Title: The Last Battle
Author: C.S. Lewis
Series: Chronicles of Narnia #7
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Fantasy
Dates read: 28th March – 19th April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Grafton
Year: 1956
5th sentence, 74th page: I’m on your side, Sire: and on Aslan’s.

“To my side, all true Narnians! Would you wait till your new masters have killed you all, one by one?”

It is Narnia’s darkest hour. A false Aslan is commanding all Narnians to work for the cruel Calormenes and striking terror into every heart. King Tirian’s only hope is to call Eustace and Jill back to Narnia, in an attempt to find the true Aslan and restore peace to the land. But a might battle lies ahead.

The Last Battle is the dramatic conclusion to the seven magical Chronicles of Narnia.

As an ending to a series this book works incredibly well. It helps to tie everything up in a beautiful knot and pretty little bow. As a standalone story, it’s not as compellingly engaging as the other books in the Chronicles of Narnia series. Which is probably why it took me a little longer to read than most of the other stories in this series…

The Last Battle is exactly what it sounds – the last battle to be fought in Narnia. The end of days, if you will. It made it kind of sad to finish, it meant the closing of a world and an era. There are no ways in which to return to Narnia now. Which is more than a little heartbreaking. After all, as a kid I always checked every wardrobe I came across to get to that special world I had dreamt so much about.

Lucy is still my favourite character in all of the Chronicles of Narnia tales. There is something about her sweetness, her faith and her ability to love everyone that makes you kind of want to give her a great, big cuddle. Don’t get me wrong, I would never want to be her friend, she’s a little too nice… but as a character in a novel, she is just brilliant. So it was incredibly nice to find her returning to the series, albeit for a short while. Jill and Eustace just aren’t as relatable and loveable… maybe because I only met them as an adult, but I met Lucy when I was a young girl.

Image source: Abe Books

Title: The Silver Chair
Author: C.S. Lewis
Series: Chronicles of Narnia #6
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Fantasy
Dates read: 23rd – 27th March 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Grafton
Year: 1953
5th sentence, 74th page: The children thanked her again, with shining eyes, and the Lady waved to them.

Quick!” said Eustace. “Hold hands! We mustn’t get separated!”
And before Jill quite knew what was happening, he had pulled her out of our whole world into That Place.

Eustace and Jill are whisked to the land of Narnia where Aslan, the great Lion, needs their help to find the missing Prince Rilian. Teaming up with Puddleglum, the Marsh Wiggle, the search takes them through some of the most dangerous underland of Narnia. Even if they attain their goal, it can only be the start of further trouble…

This is probably my least favourite of the Chronicles of Narnia. It’s still really good, but it just doesn’t have the same adventure spirit and oomph as the other tales. Maybe it’s because the Pensieve children don’t feature in this story at all. They are completely out of the picture, and I really missed them. After all, they are the children that made me fall in love with this series in the first place.

This was a great message of not letting your pride stand in the way of doing what is right. Every mistake that led to extra complications throughout this story happened because one of the characters, mostly Jill, was too prideful and didn’t share what was in her head. Or what she was told. Basically this story could have been much easier and the adventure much simpler if it wasn’t for the fact that Jill was kind of a pain in the ass child…

I did like that this story helps to span the rest of Prince Caspian’s lifetime. It follows the stories of Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and gives him a happily ever after that just wasn’t quite expected. And was definitely appreciated. He’s the only Narnian in the whole series that you get to span his entire life, and I kind of really liked that fact. It made this story feel a little more rounded, and a little more reassured that he too got a happily ever after in the end…

Image source: Sherlockian Booklover

Title: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Author: C.S. Lewis
Series: Chronicles of Narnia #5
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Fantasy
Dates read: 19th – 22nd March 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Grafton
Year: 1951
5th sentence, 74th page: He realized that he was a monster cut off from the whole human race.

“Stop it!” cried Eustace. “It’s some silly trick you are playing! Ow!”
A great cold, salt splash had broken right out of the frame and they were breathless from the smack of it, as well as being wet through.

Lucy and Edmund, stuck with their awful cousin Eustace, suddenly find themselves on board the Dawn Treader – and realise they have fallen into the magical land of Narnia. Reunited with old friends, the young King Caspian and Reepicheep the mouse, they gladly join the voyage to the World’s End. Eustace, however, is not so happy…

It doesn’t matter how many times I read this story, I still love it. And my heart melts. And I get all gooey and happy on the inside. It really doesn’t matter how many times I read this, it is just as wonderful and amazing as the first time I read it when I was six years old.

I honestly don’t know why I love this story so much more than anything else from my childhood. It has the same level of writing, engagement and storytelling as some of the other tales I read as a kid. But it is just SO MUCH BETTER. It is change your life, melt your heart better. And honestly, I think part of the reason, is that as a child, Lucy was so easy for me to relate to. Even now, as an adult, I can understand and sympathise with Lucy better than most characters in the adult books I read today.

