Prince Caspian

Prince Caspian is the 4th book in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series, though it was originally published second (and written third!). The Pevensie children from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe are once again the main stars of the action and find themselves whisked away back to Narnia some time after their original adventures there.

A lot of time has passed since the Pevensie children ruled over Narnia... their old castle has fallen to ruins, and even the landscape has changed somewhat. We're not told exactly how much time has passed, but it's fair to guess that it could be anywhere up to 1000 years. The land of Narnia is no longer the jolly land of talking animals and mythical creatures, it has been annexed by the Telmarines (rather stuffy and conservative types from a kingdom to the west, who have seen fit to 'civilise' Narnia). Mention of dwarves and talking animals is forbidden and the original inhabitants of the land have been forced to go underground. King Miraz, of the Telmarines, is doubly treacherous - for he isn't he even the rightful Telmarine King, let alone the rightful King of Narnia. His nephew, the Narnia-friendly Prince Caspian, is to be next in line for the throne... but Prince Caspian's life is in danger, the King seeks to have him 'meet' an accident, and so he must seek out Narnia's original inhabitants in the hope that they will shelter him.

It's through these chain of events that the Pevensie children are called back to Narnia. They must help champion the creatures of Old Narnia and drive out the Telmarines. Aslan seems to be long gone, and one of Lewis' themes here (keeping with the religious overtones of the series) is that of faith. Only Lucy, the youngest of the Pevensie children, seems to have kept faith in Aslan. The Telmarines doubt Aslan's existence, but fear him nonetheless, and the Old Narnians must have faith in 'the King of Kings' if they're to have lawful governance of their once-wonderful kingdom again.

Of the four Narnia books I've read so far, this one seems to be the most pedestrian. Aslan barely features, and the religious aspects are at their subtlest, and most of the book is spent setting up the situation and filling us in on the land's history since the Pevensie children were last Kings and Queens. I sense that Prince Caspian's importance is mainly in setting up the three last books of the Chronicles... seeing as The Voyage of the Dawn Treader probably carries on a bit more directly from this adventure, whereas all four of the previous adventures are set some years apart and show different eras in Narnia's existence.

I liked the fact that Lewis set this tale a long, long time after The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, as it left him room to change things up and show how history can change a great manner of things that are often taken for granted. It was nice that this book was set almost entirely in Narnia too - The Horse and His Boy doesn't feature any sequences at all in the magical land, and it was good to see some classic Narnians again - dwarfs, talking badgers, Reepicheep the valiant mouse (who provides most of the book's best moments), docile but friendly giants, fauns and demi-gods. Can't wait to get stuck into the next adventure!