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Prince Caspian (Narnia) (Paperback) (平装)
by C. S. Lewis
| Category:
Narnia, Adventure, Fiction, Ages 4-8, Children's book |
| Market price: ¥ 98.00
MSL price:
¥ 88.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Four children open a magic wardrobe door and fall into another world - A tale of awakening, hilarious, beautiful, frightening, and wise. |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 5 items |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-30 00:00>
In Prince Caspian, the second book in the Narnia series (chronologically the fourth), Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, the children from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe return once again to Narnia. It's been a year since their last great adventure. The children are waiting at a railway station to go off to boarding school, when they suddenly experience a peculiar sensation, and find themselves whisked back to the magical world of Narnia. Gradually familiar landmarks give the children clues that they are standing in the ruins of Cair Paravel-their once great castle. Slowly, and rather unwillingly, the children realize that a long passage of time has taken place since they left Narnia.
But time is not the only thing that has passed in Narnia. Narnia is no longer a land of talking animals, of dryads, fauns and dwarves. A cruel king now rules the land, a Telmarine named Miraz. These are the "New Narnians." Deep Magic calls the children back to Narnia, and it's their task to save the kingdom for the "Old Narnians" and deliver it to its rightful king, Prince Caspian.
Of the seven books in the wonderful Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, Prince Caspian is one of my favorites. The four children must endure tests of courage and self-reliance in this adventure, and the story particularly deals with the idea that Magic has withdrawn from Narnia and is now only a legend. Magic is a delicate element, and even the two oldest children, Peter and Susan, struggle to regain their former connection with Narnian ways. As a "grown-up", it's still possible to feel regret for those who will soon no longer be aware of magic as they move away from childhood into the far less interesting world of adult concerns.
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A reader (MSL quote), Michigan
<2006-12-30 00:00>
All of the stories in C.S. Lewis' excellent Chronicles of Narnia series are told in distinctly different ways. Prince Caspian could justifiably be said to be like an epic poem told in prose. It shares many qualities with other epics; most notably its beginning coming in the middle of the action. Prince Caspian, like other epics, contains a climactic battle. However, Prince Caspian (like all great epics) is not simply a book about battles. The great themes of Prince Caspian are those of awakenings, renewal and restoration.
As the book opens, the Pevensie children (Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy) are suddenly called back to the magical land of Narnia from a British rail station. They return to find that the land of Narnia is suffering from the oppression of the evil Telmarine King Miraz who rules with an iron fist. The king's nephew, (and son of the murdered rightful king) Caspian, has discovered the truth about Narnia and has fled the palace in fear of his life. In his flight, Caspian encounters some "old Narnians" who used to live freely before the Telmarines came to rule Narnia. Under the Telmarines, the old Narnians have been facing extermination. After initial mistrust, the old Narnians agree to stand with Caspian in an attempt to reclaim his rightful throne from his uncle and to save those that are left of the old Narnians from certain death. A struggle then ensues.
It is in the middle of this struggle that the Pevensies are called back to Narnia, where they once ruled as Kings and Queens. They encounter Caspian's loyal friend Trumpkin the dwarf. Trumpkin relates Caspian's story to them. The children agree to help Caspian. Together, the dwarf and the children set off to come to Caspian's aid.
It is on this journey that the Pevensies and Trumpkin learn the old lesson that "The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9) Forced to take a different route back to Caspian's camp than the one Trumpkin took from it, the children and the dwarf become confused and lost. They strive to the utmost limits of their human strength and find that it is not enough. It is in the darkest hour of this struggle that Lucy thinks she sees something on the horizon...a Lion.
What follows is a test of Faith for all involved. Lucy, being the youngest of the children and possessing the most "child-like" faith, overcomes her doubts. She is then visited by the Great Lion Himself, Aslan (Lewis' allegorical representation of Jesus). In one of my favorite scenes in all of the Narnia books, Aslan and Lucy discuss the lack of faith shown by the others and what must be done:
"Now child," said Aslan, when they had left the trees behind them, "I will wait here. Go and wake the others and tell them to follow. If they will not, then you at least must follow me alone."
