prydain series is well-written, imaginative, and was my introduction as a kid to a lifetime love of fantasy fiction. These books tackle large philosophical issues like bullying, the nature of heroism, social responsibility, altruism, and good vs. evil. Appropriate for middle-schoolers or even 5th and 6th graders.
    • 2/5
      Not engaging and didn't meet high expectations of a Newbery Medal. Disappointed.
    • 5/5
      The last of the Chronicles of Prydain, and a worthy climax to the series. The bulk of this book describes the war between Arwan and the rest of Prydain, led by High King Math, Prince Gwydion, and the rest of the Sons of Don. Taran and his companions gather together the people Taran has befriended on his many journeys and join their side, fighting under Taran's banner of a white pig.Much of the war goes badly for the heroes - they are betrayed by those they depended upon, sacrifices must be made, good men fall. For a book aimed at a younger audience, the book is definitely dark, and the war quite brutal; many characters who have been in the series for numerous books die. Finally, through a twist that was quite a surprise to me when I read the book the first time (albeit when I was much younger), Arawn is defeated.But that's not the end. And in many ways, the elements of the book that follow Arawn's defeat are the most important part of the book - the choices Taran and his friends must make in victory are the most critical, and without them, the book (and in many ways, the entire series) would have been a throwaway piece of fluff.
    • 4/5
      Actually really poignant. Whether it's deliberate or just a maturation of Alexander's writing, this final book in the series sheds much of the bland, expository dialogue in favour of a poetic, elegaic tone. The series became increasingly aformulaic and, while "The High King" starts out very traditionally, it gradually expands into a mournful yet thrilling climax.
    • 5/5
      I wish Lloyd Alexander could come back and lecture today's crop of YA fantasy writers on how to write a cohesive, satisfying fantasy series in under 300 pages per book. He accomplished more in this short series, and especially in this final book, than many do in thousands of pointless detail.
    • 5/5
      I almost, surprisingly, gave this book only four stars. Every other book in the series gets right into something interesting after about 40 pages or so of introduction. This one took 150 pages for me to really feel moved. Before that, it felt like battle after battle after battle. Some significant things happened, but they didn't feel meaningfully told in comparison with the other four books I had just read.But everything changed so abruptly at the end, and the author once again pulled out the unexpected twists he is so good at creating. I simply could not believe the conclusion, but it was better than anything I could have imagined. Not only do you realise how attached you are to these characters, but you actually believe that their world was once part of your own. This series has easily climbed its way up into my top ten favourite books, and the fact that I can still appreciate it as much as a child would as a cynical adult makes it all the more special.
    • 4/5
      The end of the road for Taran the Wanderer. Piggy prophecies coming to pass, even though they seem impossible. Friends reunited and separated. I really enjoyed this book. For me, the biggest problem was the way things were all wrapped up in a bow. I guess I prefer that things end up slightly messier. I'm totally fine with Taran's role at the end, I'm just not happy with the way it was given to him all on the last day.
    • 3/5
      I thought this one started out much stronger than earlier books in the series. It seemed like Alexander was finally going balls-out, willing to put the characters in actual peril and making use of plot points from previous books that had seemed inconsequential at the time.

      But I wasn't as thrilled with the resolution. First of all, after this protracted, epic battle to save Prydain from Arawn, in which countless people were killed, the majority of the principals immediately faff off to the Summer Country. Seriously, why bother if all the cool people get to escape to a perfect timeless land afterward? Why is useless, worthless Glew rewarded with eternal life, while Coll has to die far from home? And I thought Achren was wasted as a character--I think she could have been a lot more interesting than she was.
    • 4/5
      I nearly never cry at books (with the exception of Anne of Green Gables and A Tale of Two Cities), but I cried twice while listening to this book. I thought that it was just because of how invested I'd become in the characters, but now I'm wondering if it was also in response to the knowledge that once this book was over, so was the series.

      I loved how Taran came into his own in this book, even more than he did in Taran Wanderer. I felt a little weird about how every little thing and character from the previous books made an appearance in this book, but it didn't bother me too much. At first the ending seemed like it was going in an eye-rolling direction, but then Alexander pulled it from the brink and ended it quite well.

