The Black Cauldron (The Chronicles of Prydain)

Book Description

The Newbery-winning fantasy series now available in gorgeous new paperback editions! Since The Book of Three was first published in 1964, young readers have been enthralled by the adventures of Taran the Assistant Pig-Keeper and his quest to become a hero. Taran is joined by an engaging cast of characters that includes Eilonwy, the strong-willed and sharp-tongued princess; Fflewddur Fflam, the hyperbole-prone bard; the ever-faithful Gurgi; and the curmudgeonly Doli-all of whom have become involved in an epic struggle between good and evil that shapes the fate of the legendary land of Prydain. Released over a period of five years, Lloyd Alexander's beautifully written tales not only captured children's imaginations but also garnered the highest critical praise. The Black Cauldron was a Newbery Honor Book, and the final volume in the chronicles, The High King, crowned the series by winning the Newbery Medal for "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children."Henry Holt is proud to present this classic series in a new, redesigned paperback format. The jackets feature stunning art by acclaimed fantasy artist David Wyatt, giving the books a fresh look for today's generation of young fantasy lovers. The companion book of short stories, The Foundling is also available in paperback at this time. In their more than thirty years in print, the Chronicles of Prydain have become the standard of excellence in fantasy literature for children.

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Pig-boy gets to be a bit princely, but has problems with undead, goddesses, etc.

This is a reasonably diverting kids book, and doesn't take itself too seriously, even with putting in the Celtic legends about magic pots that can bring the dead back to life, and the various deities that are associated with that sort of thing. Your evil witch queen of the undead type person, at least, of sorts. So, a good one for the kids, for sure.

Do Not Read The Black Cauldron.......2007-04-13

The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander is an adventurous book that I wouldn't recommend to any age. First Taran is trying to find a counselor. They also have problems with the cauldron, it got stolen two different ways. Taran had looked everywhere for it! There are three witches that are mangy and ugly. Their names are Orrwen, Orddu, and Orgoch. These three witches wanted to turn Taran into a toad! The witches also owned the black cauldron but Taran had stole it. Now the the witches want Taran, so they can get to the cauldron and also turn him in to a toad.
Taran is a pig boy that learns that life of a true hero involves painful sacrifices. The three witches are scary and evil. The witches are determined to get cauldron back. The witches want to turn Taran and his people to become toads, then the witches would have their cauldron. The cauldron is an important item to everyone. The cauldron is about half the size of a man, and black.The black cauldron is also very wide, that way all three witches could fit around it and add all the ingredients. The witches want the cauldron back because they want to make a potion to turn Taran in to a toad.
I recommend you don't read this book because its not very exciting. I really don't think you would like this book weather you like books or not! You wont enjoy this book... guarenteed.

The Black Cauldron.......2007-04-13

The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander is an interesting book that I would recommend to people to all ages.The story opens up at their cottage,while they are trying to find or get a counselor.After the meeting they were still trying to get a counselor so after the Prince heard about them talking who is the counselor, he just said that he was the counselor but he really wasn't.One day they realized that something was missing!So they went to go look for it because it wasn't theirs it was theirs it was the three wtches.When they were out looking it started to rain so they had to find some where to stay, so they found this cottage and stayed their.When they were their they ran into the three witches and they said they wanted to turn them into frog/toads.There names were Orwell, Rod, and Orgoch.So will they get the cauldron back???When they found the cauldron they found out that it was the three witches.So they felt bad.After they found that out they gave it to back to the three witches, and they didn't turn them into toads/frogs they were happy about that but sad about the black cauldron.
The setting takes place at two places but it takes place mostly at cottage/outside.The cottage/outside is dark,creepy,and old.The people are scared and frightend because of how dark,creepy,and old it is.
I recommend this book because it is exciting!!!

The Black Cauldron.......2007-03-15

The Black Cauldron is the second book to the series by Lloyd Alexander. It describes a quest that Taran and his fellow companions go on to retrieve and destroy the Black Cauldron. It is a dangerous weapon Arawn uses to create his deathless warriors known as Cauldron-Born. In this story Taran and his companions face many challenges such as Huntsmen and other warriors to get the Cauldron. This book is full of excitement, fantasy, and adventure that anyone would enjoy a lot.

