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''Prince Caspian'' is a Novel for children by C. S. Lewis , first published in 1951 . It was the second of the '' Chronicles Of Narnia '', though in the overall chronological sequence it comes fourth. SYNOPSIS The year is 1942. The four Pevensie children, Peter , Susan , Edmund and Lucy , are waiting for a train at a trainstop when they hear a horn and are sucked into Narnia and find that more than a thousand years have passed since they reigned there as kings and queens (in '' The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe ''). They arrive at the ruins of Cair Paravel on a small island at the shores of the Eastern Sea. They go exploring in the treasury and discover the gifts they received from Father Christmas. Edmund did not get a gift and so he gets a sword, and they cannot find Susan's horn which she says that she lost on the last day. They soon afterwards meet a dwarf called Trumpkin (banned to the island by the Telmarines who fear the entire area), who explains that much of the old magic has been lost and the land has been "civilized" under the domain of a race of men from Telmar . The old inhabitants of the kingdom, talking animals and dwarves and other fantastic creatures, have been driven into the wild and unfriendly parts of the land to live in hiding. Trumpkin goes on to say that a Prince named Caspian X is the rightful owner to the throne (at that time was held by the prince's evil uncle, King Miraz who killed Caspian's father). Prince Caspian's nurse is gotten rid of for telling him about old Narnia. Thus, he gets a new teacher, Dr. Cornelius. One night the old man wakes Caspian and shows him the planets on the top of a deserted tower. He then tells him that he is half dwarf half human and that old Narnia really exists. Another night, he awakens him and tells him that the king's wife had a son and that Miraz would now kill him. He gives him Susan's magical horn. Caspian flees the castle and runs through a forest and falls off his horse during a storm. A talking badger and two dwarves (one of them Trumpkin), who have gone into hiding, find him and take care of him. They show him to the "old Narnians" who invite him to a dance at the Dancing Lawn. Dr. Cornelius comes to the dance and says that the king is coming to attack. They are soon drawn into the struggle between the usurping Telmarine , Miraz. They flee to Aslan's How where they set camp. Miraz's army surround the mound of earth that now covers the Stone Table where Aslan died for Edmund. Prince Caspian blows the magical horn of Queen Susan, which has brought the Pevensies to Narnia. Trumpkin says that he'll go to Cair Paravel and see if the four came. The four children and dwarf travel to Aslan's How. On their way they meet Aslan, the great lion. Peter, Edmund, and Trumpkin go to the aid of Caspian and fight a hag, werewolf, and dwarf that were thinking of calling upon the evil White Witch , Jadis for support in the battle. Susan and Lucy aid Aslan as he restores the old Narnians and frees them from their bounds so they will have more people for the battle. Miraz is killed during a duel with Peter, and a war continues between the two armies. Aslan brings the others to help. The old Narnians win and Aslan crowns Caspian as King of Narnia. A mouse called Reepicheep comes to Aslan. The mouse has lost his tail and he pleads for it. Aslan restores his tail for the kindness that his kind showed him at the Stone Table. The children return to their own world through a door made out of three sticks by Aslan (the Telmarines also go through this door to their own world). Aslan sends word to Peter and Susan that they can never visit Narnia again because they are too old. Caspian reappears (as King Caspian) in the two following books in the series: ''The Voyage Of The'' Dawn Treader and '' The Silver Chair ''. COMMENTARY There are several prevalent themes in this book. One is Apostasy , as Narnia has come under the rule of sovereign who has no legitimate claim to the throne, and when Caspian is crowned king, he receives authority from the High King Peter. Another is Faith , particularly evident in the scene where Aslan appears to the children, and only Lucy can see him at first; gradually, however, each of the other children trusts her and begins to see for himself or herself. ADAPTATIONS The BBC adapted ''Prince Caspian'' in its 1989 miniseries (see The Chronicles Of Narnia (TV Miniseries) . The second in the '', is planned for a theatrical release in December 2007 . |
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