The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

By Reviewer Pepper
Title: Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia)
Author: C.S. Lewis
Primary Audience/age group: 6 and up (Read to the younger ones)
Genre: juvenile fantasy
# Of pages: 195
Year of Release: 1951
Part of a Series? Yes, #4 of 7
Rating: 4 (View Scale)

Description: It’s back to school for the Pevensie children, or so they think, as they prepare to board the trains taking them back to the studies of Latin and Math. But as Peter, Susan, Edmond, and Lucy wait for the familiar whistle of the oncoming train, the distant sound of a magical horn breaks into their thoughts and calls them back to the world of Narnia. Suddenly, they are transported from the railway junction to a beautiful island, filled with the ruins of a castle.

After a little investigation and a whole lot of apple eating, the children realize they are standing among the ruins of their old home of Cair Paravel, and whereas only a year had passed in their world, over a thousand years had passed in Narnia. As they wonder why they’d been called back to Narnia, they rescue Trumpkin, the outspoken dwarf from some soldiers.

Trumpkin begins to unfold the tale of Prince Caspian, the rightful king of Narnia, who has run away from his kingdom for fear of his life. Since Caspian’s uncle, King Miraz, has taken rule of Narnia, no one is allowed to speak of the old days of Narnia when the animals spoke and the trees came to life, but now Caspian has discovered the ‘underground’ world of Old Narnia and wants to renew it. Miraz rules Narnia with a heavy hand of oppression and has every intention of killing Caspian so he can ensure the throne for himself and his son.

Unfortunately, Caspian’s rebellion sparks a great battle between the magical creatures of Old Narnia and the wicked, selfish Telmarine lords of New Narnia. When Caspian and his army are trapped within the caves near Aslan’s How (The Stone Table), Caspian pulls out his most precious possession, Susan’s horn and blows it, which is the reason Peter, Susan, Edmond, and Lucy were called.

With the knowledge of Caspian’s battle and the desire to save Old Narnia, it is up to the young kings and queens of Narnia to join Caspian in his battle against the great forces of evil men to decide who will rule Narnia and what sort of land Narnia will become. Centaurs, hedgehogs, giants, dwarves, dryads, squirrels, and beavers reenter the scene to fight. Along the way, the children must remember where true faith and strength lie and who they can trust. As in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Aslan comes right on time to provide the courage all the faithful warriors need and to ‘reawaken’ parts of Old Narnia to join in the battle.

Review: The book flows at a great pace, immediately pulling the reader into the story by the suspense of the first chapter. The reader is transported back to Narnia within the first TWO pages! The storyline moves and builds, leaving the reader wanting more. My children and I read it together, and although my 2 year old didn’t listen as well as my oldest three, he stayed close enough to ask questions like “You heard a lion?”

The struggles the children have are real and believable and I especially like the camaraderie among them that wasn’t shown in the first book – as if the first adventure in Narnia helped them mature, grow, and bound them together in some special way. The reader discovers new endearing characters, like the brave little mouse Reepicheep and the hilarious dwarf, Trumpkin – as well as new enemies, like King Miraz.

The magic of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe continues into this book, except the reader gets to be a part of watching Old Narnia ‘awake’ from its hundreds of years of slumber. I don’t want to give way to a spoiler, but instead of an evil White Witch on the bad side in The Lion….., there is a giant, water god on the good side in this book….read the book to discover more of the magic!!

Rating: 3 – there is some violence due to the fighting scenes, but the violence is not very explicit.

Positive: The children learn to work together to help others; they show courage and determination, as well as chivalry. There’s a lovely element of ‘family’ among the children that I mentioned in the review section. The character, Prince Caspian, is the person who grows the most throughout the story, changing from a young, inexperienced, curious, and frightened child to a brave, honorable, kind-hearted leader.

The reason this book has been around for 57 years is because it is a classic. It leaves plenty for the imagination, does not resort to obscenity or promiscuity, and brings to life a fantastic story for all ages.

Spiritual Elements: As in the other books, Aslan is portrayed as the ruler of all things and ‘waker of the trees’….so to speak, he brings Old Narnia back to life. In a sense, if we look deeply at this book, we can see how Lewis may have been trying to ‘revive’ the Church to stand and fight against the armies of evil….as Lewis scholar Michael Ward states, “restoration of the true religion after corruption”. As in all of The Chronicles, there is a constant battle between good and evil, and the purity of the former verses the corruptness of the later.

I think in this book, again using Lucy as the first one to ‘see’ the magic, Lewis was trying to encourage ‘child like’ faith again. Also there is an underlying theme of ‘standing up against evil’ no matter how young or old one is.

Violence: The battle scenes do portray some violence, especially the scene when one of King Miraz’s own soldiers helps kill him. Most of the descriptive of battle events are fairly broad.

Language: The language is definitely ‘G’ rated. The children use words like “Gosh” and “Bother” to express there frustration.

Sexual Content: none

Other: none

Recommendation: I highly recommend this book. Not only for the many reasons previously stated, but because it isa fantastic read. Lewis doesn’t go into deep descriptives about things, but I think that leaves so much more to the imagination. As unexpected, frightening, and unsettling as Narnia may be, I love to visit it. The characters all seem very real and believable; the storyline is interesting and exciting; and the morale is wholesome, positive, and real. The book has a happy ending, but almost bittersweet. One end leads to a new beginning, especially for Peter and Susan.