This book is about an assistant pig keeper named Taran. He and his companions Doli, Gurgi, Fflewddur, Adaon, Eilonwy, and Ellidyr, are planning to go retrieve the Black Cauldron and destroy it. They have to retrieve it from Arawn the evil Lord of Annuvin to prevent him from making more Cauldron-Born which are the mute and deathless warriors who serve him, but when they finally reach Annuvin there is something strange. As they went through the gates there is no one. Then they hear that the cauldron had already been stolen before they had gotten there. They are ordered to retreat and go back so they can form a new plan. On their way back they encounter Huntsmen. Huntsmen are warriors who had betrayed their comrades and kill for the joy of it. They travel in small groups and when one of them dies it adds strength to the rest. Taran and his companions managed to escape, but the Huntsmen are still following them, but just as they are about to be captured they found a secret passage where they meet Gwystyl. He helps them hide from the Huntsmen and tells them that three sisters known as Orddu, Orwen, and Orgoch have it and they live in the Marshes of Morva. After a long journey they had mad it to the Marshes of Morva where they are captured by the three sisters. When they are about to be killed, Taran tells them of the cauldron they have been searching for. The sisters tell him that they will give it to them if they trade something that they prize. All of the companions offer everything they prize, but it wasn't good enough. Then Taran remembered the necklace he had gotten from someone before and tried to trade that. The three sisters agreed and gave them the Black Cauldron. Taran and all his companions tried to destroy it, but they learned that it can only be destroyed by a living person willing to crawl in the pot as a sacrifice to destroy it. Ellidyr decides to sacrifice himself and he crawls into the cauldron and it split and shattered.

The Black Cauldron takes place in a large land called Prydain. Throughout the story Taran and his companions travel through many different places in Prydain such as the Marshes of Morva and the Forest of Idris. The Forest of Idris was full of steep slopes, gorges, pleasant meadows wrinkled into hills. There was also brown withered grass, oaks and alders with dead leaves hanging on the crooked branches, and the trunks were black and shriveled. The Marshes of Morva there were growths of thorny furze that rose up, long swamps, and small clumps of dead tree trunks. Also there was dead brown grass and gray pools of stagnant water.

The main problem in the story is that Taran and his companions are trying to retrieve and destroy the Black Cauldron before the evil Lord Arawn makes more of his Cauldron-Born and rules all of Prydain. Although when they attempt to steal the cauldron from him it was already gone. It was taken by its original owners Orddu, Orwen, and Orgoch. So after many days of traveling through the Marshes of Morva they finally find the three sisters. They were willing to give Taran the Black Cauldron if he traded something he prized very dearly. He gave them a very special necklace which was given to him by a good friend of his. They try to destroy it but the only way they could was if a living person was willing to sacrifice themselves. None of them wanted to do it so Ellidyr chose to do it. When he put himself inside the Black Cauldron split and shattered. That was the end of Ellidyr and the Black Cauldron. Now Arawn would never be able to create any more Cauldron-Born again

The Black Cauldron Destroyed.......2007-02-10

Taran thinks he will enjoy being a man more than his current job of assistant pig keeper, but throughout this story Taran learns to love and hate manhood and all the war greed men seem to love. As Taran grows closer to Eilonwy and his old companions, Taran learns to understand wisdom and how to be a leader.

Gwydion, Prydain's greatest war leader wants to destroy The Black Cauldron. The Black Cauldron (or Black Crochan) is what brings the dead back. It brings them back mute and completely evil. After the Cauldron is reported missing the story becomes a race between good and evil. Who will win the race? I will let you find that out for yourself.

This is the second book in the Chronicles of Prydain. The other books in the chronicle are, The Book of Three, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, and The High King. Lloyd Alexander does a wonderful job with his books and I recommend these books to anyone who loves an adventure. I read the first book of this series when I was about twelve so I would suggest this book if you were in-between 4th and 9th grade. PR21

To Stir A Magick Cauldron: A Witch's Guide to Casting and Conjuring

Average customer rating:

good sequel.
A "Victim"
Keep this one in the "Throne Room"
A wonderful book!!!
A Great Read, Lots Of Information

To Stir A Magick Cauldron: A Witch's Guide to Casting and Conjuring
Silver Ravenwolf
Manufacturer: Llewellyn Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1567184243

Amazon.com

In her sequel to To Ride a Silver Broomstick, Silver RavenWolf leads us to the next step in craft practice, focusing on intermediate-level magical practices, such as the proper mechanics of circle casting and 10 ways to raise power. However, To Stir a Magick Cauldron is not just a rule book, it is also a candid companion on the road to discovery. Sure, RavenWolf delves into the nitty-gritty of conjuration, but she also encourages us to see the craft as more than a dusty curiosity and reveals how to incorporate our newfound power into our 20th-century lifestyles. --Brian Patterson

Book Description

Boasting more than 100,000 copies in print, this indispensable guide has been revised and updated. Silver RavenWolf dishes out tried-and-true Witch wisdom, covering the essentials of Witchcraft. New cover New interior design New edit

Customer Reviews:

good sequel........2007-08-06

This was a very good follow-up to Silver's "To Fly a Silver Broomstick", with more advanced information for the practicing Witch (like advanced circle casting, energy play, different ways to raise power, etc). I recommend reading To Fly before reading this, as that will give the reader a better base of information that Silver talks about in this book. I also really liked that there was a circle casting for folk magick in this book. I heard that one didn't need a circle for folk magick, while others said that one should cast a circle for minor magicks; I'm a fan of simple, folk magick so that was "right up my alley", so to speak.

