Rating: 
Summary: A tale of awakening
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Fine book for young readers; excellent fantasy
Review: This is my second time through Narnia as I read it out loud to, and have it read aloud to me by, my children. It has been thirty years since my first experience, and I have to point out that back in the 60's, the books were ordered as follows: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; A Horse and His Boy; The Magician's Nephew; The Last Battle. I am unsure why the series has been re-issued in a different order. It is more pleasing to be introduced to Narnia through the eyes of the four children, and then discovery the mystery of its making in book Six (Magician's Nephew), than the other way around. On to the book. Prince Caspian contains the weakest coupling of the real and imaginary worlds that Lewis attempted. The linkage between the Children and Narnia suffers greatly from the time differentials involved . . . however, the characters grow steadily, the plot moves at a pleasing pace, and the world is revealed much as an onion is pealed, layer by layer, by use of a "story within a story." The harsh realities of politics, life and death are not overlooked, as many PC books today tend to do, yet the battle scenes do not succumb to graphic description as is done in far too many stories today, and certainly on TV. Narnia's magic retains the critical element of wonder and scarcity, though I must say that the talking beasts are trying at times. I guess it is harder to suspend disbelief as an adult than as a child-- my loss perhaps. The lessons in tolerance, teamwork and faith are well told, and the description is beautiful, even if the style is slightly out of date, and the language less accessible than before the great dumbing down of America brought on by the liberal education reforms of the 70's and 80's. This story, indeed this series, uses allegory to good effect. Best when shared with children.
Rating:
Summary: Jenner's Review
Review: Caspian has an uncle named Miraz. A tutor comes and tells Caspian that his uncle is trying to kill him. Caspian runs away to avoid being killed. He meets Truffle hunter, the talking badger, and Trumpkin the Dwarf. They meet many other talking animals like: centaurs, satyrs, fauns, & dwarfs. Then they fight Miraz! They are fighting for the throne. Caspian is on the losing side. Can he survive? Then they make an arena for three duels. Whoever won two duels would win. Peter was to duel Miraz, but something got in the way. But what!? I would recommend this book to anyone who likes sword fighting.
Rating:
Summary: Prince Of Caspian
Review: 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
Rating: 
Summary: The least desirable entry
Review: "Prince Caspian" is either the second or fourth book of CS Lewis' classic Narnia series, depending on whether one reads the books in published order or chronological order. The story picks up where "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" leaves off, with Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy back in England after having spent many years in Narnia as kings and queens. What follows is in many ways almost a straight rehash of "Wardrobe" and is possibly the most forgettable of the Narnia books. Were it not for the introduction of Caspian, one of the major characters in the series, it would almost certainly be the least memorable of the seven books. The children find themselves pulled into a strange world, this time by a magical force rather than by wandering through a wardrobe. Quickly (and predictably) enough the world is revealed to be Narnia. Why did they not know this right away? Because the single year they spent in the real world was many hundreds of years in Narnian time. Narnia has aged while they have not. The four children, who in Narnia are revered as legendary kings and queens of old, find that they have been pulled into Narnia to aid King Caspian, a prince from a kingdom of rather oppressive humans who have taken over Narnia and are attempting to squash all memory and knowledge of the land's talking animals and mythical creatures. Naturally, this means those people have to be stopped. If it sounds exciting, it's not. If it sounds boring, it is. Travelogues and adventures that are little more than episodic journeys can be great fun and often tap into the glory of exploring the forest as a child, but this journey simply has little or nothing to engage the reader or capture one's interest. The glimpses of how Narnia has changed in the years since the four kids were there are interesting, but the interest is minimal at best. The travels just lack punch or adventure. Lewis takes a few ill-advised detours that seem only to pad the story while hammering home the idea that people who do not believe in the mystical creatures of Narnia are inherently bad. The heavy-handed messaging in other Narnia volumes generally feel like the moral messages of any other classic fairy tale, but here they somehow feel wrong. All in all, "Prince Caspian" adds very little to the lore (and lure) of Narnia despite being a part of the central plot, with core Narnia characters throughout. Its greatest contribution to the series is introducing the off-kilter time concept, an old cliché of alternate world stories, and bringing the character of Caspian (as well as the delightful and brave mouse Reepicheep) to the series. And that's about this book's whole worth. It introduces you to characters you will grow to like later and to concepts essential to the series. Take note, because "Prince Caspian" is part of the core Narnia books (those involving the four original children and the characters linked directly to them) it's hard to recommend skipping this one - but it really fails to live up to the fantastic spectacle of the others. Children may enjoy the return romp to Narnia, but more likely even they will find that this one disappoints.