      I've really loved listening to these stories, and I plan to go back and read them myself (versus listening to the audiobooks) as my son gets older and can better appreciate the stories. It's a wonderful coming-of-age story. Now if I could find one just as well written but with more female characters, I'd be thrilled.
    • 3/5
      The conclusion of the Prydain cycle; fairly satisfactiory ending, though to me not as good as Black Cauldron and Castle of Llyr, the middle books. For some reason what sticks in my mind is the three women who appeared to be fates earlier in the series rather awkwardly explaining that they aren't.
    • 3/5
      This book lacks the appeal of the rest. Most likely it suffers from being the ending, the very last book in the series, and endings are difficult to do well. The major defect, a defect that is shared by "The Lord of the Rings" is that there are too many ill-described battles. The various good folk muster a little too happily to the war which is pending. We often encounter Gwydion travelling alone in previous books and we've learned to accept it, but the way he loses his sword in the beginning of this book makes him seem kind of foolish. The ending, when everybody gets on their boats and travels to the Summer Lands smacks of Tolkien as well.Nonetheless this has many excellent parts and is at its best when the companions get cut off from the war host and have to do their thing on their own as in the previous books.Alexander's efforts to make Eilonwy more than a pretty thing are much appreciated, but she's still a girl, and hence inferior by convention. However, the narratives of her capture and escape near the end of the novel or her rescue of the companions near the beginning are really some of the best in the novel.Prince Rhun is an archetypal nerd, well-meaning, not physically adept, perceptive in some ways, curious about much, but always an outsider. I was sorry to see him die.
    • 4/5
      Solid conclusion to this series, though not my favorite installment. There's definitely less humor and character development, as a lot of the plot consists of Taran and company slogging through battle after battle. And there's an accompanying sadness in tone, especially with the deaths of so many beloved supporting characters. Thank heavens that Alexander's characterizations are as strong and quirky as ever, particularly with the plucky and hilarious Eilonwy. More than anything, it's the companions (minus the annoying and useless Glew) that make the Chronicles of Prydain worth reading and re-reading.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed the book. There was a lot of similarities to the Lord of the Rings. Glad I finished the series.
    • 3/5
      Climax of the series. Quite fun, and I love the ending -- if Taran left the world after all of this, it'd feel like a cop-out. And Eilonwy's decision is wonderful too. As in the previous book, lots of things from as early as the first book come together and are used now.

      Satisfying end to the series.
    • 4/5
      Overall a satisfying ending to a good adventure series, even if it is highly reminiscent of Tolkein's ending for The Lord of the Rings series. Taran and Eilonwy have grown into their roles, and you sense that Prydain's going to be just fine - a good place to leave everything.
    • 2/5
      Meh. It's not a good sign when I'm thinking that I can run a war better than you can. I did like getting the alternate viewpoints for the first time instead of just living in Taran's head, but I need a little more leavening in my fantasy. This was entirely too earnest for me.