I like this book, along with most of Silver's other work, so I was pretty glad to have this in my library. If you're a fan of Silver's or of her "new generation witchcraft" series, then I recommend this book to you.

A "Victim".......2007-07-02

This is a review about all of Silver Ravenwolf's "To Ride a Silver Broomstick" and its sequels and her BOS-Encyclopedia book.

Until today, I never realized the ineffectiveness of Silver Ravenwolf's books. I am 16. I have read/owned her books since I was 11. When my (christian) aunt came into my room about one week ago when I was playing with my cousins, my immediate reaction was "Oh no, she's going to think I'm corrupting her children with what she thinks is a 'Satanic, evil' religion." When I reflected upon my reaction, I realized I was judging my aunt, and Christianity, and that I, I was the one who was being judgmental and persecuting her. Silver Ravenwolf's books do slam Christians. I totally bought into her slander. Who doesn't want to feel better than one third of the world, more enlightened than one third of the world? Everyone wants to feel like they know secrets that other people do not. Everyone wants to be "right." I was/am no exception. If you want tolerance, it is not in these books, although they preach tolerance.

I have also come away with a paranoid attitude toward Wicca/Witchcraft. I feel like it is forbidden, hated by society. Silver Ravenwolf encourages teens to hide their practice from people for fear of persecution. Maybe she is right, but I feel scared to even TALK about it. That is not an attitude that anyone should have about divinity or their chosen religion.

Also, if you asked me to define "Wicca" or "Witchcraft" I would give you a very vague answer. I do not know the difference - what have I been practicing?! I could tell you some stuff about paganism, but not Wicca.

Well, I have begun studying ceremonial magic out of "Modern Magic" by Donald Michael Kraig. I have not read any reviews of the book, but I feel like I finally have an idea what I am supposed to be feeling in the rituals I perform. Kraig is very clear about what is factual history and what is mythical "history." With Ravenwolf, spellcasting techniques were so vague that I felt I had no solid base to work from.

The only way to practice a religion is the way it is meant to be practiced, not any way you feel like it. Even Wicca, a new religion, does have core beliefs that need to be adhered to. You can't just study the occult in general and consider yourself Wiccan or a Witch.

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER. YOU WILL ONLY GET WRONG AND VAGUE INFORMATION. I WAS MISLED BY HER BOOKS.

Keep this one in the "Throne Room".......2007-06-08

Keep this one in the "Throne Room" it's super-absorbent and thick paper could come in handy during a time of crisis.

If this is where you learnt your witchcraft, you might as well go back to watching "Charmed."

A wonderful book!!!.......2006-08-07

This is a very interesting book. I fully recommend it to anyone looking for "mystical" answers. You may not agree with everything -- and that's OK. But take whatever you get from this book and simply make it yours. Try it. You may like it.

Also recommended: "What Did Jesus Really Say, How Christianity Went Astray: [What To Say To A Born Again Christian Fundamentalist, But Never Had The Information]" by Peter Cayce

A Great Read, Lots Of Information.......2006-03-09

I had to read this book several times to have everything sink in. I suggest reading one chapter at a time and performing the exercises she suggests for each chapter before you move on. I got a little confused because I breezed through it. Not recommended for "light reading". This book goes very deep into the different aspects of Wicca and how they affect our lives, and the lives of everyone around us! Take your time. Definitely worth the read!

Celtic Women's Spirituality: Accessing the Cauldron of Life

Average customer rating:

The Celts, Wiccafied Again (Unfortunately)
A broad but readable introduction to Celtic Wicca, but historically and mythologically inaccurate. Only recommended to Wiccans.
New Age "Celtic" Fluff
Great book!
pretty decent

Celtic Women's Spirituality: Accessing the Cauldron of Life
Edain McCoy
Manufacturer: Llewellyn Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1567186726

Amazon.com

The popularity of the Celtic revival is evident by the number of books on the subject, yet an assessment of women's spirituality within this cultural tradition has remained elusive. Edain McCoy addresses this very topic and thus opens new doors for women, allowing them access to a tradition that can be easily blended into most current beliefs, including Christianity and paganism. McCoy skillfully examines the history of women in ancient Celtic society and reveals its significance to the women of today. Celtic Women's Spirituality details commonly practiced rituals such as the Celtic festivals of the year, and includes more uncommon traditions such as the soul-friend bonding known as Anamchara, and aspects of Celtic shamanism such as shape shifting. Women who have felt distanced from their spirituality should explore these traditional pathways for incorporating the power of their warrior archetypes into their 20th-century lives.

