Polite Dissent

5 Responses to “ Lloyd Alexander, R.I.P. ”

1. Eric Henry
   May 21st, 2007 at 2:44 am
   

   I, too, loved the Prydain Chronicles growing up (and still have a weakness for the name Eilonwy) and am saddened to hear of Lloyd Alexander’s passing.

   I think it’s time to reread the Chronicles again.

2. John
   May 21st, 2007 at 9:16 am
   

   I didn’t discover the Prydain Chronicles until I was in high school (after having seen the Disney version of The Black Cauldron) but they were still absolutely wonderful. I’m sad to hear of his passing.

3. Arkonbey
   May 22nd, 2007 at 9:15 am
   

   Wow. I missed this post last time. I re-read the entire Chronicles in a single weekend last summer and enjoyed it as much as I did in 6th grade. I think it’s sad that Alexander is overshadowed by Tolkein. People point to this or that author ‘borrowing’ from Tolkien, but debts to Alexander are rarely acknowleged. I for one find some deep similarities between Taran and a certain Mr. Skywalker.

   So, to Mr. Alexander much laudings and applaudings (and a little sighings and cryings)!

4. Adam
   May 24th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
   

   Holy buckets! Thanks a bunch, I have been trying to figure out the name of this series of books for ages, all I could remember was that there was a black cauldron, and stupidly I didn’t try sticking that into google. Ah well, I put the whole series on my wish list now. Thanks!

5. Jeffrey Leatherwood
   August 17th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
   

   Lloyd Alexander came from the first generation of fantasists who were influenced by Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, and yet wholly distinct from these epic writers. Alexander certainly wrote from the heart, whereas the aforementioned wrote more from their minds. I was exposed to his writing after my 4th grade class in Aviano AFB, Italy, watched a film-strip version of “The High King” in 1979. Having just read “The Hobbit,” I enjoyed this version of the story, which had some excellent voice-acting. This experience led me to seek out the preceding books in my school library.

   Since that point, I have re-read all the Prydain Chronicles every so often, although I never got past the first Westmark novel. Although I enjoy more complex, mature literature as a historian, there’s a part of me that always retreats to Prydain, always hoping that Gurgi might slip away from the Summer Country to visit High King Taran and Queen Eilonwy. Lloyd Alexander will be missed, by many readers in many lands. I hope his books will never be forgotten in our frenetic, digital age.

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