Prince Caspian – The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis

One of my favorites from the Narnia series, this story had me laughing out loud, angry, and sad, all in one setting. The thing I enjoy most about C.S. Lewis and his writing is how he just puts it out there. Right there; yes, for you to see, and contemplate, and enjoy.

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Okay, enough reminiscing.

There are some great lines in this story, as well as the others, that make me remember them long after I read them.

Chapter 3: “The worst of sleeping out of doors is that you wake up so dreadfully early.”

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The Pevensies wanted to go back to Narnia, but they did not know what that would cost them. Prince Caspian is the rightful heir, being denied his throne by his uncle. It is a quick story, with all of the allegories you come to expect from Mr. Lewis. And I have to honestly say; Reep-a-Cheep is likely my favorite “character” out of all of them! Well, except for Aslan, of course!

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If you have seen the movie, I have to say it is quite different from the story, but I do enjoy the movie as well. How did you feel about this installment in the Narnia series?

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The Horse and His Boy – The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis

Book number three in the Narnia series, by the numbering on the books I have, is “The Horse and His Boy.” This is also the only book I seem to have missing from my collector’s box that holds all 7 of these books. I haven’t the slightest idea where it went, who may have had it last, or how I managed to lose a book!

The Horse and His Boy

With that being said, this is actually my least favorite book out of the 7 in the series. This is a novel that can stand alone, and there is no need to read, or have read, and of the other books to enjoy this one. I did like this story, I just did not find it as interesting as the other 6 stories. This story is set in Narnia for its entirety, and focuses on a boy running away from home, who meets a horse who is also running away from home.

The Full Color Edition
The Full Color Edition

Shasta discovers his adoptive father is going to sell him as a slave, and learns from Bree, a horse at the stable, that Bree has been treated badly by this same adoptive father. A plan gets underway, and soon both Shasta and Bree are on the run, trying to get to Narnia and the High Kings and Queens there; yes, the Pevensies. (And yes, of course the horses talk, it is Narnia!)

They also meet a girl and her horse who are running away from home; she being a Princess forced to marry against her will. Once they reach their destination, they both learn things about themselves that will change their lives forever. These two eventually get married, and have a son who becomes the most famous King of Archenland.

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The thing I liked best about this story was the cat who seemed to follow Shasta all through his journey. Sometimes a lion chasing him, and sometimes a cat comforting him; Aslan always makes his presence known.

Which Narnia story did you like the least? I know it’s hard to choose when they are all great stories, but they can’t all be your favorites, or are they?

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe – The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis

Since I reviewed my favorite Narnia book, I thought I may as well just work right through the series. Probably not consecutively though. I will keep this review light and simple, since so many are familiar with this story.

Another well loved book!
Another well loved book!

This is the story where we meet Digory Kirke again, except now he is Professor Kirke, and he is who the Pevensie’s go to stay with while the war is happening. The wardrobe that Lucy steps through to find Narnia? That wardrobe is made from the first tree that was planted in Narnia in book one, “The Magician’s Nephew“.

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Lucy has a hard time convincing her siblings of this wonderful world she found, and even Edmund lies to Peter and Susan about it after he went there himself. Older brothers, right?

Nothing like a bit of Turkish Delight to get Edmund tangled up with the White Witch!
Nothing like a bit of Turkish Delight to get Edmund tangled up with the White Witch!

While trying to hide from the housekeeper, all 4 of the Pevensie’s climb into the wardrobe, and step in Narnia. Edmund gets an earful for lying, Susan wants to return to the professor’s home, and Peter and Lucy want to explore. They meet the Beaver’s, who are one of my favorite parts of this story!

Dinner with the Beaver's
Dinner with the Beaver’s

Edmund decides to go find the White Witch, because she promised to make him a King. Since he is tired of being bossed around by Peter and Susan, this is just the ticket for him. But of course, it’s not. He manages to get all four of them in a heap of trouble, and it takes Aslan to get them out of it.

This is the first story that was made into a movie, although I used to watch this as a cartoon when I was growing up. It must have been in the late 70’s, and it was shown once a year, kind of like The Wizard of Oz was shown. It was always on a weekend, and it was a big deal to watch this cartoon movie. Maybe that is why I never read the books when I was growing up!

If you would like more information about this series of books, be sure to visit the Narnia website here: https://www.narnia.com/us