Goodreads | Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 4)

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Prince Caspian the movie	2	11	07/15/2008 08:18PM
nice sequal, man.	3	21	07/15/2008 05:06PM

Phayvanh rated it:

(review of isbn 0020442408)

05/06/08

bookshelves: 2008, fiction, reviews

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in May, 2008

recommended to Phayvanh by: anticipating the movie
recommends it for: readers of the series (kids)

Anticipating this summer's movie version, I decided last week that I was going to read this before seeing the film. So my boyfriend bought me a $2 used copy at the local bookstore.

And though I stayed up well through the night reading the entire book in one gulp, it was not because of the usual seductive traps: lyricism ( Ahab's Wife), dramatic passions ( Jane Eyre) or grip...more

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Chris rated it:

(review of isbn 0006716644)

02/09/08

bookshelves: fantasy

Read in March, 2006

And now the publication order is starting to make more sense.

This book takes place roughly one year after the events in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The Peverly kids have been away from Narnia for a while, and now Narnia wants them back. In what appears at first to be sloppy storytelling, but makes sense later, the kids are almost literally sucked off a train platform back into their old fantasy la...more And now the publication order is starting to make more sense.

This book takes place roughly one year after the events in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The Peverly kids have been away from Narnia for a while, and now Narnia wants them back. In what appears at first to be sloppy storytelling, but makes sense later, the kids are almost literally sucked off a train platform back into their old fantasy land. How and why this should be, they do not know. What they soon realize, though, is that for the year that passed in their world, thousands had passed in Narnia. Their great kingdom was overrun by trees and ivy, the treasures of Cair Paravel were covered in dust, and the once-famous names of High King Peter, Queen Susan, Kind Edmund and Queen Lucy had passed into the obscurity of legend.

A new power was ruling Narnia now, from across the sea, and it brought suspicion, fear and superstition with it. The true king of these people, these Telmarines, is a boy named Caspian the Tenth, though he only goes by the title of Prince. His uncle Miraz holds the throne, with every intention of seeing young Caspian dead. The boy's only chance for survival lies with the magical creatures of Narnia and its legendary kings and queens, the very ones he had been beaten out of believing.

There's a lot of people who read things into C.S. Lewis' works, and to be fair, I think Lewis knew what he was doing when he wrote them. A big reason his stories have survived as long as they have is their multi-layered complexity. A recurring theme of the Narnia books is, of course, that of the Savior. Aslan as a Jesus substitute is a well known example. In this book, Caspian becomes the savior of Narnia, but he in turn needs to be saved by Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. I'm not quite sure what the message might be just yet.

Lots of people have co-opted Narnia as a Christian allegory, at least in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but for the rest of it, I'm not convinced. Aslan encourages people to save themselves throughout the books. Except for putting himself in Edmund's place at the Stone Table, he consistently tries to get people to live up to their own potential and to use the talents and abilities that he knows they have. It doesn't quite mesh with the "give your life to Jesus" message that I am familiar with, unless Lewis was working with a different perspective on Christianity. Besides, it's very clearly spelled out that Narnia is only really complete when it is ruled by Sons of Adam and/or Daughters of Eve. Evoking Adam and Eve, the committers of Original Sin, from which Jesus apparently tried to save all of us, is an interesting move. It suggests a certain embracing of humanity's flaws, rather than a blanket condemnation of them, a point of view for which Christianity - indeed most major religions - is not famous.

I don't know, it's getting late and by this point I'm pretty much just writing whatever comes into my head. Plus, I have a Sims game going and I'm waiting rather impatiently for a pair of my Progenitor Sims to die of old age.

