The Black Cauldron 50th Anniversary Edition - The Chronicles of Prydain

In this second volume of "The Prydain Chronicles," Alexander goes a bit darker and gives more battles and fights. The novel is the story to destroy The Black Crochan, the cauldron that Arawn uses to make the Cauldron- Born.
There is also a lot of character development in this book. We see how much Taran, Eilonwy, and Fflewddur have matured since the last book, and we see new characters grow from what they were in the beginning of the book. For example, Ellidyr grows tremendously from the first few pages to the last.
Lloyd Alexander also made this book much darker than its predecessor. He kills more and you never will know who's really evil and who's really good.
We also travel much more to the other parts of the land of Prydain. We meet new rivers, The Marshes of Morva, and more villages. We also go near Annuvin, the home of Arawn and his army of Huntsmen, Cauldron- Born, and gwythaints.
So, "The Black Cauldron" was a fabulous book indeed. We see more action, darkness, character growth, and other things among the novel. For me, the most enjoyable part of the story was the character development. This book may seem a wee bit slow at times, but just keep going. You may enjoy this book more if you have read "The Book of Three," but you can still enjoy it on its own. I can't wait to read the rest of the "Chronicles of Prydain."
Happy Reading!

Book 2 of the Prydain Chronicles, The Black Cauldron, returns us to the wonderful world of the unforgettable characters in The Book of Three. An uneasy peace has reigned, but with the Death Lord rising again, the adventurers are off, joined by new friends and foes - with either not always clear which is which (the wacky ladies of the Marshes of Morva and Ellidyr are real puzzlers). While each of these marvelous books can certainly stand alone and be judged individually, I like to think of them in their totality. The action and characters are briefly reintroduced in each work, but it's knowing where they came from that makes their present personalities and connections more meaningful, so I encourage reading them in order if possible.
The Black Cauldron is darker and more conflicted than its predecessor, but how can it not be with the dreadful Cauldron-born, the unkillable walking dead warriors - I'm all grown up and they still give me delicious heebie-jeebies. It may sound strange to enjoy the shivers, but that's the wonder of Lloyd Alexander's storytelling - you feel pity for these seemingly one-dimensional horrors. Similarly, Taran and his friends have left their innocence in Book 1. Being a Hero is not only more difficult than he thought, but Taran is not sure he knows what it means to be one anymore. The also-matured Eilonwy, Fflewddur, and Gurgi continue to be the brave, loyal friends who liven up the story with wit, sweetness, and (often) better sense.
Alexander mimics life so wisely, something I appreciate increasingly with each successive reading. Taran has to live with more difficult choices that no longer only affect those immediately around him. Not only is his newfound authority challenged, but people and situations are more ambiguous, no longer just good or bad, triumphant or defeated, joyful or sorrowful, but usually a combination of both. Death tinges these pages, not victoriously, but sadly - precisely because it is necessary. At the same time, the narrative is woven throughout with gentle humor. Nothing is absolute with Alexander, and the beauty of The Black Cauldron is how the conflict makes perfect sense.

Taran, the Assistant Pig Keeper continues his adventures in the second book of the Chronicles of Prydain, "The Black Cauldron". With The Horned King now dead, Arwan relies solely on his magical Black Cauldron to contain his power. The Cauldron has the power to produced armies of the dead, but now it is missing. Taran, along with his friends (from the past book) and some new allies are drafted into locating the Cauldron which is believed to be in the possession of three witches.

"The Black Cauldron" begins much like the previous story ("The Book of Three"), rather slow and predictable, but once the Cauldron is found the book takes off. The plot speeds up and some wonderful twists appear. Character development is okay but could be a little better. Characters are still painted in broad strokes of black and white, after all it's still a kids book. However, "The Black Cauldron" appears to more than just for kids, it's plot is more sophisticated then say "The Book of Three". If you can mangle your way past the Welsh based nouns, it would be a great book to read aloud, for the child as well as for the adult.

