Lloyd Alexander

In the first book of the chronicles of Prydain, Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper at Caer Dallben, searches for the oracular pig Hen Wen while the forces of evil gather.

Taran is an Assistant Pig-Keeper no longer he has become a hero. Now he dreams of winning the hand of Princess Eilonwy, but how can someone who has spent his whole life caring for a pig hope to marry royalty? Eager to learn his origins and hoping to discover noble roots, Taran sets off with the faithful Gurgi. The journey takes the companions to the three witches in the Marshes of Morva and through the many realms of Prydain. At last they reach the...

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.

A carpenter in the West African country of Cameroon goes to a fortune teller and finds the predictions about his future coming true in an unusual way.

Naive and bumbling Carlo, his shady camel-puller Baksheesh, and Shira, a girl determined to return home, follow a treasure map through the deserts and cities of the infamous Golden Road, as mysterious strangers try in vain to point them toward real treasures.

Driven by his sense of "dharma," or honor, young King Tamar sets off on a perilous journey, with a significance greater than he can imagine, during which he meets talking animals, villainous and noble kings, demons, and the love of his life.

A boy fleeing from criminal charges falls in with a charlatan, his dwarf attendant, and an urchin girl, travels with them about the kingdom of Westmark, and ultimately arrives at the palace where the king is grieving over the loss of his daughter.

When he begins dealing with humanity, Lionel the cat begins to understand why his wizard master was reluctant to change him into a man.

The Chronicles of Prydain, Books 1 & 2:
Book 1: The Book of Three:
Taran, The Assistant Pig-Keeper, longs to be a hero.
He begins his journey with a strange assortment of companions on a dangerous mission to save his beloved land, Prydain.  Packed with action, humor, romance, and gallantry, Taran's adventures chronicle his beloved Prydain and his battle with the forces of evil. 
Book 2: The Black...

To escape the wrath of the king and his wicked soothsayers, an honest young man joins with a poet-turned-jackass and a young girl with mystical powers on a series of epic adventures.