It took me a while before I found the time to finish
this book . And I never got to watch the movie, Prince Caspian, either
(which I promised myself before I embarked on the pages of its book
version). Blame it on my busyness and what not. But don't worry, I still
intend to finish all seven volumes of this well-known series. For now,
let me tell you about the third book, The Horse and His Boy.
The
story is all about this boy Shasta, who was adopted by a poor village
fisherman from Calormen since he was a baby. It was only on the day
that he was attempted to be sold to a Tarkaan by the man he has known
to be his father that he found out about this fact. He used this
opportunity to escape the life he has ever known by using the Tarkaan's
ride which happened to be a talking horse! Together, they flee the
village on a quest for freedom and headed to Narnia. On the way, they
met a lady by the name of Aravis Tarkheena who was also running away...
away from an arranged marriage to a powerful man. The adventure got so
much more interesting when Shasta fell in with the Narnians and was
mistaken to be Prince Corin, for they look so much alike. But the
adventure didn't stop there. They went all the way to the dessert,
passing by the tombs, crossing the city of Tashbaan, being attacked by a
lion only to find out that the whole time, Aslan was the one who was
responsible for his fate every step of the way. He was the lion who
forced him to join with Aravis; Aslan was the cat who who comforted him
among the houses of the dead; he was the one who drove away all the
jackals while Shasta was asleep; he was the one who fostered fear to the
horses to motivate them to run faster so they could reach King Lune on
time; and he was also the one who pushed the boat on which he lay when
he was just a newborn baby so that it came to shore where a fisherman
was sitting, ready to adopt him. It was all Aslan's doing. It was also
he who attacked them and wounded Aravis for some deeper reason that
wasnt disclosed. All these things happened to bring them at the center
of an imporatnt battle that will further decide their fate and the fate
of Narnia. In the end, they won. And Shasta was confirmed to be the long
lost twin brother of Prince Corin and was named Prince Cor. Time passed
and it was all good. Prince Cor eventually married Aravis and everyone
lived happily.
It
was a nice read, with so many additional interesting characters. But I
must say that I found it less exciting than the first two books. This is
why it took me so much time to finally review it here. But still,
reading between the lines and trying to understand it as much more than
merely a book for children, it is comforting to know that Aslan's
influence is still very much at work. In my previous reviews, I have
compared Aslan to both God and Jesus Christ of the Catholic religion.
Considering how he was behind all the adventures of Shasta (Prince Cor)
makes me think that like God, there is always someone or something
greater out there which is behind everything that is happening to all of
us. Sometimes, we might not like it, but in a deeper level, we must
acknowledge and accept that there is always a reason for everything...
that we are always meant to be where we are. And sooner or later, life
will always reveal to us its reasons. It's just a matter of time.
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