"The Black Cauldron" is one of the gloomiest children's fantasy novels in existance, although it isn't scary per se. Lloyd Alexander tackles the complex question of "What makes a hero?" very effectively (since the book is highly readable despite the obvious symbolic implications), and the answer he comes up with is that heroism hurts. It isn't exciting, it doesn't bring much glory (unlike expected), it's simply painful, and it's definitely not a burden to be carried lightly.
Pretty much the only bad thing that might be said about the book is that it has a highly contrived outset. The lords of Prydain decide to steal and destroy Arawn's Black Cauldron, which allows him to create his undead warriors, but once the mission reaches its destination, complications happen. Taran and his friends leave the army and begin a lonely quest, closely followed by the barbaric Huntsmen of Annuvin. Two key characters are introduced in this part of the Chronicles - wise Adaon, and arrogant, short-tempered Ellydyr, and the interplay of their values adds a powerful overtone of righteousness and final atonement.
After a long trek through the marshes, the heroes find the Cauldron in the hands of some very odd witches (who are more than they seem...). But to destroy the Cauldron a terrible price must be paid- one must willingly give up his life to it. Who will it be?

In Lloyd Alexander's second book in his five-book series on the Land of Prydain, our brave young antagonist, Taran Wanderer, the Assistant Pig-Keeper of Caer Dallben, joins the battle host led by the honorable Prince Gwydion of Don in its quest to liberate and destroy the evil Black Crochan, an enormous iron cauldron. It is in this kettle that the dark lord, Arawn of Annuvin, creates the Cauldron-Born, his indestructible warriors, from the corpses of men. He who controls the Crochan, wields the power. Taran and his comrades must face witches in the Marshes of Morva and some surprising traitors before the climatic conclusion of this story.
Alexander weaves a masterful tale of good versus evil, with Taran wedged between, forced to choose time and again between right and wrong, loyalty and self-preservation, or blind obedience and moral obligation. This second book notches up the excitement. The plot is more curvy and better-conceived than book one. Taran's burden grows as does his reputation. Taran is one of the strongest and most likeable characters of all time, and as readers we begin to question his true origins. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes

This book is the second in the Prydain Chronicles. A boy named Taran lives with his friends Eilonwy, Fflewddur, and Gurgi in the peaceful farm Caer Dallben in ancient Wales. Unfortunately, there is war in the land. The evil Arawn makes deathless warriors from bodies of slain soldiers by putting them in his Black Cauldron. These are called Cauldron Born. The Cauldron Born's number is growing rapidly.
Finally, Taran and his friends decide to do something about this. They make a little army and set out to destroy the Black Cauldron.
They have to search long and hard and go through many adventures in order to find the Cauldron. They also meet strange characters on their journey.
One of my favorite characters was Kaw, a crow who could speak. Kaw helps Taran in his quest to find the Black Cauldron. I liked Kaw because he was helpful and a good messenger, but most of all, I like him because he was a talking bird!
I would recommend this book to a friend because it was suspenceful and kept me wanting more. Every time I thought Taran would find the cauldron, there was still more to uncover.

I thought this was an amazing book that rocked my imagination on every page. I personally love the midevial time period and this book allowed me to get closer to this period. When Taran sets out on the adventure of his life, he has no idea what he's in for. He seeks the black cauldron because of it's corupt power to make men mean and to turn them into things that goes beyond the average imagination. He is then tricked into finding the black cauldron and Taran and his group end up paying a heavy price for the cauldron. When bringing the cauldron back to Caer Dablen, they find one of their long lost avaricous friends named Ellidyr, who ran away to claim the victory of the cauldron for himself. After Ellidyr makes a burdensome deal with the group, they are captured by a contempuous king and then they are put in the situation of life and death and getting their prize pocession back from the disdainful ruler.

Shane Centkowski

It was tough deciding which of the Prydain books to review, but I decided to do The Black Cauldron because it's my favorite of the bunch (and the cover of this edition is beautiful). All of these have been around for decades, but I just read them for the first time last year, as a sophomore in college, because I avoided "classics" like the plague while growing up.
The Black Cauldron is the darkest of the Prydain Chronicles, and it tells the story of Taran and his companions as they head to Arawn Death-Lord's domain to recover the Black Cochran, which creates soldiers out of the dead. The book explores the price and sacrifice that true heroism demands. The memorable cast of characters include Adaon, a unique bard, and three interchangeable witches who are reminiscent of the Three Norns, or the Fates.
A haunting and beautiful tale that I highly recommend (along with all the Prydain Chronicles).

