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Prince Caspian (1951)

by C. S. Lewis

Other authors: Pauline Baynes (Illustrator), Roger Hayne

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Chronicles of Narnia: Publication order (2), Chronicles of Narnia: Chronological (4)

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26,304235114 (3.86)234
Four children help Prince Caspian and his army of Talking Beasts to free Narnia from evil.
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English (216)  Spanish (5)  Italian (2)  Finnish (1)  Portuguese (Portugal) (1)  Swedish (1)  Dutch (1)  Portuguese (Brazil) (1)  All languages (228)
Showing 1-5 of 216 (next | show all)
More intriguing in its setup and resolution than the first, mostly because it radically adjusts the status quo of Narnia by fast-forwarding a 1000 years when the four kids return to it. The actual story between all this is just as frustrating to me as the first, however. It seems wholly disinterested in dramatics, which is a complaint that could be lobbied to parts of Tolkien's Middle-Earth series, but for a children's fairy tale I find it more necessary. We spend little time reacquainting ourselves with our main four when the story shifts to an extended backstory for the titular Prince Caspian, coming to the present adventure at about 100 pages in this edition where they connect and try to defeat the current temporary king Miraz. This action consists of the party walking around, hoping for some vague kind of help, and then ultimately receiving it from Aslan. Character agency seems not a concern. The duel between Peter and Miraz would be kind of exciting if it was written with some sense of suspense and drama, but again, it's kept at a distance for the most part. There's this side bit of treason going on with Miraz's right-hand men, but it's quickly brushed over to where it might as well not been in here. In summary--some more interesting bits inside of another tepid adventure. Not exactly.a page-turner given Lewis' approach to the story he's got here, but easy enough to finish. I hope for more abstract later entries, since he's not excellent at adventure or character so far. ( )
  bobbybslax | Feb 9, 2024 |
I know the most recent time I re-read this I struggled through it. Maybe because I listened to it this time it was easier and much more enjoyable. I love the growth of the characters and the descriptions. Reepicheep is one of my favorites. There is some gender role issues, but given the time period this was written. I can let that go.
  mlstweet | Feb 5, 2024 |
SPOILERS

Given that I’ve watched the films and that the adaptation of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” was almost identical to the book, I was a little surprised that this book was a bit different from the sequel film. the story is very much the same and the events as well, though in a different occurrence and Prince Caspian’s part and character was tweaked quite a bit (for the sake of the plot I suppose) but I wasn’t disappointed. I love this book and all of the new characters you meet. (Reepicheep has my heart) I do wish that we got to see Aslan’s time in the Beruna village on screen, that was one of my favorite moments in the book. ( )
  maddiefrank | Feb 5, 2024 |
the film miss out so much and adds a relationship that not even in the books. ( )
  Ann3alaya | Jan 7, 2024 |
Part two of my Great Narnia Reread. These books are interesting!

Caspian was never my favorite Narnia book as a child, and I can kinda see why. It's a fairly linear adventure story with a lot of tromping through the woods. Still, the opening rates as one of the most magical sequences in the series: the four Pevensie children finding themselves on a mysterious island and slowly arriving at the truth: they're exploring the ruins of their former castle.

If the first Narnia book is about redemption, Caspian is about restoration. The opening of Caspian's story parallels the Pevensies' in a pleasing way—as the children uncover the ruins of the past, Caspian gradually discovers that the Old Narnia is still very much alive. The rest of the book is pretty straightforward: the kids tromp across Narnia, there's a bit of a war, and the girls and Aslan team up with the forces of paganism to bring on a new age of libertarian anarchy. (There are MAENADS, y'all.) It's a nicely spun tale, and if it has a fault, it's that Miraz is a pretty boring villain and his defeat requires an eleventh-hour deus ex machina.

The gender stereotypes here are... not great at times. I was pretty appalled both by the scene where Peter walks into almost certain death with a quintessential, English public school, stiff upper lip, not even hugging his little brother goodbye, and Susan's overall role in the party as the Bitchy One. If I handed these books to a kid, I might want to followup with a conversation about gender roles in fiction.

But of course what I really want to talk about is Lucy and Aslan and theology. The long sequence where Aslan is visible only to Lucy is the reason I say these books are interesting.

Now, as a secular reader, if you take these chapters literally you will get nowhere—or rather, you will find yourself in the weeds, arguing about what it means to have faith in a God who seemingly withholds information, and that is nowhere anyone wants to be.

Instead, I invite the reader to approach this sequence as a parable about commitment to the truth. A while back it occurred to me that the famous quote about Lucy is actually a really good motto for the #MeToo movement. "You know she doesn't tell lies and it is obvious that she is not mad. For the moment then and unless any further evidence turns up, we must assume that she is telling the truth."

So yeah, I don't have much to say about lions who only appear if you believe hard enough (although this is a theme that Lewis explores more productively in Till We Have Faces). But if we stop worrying about Aslan's motivations and focus on Lucy, I think this becomes a really lovely parable about bravery and honoring the truth. Lucy knows something to be true, recognizes this knowledge is a call to action, and is afraid to do anything because her goddamn family won't believe her. I think this is a character arc we can all get behind.

What's more, read this way Lucy's siblings reactions become more legible—Edmund, who believes her but wants to follow the consensus of the group, Peter who listens to his head rather than his heart, and Susan, who knows in her heart that Lucy is telling the truth but just doesn't want to be inconvenienced.

I never in a million years thought I would stumble upon a close-reading of these chapters that redeems them, but there you go. #believeLucy ( )
1 vote raschneid | Dec 19, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 216 (next | show all)

» Add other authors (60 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Lewis, C. S.primary authorall editionsconfirmed
Baynes, PaulineIllustratorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Hayne, Rogersecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Baynes, PaulineIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Baynes, PaulineCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Dillon, DianeCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Dillon, LeoCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Georg, ThomasIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hammar, BirgittaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hane, RogerCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hämäläinen, KyllikkiTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lademann-Wildhagen, LenaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lavis, StephenCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Nielsen, CliffCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Redgrave, LynnNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Van Allsburg, ChrisCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Dedication
To
Mary Clare Havard
First words
Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, and it has been told in another book called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe how they had a remarkable adventure.
Quotations
"You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve," said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor in earth."
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Please do NOT combine "Prince Caspian" with "The Chronicles of Narnia"
Unabridged. Please do NOT combine with any abridged editions.
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Four children help Prince Caspian and his army of Talking Beasts to free Narnia from evil.

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Book description
Narnia... where animals talk... where trees walk... where a battle is about to begin.

A prince denied his rightful throne gathers an army in a desperate attempt to rid his land of a false King. But in the end, it is a battle of honor between two men alone that will decide the fate of the entire world.
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