Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia #4) by C.S. Lewis

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

Series: Chronicles of Narnia, #4

Published: October 15, 1951

Publisher: HarperTrophy

(240 pages, paperback)

Summary: A prince fights for his crown.

Narnia... where animals talk... and trees walk... where a battle is about to begin.

A prince denied his rightful throne gathers an army in a desperate attempt to rid his land of a false king. But in the the end, it is a battle of honor between two men alone that will decide the fate of an entire world.

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My thoughts: Of all the Narnia novels, Prince Caspian is my favorite. It's a classic battle of right versus wrong filled with imaginative ideas and amazing imagery. I love Caspian and of course the Pevensies are still some of the most original, well-written fairy-tale characters. The story line is intriguing and fast-paced with great symbolism and metaphors.

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Each one of the children maintains their own personalities and characteristics. Since I've re-read this series a few times since actual childhood, I've grown to feel close to them (as I'm sure a lot of readers of the series have) making the story all that much more lifelike and entertaining. I love the simplistic way Lewis writes and the childlike manner of Narnia and its magic make the story a fantasy that's both innocent and eye-opening.

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From the talking animals who range from sweet and honest to plain-old evil, the story is unforgettable and er, classic. Everyone can enjoy an old-fashioned good versus evil scenario and Prince Caspian is it, with some more added metaphors and similes to make the read enjoyable and intelligent for older readers. It's hard to review a classic, since it's, well, classic, so I'll just leave it at every serious book-reader needs to read Prince Caspian and the entire Narnia chronicles because of the magnificent stories and honest-to-God fairy-tale manner. They're the perfect light, fun read and the perfect introduction to fiction for children. Especially Prince Caspian, in my opinion.

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Overall Rating: 5 stars

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

Title: The Horse and His Boy (Goodreads)
Author: C.S. Lewis
Series: Chronicles of Narnia #3
Published: September 15, 1954 by HarperTrophy
Summary: Narnia . . . where some horses talk . . . where treachery is brewing . . . where destiny awaits. On a desperate journey, two runaways meet and join forces. Though they are only looking to escape their harsh and narrow lives, they soon find themselves at the center of a terrible battle. It is a battle that will decide their fate and the fate of Narnia itself.

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My thoughts: Of all the novels in the series, the Horse and His Boy was my least favorite growing up. Maybe it was all the grown-up words or the immaculate details about the landscapes and scenery in the novel, but either way, I found it unnecessary and a little boring. I find now that my opinion varies quite a lot since the last time I went through the third book in the Chronicles of Narnia.
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Shasta, a poor boy who has been abused by his 'father' all his life, finds escape in a talking horse. The horse, who Shasta nicknames Bree, is from a land called Narnia, that Shasta has never seen or heard of. So when he proclaims that Shasta must be from 'Narnia and the North', Shasta gladly runs away with him. I really think this book is slightly under-acknowledged as one of the series. It is filled with fantastic imagery and symbolism that makes you think. As with the rest of its set, Lewis writes a novel full of lovable, strange characters in an extremely imaginative and original world.
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The story starts out quite slow, with long descriptions of the Calormene ways and long, unbroken paragraphs. But slowly, Lewis gives a necessary backstory that leads us to the same conclusions that the characters come to. Once the action (and there's quite a lot of it) begins, it doesn't really stop, and the adventures Shasta, Bree, and their new companions, Hwin (another Narnian horse) and Aravis (a snobbish, privileged girl) go on are fun and exciting.
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This time in reading this novel, I was struck by how the characters all transform. I really enjoyed reading how all of the somewhat dense, self-centered characters were changed by the events which unfold within the story. Lewis has a certain way with words that makes the entire story seem magical (I suppose it is anyways) and I really loved the character development. I didn't totally see the ending coming (My 5-year-old self had a surprisingly bad memory) and I appreciated the little perks to being an older reader. There was a lot of metaphors and symbols that I didn't first understand as a kid and Lewis is great at writing so that the stories appeal to children, teens, and adults alike.
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Overall Rating: 4.5 stars