This, the second book in Alexander's series, is a pretty good book which describes the quest that Taran and his companions go on to destroy the Black Caulrdon, which is an instrument of evil which is used to create undead warriors to fight for evil. They finally find it, hidden in the cluthces of some Welsh legends. There Taran has to make a choice: he had just found a magical amulet that actually makes him into the skilled adventurer that he wants to be, but the Three Sisters (the Welsh legends) will only part with the cauldron if Taran gives them his amulet.

Another key part of the story is a rivalry between Taran an another of his party (a new pary member in this book) who is very prideful and scorns Taran for being an Assistant Pig Keeper. This new party member agrees to help them carry the cauldron back (it is very heavy) only if Taran tells everyone that the other pary member was the one who had retrieved it himself. Taran has to decide whether to give up personal glory or to do what is best for everyone else.

This book was good, but there are better books in the series. Definitely worth reading, though.

Overall grade: A-

Great Book, Fun characters that develop and grow throughout the series, with lots of laughs along the way. There will be moments of triumph and happiness, but also moments of sadness as these books strive to be one of my favorite series of all time. You will not regret the purchase.

The author of this book made the characters very realistic in that they all had real seaming feelings which made them different. I will tell about them one at a time. Taran thinks he is better than he really is in the beginning but as the story goes along he gets wiser. Taran is also my personal favorite character. Gurgi is a funny little thing in that he always talks like this "Taran save Gurgi from crashings and bashings" but he has a cool little wallet that is always filled with wafers. Princess Ellonway has some good sense but Taran hardly listens to her speak. Fflewedor is a bard with a magical harp that pops a string every time he makes a wrong decision. I really enjoyed the characters of the book and it's hard to see what's coming next with them. The book was really exiting because of the characters.

The Black Cauldron is a fantastic book (NOT like the movie AT ALL ^_^)Taran hasn't learned his lesson from the Book of Three, or if he did he forgot it, but that is ok because FFLEWDDUR RETURNS! YAY!(Is it broken? No, not my arm, the HARP!) Fflewddur really got the short end of the stick in the movie, though...Anyway, in all seriousness, it is the supporting characters who really make this book (well, the whole series, really, but The Black Cauldron in particular)so special. It is a bit darker that The Book of Three (a pattern throughout the series, each a little darker than the next as Taran grows up) and the Companions are tested more sorely, but it means each gets the chance to shine a little brighter.(A Fflam is valiant! ::twang!:: Drat...)In conclusion...read it. It will not disappoint.

The Black Cauldron, by Lloyd Alexander, is about these people who live in Prydain. One person's name is Taran and he likes a maid named Eilonway. One day some important people start coming to the home of a wizard named Caer Dallben. The person who's in charge of this is Gwydion who tells everyone that they have to get the black cauldron away from the evil Arawn, whose army is growing every day with lots of help from the black cauldron. Another character named Gurgi isn't allowed to come but somehow manages to; he is always cheerful and always rhyming when describing something.

This book is a good bedtime book and also very SAD and Depressing. But this book is a very good book. It's a must read. I recommend it to kids ages 8 and up and also adults.

Anne

I am rereading this book decades after I last set it down, following the lead of my nine-year-old son, who is enjoying the series. The Black Cauldron has lightning-fast pacing, well-drawn characters, and enough humor to temper what would otherwise be a dour tale. As with The Book of Three, modern readers will find the book a bit sexist. Otherwise, it's a pure triumph.

Lloyd Alexander, The Black Cauldron (Henry Holt, 1965)

Alexander returns to the world of Prydain with this second chronicle of Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper, and his quest to become an heroic figure. In this volume, Gwydion, having struck a major blow to Arawn in the first book, now wants to strike, as it were, while the iron is hot, and hit Arawn as hard as possible by stealing the black cauldron, the vessel Arawn uses to create the undying Cauldron-born. This involves a major mobilization of forces, Taran, Eilonwy, and the gang included, and leads to all sorts of adventures for everyone involved. If you enjoyed the first book in the series, you'll certainly enjoy this one as well. ****

The Black Cauldron, the second book in the Chronicles of Prydain, is a thrilling sequel to The Book of Three. Once again, the author, Lloyd Alexander, makes the characters come alive. Assistant Pig-keeper, Taran, has always dreamt of glorious deeds on the battlefield. Starting in The Black Cauldron, Taran learns that "There is greater honor in a field well-plowed than in a field seeped in blood." The Black Cauldron is a choice book for those who want a medieval adventure book without gory detail. I truly enjoyed reading this book and my only wish is that it was longer.

