Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “The Black Cauldron (The Chronicles of Prydain #2)” as Want to Read:
The Black Cauldron
(The Chronicles of Prydain #2)
by
Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper, and his friends are led into a mortal struggle with Arwn and his deathless warriors. Taran must wrest the black cauldron from them, for it is the cauldron that gives them their evil strength. But can he withstand the three enchantresses, who are determined to turn him and his companions into toads? Taran has not foreseen the awful price he
...more
Paperback, 229 pages
Published
March 1969
by Dell Yearling
(first published 1965)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of The Black Cauldron (The Chronicles of Prydain #2)

Reading this book was like eating a big bowl of ice cream. Its innocent chivalry and intrepid heroism bear the signature of a genius Fantasy writer.
I thought about the Cauldron long and hard. The reasoning by which the characters travel is childish and not really reasonable. But the story is so good.
The other 4 books in the series are ordinary. This one, is not. I really want to reread it again. Don't we all wish that Disney had stuck to the original book? This too applies. Sigh. At least I'm no ...more
I thought about the Cauldron long and hard. The reasoning by which the characters travel is childish and not really reasonable. But the story is so good.
The other 4 books in the series are ordinary. This one, is not. I really want to reread it again. Don't we all wish that Disney had stuck to the original book? This too applies. Sigh. At least I'm no ...more

A slight retread of book 1, but with a sharper driving quest, higher stakes, and bigger character moments for almost everyone. Except for the looming shadow of the big bad villain, the smaller villains are far more nuanced and morally interesting.
There are more of the lovely thoughtful moments that I prize, where people have to consider the price of heroism and reflect on what makes for a good life.
Looking forward to the next book.
There are more of the lovely thoughtful moments that I prize, where people have to consider the price of heroism and reflect on what makes for a good life.
Looking forward to the next book.

It’s delightful for me to revisit, 40 or so years later, the adventures of Taran and his companions in this, the second novel in Lloyd Alexander’s classic Chronicles of Prydain. In these uncertain, fraught times, I am comforted by the wisdom, warmth, wit, and courage depicted in these pages. Simply delightful.

Nov 22, 2009
Mike (the Paladin)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy
Heavier than the first novel (The Book of Three) with a lot more on the ball teaching wise and lesson wise. This includes lessons on everything up to self sacrifice.

This book is the one that gave the Disney film from the 80s its name--you know, the one nobody saw that was a complete box office disaster--right before The Little Mermaid came out and ushered in Disney's Golden Age. I saw the film once and wasn't impressed with it. It bears almost no resemblance, aside from its characters sharing the same names and a few select characteristics, to the books.
As stated in my review for The Book of Three, I was not very impressed with this series to start off with ...more
As stated in my review for The Book of Three, I was not very impressed with this series to start off with ...more

Old Shit I'm Revisiting: The Prequel: Part 2
Aw this is more like it. As I said I was a bit disappointed reading The Book Of Three this is more like The Prydain I remember. There are still flaws, writing at times can be a bit flat, and the exposition a bit heavy. But the moral universe of the characters has grown nicely adding shades of grey to what was starkly black and white before, there's room for some apt and surprisingly lovely metaphor (The broach that causes everything to look different i ...more
Aw this is more like it. As I said I was a bit disappointed reading The Book Of Three this is more like The Prydain I remember. There are still flaws, writing at times can be a bit flat, and the exposition a bit heavy. But the moral universe of the characters has grown nicely adding shades of grey to what was starkly black and white before, there's room for some apt and surprisingly lovely metaphor (The broach that causes everything to look different i ...more

Aug 08, 2008
Maggie Stiefvater
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
susan cooper fans, diana wynne jones fans
Shelves:
middle-grade,
recommended
On of my all time favorites as a kid. Recommended for those who like Diana Wynne Jones and Susan Cooper.
***wondering why all my reviews are five stars? Because I'm only reviewing my favorite books -- not every book I read. Consider a novel's presence on my Goodreads bookshelf as a hearty endorsement. I can't believe I just said "hearty." It sounds like a stew.**** ...more
***wondering why all my reviews are five stars? Because I'm only reviewing my favorite books -- not every book I read. Consider a novel's presence on my Goodreads bookshelf as a hearty endorsement. I can't believe I just said "hearty." It sounds like a stew.**** ...more

Book 2 of the Chronicles of Prydain series, which I sort of worshipped as a kid. I really wish that my copy of the book features the cover pictured with this review, as it seems to ignore Taran completely and just features Eilonwy doing something badass, which is pretty cool.
Also, I will repeat a warning I made in my review of The Book of Three: The Walt Disney Corporation, in a well-intended but disasterous move, decided to make an animated movie called The Black Cauldron several years ago. Th ...more
Also, I will repeat a warning I made in my review of The Book of Three: The Walt Disney Corporation, in a well-intended but disasterous move, decided to make an animated movie called The Black Cauldron several years ago. Th ...more

Still one of the best childhood reads. Damn I liked hardcore books as a kid.
Aspiration, pride, loyalty, self-knowledge and sacrifice - this takes on growing pains with a vengeance as Taran continues to try to Do Good in the face of a bewildering line-up of the evil, the self-interested ...and powers he may never understand.
Aspiration, pride, loyalty, self-knowledge and sacrifice - this takes on growing pains with a vengeance as Taran continues to try to Do Good in the face of a bewildering line-up of the evil, the self-interested ...and powers he may never understand.

