Just as the others... BA DA BA BA BA.. IM LOVIN IT!! ( )

I really liked how this book had the same characters in it as The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I think that made it more enticing for me to read. I enjoyed the fact that in this world, the children had previously been Kings and Queens. I think that, if I were to read this to my class, it would be fun to have the kids make up a land where they ruled too. I think this is a great series to read aloud as a novel study because it has so much potential for the students to think critically and to get imaginative! ( )

It's been years since the Pevensie childen had been to Narnia, and when they get sweeped away while boarding a train, find themselves back in Narnia, though many, many years after their last visit.

Everything the know of Narnia has been changed, and the three find themselves in the midst of a war between the Telmarines, an invading race to Narnia.

They befriend dwarfs, badgers, a swashbuckling swordsmouse, and the rightful heir of the Telmarine dynasty, the titular character, Prince Caspian. Together they work to restore Caspian (the tenth Caspian of his dynasty) back to the throne in place of his usurping uncle Miraz.

While not as out-and-out EPIC as the Walden Media film made it seem, the book still has enough conflict and struggle to make it worth your Narnia-reading while. Recommended for fans of Lewis, especially those working through the Chronicles of Narnia. ( )

Better than the first Narnia book, great imaginative story, more content to please even grown-ups. The best part was the scheme of the two generals against Mizar, it was hilarious :) ( )

If one were to imagine C. S. Lewis’ seven Chronicles of Narnia as a large, rather dysfunctional group of relatives, I think Prince Caspian would be that difficult middle cousin nobody likes talking to—the black sheep of the family, if you will. Many fans consider it the worst of the series, while a sympathetic, defensive minority claims it as their favorite. Until the spring of 2008 I belonged to the former camp, but when I reread it during the excitement surrounding the release of the movie last year (a disappointment that I will try to gloss over) I realized what an incredibly powerful story it is. Now, reading it aloud to my younger sister, I find the magic is still there. Moreover, I cannot believe that I have read it and loved it for two years in a row!

At this point I should like to remind everyone that the book’s full title is actually Prince Caspian: The Return of Narnia. Why do I do this? Because I think it very important. The subtitle makes it clear that this is not only the story of a young Telmarine’s fight to overthrow his usurper uncle, but also of the Pevensies’ return to their former kingdom after thousands of years have passed in that world, but only one in their own. This duality is central to the tale, and gives the book its structure. Lewis interweaves his two plotlines, which eventually conjoin, in a series of blocks. First he devotes three chapters to the Pevensies as they try to discover together where they are after being called out of their world, then we get four chapters of Caspian’s story; after that there another three to four chapters showing the children’s journey to reach Caspian; finally, several more depict the simultaneous battle and romp by which Narnia is freed.

I have found that in discussing this book with other Narnia fans this indirect, non-linear construction is one of their primary complaints. It does not bother me much now, but I believe it was indeed one of the reasons that this Chronicle did not catch my imagination when I was younger. Another was the fact that there is relatively little action up until the “Sword and Sorcery” chapter about three-quarters of the way through. But this missing action frees up space for some simply superb character development. In this book one really begins to know the Pevensies as human beings. One sees Peter entering adulthood, Susan trying rather too hard to be an adult (isn’t it just like her, when they are all looking for food, to say that “it was a pity they had eaten the sandwiches so soon”?), Edmund beginning to atone for past wrongs, and Lucy growing in her relationship with Aslan. Indeed, her fan-named Walk of Faith is one of the book’s most beautiful and important passages, when she decides to follow Aslan through the forest even when the others cannot see them. Belief in times when doubt reigns supreme seems to be one of the book’s major themes, and one which differentiates it substantially from its predecessor The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which otherwise shares the same Narnia-saved-from-evil-rulers-by-Pevensies-and-Aslan formula. In a superstitious but atheistic society it is left to such simple creatures as the Prince’s nurse, a half-dwarf doctor, and a hideaway badger to stay true, hope, and remember.

My five-year-old sister says this is her favorite of the Narnia books that we’ve read so far (we just finished Voyage); maybe it’s my newfound enthusiasm pouring over. Though it is still not my favorite, I recommend giving it another try. You might see it with new eyes. ( )