The Iron Ring facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Lloyd Alexander |
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| Illustrator | Claudia Carlson (map) |
| Cover artist | Jane Ray |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy novel, Children's literature |
| Published | 1997 (Dutton) |
| Media type | Print (hardcover & paperback) |
| Pages | xv + 283 pp (first) |
| ISBN | 0-525-45597-3 (first edition, hard) |
The Iron Ring is an exciting fantasy novel written in 1997 by Lloyd Alexander. It tells the story of a young king named Tamar. He leaves his home, Sundari Palace, on a big adventure. This journey takes him through a land filled with both humans and talking animals. The story is inspired by ancient Indian myths and legends.
The book explores ideas like the caste system, which was a social structure in India. This system creates some of the challenges and conflicts in the story. Many of the names in the book also come from the Hindi language. Inside the book, you'll find a special note from the author, a list of characters and places, a map of the region, and a glossary to help you understand some of the unique words used.
Contents
The Story's Inspiration
In a special note at the beginning of the book, author Lloyd Alexander shares his inspiration. He explains that the myths and stories of ancient India always fascinated him. He studied them to learn more.
Alexander mentions a key idea from the book's glossary: Dharma. He calls Dharma the main "driving force" of the tale. The Iron Ring is not meant to be a perfect picture of India from thousands of years ago. It also doesn't just retell old Indian stories. Instead, it tries to capture the feeling, main ideas, and important themes found in Indian literature.
As a boy, Alexander loved myths from all over the world. He especially enjoyed the King Arthur stories and fairy tales. His publisher notes that many of his books are inspired by these world mythologies.
Plot Summary
The story of The Iron Ring is divided into 36 chapters. These chapters are grouped into four main parts.
Part II: In The Forest
King Tamar's group arrives in a city called Muktara. They plan to meet with King Bala in a special court meeting called a durbar. But they discover that a man named Nahusha is already there. Nahusha is a very unpleasant person who doesn't respect anyone.
There's almost a fight between Ashwara and Nahusha. Luckily, King Bala calms things down in the durbar. Nahusha then reveals that one of Hashkat's loyal people, Akka, has been captured. Akka is being cruelly held as a slave for Nahusha's entertainment. Finally, King Bala decides not to take sides in the conflict. He won't help Nahusha with soldiers, nor will he protect Ashwara.
Tamar and his friends leave the city very carefully. King Bala had warned them that Nahusha could only harm them outside Muktara. As they leave, a large talking elephant named Arvati charges towards them. Arvati is running away from her captors. Adi-Kavi, a wise character, comes up with a clever plan. He ties up Hashkat and covers him with mud. When the hunters arrive, Adi-Kavi pretends that the elephant was actually a scary demon called a rakshasa. He tricks the hunters into falling into a net trap. This saves them from the "false demon."
Part III: Ranapura
Part IV: Jaya
