The Book of Three: Frodo--er, Taran, Go Back to the Shire!

I am almost embarrassed--as a Children's Literature person who especially enjoys juvenile fantasy--to say that this was the first time I had ever read Lloyd Alexander's The Book of Three, the first in his famous Prydain series. I aim to read the rest, and even watch Disney's sure-to-be-horrifying adaption of the second book The Black Cauldron, when I get a chance.

I think that perhaps some of my reaction to this book is due to the fact that I didn't read it when I was young, and have effectively read many, many other young fantasy books published before and after this one. Because although the book kept my attention, everything that happened in it felt extraordinarily cliche. Tasty, yes, but nothing special. This is not because I have no respect for high-fantasy, mind you, but it seemed to me that this story had all the trappings of great high-fantasy--dramatic, active writing, strong characters, magic and magical realms and creatures, a mighty quest--but without any of the originality. Let me lay it all out on the dinner table for you...

• Main Ingredient: Young Hero, Has A Lot To Learn, But Proves Himself In The End. (Taran, check)
• Side Dishes: Love Interest (The Princess, check), Quirky But Valiant Companions (Fflewddur and Gurgi, check and check), The Obligatory Surly Dwarf (Doli, check), A Couple Weird Animals (Hen Wen the Pig and that flappy thing, check and check)
• Other Servings: A Wise Old Man, Preferably A Wizard (Dhalben, check), A Real Deal Hero (Gwydion, check, remember, this is for Young Fantasy...in Adult Fantasy this guy might be the main ingredient, or an underdog of some ilk) and of course, An Evil Scary Villain With Something Covering His Face (Horned King, check) Preferably on a Black Horse (check)
  
• Preparations: Hero Must Be Thrown In A Dungeon At Some Point (check), Hero Must Visit The "Fairy Folk" or "Dwarves" at Some Point (check), Hero Must Encounter An Enchanted Item (the sword, check), Hero Must Encounter Villain in Utterly One-Sided Final Fight Where Against All Odds Some Magical Thing Happens That Saves Him (check) After Which He Faints And Wakes Up In A Room Filled With Light And Surrounded By All His Friends (check)

So there you have it. Now, this little recipe can be easily applied to many fantasy books, including the best ones. Take Lord of the Rings, for example. Let's take a look.

• Main Ingredient: Young Hero, Has A Lot To Learn, But Proves Himself In The End. (Frodo, poor dear)
• Side Dishes: Love Interest (Sam. Oh, and I guess Arwen...), Quirky But Valiant Companions (Legolas and Gimli), The Obligatory Surly Dwarf (Gimli), A Couple Weird Animals (Merry and Pippin)
• Other Servings: A Wise Old Man, Preferably A Wizard (Gandalf), A Real Deal Hero (Aragorn) and of course, An Evil Scary Villain With Something Covering His Face (Mordor, and he has no face,so yes.) Preferably on a Black Horse (Mordor's big guy does, so yes.)
  
• Preparations: Hero Must Be Thrown In A Dungeon At Some Point (Frodo is, after he's sucked dry by Shelob), Hero Must Visit The "Fairy Folk" or "Dwarves" at Some Point (Yup, meets the elves in Fellowship), Hero Must Encounter An Enchanted Item (Um...the ring?), Hero Must Encounter Villain in Utterly One-Sided Final Fight Where Against All Odds Some Magical Thing Happens That Saves Him (The Fellowship, in the battle right before Frodo drops the ring into Mount Doom) After Which He Faints And Wakes Up In A Room Filled With Light And Surrounded By All His Friends (Who Could Forget, sniff sniff)

Right. So, obviously it's okay if the story follows this pattern. But the difference between the two is, Lord of the Rings (aside from being the first to really DO this) has something else that makes it stand out. It's hard to put my finger on it, but it's there. And I didn't see it in The Book of Three. That isn't to say it wasn't enjoyable, it just wasn't a gem. I'll read the rest anyway; maybe I'll change my mind.

Tastiness: Nice, not thrilling, but nice. A lot like a piece of baked chicken. It's good, but you know, it's chicken.
Special Sauce: Yeah, that's the problem.
Recommend: Eh.