I rarely remember how I got my books, especially those I have owned for a long time, but The Iron Ring is an exception. I had just finished completing the summer reading program with Barnes & Noble, and came in to get my free book. Unfortunately, the list of titles I could choose from was very slim, but the lady in charge of the young adult section told me to go ahead and choose any trade paperback I liked off the shelves. I grabbed this volume, and we had a lovely discussion about Lloyd Alexander (one of her favorites as well) as she helped me to check out.

Previously I knew nothing about the book, but soon I found myself caught up in the magical and dangerous world of Tamar, Prince of Sundari. It became one of my favorite standalone Alexander novels and I felt the urge to read it again after I heard a gentleman from India speak about caste, especially as the last two books I read by the author were disappointments.

The Iron Ring may have one of the best openings in the entire fantasy genre. Tamar is awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of elephants in the courtyard, and informed by his courtiers that a maharajah, King Jaya, has arrived demanding food and rest for he and his warriors. This arrogant monarch challenges Tamar to “a friendly game of ashka,” governed by the rules of chance. The wagers continue to increase until Tamar finds that he is lost, and his life is now Jaya’s to control. In semblance of this, the older warrior gives him an iron ring and commands him to journey north to his citadel of Mahapura. When Tamar wakens the next morning, he finds that no one remembers the maharajah’s visit but him; still, he holds it as a point of honor to keep his vow, and sets out on his journey north, accompanied by his beloved teacher Rajaswami. Along the way, they meet up with a varied and colorful cast of characters, including the mischievous king of the monkeys, a beautiful village maiden named Mirri, a cantankerous eagle, a jack of many trades who has been meditating in an anthill, and the deposed king of Ranapura, the lion-eyed Ashwara.

Though I am an old fan, even I must admit that at times Alexander can be—how shall I put this?—a little goofy. This comes out a little in The Iron Ring, particularly during the first stage of the journey, when too many characters are being introduced too quickly, events seem to follow each other haphazardly, and awkward exposition abounds. Moreover, the romance between Tamar and Mirri blossoms within the course of a chapter, which seems rather sudden to me—although I suppose that by the time he emerges from the water a la Colin Firth and starts spouting love songs, there isn’t that much more to be done.

Fortunately said goofiness fades away quickly; after its inception even the love story becomes interesting and complex. The story as a whole has wonderful moral weight, and Alexander certainly is not afraid to ask the difficult questions. How are we sure that what we experience is reality and not illusion? Should society determine how we act? Do codes of honor break down in difficult circumstances? And should you follow duty under all circumstances, even when it may be leading you to your death?

I cannot remember where I read this, but I recall hearing the story described as “Tolkienesque.” Despite its Eastern setting and much simpler world-building, I’d have to agree: thematically and tonally, there are some striking similarities between this and the master’s work. I also picked up traces of C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia and Patricia McKillip’s Riddle-Master books, the latter especially in the book’s final revelation. I don’t think Alexander rivals any of the three aforementioned as a prose stylist, but he has shown himself to be a great storyteller, and The Iron Ring remains a book close to my heart. ( )

I like this book because it departed from the Celtic mythos that Mr. Alexander normally used--East Indian mythos is kinda cool! ( )

Set within the caste system of a magical ancient India Tamar, the young king of Sundari, is visited in a dream by Jaya, a King of far off Mahapura. Jaya challenges Tamar to a game of dice; the loser must forfeit their life to the winner. Tamar looses and the next morning must decide if it was only a silly dream. Or if he will honor the promise he made to Jaya and travel to Manapuri, in the far north. Tamar decides to keep his word and leaves his kingdom; along the way he meets many fantastic creatures -the monkey king, a golden eagle, and a talking elephant- and people, including a beautiful milkmaid named Mirri. Tamar also becomes engtangled in a war between two other kingdoms. When he finally reaches Jaya’s kingdom he discovers that the journey itself and his actions along the way was the promise he was fulfilling and is rewarded for it. The characters are somewhat two dimensional in this book, particularly Tamar early on. But he starts to gain a deeper understanding of life the more he experiences and the farther away from home he goes. Some readers may find the barrage of talking animals a little to young for their tastes, but they are humorous. Tamar is constantly meeting new characters and being confronted in this dynamic narration, but the story gets bogged down in the war and battles. The ending is refreshing as it is not as predictable as one might first think.
Book Talk Hook: Have you ever made a promise without knowing what is was first? Have you ever broken a promise? What if the promise you made would disrupt your whole life, and you could probably get away without keeping it. The Iron Ring is a book about promises, about what happens when you honor them and what happens when you break them. ( )

ALA notable young adult author, books @ 200+ pages.