Taran Wanderer

The Prydain Chronicles, Book 4

By: Lloyd Alexander

Narrated by: James Langton

Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

Taran, the assistant pig-keeper who wants to be a hero, goes questing for knowledge of his parentage, hoping that his journey will ennoble him in the eyes of Eilonwy, the princess with the red-gold hair. Accompanied by several loyal friends, Taran begins his search when three wily enchantresses of the Marshes of Morva send him to consult the Mirror of Llunet for the answers he is seeking, cryptically promising that "the finding takes no more than the looking". During his adventures he meets Craddoc, the shepherd, and the common people of Prydain, whom he comes to respect and admire. With their help, he continues his mission to learn the secret of the Mirror and the truth about himself.

Don't miss the rest of Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles.

©1967 Lloyd Alexander (P)2004 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic Reviews

"James Langton's narration is outstanding. The earnestness of Taran in both joy and anguish, as well the liveliness of the supporting characters, is memorable." (AudioFile)

Best of the Series

The Prydain Chronicles was one of my favorite fantasy series as a child. I decided to listen to it again largely out of nostalgia. The story incorporates many old Welsh myths to weave an exciting fantasy world that centers on a boy who dreams of accomplishing big deeds but learns both humanity and courage.

This is my favorite book in the series. Taran has to discover himself through taking on new challenges ranging from farming to blacksmithing to weaving. In the process, he learns more about himself and the value of other people--even those that aren't great heroes.

This book might be a bit scary for very young children but most ages 7 and up will enjoy the magic and adventure.

Harry Potter, Percy Jackson Fans This Is For You!

I highly recommend all the Chronicles of Prydain and Taran Wanderer in particular. If you love great adventures, well drawn lovable characters, and profound life lessons, you will love Taran Wanderer. Lloyd Alexander creates the world of Prydain loosely based on Welsh mythology. This is the 4th book in the Chronicles of Prydain, and I recommend reading them in order. The last chapter is wonderful. We listened to it several times. LOVE the advice given to Taran: "trust to luck, but don't forget to put out your nets." Excellent! For those who have listened to Harry Potter, James Langton does as good a job as Jim Dale. It was wonderful to listen to him bring Taran and his friends to life. This is a book written for younger readers (middle school and late elementary) but high schoolers and adults will take much from it also. Do yourself a favor--read these books!

Disappointing

I loved the first three books, but this one was clichéd and predictable. It was effectively just a fable using the characters of Prydain to tell it. I found myself bored and wanting to skip through parts because I knew what was going to happen. The performance was wonderful as the previous Prydain books, but the story was very much lacking.

These Books are classics!

Would you consider the audio edition of Taran Wanderer to be better than the print version?

Not sure. I loved both. And this audio addition is very well done

What did you like best about this story?

Characters .... nobel characters

Which character – as performed by James Langton – was your favorite?

Couldn't tell you .... he was excellent at all of them

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

From one part to the next the whole thing is well developed. The challenges are realistic, and the characters are all pushed to develop themselves

Taran Wanderer

I really like this series! The only problem, though, and I mean the ONLY one, is the fact that the behavior of the characters isn't necessarily realistic.

Audible malfunction

The playback stopped near the end and I can’t get it to finish playing the book.

Truly a joy to hear

A story easy to follow and always fulfilling. Tons of thought provoking ideas and wanders you away on its wind

Psychological Development

I love teaching this story to adolescents. It’s depth and honesty is hard to match. One difficulty with the recording is the chapter headings, and there is a skipped section in the playback somewhere around chapter 3.

Excellent production

The story is a classic. I've loved this story since I was about 14. The production is worthy of the story.

Excellent read and story!

I originally read these books when I was 12 to 13 and thoroughly enjoyed the adventure and coming of age of Taran the main character of the story. At the time it represented want I as a young man was going through. Now, 35 years later, I read this story and connect even more as a person searching for who he truly is. Taran’s travels connected with me and I think can connect with many others in the world today.