Prince Caspian (1951)
by C. S. Lewis
Second written, fourth in Narnian chronology.
In Prince Caspian, the four children from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe are magically called back into Narnia on another adventure. Although only a year has passed in England, centuries have passed in Narnian time. Everyone they knew is long gone, and nothing looks the same. The country of Talking Beasts, centaurs, fauns, and other mythical and magical creatures is now in the hands of men. The children have been called back to establish the rule of the young Prince Caspian X, the rightful ruler of Narnia. Narnia is currently being ruled by Caspian’s evil uncle, Miraz, who is trying to destroy all of “Old Narnia” – the magical, mythical creatures and Talking Beasts and anyone sympathetic to their cause. Caspian and his rogue army are certainly the underdogs, but with the help of the children and Aslan, Narnia can be restored to its former peace and glory.
This is another book that Disney ruined. According to Lewis, Caspian was about 13 years old, blond, and never had any problems with Peter Pevensie, the oldest of the children. That’s not at all how it was portrayed by the filmmakers, and that made me mad. Prince Caspian was never one of my favorite chronicles (the favorite changes every once and awhile), but it does introduce some of the best characters within the whole series. Like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, one can find biblical allusions in Prince Caspian, but they are much more subdued. I believe that with this book, Lewis is developing Narnia in his own mind re: the nature of its inhabitants and its history in relation to the rest of its world. The story is a fairly straightforward fantasy with a culminating battle in good vs. evil. I believe it is the supporting cast of Narnians (like Reepicheep the Talking Mouse) that makes this book worth the read. That, and the rest of the series would be a bit difficult to understand without it.
Image taken from http://www.amazon.com/
Tags: book review, c.s. lewis, children's books, fantasy, kings, narnia, princes, war
May 22, 2011 at 9:06 pm |
[...] this book reminds me of other things I’ve read. The plot reminded me of C. S. Lewis’ Prince Caspian, where a ragtag band of rebels has to fight for a usurped throne. There’s a character who [...]