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Anybody read the Taran Wanderer books when they were a kid?

Konrad

Scribe
Before I read The Hobbit or LOTR or any of the Elric stories or anything in fantasy, really, I read Taran Wanderer...

Taran and his pet pig. The Cauldron Born (I loved that)...

I haven't heard of these books for 25 years--and I have no idea how they stand up with other youth fantasy books, as I really can't remember them that well, but...

I really dug them.

Was it just a kid thing?

I tried to find them on Kindle, but of course, no deal.

Any other fans?

K
 

Kit

Maester
I liked those okay, but I *LOVED* the Westmark books. The first fantasy books to actually make a war interesting to my adolescent mind instead of just filler between the good parts.
 

Konrad

Scribe
Wait--I stand corrected. They are on Kindle. I guess I'll soon answer my own question then.
 

Konrad

Scribe
I never read the Westmark books... Lately I've been regressing :) into youth fiction territory. Maybe I should take a look?
 

Kit

Maester
Absolutely.

The Westmark series is one of those early influences that I still see aspects of popping up in my writing today.

Other youth fantasy fiction: The Grey King by Susan Cooper was one of my faves. It was part of a series, and I don't think I ever did read the others. I should try to find them (no Kindle here, alas).
 
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Konrad

Scribe
Cool.

Kindle makes it a bit easier for me, as I'm in Warsaw, but I'm heading to Texas next week. Maybe I'll take a look there at Barnes (if it's still there... I've heard horror stories about traditional booksellers and their struggles).
 

MereIllusion

Dreamer
This was the first fantasy series I read, besides the Chronicles of Narnia. I first read them at age nine and was obsessed with them; I still love them now. Being a cat lover, one of my favorite things about the series was Llyan (the horse-sized music-loving cat.) At first I didn't like Taran Wanderer as much, but now that I've re-read it, it's just different in tone than the others; the main villain isn't even in it, and it's more introspective. It's less about "Will Taran defeat the bad guys?" and more about Taran's self-discovery. Still however, I'd have to say The Black Cauldron was my favorite, then and now.

I remember my dad rented the Disney adaption, and I enjoyed it, although I was disappointed that Gwydion, Ellidyr, Gwystyl, Adaon, the Hunstmen, and many other characters weren't in it. I'd love to see a more faithful, live-action adaption someday.
 
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never read them but saw the disney film the black couldren based oon obne of trhe books

I watched the Disney film last year with my fiancee in an attempt to introduce her to the world. It's pretty bad nowadays and for adults. Maybe back then and marketed towards children...

Anyway, The Chronicles of Prydain are awesome and I do love them. And I second the recommendation on the Westmark series--although I remember them being a little more grown up at the time I read them (I was quite young and they were in the children's section). I did not enjoy the ending of The Chronicles of Prydain however, and I have only read the Foundling for the short stories.

Enjoy your second time through!
 

Konrad

Scribe
I've got to get to the Westmark series... You know--I can't remember the ending ot the Prydain series. Too long ago.

Sorry to get back to this after so long, but I was sick as a dog!

K
 
I loved these books - these and the first Forgotten Realms books and Master Of Five Magics by Lindon Hardy were my first bought-fantasy books. They were the perfect books for a little welsh-first-language kid ....
 

Nebuchadnezzar

Troubadour
Absolutely loved these books. I read them multiple times as a child and recently picked up the old library editions and paperback editions at a used books store. Like others posting I think the Black Cauldron was my favorite of the Prydain Chronicles. In addition to the Prydain & Westmark series, some others I enjoyed were The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha and The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian.
 
Read all the books when I was younger, except one of them because the library didn't have it. That always annoyed me.

The Disney movie is awesome. Totally different from the books, yeah, but still awesome. It's so underrated, it's basically a crime.

Oh, so Eilonwy doesn't count as a Disney princess, even though she's an actual princess, but Mulan does? This is an outrage!
 

Telcontar

Staff
Moderator
I read one of these, but thought it was only okay. I think I read the last one first, though, because he faced off with the dark lord and killed him with a magic sword and stuff. Maybe reading them in the more intended order would have helped, but oh well. I did enjoy some parts of it - I thought the Cauldron Born were very cool - but overall it didn't stick with me much.
 
Read all the books when I was younger, except one of them because the library didn't have it. That always annoyed me.

The Disney movie is awesome. Totally different from the books, yeah, but still awesome. It's so underrated, it's basically a crime.

Oh, so Eilonwy doesn't count as a Disney princess, even though she's an actual princess, but Mulan does? This is an outrage!
o_O

When did you see the Black Cauldron? I discovered it last year and watched it with my fiancee and we thought it was abysmal. (Although I do agree she should be a Disney princess. They must not have bought the rights to the character???????)
 
o_O

When did you see the Black Cauldron? I discovered it last year and watched it with my fiancee and we thought it was abysmal.

Oh, I first actually saw it a couple of years ago after finally hunting it down online. But I do remember when it first came out. I must have been three or four years old and only saw promo pictures of it. Years later I was like: "Wait, wasn't there a Disney movie where this guy had a magical sword?" So I went looking for it.

I honestly have no idea why people don't like it. Or, rather, I don't get why people hate it more than, say, the Sword in the Stone. Or Peter Pan. Or Furry Robin Hood With Bluegrass Music.
wtfr.gif


Anyway, the Horned King remains one of my favourite Disney villains of all time. Dude was metal.

(Although I do agree she should be a Disney princess. They must not have bought the rights to the character???????)

That's not quite how it works.

"Disney Princess" doesn't refer to all female Disney main characters in general - it's a specific franchise for selling princess-themed products to young girls. The current ten "official" Disney princess are: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana and Rapunzel.

Also, apparently Mérida from Brave is supposed to join them as the eleventh princess in July this year.

As far as I can tell, the criteria for counting as a Disney Princess are basically:

-Being female and human.
-Being a Disney main character. (But not necessarily the main protagonist. See: Jasmine.)
-Have a tendency to dress "girly", as in dresses or gowns.
-Should preferably be some kind of princess, either by birth or via marriage to a prince.
-Being from a popular movie.

So it's a pretty exclusive club. Alice doesn't qualify despite being the main protagonist of one of the classics, presumably because she has no princess credentials. Likewise, Esmeralda, Megara and Jane don't qualify despite being dress-wearing main characters from massively successful movies. (And, in the case of Megara, hooking up with the son of the King of the Gods.)

Note however that Mulan is a member despite not actually being a princess, neither by birth nor marriage. She most likely got a pass on account of being Asian and Disney wanting to be PC and represent all races in their Princess lineup.

Eilonwy really should qualify, though, as should Kida from Atlantis: The Lost Empire. The only reason they don't seems to be that not enough people liked their movies.
 
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I read the Chronicles of Prydain for the first time back in 2010, when i was an adult. I really enjoyed the series, and after reading the books I watched the movie, the Black Cauldron right after. I thought the movie was pretty good, but I felt it was missing something. I hope they do make a live action version, but I think Warner Bros or 20th Century Fox should make the movie instead of Disney. And it should be as faithful t the source material as possible. I want to see Queen Archen this time, they should have put her in the Disney version. I was born the same year the movie came out, can't believe it took me so long to discover it.
 
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