Customer Reviews:

The Celts, Wiccafied Again (Unfortunately).......2007-07-15

Yet another non-scholarly Llewelyn publication, this time by a Wiccan trying to cram all things Celtic into their system, when the two just will NEVER fit correctly. Some glaring errors;
1. Ms. McCoy asserts that the Celts had triple goddesses; the "maiden-mother-crone," but these aspects are purely Wiccan and have NO place in a discussion about the Celts. Although the Celts did have some triune deities, they were typically triple-faced & not split into the modern, Wiccan divisions that Ms. McCoy places them. Considering that this is the basis of the entire book, we can throw the book away.
2. Ms. McCoy shows the Celtic wheel of the year as identical to the Wiccan wheel of the year, but there's no evidence that the Celts celebrated Yule, Ostara OR Mabon. If anything, the glaring lack of that evidence suggests they did NOT celebrate those modern, Wiccan inventions.
3. Ms. McCoy gets into the use of the "crane bag." Again, this is a later invention, not a purely Celtic one.
4. The book is so full of meditations & made up rituals that there's very little to learn from it, unless you base your spirituality on someone else's belief system.
The author's blurb states; "Edain is also an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church." For those who don't know it, the ULC will ordain ANYONE, for free, over the internet.
The Celts believed that all things were inherently connected, all things were one. As such, Celtic systems will never fit properly in a Wiccan context, where everything is split into dualities, triplicities, quadruplicities & more.
Maybe someday Wiccans will stop trying to dilute & distort Celtic principals. Until then, far too many people are going to waste too much money on too many really bad books.

My credentials; I have been studying the Celts & Druids for at least a decade now and have been Druid of two groves.

A broad but readable introduction to Celtic Wicca, but historically and mythologically inaccurate. Only recommended to Wiccans........2006-07-27

Celtic Women's Spirituality is at best an introduction to Celtic Wicca. Without delving much into history or myth and legend, McCoy pulls out some aspects that she sees in ancient Celtic religion and connects them to aspects of mainstream Wicca. She envisions the three-faced Goddesses in Celtic mythology as the triple-goddess (virgin, mother, and crone) in Wicca, overemphasizes the female warrior in Celtic history in order to create a strong archetype for women to follow, has a number of sections about "Celtic shamanism," and provides a lengthy, somewhat arbitrary wheel of the year. The book is a broad introduction to Celtic Wicca, with a general overview of the factors that she sees as important and a sprinkling of guided meditations and rituals. What Celtic Women's Spirituality is not is an introduction to historic pre-Christian Celtic religion. Many of the factors that McCoy focuses on don't arise from Celtic myth or Celtic history, and they are heavily adapted to fit Wicca. If you are interested in "actual" Celtic religion and culture, or Celtic Reconstruction, this is not the book for you.

McCoy does her audience a disservice by not clearly separating Celtic myth and history from Wiccan aspects or showing where fact ends and her extrapolations begin. She writes as if everything she says comes directly from and applies well to Wicca, implying that aspects such as the three-fold Goddess and Celtic shamanism are authentic aspects of pre-Christian Celtic religions. However, the version of Celtic religion that McCoy presents in this book is actually highly adapted and modified to fit Wicca, sometimes picking up on similar strains, sometimes extrapolating from what was into what could be. As such, this book should be considered Celtic Wicca, not Celtic Paganism.

As a book on Celtic Wicca, McCoy writes a broad but clear introduction to the faith as she sees it. She doesn't delve into great depth but she gives an overview of a number of aspects (conceptions of self, conceptions of Goddess figures, a few rituals, a number of guided mediations, and a number of correlations between symbol/deity/meaning). The few Celtic aspects that she focuses on she translates well into a Wiccan context. The entire book is geared towards women, and encourages strength, independence, and self-association to the female deities. It is actually a rather enjoyable, self-affirming read.

That said, this book shouldn't be confused with Celtic myth, history, or pre-Christian religion. McCoy's basis in Celtic myth and history is limited at best, and all of the aspects she focuses on are highly adapted and interpolated. While she sums up the myths on a broad scale, the detail that she draws from them, as well as from Celtic society and ancient religious practice, are more opinion that fact. If your interest lies in actual Celtic Pagan religious beliefs and practices, for either academic or religious reasons, then you will have better luck reading textbooks and history books. I'd direct you towards the "Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism" religion and encourage you to skip this text--no matter how easy it is to read, it has a limited basis in history, comes highly adapted, and is misleading. Doing research on actual Celtic history and religion will take longer, but it will unearth facts rather than opinions and will provide much more depth than McCoy's text.

New Age "Celtic" Fluff.......2006-03-18

She's a good author for those who want to take a teeny side step from the Wiccan tradition, without fully departing from Wicca. All of her works have a firm foundation in Wicca and this book is no exception.

Great book!.......2005-01-03

I think that this book is a great book for any woman who feels connected with Celtic spirituality. This book gives insight on the different celtic goddesses, the triple goddess, and several other aspects. The rituals and guided meditation is great. She poses questions that will truly have you thinking about yourself as a woman. I give it five stars because I have read one of McCoy's books before and I think that this is definitely one of the best celtic books I have read.

pretty decent.......2004-04-07

I'd ordered this back on one of my deployments for something to read. Its pretty good - I enjoyed the historical aspects, but didn't have much used for the rituals as they were mainly geared towards 2 or more people. I think I'm probably still looking for more solid history, less ritual practice. But, all in all, it was a good book and will probably cover what most folk are looking for.

