The strength of the books is really in the character of the ‘companions’ (as the group of friends are often termed). I like all of them but my favourite would be The Black Cauldron (the title of which was used for the notorious 1985 Disney film). The style and content of the books does develop and mature, like Taran himself. The fifth, The High King, is about the battle for Prydain and ties up the loose ends.

The fourth, Taran Wanderer, sees our hero on a quest to find his roots. The third, The Castle of Llyr, is a mission to find Eilonwy and also introduces the hapless Prince Rhun. The second, The Black Cauldron, is concerned with the quest to find and destroy an artefact which Arawn Death-Lord uses to create zombie-warriors, the Cauldron-Born. The first in the series, The Book of Three, introduces us to Prydain and to the main characters – Taran, feisty Princess Eilonwy, the bard-king Fflewddur Fflam and the good-natured creature Gurgi. He is drawn into the battle between good and evil, gaining wisdom and loyal friends along the way.

The protagonist is Taran, an assistant pig-keeper who dreams of adventure. Inspired by Welsh mythology, the chronicles are set in the medieval fantasy land of Prydain, a land of great warriors, enchanters, prophecies and kings. Intended for a younger audience, this series of five books is a good read for adults too. His Welsh accent is lovely and helps to keep younger readers or more difficult to engage readers engrossed in this incredible series.Do you like The Lord of the Rings but wish it was easier to read and had more humour? Then The Chronicles of Prydain is for you. I also recommend the audio books as you read along, narrated by James Langton. Fortunately, there is a pronunciation guide in the back of each book. And Welsh may be even more notorious than French in the realms of spelling versus saying. As it is based on Welsh mythology, there are Welsh names.

The High King brings us to the battle for all Prydain.

Taran Wanderer follows Taran's journey to self-discovery.

The Castle of Llyr takes us to the isle of Mona and the bumbling Prince Rhun.

The Black Cauldron seeks to destroy the power of Arwn to create the deathless warriors, the Cauldron Born.

The Book of Three introduces the threat of the Horned King, a servant of Arwn, to the peace of the Prydain, and we meet Taran and the companions for the first time.

There are five books in the series, and each builds upon the adventures in the last.

How can you improve on 'the standard of excellence in fantasy literature for children'? This series has everything you could want: comedy, courage, wisdom, foolishness, power, tragedy, and friendship.

The chronicles of prydain box set