Lloyd Alexander is widely regarded as a master of twentieth-century children's literature. He is best-known for his fantasy fiction and modern fables: imaginative and adventurous stories, often rooted in historical fact and legend, which explore universal themes such as good versus evil and the quest of individuals for self-identity. Among Alexander's best-known works are the five novels which comprise his "Prydain Chronicles"--culminating with The High King, which in 1969 received the prestigious Newbery Medal for children's literature. "At heart, the issues raised in a work of fantasy are those we face in real life," Alexander stated in his Newbery Award acceptance speech printed in Horn Book. "In whatever guise--our own daily nightmares of war, intolerance, inhumanity; or the struggles of an Assistant Pig-Keeper against the Lord of Death--the problems are agonizingly familiar. And an openness to compassion, love, and mercy is as essential to us here and now...