Average customer rating:

The missing money
Great stuff.
One of my favorite books in the Asterix series!

Asterix and the Cauldron (Asterix)
Rene Goscinny
Manufacturer: Orion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 075286629X

Book Description

A neighboring Gaulish chief asks the people of Asterix’s village to help guard a cauldron full of money from the Romans. But the sneaky chief plans to double-cross everyone. So he steals back the cash just when Asterix is standing sentinel. Can Asterix and Obelix recover the riches?

Customer Reviews:

The missing money.......2007-09-24

One of the most charming Asterix books, first published in French as Astérix et le chaudron in 1969, it was first published in English in 1976.
The rather sinister Whosemoralsarelastix asks the Gauls of the little village we know so well to guard a cauldron filled with sestertii, which he wants to hide from the Roman tax collector, and Chief Vitalstatistix asks his most trustworthy warrior Asterix to look after it.
Unfortunately the cauldron disappears from under Asterix's nose, the very night he is guarding it.
As Asterix has failed in his task of guarding the cauldron, he is banished from the village until he can repay the debt. He is joined by Obelix, in a quest to fill the cauldron. All sorts of ingenious ways to fill the cauldron end in failure until an entirely unexpected event takes place...
In the process Asterix and Obelix discover that they are not cut out to be businessmen, that people often do not make good on their promises and get to explore chariot racing and the new Avante Guard theatre under the directorship of Laurensolivius (remember this was written in 1969).

Great stuff........2007-02-28

Rene Goscinny, Asterix and the Cauldron (Dargaud, 1969)

Our favorite Gaulish village has a visitor at the opening of Asterix and the Cauldron, who's carrying a cauldronfull of sestertii he wants our heroes to hide for him in order to avoid the Roman tax collector. Next morning, the money's gone, and Asterix and Obelix spend the bulk of the tale finding amusing ways to try and repay it. While the Asterix books have always been funny in a sort of slight-chuckling way, this is the first one that's actually caused me to laugh aloud while reading it. Probably my favorite of the early Asterix tales. *** ½

One of my favorite books in the Asterix series!.......2000-01-08

If you love reading about Asterix and Obelix, then you'll really want to own this one! In it, the two intrepid Gauls need to raise a cauldron full of money after a theft threatens the honor of their village. It's clear that these two lack any kind of business sense, and the druid's magic potion can only do so much in the area of fund-raising! This is a great addition to your Asterix collection!

In the cauldron of Russia, 1869-1933;: Autobiography of I. S. Prokhanoff. The life of an optimist in the land of pessimism, together with an interesting ... of the Russian evangelical Christian union

Average customer rating:

In the cauldron of Russia, 1869-1933;: Autobiography of I. S. Prokhanoff. The life of an optimist in the land of pessimism, together with an interesting ... of the Russian evangelical Christian union
I. S Prokhanov
Manufacturer: All-Russian evangelical Christian union
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Average customer rating:

great addition to this series
A highly unique fantasy true to characters and storyline
3rd book out of a great series....
Good book
Dragon Cauldron

Dragon Cauldron
Laurence Yep
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 006440398X

Book Description

Will the Dragon Homeland be Restored?

Monkey tells the tale as he joins the dragon princess Shimmer, and, along with two feisty humans, they embark on a mission to recover the dragon homeland. It has been Shimmer's personal quest for years, ever since Witch Civet stole the sea, and the dragons were evicted from their magnificent palaces of coral and pearl. Now the archenemy Civet is repentant, and she too has thrown in her lot with this fearless band.

Key to their success is the magic of the dragons' cauldron. But he cauldron is cracked, and to mend it they must reach the enchanted traveling mountain and engage the help of the fabled Snail man and the powerful Smith. Since the war against all dragons as escalated under the rule of the human king, Butcher, their journey is a dangerous one. The obstacles are endless, but so too are theqesters' determination and resourcefulness. just when they think hat they are within reach of their final goal, they face the biggest challenge of all....

Customer Reviews:

great addition to this series.......2005-08-22

This book is a great addition to this series. My daughter and I have loved this book and all the others.