Anyway, Aslan usually consents to be the Savior of last resort. Whenever people or Beasts can save themselves without his intervention, he seems happy. If he has to nudge them from time to time, though, so be it.......less

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Shawslayer rated it:

(review of isbn 000720230X)

12/16/07

Read in September, 2007

Prince Caspian
By C.S. Lewis

The four children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, are waiting on the railroad when all of a sudden magic pulls them in to Narnia. The magic is from a distress call that Prince Caspian blew from Susan’s magic horn. More than a thousand years have passed...more Prince Caspian
By C.S. Lewis

The four children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, are waiting on the railroad when all of a sudden magic pulls them in to Narnia. The magic is from a distress call that Prince Caspian blew from Susan’s magic horn. More than a thousand years have passed since they have been gone. Now it’s up to them to save Narnia. As you can see, the genre of this book is fiction. The setting is in Narnia and time goes by more quickly than in our world. As I told you before Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, are the main characters, but Caspian is not. Caspian is the hero at some time but is not in the plot. The author is telling the story because the characters don’t say “I”. Anyway the theme of the story is that to never to give up hope and keep believing something good will happens. There are times in the story when they didn’t believe help was coming. But few did believe High King Peter, Queen Susan, King Edmund and Queen Lucy were coming and they did. The reason of summoning Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy is because Narnia was falling apart. The Telmar people were now in control of Narnia instead of old magic. You’ll know what I mean by old magic if you have read the book. I can’t explain what old magic is.
The author wrote this book because she wanted us to learn something from it. Like I said previously it is about not giving up. The author did achieve to let me see the true meaning of the story. Lewis used characters to help you understand the story. Many were giving up hope. Since they gave up hope the creatures wanted to resurrect the White Witch from the second book. The creatures were killed by Peter for what they were about to do. You will find it easily IF you are in middle school or higher, so can elementary students. But it will take time for them to know what the over all theme is. This book was the best book in the series of Chronicles of Narnia. I recommend this to all Narnia fans. I also recommend it to the people that haven’t read the book. ...less

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John rated it:

(review of isbn 000720230X)

05/18/08

Read in May, 2008

recommends it for: Children's Fantasy fans

Despite constantly hearing that this is about theological issues, after two books Lewis’ series seems to me to be about escapism for children. In that respect, this book has one truly genius moment: someone blows an enchanted horn in the mythical world of Narnia, a horn whose magic is supposed to bring help to save the world, and the spell brings children from the real world. The wonder of fantasy comes from the minds of real life, our values should define it, and especially in a book written ...more Despite constantly hearing that this is about theological issues, after two books Lewis’ series seems to me to be about escapism for children. In that respect, this book has one truly genius moment: someone blows an enchanted horn in the mythical world of Narnia, a horn whose magic is supposed to bring help to save the world, and the spell brings children from the real world. The wonder of fantasy comes from the minds of real life, our values should define it, and especially in a book written to entertain children, they are more important than satyrs and wicked witches.

That’s the heart of this book, and it’s admirable. But a heart doesn’t make up an entire body, and this book has some skeletal issues. The kids are sucked into Narnia and have some painfully blunt discussions that are neither realistic nor entertaining (the dialogue in which they realize time has passed differently in Narnia than on earth is so slow and inhumanly rational that it hurts to read), before sitting down to hear the story of brave Prince Caspian – an oral story in the past tense, exposition that lasts for damn near half of the book. Then the kids get back up and participate in his conflict. This makes the story amazingly lopsided, not like two acts of a play, but two acts from different plays that bang into each other. Neither is bad and both have their entertaining stretches, but they don’t compliment each other well in a book that so clearly relies on a plot that needed to be executed fluidly. The climactic duel is also forced given that the characters with book-long grievances weren’t necessarily those involved, and because we don’t actually see the fight – the latter being a similar problem to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, but it’s forgivable because this series was invented to help children escape the horrors of war. Expediting and glossing over the violence makes sense in that context, even if the movies seem to have gone in the completely opposite direction. I guess that’s why I read the book this weekend instead of seeing the movie.

Finally, it’s not Lewis’ fault (or at least not exclusively his fault), but the chapter index features titles that spoil a bunch of the fun before you’ve even started reading. A little more ambiguity would have been appreciated.
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Morgan rated it:

(review of isbn 000720230X)

05/22/08

bookshelves: magical-fiction

Read in May, 2008

recommends it for: everyone

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Prince Caspian, certainly one of my favorites of the whole Narnia series. I would actually rank it as my second favorite, following 'The Last Battle'. I hadn't read the series since the last movie came out back in, what, 2004? I decided it was time to visit my favorite magical land again.

