Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
Read: well…the longish explanation is below (HarperCollins, 256 pages, originally published in 1951)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (finished 8/29/10)
Synopsis: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensey, the heroes and heroines from The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, return in this fourth installment of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series. The four children are transported from an English train station to an island in the world of Narnia. Though Narnia has been at peace since the children left, it is now under the control of Wicked King Miraz. The youngsters, along with Aslan the great lion, must help young Prince Caspian restore Narnia’s glorious past.
Overall Impression: Apparently the order in which the Narnia books are read is a Really Big Deal to a lot of people. So, in order to frustrate as many people as possible, I’m reading them in No Particular Order. I started with the Magician’s Nephew, then read the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, skipped a few and went to Price Caspian, and then read the Silver Chair (review to come). Really what happened was I was reading them in order of the way they were numbered in my box set (which most of my friends said was the wrong order). Then my book club chose the Silver Chair…which meant that I had a few books in between to read. I got through Prince Caspian, ran out of time for Voyage of the Dawn Treader, spent a bit of time wondering where the Horse and His Boy fit in, and went straight to the Silver Chair.
OMG none of you care about that. Sorry.
ANYWAY, Prince Caspian probably should be renamed. The Prince doesn’t exactly have a starring role. He’s there, but most of the time he’s kind of wandering around in wonderment. The bulk of the book is left up to the four Pevensie kids, who must journey back to Narnia to help the Prince claim his rightful place on the throne of Narnia. The story is fairly simple, but it’s the different meanings on can glean about Christianity that make these books so special. Prince Caspian really focuses on struggles faced by modern-day Christians and how the relate to people who are skeptical of the faith, or who have lost their faith. Lucy plays a more central role, sometimes being the only one who can see and follow Aslan (the Christ figure), while the rest of the kids are too tired and stubborn to see him. All in all, it wasn’t my favorite Narnia book so far, but it does fit in well with the arcing narrative allegory that Lewis has created.
Pros: Lewis continues the Christian allegory of the entire Narnia series.
Cons: Felt like there could be a little more action and fewer apples.
Other books I’ve read by C.S. Lewis: The Magician’s Nephew, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Mere Christianity, and Till We Have Faces
Other blogger opinions: Book Journey
You probably read in the way the stories happen chronologically, but in the way they were published. I think that is another interesting way of reading :) Glad to know that you are enjoying the series.