The High King by Lloyd Alexander

This book is the final episode in The Chronicles of Prydain series, and I gave it a rating of five out of five. Arawn Death-Lord has decided it's time to attack the rest of Prydain and rule over the entire kingdom. The plot opens with Arawn stealing Dyrnwyn from Prince Gwydion, because he knows that the sword's powers are the only thing that can stop him. Taran is sent to enlist the help of the Commots, common people, he met in the previous book, while Gwydion and others amass armies to help the Princes of Don defend Prydain. One powerful friend decides to command his troops to fight against them instead. Taran is assigned an important task, to delay the Cauldron-Born before they can return to Annuvin. Cauldron-Born cannout be killed, and the armies of Prydain will surely be defeated if Taran fails his mission.

This book is full of the action that some of the previous books lacked. The war started in chapter one and lasted until the last chapter. Taran and the others always seemed to be fighting impossible odds but always seemed to come out ahead. I like plots where small details forgotten, characters or objects, reappear to help the protagonists solve their problems. The last chapter had a very noble finish to the entire series.

You must read the books in the series in order, so use the search box in the top-left corner of the screen to find them. The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, and Taran Wanderer are the first four books.