Full spoilers for the entire book below. Proceed with caution.
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Title: Prince Caspian
Author: C.S. Lewis
Publication Date: 1951 (novel), 2003 (audio)
Publisher: Harper Audio
Narrated By: Lynn Redgrave
Recording time: 4 hrs and 40 mins
THE PLOT
via wiki:
Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie are magically whisked away from a British railway station to a beach near an old and ruined castle. They determine the ruin is Cair Paravel, where they once ruled as the kings and queens of Narnia. They discover the treasure vault where Peter's sword and shield, Susan's bow and arrows, and Lucy's dagger and bottle of magical cordial are stored. Susan's horn for summoning help is missing, as she left it in the woods the day they returned to England after their prior visit to Narnia. Although only a year has passed in England, 1300 years have passed in Narnia.
The children rescue Trumpkin the dwarf from soldiers who are about to drown him. Trumpkin tells the children Narnia's history since their disappearance: Telmarines conquered Narnia, which is now ruled by King Miraz and his wife, Queen Prunaprismia. Miraz usurped the throne by killing his brother, King Caspian IX, the father of Prince Caspian. Miraz tolerated the rightful heir, Prince Caspian, until his own son was born. Caspian escaped from Miraz's castle with the aid of his tutor Doctor Cornelius, who schooled him in the lore of Old Narnia, and gave him Queen Susan's horn. Caspian fled into the forest but was knocked unconscious when his horse bolted. He awoke in the den of a talking badger, Trufflehunter, and two dwarfs, Nikabrik and Trumpkin, who accepted Caspian as their king.
The badger and dwarves took Caspian to meet many creatures of Old Narnia. During a midnight council, Doctor Cornelius arrived to warn them of the approach of King Miraz and his army; he urged them to flee to Aslan's How in the great woods near Cair Paravel. The Telmarines followed the Narnians to the How, and after several skirmishes the Narnians appeared close to defeat. At a second war council, they decided to wind Queen Susan's horn in the hopes that it would bring help.
Trumpkin and the Pevensies make their way to Caspian. The trek proves difficult, but Aslan appears to Lucy and instructs her to guide the others behind him. Aslan sends Peter, Edmund, and Trumpkin ahead to Aslan's How to deal with treachery brewing there, and follows with Susan and Lucy.
Peter, Edmund, and Trumpkin arrive and drive out or kill the creatures threatening Caspian. Peter challenges Miraz to single combat: the army of the victor in this duel would be considered the victor in the war. Miraz accepts the challenge, goaded by lords Glozelle and Sopespian. Miraz loses the combat, but Glozelle and Sopespian declare that the Narnians have cheated. The lords command the Telmarine army to attack, and in the commotion that follows, Glozelle stabs Miraz in the back. Aslan, accompanied by Lucy and Susan, summons the gods Bacchus and Silenus, and with their help brings the woods to life. The gods and awakened trees turn the tide of battle and send the Telmarines fleeing. Discovering themselves trapped at the Great River, where their bridge has been destroyed by Bacchus, the Telmarines surrender.
Aslan gives the Telmarines a choice of staying in Narnia under Caspian or returning to Earth, their original home. After one volunteer disappears through the magic door created by Aslan, the Pevensies go through to reassure the other Telmarines, though Peter and Susan reveal to Edmund and Lucy that they are too old to return to Narnia. The Pevensies find themselves back at the railway station.
My Review:
By publication date, Prince Caspian is the second book in Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia series, but by chronology it is book four. I am electing to read the series in its publication order, and in that sense, Prince Caspian is easy to follow. If Lewis is hiding veiled references to the prequel books, they are not so numerous that I felt as though I was missing anything at all.
Lynn Redgrave was an excellent audiobook narrator, so much so that I might now go out of my way to see what other books she has narrated and listen. The audio quality was excellent for the reading portions of the story, though some of the musical interludes, between story sections, could stand to be cleaned up or redone.
This book is definitely written for children. It is short, clear, light, and fun, though it does deal with some weighty thematic issues. While the first book was an allegory regarding the death and resurrection of Jesus, this story is a bit more universally accessible. Instead of an evil Witch, usurping Aslan's throne, we have an evil human usurping the throne of Prince Caspian (or the empty thrones left by Peter and the other children, if you want to view it that way.) We learn along the way that Prince Caspian comes from a line of people who were themselves usurpers of Narnia. The young Caspian is now the rightful King, though, due to his good heart and his lineage as a "son of Adam" whereas his evil uncle Miraz is a usurper - both for his evil deeds in obtaining his rule and for his lack of approval to rule from Aslan.
Tonally, Prince Caspian is a little more mature, and less of a fairy tale, than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, however, the subject matter of the story is less intense. There is no moment in Prince Caspian as difficult as the death of Aslan scene from the previous book. To that extent, Prince Caspian feels much like it is a world wherein the important victory is already won, but the day to day must still be dealt with. However, there is battle, cruelty, and more in-fighting among the humans and the Narnians. Narnia felt like a more grounded place in the sequel, even while its story - though serious - was less frightful.
My favorite new character in the sequel book is the brave and valiant fighting-mouse, Reepicheep. He speaks confidently throughout of Aslan's return, he is fierce and good, and his miraculous healing from his injuries, late in the book, is among the best moments of the Narnia series.
There are several great lines in the book, and I'll share some of my favorites below:
"That's the worst of girls," said Edmund to Peter and the Dwarf. "They never can carry a map in their heads."
"That's because our heads have something inside them," said Lucy."
"Wouldn't it be dreadful if some day in our own world, at home, men start going wild inside, like the animals here, and still look like men, so that you'd never know which were which."
"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 on earth. Be content."
I recommend giving Prince Caspian a read, if you have not done so already. It is a more than worthy sequel to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. As the book ended, I could not help but feel that my stay in Narnia this time felt too short. I hope that the magic of Narnia does not take too long to pull me back in, because I look forward to visiting the next book in the series.
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