My goal was to finish this book before I saw the movie, which was easy enough. These books are so small, they don't take long to fly through. However, I have now seen the movie, so this review may be bi...more Prince Caspian, certainly one of my favorites of the whole Narnia series. I would actually rank it as my second favorite, following 'The Last Battle'. I hadn't read the series since the last movie came out back in, what, 2004? I decided it was time to visit my favorite magical land again.

My goal was to finish this book before I saw the movie, which was easy enough. These books are so small, they don't take long to fly through. However, I have now seen the movie, so this review may be biased, or false, but I'll try my best to be accurate.

Prince Caspian (the tenth) is in line to be King of Narnia. However, as the story starts he is only a young boy and no where ready to rule. Lucky for him (har har) his Uncle Miraz is 'watching' over the throne for him until that fateful day when he can claim it. Prince Caspian is thrown a curve ball one day when Miraz' wife bears him a son. Prince Caspian runs for his life, knowing full well that a son only means death for him. As he escapes, he comes upon 'Old Narnia', or the lovely Narnia we know from 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'. This world was completly unknown to the Telemarines (the race from which Caspian descends) and was supposed to be extinct. But it is far from extinct, and all of Old Narnia begins to gather to do battle to reclaim their land. Of course, the story wouldn't be complete without the Pensieve children dropping in and becoming the Kings and Queens of Narnia they once were.

I really love this book. No other book gives me that truly magical sense of what Narnia is; the trees, the driads and nyiads, the fauns and centaurs, all the talking animals. To me, heaven will be somewhat like that magical, joyful world of Narnia. Now, the book moves slower than the movie, but not slowly. I'm glad they 'updated' the movie, and made it a bit more action packed, because it gave you the sense of urgency you needed to feel. The book doesn't do that, but it doesn't need to. I give the book 5 stars. I also give the movie 5 stars. However, the movie is only about 50% of an accurate depiction of the book. But it follows the essense, and for that, I'm happy. Go read the book. Then go see the movie.

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Callista rated it:

(review of isbn 000720230X)

06/19/08

Ah, C. S. Lewis. No matter what's going on in my life, no matter what other books I have lined up to read, I know that I can return to C. S. Lewis and he'll deliver an absolutely stunning, beautiful story that just sucks you in from beginning to end. I have already read his series, but it's always a comfort to go back to it. And since I watched the movie a few Saturdays back, I decided why not read Prince Caspian again?

Probably the best part of reading this book again was because I had forgo...more Ah, C. S. Lewis. No matter what's going on in my life, no matter what other books I have lined up to read, I know that I can return to C. S. Lewis and he'll deliver an absolutely stunning, beautiful story that just sucks you in from beginning to end. I have already read his series, but it's always a comfort to go back to it. And since I watched the movie a few Saturdays back, I decided why not read Prince Caspian again?

Probably the best part of reading this book again was because I had forgotten how things exactly ended up. I mean, I remembered the basic gist of it, but the way they got there was a bit fuzzy. So this reread allowed me to get reacquainted with Narnia a bit more than I had been.

And I'd forgotten how much I loved it. The Pevensies are so awesome, and I think I liked it best when they were all together, instead of it only being Lucy or Edmund or all of them without Susan. To me, having them all together was when I liked them best—not that I didn't like the others in the next few books, of course. Lucy still remains my favorite Pevensie, and I'm glad that she's been in all of the books featuring at least one of the Pevensies.

Hmm. There's not much more to say—most likely all of you have read the series, so I don't really have to get into the events too much. All I can say is that this book is mostly for comfort and for thinking—even though the writing is meant for younger readers, I can look into it and see Lewis' Christian influences in writing this book. Also, is it bad if I see the actor who plays Prince Caspian in my head whenever I think of Caspian now? (I hope not, because that actor is the only one that I would actually call "eye-candy." Unless we're talking about Edmund. Is it only me, or is he cute too?)

So, great series, great book, and I may end up reading the rest of them over the summer sometime. They're not that hard to get into it and not that hard to finish, so reading them all won't be anything similar to a chore, and now that I'm a stronger Christian than the last time I read them all through, I think I can get more out of them. :)...less

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Leah rated it:

(review of isbn 000720230X)

08/30/08

Read in August, 2008

recommends it for: it must be read for the sake of the series-trudge through.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

This book was probably my least favorite of the Chronicles. One of my first mistakes was most likely not re-reading the books before I saw the movies. While I still love "the lion the witch and the wardrobe", "Prince Caspian" was sadly disappointing.