Rating:
Summary: boring book but still good
Review: The book Prince Caspian is the second in a series of books by C.S. Lewis. The characters and conflicts are the same as the book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The main characters are Peter and Susan. One of the conflicts they face is person vs. self as Peter must face his fear of being killed in war. The horn Susan left behind in the first episode allowed the as they return to Narnia. However when time they return Narnia is a thousand years later. In the be ok Prince Caspian is a year later after the first. All the people they know from then are died but Aslan he can never die because he is one of the magical creature leafed in Narnia. I didn't like the book Prince Caspian because it had all the Same conflicts just like the other books by C.S Lewis. One of the same conflicts is at the battle they had they lose at first but in the end they won. I also didn't like it cuz it was boring tail like cater 12 that's when they had the battle . But there was some very cool parts of the book for example the high king Peter killed the evil king Miraz in the battle and it was back to old Narnia . The book is boring but its still a good book to read I think you better have a lot of time on your hands because it takes a lot time to read but its still good.
Rating:
Summary: British Invasion, II
Review: The 2nd of the Chronicles of Narnia to be published, the events in Prince Caspian place it 4th chronologically. It is perhaps the most accessible book in a very accessible series, as it includes plenty of action and has many parallels with the present day. In brief, the four children return to Narnia to aid the eponymous Prince Caspian in his battle against his uncle. I found one portion of the book, in which we are told Prince Caspian's history, dragged quite a bit, although children are likely to enjoy that same since it introduces us many of the forest animals. On the other hand, all the action later in the book leads to some violence that may be a bit much for younger children. Present here is the powerful symbolism found throughout the chronicles. Caspian and the 4 children (disciples?) can be seen as Crusaders in a time (medieval and/or present day) when the word of Aslan has been lost. Combining ecological and religious perspectives, one might call it a time when the power of manipulation and modification is valued more than the power of creation. Lewis gives us some villains who willfully deny the word, and others who have become too cynical or too narrowly opportunistic to hear it. After a second coming of sorts, faith and good governance are restored throughout the kingdom. Like all the Chronicles, this one inevitably shows its age to some extent. For example, the idea that only the boys would hunt and clean the carcass of the bear seems sexist today, but certainly would not have been frowned upon by many when the books were written.
Rating:
Summary: Much better read
Review: Book 4 in a series of 7. The story begins as the main heroes from Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe(Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy) are transported back to Narnia from a rail station. Seems that Narnia is being ruled under the rather tyrannical Lord Miraz. Miraz's nephew, and rightful ruler of the Throne, Caspian, must get help from some friends to overcome Miraz. All in all, I found this a better book then Horse and His Boy
Rating:
Summary: Prince Caspian
Review: It is a great book. It has very captivating writing. As well as excellent characters and settings. I give it four stars for all the things that make it such a great book.
Rating:
Summary: 'Modern' Narnia
Review: In this installment of the Chronicles of Narnia, the children go back to the land a year after their first visit. They are surprised to find that, although only a year has passed on Earth, many hundreds of years have passed in Narnia, and almost everything is different. Most of the magic is gone out of the land--the talking animals, moving trees, dwarves, and other creatures are little more than memories now, and the land is ruled and dominated by a race of men. The men, incidentally, are skeptical in nature, and do all they can to oppress magic and the true history of Narnia. The symbolism in this book is very vivid, and Lewis uses the plot very well to show the situation of much of modern society. The race of men (led by Caspian's uncle) refuse to believe in magic, and also don't believe in Aslan. Aslan is a Christ figure, so this unbelief in him is symbolic of twentieth-century skepticism. Many people today do not believe in miracles or anything that cannot be scientifically 'proven,' and a similar situation exists in Narnia, where men here the old stories of magic but many do not believe them. In an allegorical sense, then, this novel shows us the folly of skepticism, and the absurdity of believing in a world in which nothing wonderful can occur.
Like the rest of the Chronicles of Narnia, this book is a delightful children's story. But there is a deep theology at work here, and this is one of the qualities which makes it appealing to adults. I highly recommend this book, along with the rest of the Chronicles, to anyone interested either in fairy tales or in Christian allegory or theology.
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