A highly unique fantasy true to characters and storyline.......2001-03-17

Much as I love all types of books, fantasy has been my favorite for as long as I can remember. So, considering that I have read extensively in this field, I have read all the cleshaes to the point where I can almost guess the ending two chapters into most books. This series I'm happy to say, is in a league all it's own. It's completely unlike any series I've ever read before, and I have to say I'm releaved that there actually is a fantasy series where male and female characters treat each other equaly, and female characters can be just as strong as male characters. Anyway, in this book (which is third in this incredible series) Monkey tells the tale as the book picks up basically where the previous one (told by Shimmer) left off, as they continue their quest to try to restore the inland sea. At first I was a little irritated at having Monkey tell this segment of the adventure; I wanted more Shimmer! but I quickly warmed up to him, and to the hillarious irony with which he tells the story. This book was also largely character based, focusing a lot of the interrelations of the characters, as Monkey begins to build a bond with Thorn, a saintly young human boy, who is very jealous of Shimmer's favoritism to newcommer Indigo. (a human girl) This book also has plenty of exciting action and adventure scenes though, and tons of suspense, so fans of action will not be dissapointed either. I would recommend reading the first two prior to this one, since it will make a lot more sense that way. Also, I would recommend these books to anyone from ten years old one up since in my opinion they are quite timeless.

3rd book out of a great series...........2001-03-01

The 3rd book out of a great series thata started with "Dragon of the Lost Sea", and "Dragon Steel". It uses a famous chinese character called monkey,(from "Journey to the West" {an 100-chapter book written during the chinese dynasty. *rare!*)Wise-cracking, witty, and unpredictable monkey tells the story from his point of view. Great fun, a good storybook to cuddle up with. I recommend reading the first book first to understand what is going on.

Good book.......2001-02-23

This was an extremely good book. it was a fantasy, but it had a little human touch to it. For example, two of the main characters, a monkey and a dragon, constantly tease each other. The author is very skilled, making even a monkey seem wise and dignified. The storyline is a bit overwrought, relying wholly on constant action rather than suspense. However, many people enjoy that more. All in all, I would say that it was better than a similiar book, Dragon of the Lost Sea, which happens to be by the same author. The books even have the same characters. Dragon Cauldron, however, used the mystery of magic to the better advantage of the story. This adds more fantasy to the sroryline, but it also makes parts of the book extremely confusing. In all, it was one of the best fantasies I have ever read.

Dragon Cauldron.......2001-01-09

The 3rd in a great series, Dragon Cauldron is the further adventures of the exiled dragon princess Shimmer and her 4 companions; the Monkey wizard, Civet the Witch, and human children Thorn and Indigo. I really enjoyed this book, though I dislike the way that Shimmer played favorites with Thorn and Indigo. It's all right to help a friend feel better, but not at the expense of another friend's feelings. I recommend this book to anyone enjoys a good tale of magic and dragons.

The Deer and the Cauldron: The Third Book

Average customer rating:

Let's not be too unfair...
.

The Deer and the Cauldron: The Third Book
Louis Cha
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0195903277

Book Description

This is the third and final volume of the picaresque historical romance. It tells the story of Trinket, an irreverent and comic anti-hero, and his adventures through China and Chinese history, spanning more than twenty years at the beginning of the Qing dynasty.

Customer Reviews:

Let's not be too unfair..........2006-11-06

First off, I understand some fans of wuxia fiction have some problems with Minford's translations. Fair enough, there are some slips, but the readibility of this series is excellent - I would not be afraid to hand these books off to someone interested in the genre. Minford has rendered the sometimes terse Chinese into a flowing english that would hook just about anyone.

The books are printed with very high quality, but unfortunately this raises the pricetag quite a bit. Collecting the entire trilogy is going to cost over $100, for books that will in all likelyhood be read once. These books are really crying out for a nice softcover treatment that could place it in a lot more hands!

........2006-09-24

never quite get the essence of jing jong. Free translations on the web are much better

Average customer rating:

Cauldron
Jack McDevitt
Manufacturer: Ace Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0441015255
Release Date: 2007-11-06

Book Description

The year is 2255. The academy that trained the starfarers is long gone and veteran star pilot Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins spends her retirement supporting fund-raising efforts for The Prometheus Foundation, a privately funded organization devoted to deep space exploration.

But when a young physicist unveils an efficient star drive capable of reaching the core of the galaxy, Hutch finds herself back in the deepest reaches of space, and on the verge of discovering the origins of the deadly Omega clouds that continue to haunt her.

Master of the Cauldron (Lord of the Isles)

Average customer rating:

Another Comfortable Lord of the Isles
Havne't I read this before??
Fair
Still waiting....
master of the cauldron

Master of the Cauldron (Lord of the Isles)
David Drake
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0312874960
Release Date: 2004-11-04

