Cover of The High King

The High King

core novel 1968 The Chronicles of Prydain

Record

First published1968
Original language EN
Work typenovel
Canon statuscore
Reader rating4.25 (56,993 ratings, collected 2026-09-13)
Page count253
First-edition ISBN9780805080520
Internal chronology5

Synopsis

The High King, the concluding novel of the Chronicles of Prydain, opens only days after Taran's return home from his travels, as the dark lord Arawn's forces launch their most direct assault yet, seizing the magical sword Dyrnwyn from Prince Gwydion in the process. With this open act of war, Taran and his companions, including Eilonwy, Fflewddur Fflam, and Gurgi, work to rally the scattered kingdoms and peoples of Prydain into a single alliance capable of standing against Arawn's forces, the White Pig Hen Wen's earlier warnings taking on new urgency as the realm is pushed toward a final confrontation with the dark lord of Annuvin.

Where it sits

Awards (verified)

  • Newbery Medal, 1969: won

Notes

  • From the series record (The Chronicles of Prydain): First-edition publisher Holt, Rinehart and Winston (New York) for all 5 novels.

Neighbouring works

Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.

  • Reading order, within the series The Chronicles of Prydain: position 5 of 5: previous Taran Wanderer (1967)

Sources

← The Chronicles of Prydain dossier · All universes

Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.