The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen by Lloyd Alexander (1991)
Lloyd Alexander sure did love writing coming-of-age stories inspired by the world’s myths and folklore. He is, of course, best known for the Welsh-inspired Chronicles of Prydain. But decades after completing the Prydain books, Alexander also wrote The Iron Ring, which drew from Indian culture and mythology, and the Chinese-influenced Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen. When the young prince of Ch’ang-an volunteers to travel to the legendary kingdom of T’ien-kuo, he envisions a trip that will help him become a strong ruler. Naturally, his trip goes horribly awry, with all manner of unexpected delays and harrowing conflicts that force him to re-evaluate who he is as both a noble and a man. Much of my enjoyment with Prince Jen stems from the fact that I probably would’ve loved this book had I read it back in 4th or 5th grade. Alexander’s writing is often clever, striking a balance between youthful adventure and mature pathos, and weaving in moral instruction without seeming preachy. That said, the novel’s abrupt ending is disappointing. It feels like Alexander didn’t quite know what to do with all of his story’s elements, so he wrapped everything up as quickly as possible with the aid of some convenient coincidences.
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