The Black Cauldron vs The Castle of Llyr: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Taran, Prydain, Courage, Good and evil, Fairy Tales, Magic
The Black Cauldron
Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper of Prydain, faces even more dangers as he seeks the magical Black Cauldron, the chief implement of the evil powers of Arawn, lord of the Land of Death.
vs
The Castle of Llyr
“Eilonwy of the red-gold hair, the Princess Eilonwy Daughter of Angharad Daughter of Regat of the Royal House of Llyr, was leaving Caer Dallben.”
When Princess Eilonwy is sent to the Isle of Mona for training, she is bewitched by the evil enchantress Achren, so Taran and other friends must try to rescue her.
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Black Cauldron has the widest readership — 67784 ratings behind its score.
- The Black Cauldron reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 20 times.
- The Castle of Llyr runs the darker storyline; The Black Cauldron stays the lighter read.
How to choose
New to the genre?
The Castle of Llyr
Light vs Moderate for The Black Cauldron
In the mood for something dark?
The Castle of Llyr
a darker storyline than The Black Cauldron
Want something lighter?
The Black Cauldron
an easier tone than The Castle of Llyr
Want the literary heavyweight?
The Black Cauldron
cited 20 times vs 10 for The Castle of Llyr
Scores by source
| The Black Cauldron | The Castle of Llyr | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.1 (67784) | — |
| Hardcover | 4.1 (146) | 3.9 (98) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (84) | 4.5 (51) |
Reception
| The Black Cauldron | The Castle of Llyr | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 67784 | 98 |
| Editions | 60 | 48 |
| Citations | 20 | 10 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 20961 | — |
| Reading it now | 612 | — |
| Written reviews | 2339 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 2663 | 724 |
| Pages | 222 | 210 |