Prince Gwydion plans an attack on Annuvin to steal the Black Cauldron from Arawn, Lord of the Land of Death, so that Arawn cannot swell the numbers of his deathless warriors, the Cauldron Born. Taran is included in the assault. When they reach Annuvin, the plans go awry when it is discovered that the Black Cauldron is gone. Under the attack of the Huntsmen of Annuvin (cut one down and the rest become stronger), the warriors are scattered and Taran escapes with six other companions. From Fair Folk, Taran learns that the Cauldron was taken to the Marshes of Morva. Taran is faced with a decision: meet with Gwydion at the rendezvous and have him make plans to take back the cauldron or, he and his companions can attempt to take back the cauldron themselves.

Alexander presents a rare mix of drama and humor in this series. Taran, an adventure-seeking Assistant Pig-Keeper, is a little on the serious side, while his companions, the chatty Eilonwy and not-so-truthful bard Fflewder Fflam, are good for many laughs. Taran and Co. strive to overcome evil with good, although they are inexperienced at such things. They also receive help from Orddu, Orwen, and Ordoch who, though rather far out, have a mysterious way of speaking the truth. It's been a couple years since I read it, but I remember that it was a great book and wished I had come upon it before. So saying, I recommend it to anyone who likes simple writing and takes jokes with their fantasy.

The Black Cauldron, the second book in a series of 5 called the Prydain Chronicles, really gets the series going with a bang. This story all starts when it becomes evident to Prince Gwydion that The Black Cauldron-- the tool which Arawn, the Lord of Death, uses to create deathless warriors which will forever be his slaves-- must be destroyed. Gwydion leads the quest to Annuvin, Arawn's domain, in hope of finding and destroying the Black Cauldron. But it is a surprise in store for Taran, Eilonwy, Gwydion, and everyone else, including the Death Lord himself, when they get there and find out that the cauldron has disappeared!
If you love swords and sorcery read THE PRICE OF IMMORTALITY. It is one of the best books I have read in years.

I enjoyed the book the Black Cauldron. I like the book because it has magic and the book also shows that you got to be brave throughout hard things. I did not like the movie because it is a cartoon. I don't like cartoons but the book was fantastic. My favorite character is Taran because he is sort of like a leader. Taran takes Adoun, Ellidyr, Gurgi Gwydion, Eilonway, and Fflewddur on a trip to get the black Cauldron from the three witches who names are Orddu, Orwen, and Orgoch. Then King Morgent bargained for the black cauldron from Taran and his friends. I am really looking forward to reading the next book of the black Cauldron.

This book as written by Lloyd Alexander was a very thrilling and mysterious story. Like most titles of this genre it entails what seems to be a great quest or search for a tangable object. It is the second book in a series called the pyridian tales. In it a prince Gwydion leads this treacherous route to find and destroy the cauldron because of its possible horrendous applications. Even though this is deemed as a childrens book it seems that most people on all levels of reading can enjoy this story. the descriptions are intense during the battles and even the way the dark leader arawn makes and sends out his evil demons to the world. With this cauldron Arawn seems impossible to beat anf for this reason the cauldron must be captured or destroyed. I felt this was an very fun book, which kept me intersted and wanting to read more and more. i give it two thumbs up.

The Black Cauldron is an amazing book. I find that it is way darker than thr original. I also think that this book is way better than that hooky Disney movie. The book was like a alpine highway, loaded with twists and turns. It started out a little slow but it sure picked up. I did find the names to be a little unbarable, when you had to sound them out. That didn't afect the book at all. Taran was a little suprising. Pig-keeper to warrior,not many other books are like that. All in all the characters were pretty cool.To some it all up you should read this book if you like fantasy, action, adventures. It truly deserves five stars.

"The Black Cauldron" is a deeply moving tale that will really pull at your heartstrings as Taran and his companions try to locate the Black Cauldron, also know as the Black Crochan. This book contains scenes that have a lot of emotion in them, and explores death and loss. Tragedy and sadness is to be expected, but with some very happy(yech)moments. If you have seen "The Lord Of The Rings" then you have a pretty good idea what "The Black Cauldron" is like, meanig that the sad scenes are tearful, but the happy scenes will cheer you up slightly. It also has a lot of violence, including using weapons to solve problems. I highly recommend this book, but not to extremely sensitive people.