My first problem with the book is that a big chunk of it is just telling Caspian's story. I was ready to get on with the action that the movie promised me. Little did I know that Andrew Adamson adjusted the book greatly for t...more This book was probably my least favorite of the Chronicles. One of my first mistakes was most likely not re-reading the books before I saw the movies. While I still love "the lion the witch and the wardrobe", "Prince Caspian" was sadly disappointing.

My first problem with the book is that a big chunk of it is just telling Caspian's story. I was ready to get on with the action that the movie promised me. Little did I know that Andrew Adamson adjusted the book greatly for the big screen. Which of course was inevitable. But I was very much waiting for them to come out of the woods meet with Caspian and get to the business of getting rid of Miraz. Unfortunatly It was mostly about them wandering through the woods. The celebration at the end also felt more like an acid trip to me.

I have to say (that while quite rare) this was definitely a case of the movie being better than the book (in my opinion of course). I found that Adamson's character development is also something I love, being that Lewis isn't great at it. Obviously the children would be struggling with these experiences, their feelings about them-and with the other characters in the book. [None of this being in the book:] I especially liked the idea that Peter and Caspian would have some friction. Two alpha males finding it hard to work together. Another thing I loved was Lucy's struggle of not seeking Aslan on her own. Edmund's tone the entire movie as if he were trying to make up past mistakes by knowing and doing the right thing with conviction. And lastly Peter's moment with the white witch. "You know you can't do this on your own." Because this is something we all struggle with.

A couple of things I wish Adamson hadn't done is 1. Made a love match with Susan and Caspian. 2. Made Susan so darn likable in the movie-as in the book she's horrid. (for important reasons later on in the series.)

I'm hoping "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" will be an incredible movie because that book along with "Magician's Nephew" are my favorites of the series.

Anyway I think "Prince Caspian" was incredibly lacking. ...less

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k8lane rated it:

(review of isbn 0006716792)

05/23/07

I grew up on the Narnia books, and -- somewhat amazingly, considering the level of theological discourse in my house -- had no idea about the religious subtext. The books are better when read without the subtext (though, is it possible to do so now that the subtext has become mainstream knowledge?)-- to me, they were marvellous adventure stories.

I'm a firm advocate of reading them in published order rather than in "chronological" order. Douglas Gresham be damned, there is n...more

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Borsi rated it:

(review of isbn 000720230X)

04/12/08

recommended to Borsi by: My brother Pablo
recommends it for: Lexy Leon

Prince Caspian
C.S Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia)
This book is a new series of the Chronicles of Narnia. An adventure that will but never end.. A book that makes you want to read and read because of only one reason its catchy vocabulary. C.S Lewis doesn’t use and ordinary vocabulary he uses a mid-evil times vocabulary. An old British and polite vocabulary. Like in the book when they “suns of eve and Adam.” (Lewis 92).All this words give you a p...more

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Holly rated it:

(review of isbn 000720230X)

08/11/08

bookshelves: children-youth

Read in August, 2008

I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I've never read the Chronicles of Narnia before. How did that happen? I have an English degree! I've always meant to correct this literary deficit, but never have managed to do so.

After we saw the Prince Caspian movie, my son was insistent on us reading the book. He wanted me to read it first, because he knew I would read it faster than he would. So, I did.

I enjoyed it, although it was somewhat anti-climactic for me. I love the Pevensie children. ...more

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Evan rated it:

(review of isbn 0064405001)

07/20/08

Read in July, 2008

After reading Prince Caspian, my only thought was that when I was younger, I must have read them out of order. I remember reading what I believe to be the Silver Chair second, and then moving on to the Voyage of the Dawn Treader-- which if I remember correctly I never made it through and so never read the rest of the books. I have no memory of the story or any of the characters from Prince Caspian.

