I had never heard of Lloyd Alexander until some friends mentioned him when my eldest was a baby. At the time, I had no time nor inclination to investigate. Once we began homeschooling, however, I noticed his Chronicles of Prydain on mensa-type reading lists, and I was curious. I read the first book and wrote a very short review of it here. Despite the brevity of my review, I appreciated the book enough to host a book club on it and to keep reading his work. This week, in between some harder books, I snuck in the delightful The Iron Ring. This one is wholly different from Prydain, and it was a joy to read. 

Alexander’s writing style is unique and really fun. He writes about so many different kinds of things with ease and grace. When describing this one to my family, I kept saying: “If Tonke Dragt and Rudyard Kipling wanted to write a hero’s tale inspired by The Lord of the Rings, I think that this is what we would get.”

I loathe comparing things to Tolkien. Because he is so magnificent, it seems that everyone wants to be “the next Tolkien.” In this case, however, I do not think that is what Alexander was attempting to do. I think Alexander shares Tolkien’s love of myth and hero stories, and he is able to channel that into something most worthy of our reading attention. 

“The dazzling mythology of ancient India has always delighted and fascinated me… India’s national epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, are profound, powerful masterpieces that rival the Iliad and the Arthurian legend. Admittedly, this mythology may seem alien, strange, even forbiddingly complex. As in any encounter with a different culture, what appears difficult or incomprehensible quickly grows familiar. The farther we journey through its rich landscape, the more we understand that what lies beneath the brilliant, exotic surface is, in essence, a world we recognize. The warrior’s code of honor, for example, is nearly identical with the knightly code of chivalry. Earth-shaking clashes between good and evil, courageous heroines and gallant heroes, steadfast love, daring rescues, loss and recovery, these are elements in our universal heritage of story” – from Lloyd Alexander’s Author’s Note in The Iron Ring

Tamar, a young king of the small Indian kingdom of Sundari, extends hospitality to a traveler who purports to be a great king of a powerful Indian kingdom nearby. As kings, each man is bound to his dharma and the warrior’s code, so when they enter into a dice game, each king knows that any promises he makes, he must keep. Jaya pushes Tamar to gamble vast amounts of wealth as the stakes of the game grow higher and higher. Tamar seeks to be a good king for his people and is miserable at the prospect of risking their security over his game of chance, and yet, he also feels bound to honor his guest and play the game out of hospitality. As the game goes on, Tamar wins obscene amounts of money and jewels from Jaya. Finally, the kings stake their very lives on the final throw. And, not surprisingly, Tamar loses and his life is forfeit. 

“I lost a wager. I still keep my honor.”

“Then obey dharma.” Jaya rose, taller than he had first appeared. “Hear me; understand me well. I will leave you now; I have other matters to deal with. But, from this moment, you are at my command. You will go to my palace in Mahapura and there make good on your debt. Vow to do so without fail.”

Tamar stood and looked squarely at Jaya. “You have my word as a king and kshatriya.”

“I accept it.” Jaya nodded. He gripped Tamar’s wrist in one hand with such strength that Tamar clenched his teeth to keep from crying out; and, with the other, set a ring of black iron on his finger.

The next morning, not one of Tamar’s servants or friends have any memory of Jaya or a dice game between the kings. They attempt to convince Tamar that it was all merely a dream. Tamar is tempted to believe them, except for the fact that there is a black iron ring on his finger that no one recognizes. And so, uncertain as to whether or not it was all just a dream, Tamar honors his dharma and obeys Jaya’s command to set out for the palace in Mahapura. And, that is where the story really begins. 

Tamar is accompanied by Rajaswami, his devoted teacher and advisor, and he leaves the kingdom in the hands of his trusted commander, Darshan. As Tamar journeys to Mahapura he is met with moral and physical challenges along the way. In each challenge, Tamar makes the honorable choice even when it means great sacrifice. He is not perfect and he struggles either physically or emotionally with many of the challenges. But, with each success, his little traveling party grows to add valuable allies. By the time Tamar arrives in Mahapura, he has lost nearly everything, and yet he has learned all that is necessary in order to do what must be done. It is impossible not to see echoes of Samwise and Frodo in this climb up and into Mount Doom. But, it is a fairy tale and in fairy tales, the dragon is usually vanquished. 

True to the author’s note, Alexander takes a powerful hero’s tale and flavors it with Indian mythology and culture. Many of the characters of this story are talking animals who live like the animals they are but who possess dynamic human-like souls. Drawing from the rich well of Indian folk tales, Alexander tells a story we know but in a way that leaves us wondering what will happen and how it will come about. 

This story is just plain good. It is a feast for the imagination and it is good for the soul. One of the great demons that Tamar fights is the injustice of the caste system. But, like all good epics, Tamar is the hero who will spend his life well in the service of undoing those prejudices and helping his people find a better way. 

Parents may wish to know that this story is firmly rooted in Indian storytelling. There are magicians, there is animal spirituality, and there are humans who have been turned into animals. I believe that this story is respectful of Indian fairy tale culture and should be approached with that mindset. 

The audio version of this book is marvelously well done. I am pleased to have this book in our library and available to middle-grade readers and beyond.