This work introduces several social concerns which remain central throughout the series. Especially significant is the notion of social equality.

The greatness of the individual has nothing to do with parentage, family, or social class. The protagonist is Taran, a lowly foundling who is an Assistant Pig-Keeper with dreams of becoming a renowned hero. That he indeed eventually becomes king is entirely a matter of his own personal qualities, not of social standing or even of education. Like the boy Arthur, he is raised by a wizard, but unlike Merlin, Dollben does not teach Taran to become a king.

Ecology is also a concern in this novel, where the threats of the evil Arawn are represented in his abuses of the environment. In contrast to this destructive god of the underworld is the depiction of the gentle Medwyn, who lives in a beautiful prelapsarian valley, in...