Caspian as the second book brings more logic to the books than I ever recall them having, and...more

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josey rated it:

(review of isbn 000720230X)

07/11/08

bookshelves: juvenile-fiction

Read in September, 2006

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Prince Caspian is one of my favorites in The Chronicles of Narnia series. Queen Susan, Queen Lucy, King Edmund and King Peter are summoned back into Narnia when Caspian blows Queen Susan's (lost) horn. When they discover they are at the ruins of what was once their home, Cair Paravel, they know they are there for a special reason, and the story backtracks, in a sense, as Trumpkin (a dwarf they meet on the island) tells them his story and involvement with Prince (King!) Caspian. ...more

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Cynthia rated it:

(review of isbn 000720230X)

11/25/07

Read in September, 2007

Prince Caspian is an good book and the 4th of the Narnia series. It is a boy called Caspian (prince Caspian) who dreams of finding old Narnia (his nurse told him about old Narnia) but this uncle king Miraz (Caspian's dad is died) gets made when he hears this and fires Caspian nurse and gets Caspian a tutor: Dr.Cornilius who is very old short and chubby man and also the most interesting person Caspian has ever met. One day Dr.Cornilius wakes up Caspian and he tells him about Narnia and how his Un...more

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Lawanen rated it:

(review of isbn 000720230X)

06/17/08

I've been hearing about the Narnia chronicles and how it is constantly compared with the Harry Potter series but non the less, I wish they would never make a movie of such books. The movies does not bring justice to the books. And I hate it when the story becomes common and the magic of that idea that there only a few who knows the stories about Narnia or the magic behind Harry Potter. But anyhow, the "mass" (I refer this word to those individuals whom are not book enthusias...more

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Rebecita rated it:

(review of isbn 000720230X)

08/11/08

bookshelves: reread, young-adult

Read in August, 2008

Picking apples last week made me think of the beginning of this book, where they pick apples in the overgrown orchards of Cair Paravel and realize that once upon a time they had planted the first trees themselves. Somehow I ended up rereading the whole thing and I wish I had quit while I was ahead. The setup is so intriguing... finding yourself thrust back into a life you'd left behind, but hundreds of years into the future. But this mystery is quickly resolved and everything hence feels ploddin...more

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Izzy rated it:

(review of isbn 000720230X)

05/26/08

I recently re-read this, and I will admit, though my mother saw the point in this and i agree (you can formulate your own opinion), there is an awful lot of aimless wandering. It's a pretty sparse book in terms of plot. Sure, I agree with the want to make a point. But a point being made doesn't make a book mainly about walking any more fun to read, especially if it takes nearly an entire book to make it. After reading this again, i saw the recently released film. This is not a movie review, so i...more

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Julie (Mom2lnb) rated it:

(review of isbn 0020442408)

06/03/08

bookshelves: classics, read-2008, tween-books

Read in June, 2008

I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when I was in 5th or 6th grade, but for some reason, never chose to finish the series. With The Chronicles of Narnia finally being made into movies, I decided it was time to rectify that situation, since I have always had a preference for reading the book before seeing the movie. Though I didn't find it to be quite as compelling a story as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian was still a very good follow-up. ...more

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Aili rated it:

(review of isbn 0020442408)

06/10/08

Read in May, 2008

Read this in 2 hours the day I went to see the movie. I had forgotten pretty much everything about this book. Re-reading it, I can see why I didn't remember anything (and why this is my least favorite Narnia book) -- it's because nothing happens. Most of the actual drama (how Caspian's uncle took the throne; Caspian's education and eventual escape) takes place in flashback. What we do get is a lot of faith, or lack of faith, in Aslan coming to save the day. Wah wah wah. The final conflict is ant...more

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Ethan rated it:

(review of isbn 000720230X)

05/21/08

Read in May, 2008

I was inspired to read this when I started seeing promos for the movie (and since it hadn't been that long since I reread Lion), but now that I've finished it I'm nervous that the movie will just annoy me. I thought this was a fun kid's fantasy war story, with intriguing characters, but the most entertaining thing about it was the very weird theology.

I know the movie's been getting lots of positive buzz from religious right groups like Focus on the Family, so I assumed C.S. Lewis would be f...more

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Nic rated it:

05/18/08

Read in May, 2008

I read this, and all the Narnia books, as a child, but I'm now rereading them (May 2008).

I was extremely surprised by how little Prince Caspian does in the book. Almost everything

Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 4)

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