After getting a taste of adventure in "The Book of Three," Taran once again has an appetite for going out and doing heroic things. And the timing couldn't be better, for his childhood hero Prince Gwydion has invited him to help in stealing a bewitched cauldron from Arawn Death-Lord.
Along with the feisty Princess Eilonwy, impetuous bard Fflewddur, simple-minded Gurgi, and gruff dwarf Doli, Taran is joined by two new and very opposite characters: Adaon and Ellidyr. Both have very different ideas about honor, and Taran is forever changed by what he learns from them.
Rounding out the cast of new characters are the delightful enchantresses Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch, as well as the melancholy Gwystyl and proud King Morgant. There's more to all of them than meets the eye.
Taran's quest teaches him more about honor, goodness, sacrifice and loyalty than he ever bargained for. Next to "The High King," I consider this to be the most powerful book in all the Prydain Chronicles.

Taran the Assistant Pig Keeper has another quest to lead. They seek to steal and destroy the Black Cauldron, used by the evil Arawn to manufacture his deathless warriors, the Cauldron Born. Young Taran learns even more about wisdom and what it means to be a hero. The journey is suspenseful and fraught with peril. Taran's companions lighten the story with their quirky characteristics and heartwarming friendship. Recommended.

This is to review the publication/appearance of the book. The series rates 5 stars.

I ordered the hardcovers of each of the books in the series for our family to use. While it is a cosmetic issue, I am disappointed that the other 4 came with the same style of dust jacket that have a beautiful foil shine, but this one came with only a full gloss dust jacket. It does not have the foil color and matte black like the others. The hardback cover is different as well and does not have the title imprinted on it, or anything for that matter, so you wouldn't know what book it is until you open it. All the books are all the same publication time frame. I was trying to buy a matching set, and this book does not match in the details.

Although it is a childrens book I recommend The Black Cauldron to all age groups. Iam 18 years old and it is still one of my favorite books. The Prydain Chronicles show a deph and sensitivity that a lot of fantasy for adults does not have. The characters are also wonderful. Like many other people who reviewed this book I was also disappointed with the cartoon which seemed to take out all the deph and to make the characters more cute and cuddely than they were in the book. The Black Cauldron is a great book and I fully recommend it to one and all.

The Black Cauldron, is one of my personally favorite books because I was trying to look for a book that had no magic like Harry Potter and all of his garbage about magic, well I found one!, The Black Cauldron is based on a Robin Hood type character who longs to be a hero, his name is Taran, the assistant-pig keeper who goes on a journey and faces many hardships with his friends, Eilonwy, Gurgi, Fflewddur Fflam(the bard), and Doli. These hardships include destroying the black cauldron. This story is mostly about loyalty and facing your fears.

The Black Cauldron is one of the strongest books in the Prydain series, and it does the most justice to the series' theme of growing up. In this book, the protagonist experiences humiliation, loss, and betrayal, which are rites of passage on the road to adulthood. This book has a much grimmer tone than the previous novel, which is understandable, considering Taran has grown from an optimistic child, to something closer to a man. All the characters from the first book return in this novel, along with a few new characters. The ending, in my opinion, was a bit predictable, but the book does a good job of making it unconventional. There also many legitimate surprises in this book, which makes this an exciting read. Those who have seen the movie have to read this book; the movie simply does not capture the nuanced and haunting tale that is The Black Cauldron.

There are many characters in this book I will tell you some of the main characters. Taran, an assistant pig keeper, and Dallban, Taran's guardian/leader throughout the book. The story starts in early Autumn. Taran is doing his chores when along comes a very important knight. This is not very good news. There are already many brave knights and loyal kings awaiting his company in Dallbans house. There is a very evil king out to get the the black cauldron. But if the cauldron falls into the wrong hands, then very bad things are ahead. In the middle of the book Taran ends up getting the cauldron, and never lets it go.In the end to wrap the whole story up Taran becomes a hero. I loved this book, and I encourage you to read it.

