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The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (1951)
Author: C.S. Lewis
Genre: Fantasy
Point of View: 3rd Person
Pages: 190 pages
Age Recommendations: 8 and Up
Main Characters: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie, Prince Caspian, and Aslan.
Plot: While standing on a train station in 1941, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are magically whisked away to a beach near an old and ruined castle. They soon discover that the ruins are Cair Paravel, where they once ruled as the Kings and Queens of Narnia. Although only a year has passed in their world, 1300 years have passed in Narnia.
Trumpkin, a dwarf whom they rescue from drowning, tells them the sad tale: During their absence, a race of men called Telmarines has invaded Narnia, driving the Talking Beasts into the wilderness and pushing even their memory underground. Narnia now is ruled by King Miraz, a cruel despot.
Miraz is also a usurper, having killed his brother, King Caspian IX, to take the throne. His nephew, Prince Caspian, is initially ignorant of his uncle’s evil deeds, but learns the truth, and also learns about Old (pre-Telmarine) Narnia from Doctor Cornelius, his tutor. Miraz was childless and was thus willing for Caspian to be his heir, but when the Queen has a son, Cornelius warns Caspian that his life is now in danger. Caspian escapes and finds himself among the Talking Beasts. They accept him as the True King of Narnia and promise to help him regain this throne.
An army is assembled—although it is far short of the mighty armies that Narnia has been able to assemble in the past. Prince Caspian fights as best he can, but has been slowly losing to Miraz. Desperate for help, Caspian has blown Queen Susan’s horn—and it was that act that called the four children to Narnia.
Having heard the story, the true Kings and Queens of Narnia make their way to the battlefield. But the journey is long and hard, and the children lose their way. It is then that Lucy sees Aslan. Unfortunately, the others do not believe her. Their faith is tested, but in the end, Aslan leads them to Caspian. The forces of evil are defeated in a battle by Aslan’s table. Miraz is killed by Glozelle, one of his own men.
In the end, Aslan tells the Telmarines of their true origin, from the world of men, where their ancestors were pirates in the South Seas who fell through a gap between worlds. He allows the Telmarines a choice of staying on equal terms with the Old Narnians, or of returning to their now unpopulated island. Many go back, especially the older ones, and the children are sent back to the train station.
Theme: Never doubt that good will always prevail.
Impressions: "Now child," said Aslan, when they had left the trees behind them, "I will wait here. Go and wake the others and tell them to follow. If they will not, then you at least must follow me alone." This piece of dialogue is one of the reasons why Lewis is one of my favorite authors. In the span of three sentences in a children's book, Lewis captures the essence of Christ's universal call to be His disciples. Another amazing thing about Lewis (and another reason why he's a favorite author of mine)...is that the book grows progressively more spellbinding and instructive from that point in the story on. Prince Caspian is, like many of Lewis' books, a whole education crammed into a tiny little package--all told in a warm and humorous way. Get a copy today. Then read it. There is a lot to be learned from this book.