I liked it; it was good
Book four! I brought this, along with the rest of the series, with me on a week-long road trip to Edmonton for my cousin’s wedding.
Read: June 24 – June 25, 2024
Genre: Classic, Fairy Tale
Audience: Children
Book contains: attempted murder, treason, battle
Purchase a copy from Amazon.ca
The Pevensie kids are back, summoned to Narnia 1000 years after their rule to save the country from the tyrannical rule of King Miraz. They join Prince Caspian and his freedom fighters to once again free Narnia and restore the magic.
This book, as well, could be read without reading the other books in the series. Sure, references are made to the other books about Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, but enough has changed in the world and enough is explained that reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is unnecessary.
The storyteller is back, giving a third person omniscient account of this new adventure.
I don’t usually read in the car because of motion-sickness, but eleven hours of driving is a lot, so I made sure to download the free audiobook versions of this series before leaving on my road trip. I read a bit of this book on Monday then listened along to the rest of the book on Tuesday. It went by super fast.
A year has passed since the wardrobe adventure and the four siblings Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter are ages nine to fourteen now, living in the 1950s. After being summoned to Narnia to help free it, they meet Prince Caspian, the rightful king of Narnia, and his band of rebels—the last of the talking animals and magical creatures. There is some tension, but for the most part alliances are made and sides are chosen.
I love how the siblings’ relationships are now stronger since their adventure in Narnia a year ago, and now new relationships can be forged as new characters are being introduced and future adventures are also being set up.
I once again appreciate Lewis’s fun and child-friendly writing style, which discusses serious topics and packages it in a way that it becomes a fun adventure for children. The fact that the heroes are also children helps show young readers that they are not helpless, that they have more power than people think. The story is told with vocabulary that isn’t at all complicated but doesn’t feel too simple for older readers to enjoy.
The book starts with the four Pevensies entering Narnia and discovering how it has changed, and then they meet a new character to give them the rest of the backstory. One might think that this exposition would be boring, but I didn’t find it boring at all, as it is told by the storyteller directly, not by a character. This allows the full story to be told in a sort of flashback scene instead of through dialogue, which was a great choice.
You could start with this book, but I highly recommend reading the series in order! Definitely keep up with this story in the direct sequel: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader!
The Chronicles of Narnia Book 1: The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia Book 2: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia Book 3: The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia Book 4: Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia Book 5: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia Book 6: The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia Book 7: The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
Alice in Wonderland Book 1: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
*The Wicket by Carlee Coton*
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
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