Book Description

Garric or-Reise was born the son of an innkeeper in Barca's Hamlet on the Isle of Haft, but through valor and determination became first a prince and then the Regent and successor to the feeble Valence III, King of the Isles. But the Kingdom is weak, its rule barely extending past the island of Ornifal.The Isles need a strong king to bring unity, because danger is coming. Magic is stronger now than at any time since the fall of the Old Kingdom in a cataclysm of uncontrolled magic. Evil is growing in the spaces beyond the world, waiting to complete the destruction begun a millennium before. Only if the Isles are united into a strong New Kingdom can humanity survive.Garric has sworn to become a true Lord of the Isles. Standing with him are his sister, Sharina; his friend and Sharina's lover, the shepherd Cashel; and Cashel's sister, the weaver-witch Ilsa. They have been to Hell and back together in their quest.The four friends and the armies of the Kingdom have undertaken a Royal Progress to renew the bonds of fealty among the Isles. Now they come to Sandrakkan, which fought a long and bloody war with Haft less than a generation ago. On Sandrakkan, Wilduf's Countess, Balila, schemes with her court wizard to destroy the boy king from the hated isle of Haft. Strange evils lurk on demon-haunted Volita, and she will wake them all if necessary to make her husband the new King of the Isles.Rich with action, guile, and heroism in the face of dangers both physical and moral, Master of the Cauldron stands alone or as part of a ground-breaking fantasy epic.

Customer Reviews:

Another Comfortable Lord of the Isles.......2007-05-06

As a general fan of David Drake, his inspired character development, story pacing and plot surprises keep me going back for more. The Lord of the Isles series is one of the few of his I missed, and I have read them exclusively and now am on the fourth in the series, Mistress of the Catacombs. While the outcome is predictable(the heroes win), the way they go about it makes for fascinated and varied reading, so that I spend what little free time I have reading the series. Plaudits to David Drake for keeping me up late at night reading.

Havne't I read this before??.......2006-04-25

Drake has fallen into the same trap as Jordan and Goodkind.... "If I write it, they will read it." This book achieved nothing, and we learned precious little about the chracaters that we didn't know already. And on top of all that, we've read this plot before: Everyone together; Everyone separated; Everyone triumphs; Everyone back together again for final, apocalyptic, finale.

Fair.......2006-03-15

I'm sorry, but this is beginning to drag on a bit. There are moments to it, but as a series progresses so must the ideals and strengths/weaknesses of the characters. When they never learn from their mistakes, continually doing the same rote things time and again, I tend to lose interest.

True, there are great moments, but over all it just doesn't do it for me.

If you like books like this one, might I suggest another I've recently come across. The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt. It's another fantasy adventure sure to please. I highly recommend it.

Still waiting...........2005-12-03

Each installment is the basically a variation of the same thing over and over. However, I the characters are so well written and the nuances are just different enough to keep me hungering for the next.

master of the cauldron.......2005-10-14

drake has continued his opera of the lord of the isles. i am again happy with the way he moves from player to player.

The Deer and the Cauldron: The Second Book

Average customer rating:

A Little Treasure!
Entertaining, but suffers from too many girls
An Emperor, A Handful of Heroes, and Brothel's Youngling
More gruesome than the First Book but still exciting
Asia's great "wu xia" novelist finally in English

The Deer and the Cauldron: The Second Book
Louis Cha , and John Minford
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0195903250

Book Description

This is the second part of a three-volume picaresque historical romance by one of China's most popular authors. It tells the story of Trinket, an irreverent and comic anti-hero, and his adventures through China and Chinese history, spanning more than twenty years at the beginning of the Qing
dynasty.

Customer Reviews:

A Little Treasure!.......2006-01-10

Louis Cha is perhaps the paramount Chinese adventure novelist of the modern age and with Deer & the Cauldron, his last epic, he introduces one of his most indelible characters--Trinket Wei.

Trinket is the son of a Yangzhou prostitute who goes through a series of adventures so unbelievable, from becoming a 'eunuch' in the Forbidden City and friend of the emperor, to a Shaolin, a Lama, a Heaven & Earth rebellion leader, and a disciple of Snake Island--all woven into the mystery of the sutra and dragon-lines, and the fate of the Qing (Manchu) Empire--yet so utterly entertaining, as to both honor and revolutionize the genre.

The only drawback is that the translation maintains the more Chinese style of heavy narrative exposition--they 'tell' almost as much as 'show' which is very much different to the post-TV/Cinema Western style of immediate scene. If the sheer lunatic excitement of the story wasn't so engrossing, it would probably lose some readers along the way.

Hopefully more Wuxia will make the transition into English!

Entertaining, but suffers from too many girls.......2002-10-19

The novel's most glaring weakness is that too many girls pop in and out of Trinket's life at his convenience. There is no compelling romantic relationship in the book and I found their characterization one dimensional and utterly predictable. The book shows its heritage as a serialized newspaper novel. Nevertheless, Trinket is witty, resourceful, and delightful.

This book is so different from his other novels that many consider the Deer and the Cauldron his ultimate accomplishment. I beg to differ. The first 2/3 of the Book and the Sword was more coherent and entertaining. The Smiling Proud Wanderer has a much more profound love story between Linghu Chong (played by Jet Li in Swordsman II) and two lead female characters (doesn't include Brigitte Lin in II) with an interesting tragic twist at the end.

However, I am eagerly awaiting for the release of the final volume.

