Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

C. S. Lewis (Author), David Wiesner (Illustrator), Pauline Baynes (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Narnia

C.S. Lewis's fourth book of The Chronicles of Narnia once again brings us into his timeless world of magical creatures, miraculous events, and noble battles against evil.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensey, the heroes and heroines from The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, return in this fourth installment of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. The four children are transported from an English train station to an island in the world of Narnia. Though Narnia has been at peace since the children left, it is now under the control of Wicked King Mirax. The youngsters, along with Aslan the great lion, must help young Prince Caspian restore Narnia's glorious past. This full-cast dramatization adheres closely to the book's text. Actor Paul Scofield is the "storyteller," and other British actors read the character parts. The production features sound effects and background music, and is a more complete version of the story than the BBC audio production (Bantam Doubleday, 1998). Children familiar with the series will enjoy this impressive production.
Shauna Yusko, King County Library System, Bellevue, WA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"The magic of C.S. Lewis's parallel universe never fades." The Times

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (July 1, 1994)
• ISBN-10: 0060234830
• ASIN: B001G8WFQW
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (176 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,463,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963), known as Jack to his friends, was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. His major contributions in literary criticism, children's literature, fantasy literature, and popular theology brought him international renown and acclaim. Lewis and his good friend J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of the The Lord of the Rings, were part of the Inklings, an informal writers' club that met at a local pub to discuss story ideas. Lewis's fascination with fairy tales, myths, and ancient legends, coupled with inspiration drawn from his childhood, led him to write The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, one of the best-loved books of all time. Six further books followed to become the immensely popular The Chronicles of Narnia. The final title in the series, The Last Battle, won the Carnegie Medal, one of the highest marks of excellence in children's literature. His other distinguished and popular accomplishments include Out of the Silent Planet, The Four Loves, The Screwtape Letters, and Mere Christianity.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tale of awakening, November 2, 2000

By 

NotATameLion (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia (Library Binding)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hundreds of Years Have Passed Since the Pevensies Visited Narnia..., December 23, 2007

By 

Jonathan Stephens "Jonathan Stephens" (Huntington Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prince Caspian (Narnia) (Paperback)

PRINCE CASPIAN, the 4th book in C.S. Lewis' THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA series and the 2nd one published, continues the adventures of the Pevensie children in Narnia. The story opens with Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy waiting at the train station to return to boarding school for the year where they are yanked by magic onto the shores of a strange forested island.

Time, one must remember, does not move the same way in Narnia as it does in the real world; the Pevensies could spend 100 years in Narnia and return to reality to find that no time at all has passed. It turns out that hundreds of Narnian years have passed during the year that the children have been away and the Narnian world has been thrown into chaos -- the animals no longer speak; a new line of kings govern the land with a harsh scepter; the oceans have risen and the landscapes changed; the people have forgotten the ways of the old line of kings; and the stories of the old Narnia have been forbidden to be told. Beyond that, it seems forever since the last time the great lion, King Aslan, has been seen at all, and his existence has been dismissed by most as mere silly legend.

This installment of the series pales only slightly to THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE. The story of our four Narnian protagonists shows us once again that their identities in Aslan's Kingdom have nothing to do with what they do and everything to do with who(se) they are. Lucy is faced with the toughest decisions this time around, as she is asked to choose whether she will follow Aslan even if the people closest to her consider her crazy for doing so. I am struck again by the ease of C.S. Lewis' storytelling voice. While he may not deliver the most complex plots or character arcs, the tone and pacing of his language makes me wish I were a child again and could sit in front of the hearth and listen to his stories aloud.

--- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prince Of Caspian, January 6, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Prince Caspian (Narnia) (Paperback)

In Narnia, the land between the lamp post and the Castle of Cair Paravel, animals talk. Magical things happen and adventures begin.

Four kids, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, are returning to boarding school when something stange happens. They are summoned from the dreary train station to return to the land of Narnia. Narnia is the land where they had ruled as kings and queens and where they were desperately needed.

I think that this book is a great book for all ages. If you like adventure books then you will love this book. Exciting things happen all the time and the book makes you keep guessing about what's going to happen next. I have only read 3 books by C.S. Lewis, but I know I'll be reading many more.

C.S. Lewis, the author of this book, wrote a seven book series, and Prince Of Caspian is one of the books. Everyone of his books enter you into enchanted world where anything is possible to happen. That's one of the reasons why I liked this book.

By:Lindsay