Mar 27, 2007
Scott
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
decent people
The first book in the Prydain series didn't exactly impress me. I was afraid the whole lot of them would be stories where this motley crew of adventurers makes one mistake after another because they're silly and self-righteous but somehow manages to magically win in the end.
The Black Cauldron changed my mind. While the characters didn't get too much smarter, they matured quite a bit. Their bumbling isn't quite as tiresome, and they seem to learn a lot quicker and think less about themselves. So ...more
The Black Cauldron changed my mind. While the characters didn't get too much smarter, they matured quite a bit. Their bumbling isn't quite as tiresome, and they seem to learn a lot quicker and think less about themselves. So ...more

I first read all five of Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain in my early teens, and frankly, it's hard for me to remember much about them beyond general emotional impressions: the first two were adventurous, the third a bit odd, the fourth dry and philosophical, and the fifth - well, it all went to hell in the fifth book. The announcement of these new yearly 50th Anniversary editions, therefore, are a great excuse not just to revisit the series but to separate them out and consider them some
...more

In the second part of this series, the heroes we met in the first are back in action, taking on with the help of a few more warriors a very difficult mission, particularly crucial for the outcome of the fight against evil. As part of this mission, they are confronting great dangers but also themselves and are connected even more through all these difficulties. In the end, however, they find that evil can have many more forms, as well as good, which makes things much more complicated.
These devel ...more
These devel ...more

Aug 22, 2015
Benjamin Thomas
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childrens-books-middle-grade,
fantasy-epic
While I enjoyed the first book in this series, I think part of my enjoyment was due to finally diving into such a classic series that had eluded me for so many years. I did enjoy that first book, The Book of Three, but it did seem to meander a little too much for my taste. This time around, I felt the plot was much tighter and focused on just a handful of characters, allowing me to get to know them much better.
I also liked how Taran, the main character, grew through the novel. He is still an ass ...more
I also liked how Taran, the main character, grew through the novel. He is still an ass ...more

This is the second of 5 books & I liked it better than the first. It was more focused in large part because the characters & world needed no introduction. Most were well known from the first. Fun characters, although there's a continuous moral behind each that's obvious. It's great for kids, a little much to take as an adult at times. Still, I enjoyed the simple story immensely & am looking forward to the next. Well narrated, too.
...more

Oh yes, after a long time away I am back again reading and listening (Audible) to Black Cauldron.
So finished again, must admit that I've forgotten parts of it, but all the better to enjoy again.
Just finished The Black Calderon wonderful balance of themes. Faith, friendship, courage, self worth and the balance of good and evil. Above all I think the lessons of discernment are done will.
...more
So finished again, must admit that I've forgotten parts of it, but all the better to enjoy again.
Just finished The Black Calderon wonderful balance of themes. Faith, friendship, courage, self worth and the balance of good and evil. Above all I think the lessons of discernment are done will.
...more

Okay, so I honestly didn't waste much time after finishing the first book because I dove into The Black Cauldron pretty quickly. That being said, I was actually pretty darn excited to dive into this book because I remembered watching the movie when I was little. Heck, I think it's on Disney + right now.
Another honest moment, it has been a very long time since I've seen the film. So at this point, I wasn't even trying to pretend that I remembered what happened in it. I think the girl was like sav ...more
Another honest moment, it has been a very long time since I've seen the film. So at this point, I wasn't even trying to pretend that I remembered what happened in it. I think the girl was like sav ...more

My parents bought me the Prydain book series as a bundle, at my insistence, from the Scholastic Book Fair. I was in eighth grade and riding high after a long-awaited family trip to Disneyland. I was also fairly convinced that I wanted to become an animator and had read about Disney's The Black Cauldron (1985) in Bob Thomas's Art of Animation. Since the movie wasn't available on VHS, I figured reading the books upon which it was based was an acceptable alternative. Of course, I did not expect the
...more

