The High King (Chronicles of Prydain, Book 5) (original 1968; edição 1988)

A nice conclusion to the series. My kids liked the series, and I found it mostly pretty enjoyable. ( )

The whole Prydain series pays off in this book, as both its plot and character development come to a triumphant conclusion. The battle against the evil Arawn Death-Lord comes to a strong conclusion, but the true heart of the book happens a chapter or two earlier, when a character makes a crucial sacrifice as the companions try to survive a blizzard on the edge of the dark realm of Annuvin. Just about every important beat from the prior four books comes back to matter here as Alexander weaves the whole series to a seemingly effortless close. ( )

Actually really poignant. Whether it's deliberate or just a maturation of Alexander's writing, this final book in the series sheds much of the bland, expository dialogue in favour of a poetic, elegaic tone. The series became increasingly aformulaic and, while "The High King" starts out very traditionally, it gradually expands into a mournful yet thrilling climax. ( )

Perfection. I can think of no other way to describe it. This is high fantasy at its very best.

The entire Prydain series is incredible, and this final volume is quite literally the perfect ending. Everything is made complete, everything wrapped up nicely.

Read it. You cannot go wrong. ( )

After seeing The Black Cauldron I became totally obsessed with this series of books. ( )