Prince Caspian
Synopsis:
A year after their adventures in Narnia, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are pulled back from a dreary English railway station into the magical world they once ruled. They find Narnia transformed—centuries have passed, ancient ruins overgrown, and the land oppressed by the tyrannical Telmarine king Miraz, who usurped the throne and seeks to eliminate his young nephew, the rightful heir Prince Caspian. Fleeing for his life, Caspian blows Queen Susan’s ancient horn, summoning unexpected aid from the Pevensie children and the awakening forces of Old Narnia.
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Review
The outloud reading with the family continues with the Narnia series. I’m not sure if Caspian is any fan’s favorite, but that’s not to say it’s bad. The story does have a bit of a pacing issue, especially at the beginning. The section of Caspian being positioned into the story through an info dump story by a dwarf can feel like half the story is at a standstill until you’re waiting to catch up to where the four children are now. And finally, the turncoats and the ending really flies at the finish. However, all that to say, that Lewis continues to write a world in a style that balances the traditional English attitudes and the pacing of a dramatic story.
Where Lewis tends to entice children into the story is the wealth of charm from the side characters. Reepicheep & Nikabrik stand out; and the character development of Nikabrik and fun alliteration exclamations were fun to hear. As a father and reader, it’s fun to develop the voices for the characters and this seems to be made for reading outloud.
Parallels abound with allusions to the workings of Christ in the story. Where Wardrobe had “the big one”, our family enjoyed thinking about how different interactions with Aslan matched to what story of Jesus during His earthly ministry.
A bit of an issue with a pacing but still Lewis’ world of wonder and awe.
Final Grade
A-
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