I liked this a little better than the first in the series, I think. The somewhat bland and bog-standard beginning of the Book of Three no longer applies at all: the story has been untethered and allowed to be its own thing, and continues along its own way in this story. It has the same characters I like from the first, along with a passive-aggressive fairy and a particularly mean-spirited ponce. Pretty much every hero is thrown through the wringer, they all learn and grow as they learned and gre
...more

May 24, 2008
X
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fantasy fans, especially kids and young adults
Recommended to X by:
Q
Yet another fast moving, easy reading book. I wish I had read it sooner, as I was confused in the beginning trying to remember who all the characters were. However, after the first chapter or two it was quite good. A few parts were disturbingly LOTR reminiscent, but not enough to make it a cheap rip-off. Most of the characters were good and the mythological influences were nice. I'll think I won't wait so long to read the rest of the series.
...more

Mar 06, 2010
Travis
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sf-fantasy,
classics
One of the best books in this series, as our heroes join the mission to steal the magic cauldron the the Dark King uses to create his zombie soldiers.
They find the Cauldron, get separated from the main army and have to deal with witches, a treacherous swamp and the forces of evil.
Great fantasy adventure novel, full of strong characters and a clever sense of humor.
They find the Cauldron, get separated from the main army and have to deal with witches, a treacherous swamp and the forces of evil.
Great fantasy adventure novel, full of strong characters and a clever sense of humor.

Second one down. These are really quick reads, but rewarding all the same. The Black Cauldron definitely kicks the series up a notch, with darker themes, beautiful prose but with the same quirky humor. I was completely expecting it to end the way the Disney movie did and was caught off guard. I think I like this ending better. Going to keep going with book 3!

I think I would have rated this 3.5 stars personally, but I was overruled by two kids screaming 5 stars! So there you go.

“For each of us comes a time when we must be more than what we are.”
Taran’s home of Caer Dallben serves as a venue for a great council - Prince Gwydion intends on invading the evil kingdom of Annuvin to seize and destroy their source of power; the black cauldron which spawns deathly warriors. Taran feels honoured to march alongside Gwydion but soon finds himself separated from the company. Luckily, his former companions, the Princess Eilonwy and Gurgi, have followed him in secrecy and are now ...more

Me: Okay boys, today we're starting chapter three of the Black Cauldron and-
Student: I FINISHED THE ENTIRE THING AND THE LIBRARY DOESN'T HAVE THE REST SO MY MUM IS GOING TO BUY THEM ALL FOR ME.
I love it when I find things that my reluctant readers get hooked on, and this exchange happened during the second class I've ever had with this kid. I'm all like:

Stand back, Mrs. Student'smom, let me work.
So anyway, I read this book when I was a kid and I had basically forgotten how it ended, I just reme ...more
Student: I FINISHED THE ENTIRE THING AND THE LIBRARY DOESN'T HAVE THE REST SO MY MUM IS GOING TO BUY THEM ALL FOR ME.
I love it when I find things that my reluctant readers get hooked on, and this exchange happened during the second class I've ever had with this kid. I'm all like:

Stand back, Mrs. Student'smom, let me work.
So anyway, I read this book when I was a kid and I had basically forgotten how it ended, I just reme ...more

This book was amazing! I loved the movie, but as so often is the case, the book was far superior. I was surprised the Horned King didn't return. I associate him with the title, but he was really the villain from the first book. There were some differences, but they proved to be pleasant surprises. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and seeing how the more grown Taran and Eilowny deal with the threats of Arawn.
...more

May 15, 2014
Aj the Ravenous Reader
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
physically-owned-books
This was an enjoyable read. I love the adventures and the pureness of the characters.
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Play Book Tag: The Black Cauldron - Lloyd Alexander (3 1/2 stars) | 1 | 4 | Nov 01, 2020 06:42AM | |
Play Book Tag: (Poll Ballot Tally) The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander - 5 stars | 1 | 9 | Jul 12, 2020 02:40PM | |
Travanti Tate's Review 7 | 1 | 2 | Apr 21, 2020 12:32AM | |
Did Disney RUIN this for kids??? | 10 | 80 | Jan 03, 2020 11:09AM |
Lloyd Chudley Alexander was an influential American author of more than forty books, mostly fantasy novels for children and adolescents, as well as several adult books. His most famous contribution to the field of children's literature is the fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain. The concluding book of the series,
The High King
, was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1969. Alexander's other book
...more
Other books in the series
The Chronicles of Prydain
(5 books)
Related Articles
Tami Charles is a former teacher and the author of picture books, middle grade and young adult novels, and nonfiction. As a teacher, she made...
44 likes · 65 comments
23 trivia questions
1 quiz
More quizzes & trivia...
1 quiz
“Child, child, do you not see? For each of us comes a time when we must be more than what we are.”
—
2184 likes
“Indeed, the more we find to love, the more we add to the measure of our hearts.”
—
123 likes
More quotes…