AR: 4.6

Grade Level: K-2nd

Summary: The Fortune Tellers is about a carpenter who thought his life would stay the same. So he often wondered, hmmm. What will my fortune hold? He then goes to a fortune teller to see what his fortune is, which eventually comes true.

Idea: The Fortune Tellers introduces a series of cause and effect relationships. It also introduces vocabulary that many children may not have encountered yet. I will most definitely be using this book for a lesson on context clues. A fun activity that I would like to include with this book would be writing to your future self. We would not so much be telling our fortunes, but instead seeing where we want to be in the near future. 

Arawn-Death-Lord has managed to get his hands on Dyrnwyn, Gwydion's sword, which has emboldened him to move his forces to launch an all-out assault on the Kingdom of Prydain. Gwydion and his allies move quickly to assemble the forces necessary to stand against him -- basically, it's an Armageddon-type situation, and all hands are needed.

Taran is sent to the Free Commots, where he spent so much time recently to gather their support -- and he does so, almost without trying to, becomes the leader of the assembled forces (such as they are) of the rather libertarian people. Before you know it, Taran's leading his band into battle at the side of Gwydion and the other warleaders. It's a stretch to believe, but at this point, you go with it. The forces marshaled against the High King are strong enough to make this an uphill battle, but when treason rears its ugly head and the forces of Prydain are divided against themselves, it really seems that all hope is lost. Eventually, Gwydion and his forces head off on a last-ditch effort to stop the Death Lord, while Taran, his companions, allies, followers and Glew take on a vital, but smaller task that will allow Gwydion's hail Mary to work.

And frankly, that whole treason storyline bugs me -- not just because it's evil, but because it's futile, stupid, and pointless. I think this was Alexander's biggest error in the series. It serves no real purpose but to stack the odds against the armies of Prydain.

Finally, we get final battles -- The Death Lord and his forces are defeated (spoiler, children's fantasy written in the 60's features good guys winning); the future of Prydain is settled; other Tolkien-esque things take place as is fitting in the conclusion to a fantasy series (actually, Tolkien was probably following the same older rules and tropes as Alexander, but we now associate them with Tolkien, not his predecessors).

Taran finally grows up into what Alexander's been holdig out for him all along -- it takes the whole novel, but it happens. Gwydion is probably the least interesting he's ever been here, which is a shame. Eilonwy? Oh, Eilonwy -- she's just so perfect (as a character, probably annoying in real life -- still, someone you want in your corner). I loved everything about her in this book. I wish Gurgi had a little more to do, and that Glew had far, far less. Fflewddur Fflam remains <b>the</b> unsung hero of this series -- the sacrifices he makes, the efforts he makes, his wisdom, etc., are all overshadowed by his comedic use. What he goes through moved me more this time through than any of the deaths. As an aside, the first time I saw a picture of Lloyd Alexander, I shouted -- Fflewddur! I don't know if it was intentional, or if I just had a strange imagination, but he looks exactly like a Fflam.

Oh, and there are many, many deaths -- mostly nameless soldiers on both sides, but there are quite a few named people, too. Some get great heroic moments, others are just named in a list of the fallen. I remember the first time I read this book being very upset by just one of them -- it was quite possibly the first time in my young life that anyone other than a dog, an ailing elderly person or a villain had died in a book I read. I still get sad when I read that particular one, but it doesn't get to me as much.

James Langton's performance here is consistent with what he's done for the last few books. If you liked him before, you'll like him now. If not . . .

I remember liking this more than I did, even just a few years ago when I read this with my kids. Still, a great way to wrap up this series -- Alexander ties up everything that needs tiring up, he rewards all the surviving characters in a fitting way and sends our heroes off on new adventures. There's still a bit of fun, a little adventure, and character growth throughout, with all things ending up just where they need to satisfy readers. It's really easy for adult-me to see where kid-me fell in love with the genre thanks to this series. Still, a fitting conclusion to this series -- which I still recommend for young and old (primarily the young).

The one question that's plagued Taran all his life is just who is he? Who is his family? Is there any chance at all that his family is some sort of nobility? This last question has taken on a new level of importance to him as he has realized that he's in love with a princess and can't do anything about it without that nobility.

Dallben can't answer the question for him -- but he allows Taran leave to go try to find the answer himself. I've never understood just how Taran can pull this off -- there's practically no birth records in Prydain (I can't imagine), it's not like he can get blood tests done -- and he doesn't really interview anyone, just meanders around.

Still, he visits various corners of the kingdom -- visiting friends old and new, dipping his toe in all sorts of trades and vocations. He renders aid, and gets aid. Fflewddur Fflam shows up and spends a good portion of the novel traveling with him (Gurgi remains a constant companion). There's a confrontation with a wizard, a regional armed conflict to try to settle, a mercenary band to deal with -- as well as other woes.

He learns a lot, he matures a lot, and maybe even gets a dose of wisdom. It's not your traditional fantasy novel by any sense, but it's a good one.

As for the audiobook? Everything I've said about the other books in the series -- Alexander's introduction and Langton's performance -- holds true for this one.

The most emotionally rich of the books, the most thoughtful -- particularly for those of the target age. Good, good stuff.

Taran is tasked with escorting Princess Eilonwy to the Isle of Mona, where she'll be taken in by distant relatives -- the king and queen, who will help her learn how to be a proper young lady (an idea she finds ridiculous). They sail there on a ship "captained" by the island's Prince Rhun.

Once they reach the island, Taran runs into Fflewddur Fflam, who's enjoying barding again -- even if the castle's steward, Magg, has an intense dislike of his music. Shortly after that, Taran discovers there's a threat to Eilonwy in the castle and tries to save her from it without letting her know she's in danger. That goes poorly and he joins the rescue effort instead (also led by Rhun -- or at least Rhun thinks so).

The companions also meet the world's littlest giant (why does that sound like it belongs more in The Phantom Tollbooth than here?) and a mountain cat that we'll get to spend a lot of time with. There's a lot of links to the first book as well as the last book in the series here.

The introduction by Alexander was great -- I wish I could hear more of his own takes on the books. Langton was solid. Again, I think he could talk a little faster -- but that's minor. His Prince Rhun's "Hullo"s are just what I've heard in my head all these decades.

This is probably the most entertaining of the lot -- there's some really good comedy here. Taran grows up a lot more here than he does in other books, I think, which adds something more than just entertainment to this book. It's possible that this is the one in the series I read the most as a kid. The story isn't as rich as I remember, but factoring in the growth in characters and the entertainment factor, the experience as a whole was pretty satisfying -- and I'll take that.