The Minute I Stepped Foot into Alexanders Imaginary world of prydain, I was entranced by the quaint little world he had created. Immediately I fell into complete understanding with the charecters. Taran who longs for Fame and Glory, but who in time learns the true meaning of a hero, Gurgi, who like a puppy wants only to please, and Fflewwdur Fflam whose tongue is constantly running away with him. Even at age 16 I find myself picking up the book and rereading it. Great job for Alexander

This is probably the best known of the Chronicles of Prydain due to the Disney movie of the same name. In this book Taran, Eilonwy and their friends continue their adventures, as they seek the destruction of the Black Crochan, the magic cauldron that their enemy Arawn of Annuvin uses to create his immortal, mute, soldiers the Cauldron-Born. "The Black Cauldron" introduces the characters of Gwystyl (the gloomiest of the Fair Folk), the jolly King Smoit, Kaw the rascally crow, and Orrdu, Orwen and Orgoch, the three "witches" of the Marshes of Morva.

This book is about a pig keeper named Taran setting off a journey with the worriors of Prydain to destroy the cauldron-born but King Morgant (one of the worriors) turn againt them to take the cauldron to him self so King Smoit (one of the worriors) kills him and destroys the cauldron. I do not agree with the author about Taran being a pig keeper he's the main character and main character should not have a job like a pig keeper. I would recomend this book for people who like fantasy books and also people who like adventure books.

As long as light still remains in the universe, this book must be read. The Black Cauldron is a true fantasy classic and may even be classified as a comedy. The characters that Lloyd Alexander had created and introduced in The Book of Three have truly developed in this epic tale. With Doli the disgruntled member of the "Fair Folk" makes the reader's side split with his continuous "mumblings and grumblings", as Gurgi might say, about turning invisible and his continual harassment of Gwynstyl and Fflewddur gives the reader hope with his positive reinforcement of the party of the adventurers. If one was to start The Prydain Chronicles with this book he/she would be able to easily piece together the happenings of the previous books. If you've seen the horrific excuse for a movie that Disney turned this book into, think nothing of it. The true story is much better and has even earned a Newbery Honor. It is one of fantasy's precursors and the character of Taran still shows the continual determination and heroism that we've seen since the age of Homer and the story of Beowulf. Your casual fantasy reader as well as your hardcore readers like those that read epic authors such as Jordan and Brooks can enjoy Alexander's ingenious tale. It is a true must-read. For ages 12-62.

I kinda liked the book because Taran, Ellidyr, Eilonwy, Gwydoin, Gurgi, Fflewddur, Doli all went on an adventure to get the black cauldron. They ran into Adaon. Adaon enters the group with a magical broach. Gwystyl kinda helps the group to find the black cauldron. Gwystyl wants the group to leave. Adoan leaves the brooch with Taran. Taran gives up the brooch. I enjoyed how the characters moved from place to place and faced many challenges.

Yes, I judged this book initially on its cover. I first read it in 7th grade...any book with an attractive young woman on it got my attention quickly.

It was a bit disorienting to enter this series on book 2 but it was still an amazingly fun ride!

I quickly acquired and read the entire chronicles and have recently (almost 25 years later) re-read most of it. It still holds my attention and tugs at my heart strings.

I now understand why this is considered a classic, this is as amazing as the first and lives up to its name of Prydain!!! The characters are as great as ever, the plot is twisted and very interesting, the antagonist is on the move again, and I was jumping for joy and crying sadly at the same time. This book is totally worth the read and I recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy and want to read a good book!

Taran, Eilonwy, Gurgi, and Fluddur Fflam are back in another
enchanting fantasy in the land of Prydain as described in
The Book of Three.The companions set out on a journey to
destroy the Black Crochan,a cauldron used to make cauldron-
born zombies. Packed with action, wisdom, and courage, this
is an excellent read for Princesses of Llyr, bards, princes
and Assistant Pig Keepers the same.

Have you ever wondered about magic? A lot of people do wonder. In Prydain a lot of characters are supernatural. There are enchanters like Dallbon and enchantresses like Eilonwy. There are dark magic woods, magical objects like spellingsticks grass nets, wands and baubles. There is evil. Great evil like Achren. So Prydain is full of supernatural beings. Most of the supernatural beings use their power for good and to protect their family and their homes from people like Achren.
I liked The Black Cauldron because it has a lot of adventure. Because I like to go on adventure because some adventures are highly dangerous like mountain climbing is dangerous. There are a lot of other dangerous adventures but there are to many to list. I also liked it because of Eilonwy -- she knows how to take care of herself -- she's strong magic and cool! The girl has all the moves. I think she could beat up Taran like Taran was a stick.

