If the way Taran accepts responsibility at last—choosing duty in Prydain over sailing away when the magic departs in The High King—moved you, you’ll love Aerin’s journey in The Hero and the Crown. Like Taran forging himself beyond lineage and prophecy, Aerin trains in obscurity, discovers kenet to face dragonfire, and claims the sword Gonturan before riding alone to slay the dread dragon Maur. Her quiet grit, missteps, and self-made courage echo the same clear, earned maturity you admired in Taran’s final choices.

If the sweeping push on Annuvin—the desperate stands, scattered companies, and the last confrontation as Gwydion bears Dyrnwyn to end Arawn—thrilled you in The High King, The Return of the King delivers that same grand crescendo. Aragorn’s march through the Paths of the Dead, the Rohirrim’s charge on the Pelennor, and the forlorn assault on the Black Gate mirror the vast, fate-turning maneuvers and bittersweet triumph that close Taran’s war for Prydain.

If you loved how The High King drives straight toward one necessity—recovering Dyrnwyn and striking at Annuvin—then Sabriel will grip you. Sabriel crosses the Wall with only her bells, Mogget’s unsettling help, and a narrow window to confront Kerrigor and rescue her father. The momentum, perilous border-crossings, and focused push to stop a death-haunted enemy will feel familiar after Taran’s relentless march to topple the Death-Lord.

If Prydain’s Welsh bedrock—Arawn of Annuvin, Gwydion’s wisdom, and names that echo the Mabinogion—enchanted you in The High King, try The Owl Service. In a secluded Welsh valley, Alison, Roger, and Gwyn stumble into the recurring legend of Blodeuwedd, unearthed through a mysterious set of plates. The story’s tight, uncanny reweaving of myth into living fate scratches the same itch as Prydain’s lore brought to life.

If the camaraderie in The High King—Fflewddur’s bluster, Gurgi’s brave loyalty, and Eilonwy’s sharp warmth beside Taran—won your heart, you’ll adore the makeshift household in Howl’s Moving Castle. Sophie (cursed by the Witch of the Waste), the slippery yet big-hearted Howl, and the fire demon Calcifer bicker, boast, and ultimately show up for one another. That same messy, affectionate bond becomes their greatest magic, just as fellowship does for Taran.