This piece of dialogue is one of the reasons why Lewis is one of my favorite authors. In the span of three sentences in a children's book, Lewis captures the essence of Christ's universal call to be His disciples. Another amazing thing about Lewis (and another reason why he's a favorite author of mine)...is that the book grows progressively more spellbinding and instructive from that point in the story on. Prince Caspian is, like many of Lewis' books, a whole education crammed into a tiny little package-all told in a warm and humorous way. I encourage you to get a copy today. Then read it. There is a lot to be learned from this book. |
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A reader (MSL quote), Quezon City, Philippines
<2006-12-30 00:00>
The Return to Narnia! Those who have read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Book 1 in the original ordering) know that those four words can invoke a rousing and passionate symphony that only those who believe in Narnia can hear. It is somewhat disconcerting, therefore, when the story opens with a rather clumsy squeak. The four Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, find themselves unceremoniously _yanked_ back to Narnia after one Earth year and many Narnian centuries of being away. There is no party to welcome them, only apples growing wild to feed them, and only the ruins of a castle to shelter them.
As the children have been gone for so long, some backtracking is necessary before their heroic adventures can begin. As he did in all the books in The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis gives us a bit of Narnian history that puts the present events in perspective and is genuinely fun to read. This History lesson begins with the Telmarine invasion after the Golden Age of Narnia and ends with the battle between Prince Caspian and his evil uncle Miraz. It's a lesson so absorbing and believable that it makes Narnia seem more real than, say, Bavaria. The political intrigue sprinkled throughout the book is a fine bonus.
What I liked most about Prince Caspian was the chance to see the two Kings and two Queens of Cair Paravel in action. Their adventures and their characters were given very little space or elaboration at the end of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"; so I was glad to be able to really see them as their royal Narnian selves. (Now that I've read further, I can say that "The Horse and His Boy" is even better for this purpose. After reading Prince Caspian, I discovered why King Peter was dubbed Magnificent; and after reading "The Horse and His Boy", I learned why Queen Susan was called Gentle; King Edmund, Just; and Queen Lucy, Valiant.)
And what would Narnia be without Aslan? (I LOVE THIS LION!) In Prince Caspian, the major lesson that he imparts is that we must have faith and follow him, even when we may appear foolish to others. If we keep insisting that we can find the way by ourselves, then we only get lost. There are other morals throughout the book, most of them woven into the story, such as King Peter's courage in challenging Miraz to a "clean wager of battle" (read: one-on-one combat), "to prevent the effusion of blood" (read: the blood of his innocent subjects). Lewis can moralize better than any other children's writer I know.
Prince Caspian is not to blame for being the second book in the series-therefore, the sequel that can't help but be slightly disappointing. Though I gave it four stars for the bumpy linkages in the plot, child readers will, if asked, say it deserves five.
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R. D. Allison (MSL quote), Gainesville, Florida, USA
<2006-12-30 00:00>
This is the second volume published in the allegorical Chronicles of Narnia series (and, in my opinion, the second to be read even though it is not the second in the internal time sequence in the series). The four children return to Narnia a year later to discover that centuries have passed in Narnia. The talking animals are in hiding and an evil king has usurped the throne. The children aid the young Prince Caspian to obtain the throne and lead the talking animals back to their proper place: once more, a battle between good and evil. |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-30 00:00>
Beware! The evil, foul-minded people who are publishing these works (The Chronicles of Narnia) have profaned the fantastic writing of C.S. Lewis by rearranging the order of the seven books so as to confuse the reader and steal away some of the magic and wonder by imposing it in a chronological order rather than the artistic one in which it was rendered. Is the horrible time witch at play again or it could be that rascal Screwtape at work? I shake my head sadly at the poor folk who will read these books in the wrong order, actually thinking that perhaps the author meant for them to read Volume Six first. Yes, of course these books come highly recommended but I think it is most important to stress that they should be read in the proper order, which is as follows: 1. The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe 2. Prince Caspian 3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 4. The Silver Chair 5. The Horse and His Boy 6. The Magician's Nephew 7. The Last Battle Please, do yourself a favor, if you are reading these books for the first time, read them in the right order. |
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1 Total 1 pages 5 items |
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