In the book the black cauldron my favorite characters are taran and ellidyr. In the movie gurgi was the one that jumped in the cauldron because he did not want taran to jump in the cauldron . I like in the book that ellidyr jumped in because he wanted to make up for being so evil. I like the book more than the movie. The book was long the movie was very short.

I remember loving this series when I read it. "The Black Cauldron" was no exception. Lloyd Alexander had the gift of making the characters come alive and of making the reader feel like he or she was part of the action.

I thought the exciting story of taran was an excellent story. I have read most of the series, and i'am still reading, and the black cauldron was one of the best. where taran an assistant pig keeper wants to be a hero and he and his friends go on a wild search for the cauldron. an excellent book. I could not stop reading it.

An evil cauldron, three strange old witches and a treacherous prince who rediscovers himself give this story it's wonderful flavor. Surprising plot turns also aid this story in the winning of it's reward which it deserved so much. This book is really excellent. They should be saying "Read it and live forever."

Lloyd Alexander was one of my favorite authors as a young adult and his work has really held up now that I'm an adult. The stories and characters are just so well crafted and executed. This is a great book to go back to or to get for someone who is just starting to explore the realms of fantasy.

Hey this book is awsome! It follows the adventures of Taran asstant pig-keeper and his friends on a quest to find and destroy the black culdron. If you've seen the movie or the cover of a book that has the same cover as the movie, DON'T LOOK/WATCH IT, EVER!!!! It ruins the whole book! First of all Eloweny has golden hair in the movie, Ffluddur's hair's gray with a tiny harp, Gugri looks like a cat and they all look like there 12! The book is MUCH better than the movie! Hey it got a Newdery didn't it?! Never EVER watch the movie before reading the book! If you did read it anywas!!!!! Bye.

The Black Cauldron is the second book of the Chronicles of Prydain. In it, the hero Taran once again needs to leave home and have adventures--this time to regain the powerful zombifying Black Cauldron from the Death Lord. Very cute.

This book held my attention more closely than the first. Mr. Alexander's characterization become stronger and the story was more compelling than in The Book of Three (Book 1 of The Prydian Chronicles). A rousing adventure of betrayal and redemption!

Though this book had a very good strong point, it was kind of a let down. I do like Lloyd Alexander's writing and all, but I found this book a little more off than all his others that I have read. The first book, "The Book of Three", was good I'll admit, but it took a while to get into it. I think that Lloyd Alexander should have put a little more action in the both of them, but that obviously, is just my oppinion.

I love this book so far. The characters are great and well introduced and described. I love this book. It is one of my favorite books. I would love to purchase the rest of the Prydain Chronicles. I can't wait to finish this book.

Did you enjoy the book The Black Cauldron? Well I enjoyed it. My favorite character is Taran. Taran in the beginning was just a pigboy. Then, with the help of his friends, he becomes what he wanted to be, a war hero.

The black cauldron is a excellent book! I have read it many times over.. Along with the rest of the series. I encourage anyone who likes to read fantasy books like this to buy/check it out from your local library

Imagine a mission to find something nearly impossible, accompanied by a girl, a hairy thing named Gurgi, and a harp player named Fflewdder Flam who over exaggerates. Well In the Black Cauldron it does have all of that in the book. Taran has to trade his broach to get a black crochin, but the witches said ok we will trade, but most of the stuff was too valuable. So Taran trades his brooch, for the Crochin. Then later in the story the jealous prince Ellidyr the son of Pen-Llarcau came and threw him in the river and took it.
I did not enjoy the story as much as the first one. I did not like the beginning of it or the middle of it. I thought it was boring because they were always arguing. But I did like the part when Gurgi broke loose from his captors and flung himself toward the king.

Taran seems now to be an adolescent. He deals with shame over what he considers a demeaning lot in life and learns to deal with the taunting of others. He also helps find the dreaded Black Crochan, which Arawn Death-Lord has corrupted to create his undead warriors, the Cauldron-Born.