And the travels through Narnia continue. The Pevensies are on their way back to school, about a year after their initial visit through the wardrobe. They’re sitting in the train station, and are suddenly sucked back into Narnia. They land on an island, which turns out to be Cair Paravel, their castle, but hundreds of years have passed, and the castle has fallen into ruins. They start working their way to the mainland, trying to figure out why they’re there. On the way, they encounter a dwarf. They save his life after some bad guys toss him overboard, and he becomes their guide.
The dwarf tells the kids a tale; the tale of Prince Caspian. Caspian’s father had been king of Narnia, until his sudden & untimely death. Caspian’s uncle Miraz is now king, and Caspian will inherit when Miraz dies, unless Miraz has a son. Unfortunately, that’s what happens, so Caspian is expendable. His tutor sees the writing on the wall before Caspian does, and spirits the boy away to safety. Caspian also runs into some dwarves, and then begins gathering his army to take his rightful place on the throne of Narnia.
So much time has passed since the Pevensies ruled Narnia, that the talking beasts and dwarves have gone into hiding. The people that conquered Narnia drove them away. They didn’t disappear, they were just hiding. Waiting for the true king – who turns out to be Caspian, of course.
The war begins, and the Pevensies join forces with Caspian. This being a Narnia book, one can expect a reasonably happy ending. Of all the Narnia books, this is definitely one of my favorites. For me, Pevensies + Narnia = happy reading.
Cannonball Read V 