      Listening to Listening Library audio narrated by James Langton. Previously read for Children's Lit course Spring 2007.
    • 5/5
      A childhood favorite that has influenced my own writings and many others'.
    • 4/5
      Prince Gwydion arrives at Caer Dallben with the news that Arawn's servants have managed to steal the magical black sword, Dyrnwyn, and Taran and his friends set out to retrieve it and to make a stand at the last battle for Prydain. The final installment is mainly a culmination of all the other books and all the great and funny characters come back for at least cameos. The stakes are as high as can be and the finale is heart-warming and heart-breaking at the same time. This series works very well for me now, but I would have given a lot to have read them as a kid.
    • 4/5
      Finally, books I remember enjoying as a kid that still stand up to re-reading as an adult!
    • 3/5
      The series might have been strongest in books 3 and 4 which forced Alexander out of the familar realm and away from teh normal antagonists. This books is a conclusion to all the tales and is certainly the most ambitious in that regard. The prose flows comfortably but it should as it has been the same material, for the most part, since the first. Amny plot lines are ended, some rather haphazardly and some deftly. The conclusion itself is quick and somewhat intuiative though not befitting the buildup of the previous four books. A decent fantasy series for young readers, the chroncile as a whole suffers from borrowed plot ideas, awkward plot advancement, and questionable character development. The tapestry of Welsh myth would be better suited to more colorful writing.
    • 4/5
      So Taran comes back like Neo from the Matrix--significantly, this is the only book of the series that doesn't begin with him at Caer Dallben waiting to enter fairyland, but out in it waiting to come home. He demonstrates his dialogism, his new facility turning aside the programmatic patter of the princess Eilonwy. And the road is paved for a good popcorn-fantasy romp, with all the troublesome issues about what is this world and who are we that read it laid to rest. And for a good while it works--there is fellowship, sacrifice, betrayal, heartbreak, horror, &c. (I still don't get why they brought the former giant Glew along at all, but) everyone gets their chance to show their mettle, and when Prince Rhun and Llonio son of Llonwen and Coll son of Collfrewr pay their price you gnash your teeth in sorrow, of course; and you thrill at the adventures underground just as you play high-fantasy tourist at picturesque locales like the Red Fallows. The discovery of the sword Dyrnwyn, the victory on top of the mountain over the Cauldron-born, the inevitable fulfillment of the prophecy, these are played skilfully if predictably, but there are also moments of real pathos--Fflewddur Fflam's sacrifice of his harp comes so suddenly and painfully--and quirky puzzlesolving triumph, like when Doli figures out how to use his invisibility cannily to avoid the enchantment that makes him sick unto death in Annuvin, that kind of make you want to cheer (as well as screaming "D&D").But the ending turns it all into cardboard. Lord Arawn makes his big creepy play and fails and runs, and then everybody's standing around in the wreckage and Gurgi runs out of the treasure-house (saving the scrolls with the ancient knowledge of the craftsmen, an idiosyncrasy of Alexander's being his love of the working man, for which I appreciate him), and then at the least dramatic possible moment Arawn pops up again as a serpent, and Taran dispatches him with dispatch, and he takes Queen Achren down with him for no reason other than to give his death a spurious weightiness--playing up, again, the derivativeness of this fantasy world, when the whole last chapter is just a rushed and embarrassed through-the-motions aping of the passing of the Elves Sons of Don into Westernesse the Summer Country. And sure, Taran stays, and you can do a reading where the sudden flat dimness of Prydain at the very end is a token of the end of fantasy and the beginning of the age of man, his lost craft returned to him, but the ending doesn't leave you wanting to extend that kind of charity. Still, prior to that there's a lot of cast-of-thousands battling, brilliant set pieces, fantasy melodrama, and in that sense this is not an unworthy end to a not-unworthy series.
    • 4/5
      I must say that I read this book first and had some trouble keeping the names apart. I also consistently had the thought that I was butchering most of them. Outside of this "difficulty," this was a very good book and had a very surprising ending from my point of view. There did seem to be some similarities between this book and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (especially with the wide range of characters and the sword "Dyrnwyn" (and "the Ring.") I thought it has some brief similarities to Star Wars (good vs. evil), along with some possible "religious" implications. In the end, Taran, was of course my favorite character, but overall a very strong and positive development of values that we would all desire in our children and our youth.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this last of the Prydain books, but I still have a hard time getting past the similarities to The Lord of the RIngs. This book had a lot more action than the previous 4 and had more a the flavor of an adult book than a YA book. There was, after all, a lot of fighting and dying, even of some characters readers surely had grown to love. I was pleased with the ending, actually, although I know that some readers don't care for it. Overall, a nice series.
    • 4/5
      Prydain is once more wracked by shivers of war as the evil Arawn's henchman spread across the Caers. Prince Gwydion and Taran rally the forces of good, but will it be enough? Bloody battle and death, and ultimately? Of course a happy ending.
    • 5/5
      Great ending to a fantastic series. I bit like Lord of the Rings for a younger audience.
    • 4/5
      In the fifth, and final, novel in the Chronicles of Prydain, the final battle with the Death Lord takes place—and all the old buddies from previous books come out to play war. In many ways, this book is darker than the earlier ones. Although it is still appropriate for any child who is capable of reading it (fourth or fifth grade), it may be scary for very young kids who are being read to. Despite this, The High King was the best of the Prydain books. It taught good moral values, was cute and sweet, and never crossed the level of violence that some more recent children’s books achieve. Definitely a classic of children’s fantasy!
    • 4/5
      The last of the Chronicles of Prydain. In this finale, many loose ends are tied up and we finally see what Taran is really made of. Lots of excitement, many battles, too many disappointing deaths. Still, a fun series and I'm glad I've read them.
    • 5/5
      I’ve tried to read this series a dozen times and I’ve always given up until now. This time I started with the last book in the series and I couldn’t put the book down. The author assures the reader in the introduction that though this is the final book in his series it is a stand alone; I found this to be so. The characters are slowly led on the stage, with their past exploits clearly delineated. I never felt unclear or confused. I grew to love all the characters, even the whiny Glew and the shifty Achren. The author, without revealing any of the clever twists of the plot, brings everything to a firm, though not always happy, conclusion.
    • 3/5
      The is the last book in The Chronicles of Prydain and it is my least favorite, I think because it's the most epic. Don't get me wrong - this book is wonderful and this entire series is an amazing and wonderful read, no matter what age you are. For me, however, the power of these books lies in the personal, in the smaller journeys and the finding of friendships, in the scary moments, but also in the really funny ones.The High King takes the fellowship to a new level. This is the story of the final battle against the dark, of sacrifices made, of defeats, victories and choices. Its scope is sweeping and its story is haunting. It's a wonderful series. You should read them all!
    • 5/5
      This is the final book in Lloyd Alexander’s Young Adult fantasy series, the Prydain Chronicles. In this, the final battle, a desperate war is waged against Arawn, the lord of death. The hero, Taran, has traveled from being an assistant pig-keeper to being a self-aware and mature leader. This is one of the few Young Adult fantasy books that have won the Newbery Medal. The characters are more complex, and the plot more intricate than A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’engle which won the Newbery Medal in 1962. The themes of mercy, sacrifice, and redemption creates a novel of deep power akin to Crispin The Cross of Lead by Avi.