Lloyd Alexander is an author I have always enjoyed. This is one of his lesser known books and while it is not my favorite of his it is still quite good. His writing style is such that it definitely stands up to the test of time. ( )

I love me some Lloyd Alexander, but I remember quite vividly, how disappointing this book was after having finished the Black Cauldron series.
I think as a general rule, for me at least, if you have to start your book with a list of names (they all look and sound alike...of corse if you had any idea how to even try to care to pronounce them) as a guide for your reader.
I gave up when I was 100 pages in and still could not, for the life of me, figure out who these different characters were.
That was over a decade ago now though, so, my brain may have advanced beyond my middle school woes of having to think about things I was reading.
I probably won't ever give it another try though. ( )

I enjoyed the book, and I was a good read. Manipulated into a dice game by an arrogant and older prince, Tamar loses his kingdom and must become the servant of Prince Jaya. The next morning there is no trace of the visit, except Tamar has an iron ring, indicating his new subservience to Jaya, who ordered the young man to travel to his kingdom to surrender as a slave. Traveling with his philosopher and teacher, he has a number of coming of age problems on his journey, including challenges to his personal honor, his caste, his heart and his loyalties, and to dharma, his code of honor as a warrior. After many adventures and meeting many different people, he arrives to find that this had all been a test, but one that everyone else had failed.
The story has a dream like feel to it, where nothing seems real and relationships are chancy, weird and fey. Many of the animals he meets along the way are kings or princes of their species, such as a monkey and snake. Wizards, warriors, wise kings, wise fools, knowing animals and humble companions all show up with sometimes evidently pre-determined parts to play. A few things stand out. Death is real. Betrayal and dishonest dealings are real. People who agree to be allies turn and join the opposition.
The book has a chaotic tempo and sometimes staccato rhythm to the story line, and sometimes too much happens too quickly, as if some of the chapters were combined and explicative data was left out of the editing. However, many children's books are like this, as the major pieces and people must be introduced in a short period for the story to evolve.
The iron ring, symbol of foolish gambling and slavery, is worn, sometimes with pride for holding on to his promise. Other times in humiliation on becoming a slave and breaking his caste and honor. It is thrown away, then recovered, then worn again by Tamar, a constant irritant and symbol of his mortality.
A good book, and one that adults as well as younger readers will enjoy. ( )

At first I wasn't enjoying the story very much because the pacing was hectic. There was a new character every chapter, and things were getting eccentric. After the halfway point, the plot began focusing more on actions and character development, and I began to relate to the characters more. Then some profoundly difficult challenges presented themselves, and I truly appreciated the strength of the main character.

The romantic subplot was kind of lame to me, because "love at first sight" is rather boring. But the ending was a real surprise and extremely thought-provoking. That really redeemed the book. ( )

First fantasy novel by Alexander not taken from Welsh mythology that I've read. It is exceptionally enjoyable, although the character who manipulates and assists the protagonist is a little too omnipotent for my taste. He's basically a far less annoying Aslan, but he leaves one with the question of why he didn't do a little more since he seems to be so powerful. ( )