If I weren't already married...

[saeriellyn]

...I would totally propose to this guy.

He's written a full treatise on why The Prydain Chronicles beat Harry Potter, which you can see here.Be warned, Potterfans: he is not at all kind to Harry; some of his accusations are unfair and not quite accurate, and as this was written before Book 6, some of his points no longer hold up. Still, anyone who

Comments

[deliriumdriver]

I agree that Smoit should have been paired with Hagrid. I think Mr. Weasley is the character who best corresponds to Fflewddur-- they're the nice guys who don't seem like tough stuff until they're put in a tight spot. But I think it would be a draw, because they'd just become good pals; though if they were provoked into fighting, Fflewddur would totally win. (And, unsurprisingly, I was offended when he said that Fflewddur was more trouble than he's worth.)

I thought everything he said about Prydain was true, but I do think that, especially in the earlier points, he didn't give Potter quite enough credit (almost, but not quite). For example, I wouldn't call the Weasleys or McGonogall or Remus Lupin incompetent (Mr. Weasley is highly eccentric, which makes him seem goofy, but I've been around academia enough by now to realize that that's a condition found in many real-life adults). I also think the issue of class is a lot more convoluted to Brits than to Americans, because it's something that's still very embedded in their culture in spite of an ever-growing number of people who despise it. (This is not to say that I disagree with the point that Harry gets a lot of attention without earning it, because I don't.)

Overall though, great treatise. And I think my favorite smackdowns were Draco/Dorath (That said, Dorath slits Malfoy’s throat, searches his body for loot, curses when he finds nothing but a worthless stick of wood, and runs off into the night. *dies laughing*) and the Weasleys/Rhun's Parents (the Weasleys are two of my very favorite HP characters). Also, I loved the added touch of Taran's and Eilonwy's reactions to the Harry/Taran one!