An Emperor, A Handful of Heroes, and Brothel's Youngling.......2001-03-29

Yes! This is pretty much the same review as the one for the first book, but it's not a book series. So there!

This is the last of Cha's masterful storytelling efforts and it is by far his most original. The siver-tongued and foulmouthed anti-hero (Trinket Wei) will definitely fill your hours with amazement, laughter, gasps of "WHAT!" and "HOW'D HE DO THAT!?!". For me these comments and expressions were spoken out loud (and very loud somthings), which is something I almost never do. The other characters in this book are very loveable, mostly heroic, and uncommonly very vulnerable. At first glance, the men and women of River and Lake seem to exude the aura of stereotypical "heroes" (and villains) that as children listening to storytellers we have come to believe to have lived in that era. But their personalities and character faults envelope them with a third dimensional layer that definitely makes them leap of the page. Only the first two (of three) books are currently available and you'll definitely want to pickup the second before finishing the first. I think I read about 600 pages the first night.

So... Tired of the "poo" that's been floating around in you're Fantasy or Adventure sections of the bookstore? This is one of the books that you'll want to snatch up! Now! Currently, I'm pulling my fingernails out with my teeth waiting for Oxford to put out the THIRD part of this book. I'm also anxiously awaiting Cha's "The Book and The Sword" which was translated by Graham Ernshaw (GREAT translation BTW). This one is mentioned in the intro of TD&TC, so I'm hoping that it comes out soon!

More gruesome than the First Book but still exciting.......2001-03-24

In this Second Book of *The Deer and the Cauldron*, Trinket the teenage trickster gets to travel a lot more than in the First Book, which was mostly set in the Forbidden City. Still searching for the eight copies of the *Sutra in Forty-Two Sections*, about which much more is now revealed, he visits the northern Wutai Mountains, where evil Tibetan lamas try to kidnap the lost father of the young Manchu Emperor; confronts the perils of Snake Island, where he is initiated into the Sect of the Mystic Dragon; stays at the Shaolin Monastery, from whose assortment of rather ridiculous monks he does not seek to learn much kung fu; and is finally sent to the south-western Yunnan province, where a conspiracy is afoot to overthrow the Qing dynasty.

The first one hundred pages of this Second Book are perhaps the most addictive of the two volumes and the action remains fast-paced throughout. However, Trinket's assumption of more and more false identities and his rapid promotion in the various milieux he infiltrates tend to become a little formulaic. The general tone is one of derision, and the only truly noble figure in the whole series is the White Nun, who might have been interpreted, in another era, by a Xu Feng or a Cheng Pei Pei. As for Trinket's increasingly sophisticated Machiavellianism, it is often disturbing, as he murders enemy after enemy in the most dastardly ways (usually by poison or back stabs), disposing of the bodies with his "decomposing powder". Even his sex life, and particularly his sado-masochistic relationship with the berserk Princess Ning, is repulsive. I am not talking of light B&D, which I would have rather enjoyed (especially with the woman on top), but of the heavier stuff of which the following might give you an idea: "Dear Laurie [Trinket's false identity as an Imperial Eunuch], Prince Laurie, you can go on beating me if you like, but please first put my joints back!". And I am not mentioning in what horribly mutilated condition Trinket finds one of his friends at the end of the novel. Had the tone been a little less over-the-top and tongue-in-cheek, such scenes would have sickened me.

Nevertheless, *The Deer and the Cauldron* remains an extremely enjoyable read, and I hope Oxford University Press will not fail to publish the Third Book. I aspire some day to find more uplifting, mystical and literary martial arts novels, in the vein of the King Hu movies I worship, but in the meantime, Louis Cha (a.k.a. Jin Yong) is the closest literary equivalent I have found to a really good kung fu film.

Asia's great "wu xia" novelist finally in English.......2000-10-17

Fans of the new Ang Lee film, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," will welcome this swashbuckling adventure story of 17th century Manchu-dominated China. THE DEER AND THE CAULDRON (aka "Royal Tramp") is by repute the very best of the thirteen "wu xia" (or "martial chivalry") novels written by Louis Cha, "the Alexandre Dumas of Asia." Published originally as a newspaper serial in Hong Kong, under the Chinese pseudonym Jin Yong, this beautifully constructed novel may be a better book than any by Dumas, who certainly never created a central character as seductively self-absorbed as Cha's Wei Xiaobao - who becomes "Trinket" in translator John Minford's version. Trinket is an incorrigible teenage rogue from the "pleasure quarter" of Yangzhou who by guile and good fortune becomes simultaneously a confidant of the boy emperor Kang Xi and a leader of the loyalist martial arts outlaws of the Heaven and Earth Society. John Minford's graceful translation gives the most popular Chinese novelist on earth a shot at a legion of new fans. (An earlier Louis Cha novel, "Book and Sword: Gratitude and Revenge," is available for download in its entirety, in English, from "http://idt.net/~earnshaw.")

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