One of the central themes of the Chronicles introduced in this work is the search for identity. Taran, the protagonist, is a lowly farm hand and a foundling, with no knowledge of his parents. His adventures throughout the series concern his attempts to discover the identity of his parentage, and thereby of himself. Taran's growing-up leads to self-discovery but in surprising ways, as he eventually comes to learn that authentic identity is not at all a matter of descent. A major theme closely related to the quest for identity is the nature of heroism. The boy Taran equates heroism with bold deeds on the field of battle and would gladly abandon his pig-keeping chores in favor of wielding a sword against an enemy. When Hen Wen, the oracular pig in his care, suddenly disappears, however, he immediately races off in search of her without even recognizing that his...