Prince Caspian is the second in C.S Lewis’ Narnia saga. It returns to the story of Peter, Susan, Lucy and Edmund: four children who found their way into the magical land of Narnia through a secret passage way through a wardrobe.

This time the book is set a year later, the children are all about to return to their places at boarding school when suddenly they find themselves magically dragged back to Narnia, leaving the train station and their entire luggage behind.

Narnia is quite different from how they last left it however, many years seem to have passed and the castle in which they once dwelled as kings and queens of Narnia has turned to ruins in their absence. They do however find the Christmas gifts bestowed upon them on their first visit to Narnia, an enchanted sword, archers bow and arrows and a tiny vial of magical liquid that heals any wound. Armed with these gifts the four children venture off to find what has happened to their beloved Narnia.

They soon come across a kidnapped dwarf named Trumkin; who they learn is working on behalf of the true king of Narnia, Caspian. The boy prince has been usurped by his uncle, who has turned away his father’s loyal lords and ladies and now battles against Caspian and all those who stand with him. They also learn that much of the magic has gone from Narnia, the animals, all once blessed with the gift of speech and intelligence, have regressed back into their most vicious animal states and are working on behalf of Caspian’s usurping uncle; tracking his enemies and Caspian’s army.

Trumkin tells the children of the war raging across Narnia and they vow to cross the land to go to Caspian’s aid. The children are bound for Aslan’s Howe, the hill which has ground up above the great stone table that Aslan, the great golden lion, was sacrificed upon in the war against the evil White Queen. Their travels take them across densely wooded forests and over treacherous cliffs and ravines. Along the way they find themselves both under attack and lost in the wilderness of the lands.

Whilst they journey Lucy finds herself at odds with her siblings; she has seen the forest come to life in the night and has been shown which the right way to go by Aslan himself. Yet her brothers and sister are not able to see Aslan at all and they question of whether Lucy is imaging him.

As with all the Narnia books Prince Caspian is an allegorical story following the life of Christ through the eyes of children. Lucy’s faith is tested in the forest, when she must show that even if her sibling’s can’t see Aslan she knows he is there. One by one her brothers follow her lead. First Edmund, who had been tempted by the White Queen and redeemed by Aslan in the first book. Then King Peter and finally their sister Susan; who had been the most unbelieving, is able to see Aslan as she, Peter, Edmund and Lucy near Aslan’s Howe.

With the kings and queens of old and Aslan at his side Prince Caspian finds himself easily capable of defeating his uncle and bringing Narnia back to its previous glory.

Prince Caspian is probably the least favourite of all the Narnia books that I have read. Very little seems to happen throughout the book, it lacks the sense of adventure and drama of the story of the first book and is heavily laden with morals and Biblical allegory.

Somehow the allegorical aspect of Prince Caspian is poorly disguised; whilst previously the story stood strong enough to be enjoyed without the piety being overly obvious. Yet the flaws of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe still remain: just as the story begins to interest you, the aspects of fantasy and magic growing to an intriguing and mystical level all is wiped clean away with a swift swipe of Aslan’s giant paw. In these books the trials of humanity are all centred around faith and trust, the tests they face; being lost in the forest, trying to avoid enemy armies, all end happily as long as they acknowledge Aslan and follow him, unquestionably.

For some this may strike true of their own faith, but for others it makes the book seem rather dated; the characters lack any personal emotion or motivation, as the entire book revolves around their devotion to Aslan. The way the characters speak to one another is also very dated; making the book seem somehow immature. By the end of the story you find yourself very irritated by these seemingly perfect and witless children whose adventure in Narnia lacks the darkness and intrigue of more recent fantasy novels.

In many ways however this is also one of the books strengths, it strives to capture the wonder of childhood, the innocence and love that children experience in a way that more recent literature seems to have shunned. Perhaps it is simply that the book has not aged well, once children as old as Peter and Lucy may have been the innocent and brave characters they are in the book, now however their ages seem out of sync with their behaviour. They seem immature and ignorant, particularly to the more cynical reader, whilst their ages suggest they should be more inquisitive and perhaps have developed more individual personalities.

Overall the book is by far the weakest of the saga, yet this does not mean it is poor at all. By comparison few children’s books are as well written or innovative than those of the Narnia books; it is perhaps just a little misplaced in a modern reader’s world.

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Tags: Allegory, children's fantasy, Magic