The other part of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader that I love is that it is a series of mini adventures. The overall story flows beautifully, but you could almost read each chapter separately. They are each their own tales and adventures. Something that I don’t often come across in novels. Or at least, this was the first time (as a child) that I read a story that was a little less dependent on what happened before to tell the story.

Image source: Narnia Translations Home

Title: Prince Caspian
Author: C.S. Lewis
Series: Chronicles of Narnia #4
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Grafton
Year: 1951
5th sentence, 74th page: Then he thought it was only a dream and turned over again; but as soon as his ear touched the ground he felt or heard (it was hard to tell which) a faint beating or drumming.

“Look sharp!” shouted Edmund. “All catch hands and keep together. This is magic – I can tell by the feeling. Quick!”

The evil King Miraz and his army can only mean trouble for Narnia and Prince Caspian, rightful heir to the throne, fears for the future of his country. He blows the Great Horn in desperation, summoning Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy to help with his difficult task – that of saving Narnia before its freedom is lost forever.

Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia, and it is exactly as good as I had expected and hoped. Instead of repeating the same battles and triumphing over similar evils, they attempt to help restore the rightful king to the throne. This time, their foray into Narnia is so much shorter and their tale isn’t as long. Most of this story is, in fact, taken up by the tale of Prince Caspian, his blossoming knowledge of the “Old Narnia” and fleeing to the forests.

Prince Caspian shows what happens to legends and tales as time passes. Hundreds, if not thousands of years have passed in Narnia since the adventures of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the four return to find out that nothing is what it was. So much tradition and so many people / species have been lost with the passage of time. Yet, the core values of the people / creatures remain the same. It is only because of this and the legend that surrounds them that the four are able to help Caspian to triumph.

This is also Peter and Susan’s last trip to Narnia. The passage of time changes us all, and as we get older, sometimes we have to say goodbye to the favourite parts of our childhood. For Peter and Susan, this is it. There’s a promise in the air of more adventures of Lucy and Edmund, but in so many ways, this feels like saying goodbye to the past and childhood and welcoming a grown-up life.

Image source: Narnia Translations Home

Title: The Horse and His Boy
Author: C.S. Lewis
Series: Chronicles of Narnia #3
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Grafton
Year: 1954
5th sentence, 74th page: As the moon was behind it, it looked quite black, and Shasta did not know what it was, except that it had a very big, shaggy head and went on four legs.

“How ever did you learn to talk?” asked Shasta in amazement.

“Where I come from, nearly all the animals talk,” replied the Horse. “The happy land of Narnia.” His whinny sounded very like a sigh.

Bree, the horse, has been kidnapped from Narnia and longs to return there. Shasta, on the verge of being sold into slavery, decides to run away with him in search of the home he’s always dreamed of. But the journey is full of surprises and fraught with dangers, and when the companions uncover a treasonous plot, it also becomes a race against time…

I feel like this is sort of a forgotten part of The Chronicles of Narnia series. It takes place when the four are still in power, but follows a different boy from a country across the desert. Shasta’s upbringing is less than ideal and he struggles to find compassion and love in his daily life. Yet, when he meets the Narnian Bree, they both embark on a journey across the land to save not only the four, but the land of Shasta’s birth.

Although I love revisiting Peter, Susan, Lucy and Edmund throughout many of the other books, this is a nice way to build upon the world of Narnia. The multi layering of a beloved world is brilliant and helps to expand on the structured reality that Lewis has so carefully created.

Where The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is about morals and sacrifice, The Horse and his Boy is about fate, trust and bravery. Not just for Shasta, but for the rest of his companions as well.

Image source: Abe Books

Title: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Author: C.S. Lewis
Series: Chronicles of Narnia #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Grafton
Year: 1950
5th sentence, 74th page: “It’s no good, Son of Adam,” said Mr Beaver, “no good your trying, of all people.

“This is the land of Narnia,” said the Faun, “where we are now. And you – you have come from the wild woods of the west!” “I – I got in through the wardrobe in the spare room,” said Lucy.

Lucy steps into the Professor’s wardrobe – but steps out again into a snowy forest. She’s stumbled upon the magical world of Narnia, a land of unicrons, centaurs, fauns… and the wicked White Witch, who terrorises all. Lucy soon realises that Narnia, and in particular Aslan, the great Lion, need her help if the country’s creatures are ever going to be free again…

There’s a reason that this is a classic. And one of my all-time favourite books since I was a child. I can remember when I first had this read to me in primary school, and (unlike with Charlotte’s Web) I’ve never looked back. Actually, this is the third copy of the book that I’ve had to buy – the rest have fallen apart a little.

There’s been so many discussions about the Christian undertones to this story and the ways in which this tale reflects the journey of Jesus. I do understand this, but as someone who is not Christian and not interested in their religious stories, it’s not just about that. If it’s about that at all. This story is about morals, sacrifice and love. Every action has a consequence, but sometimes there is someone bigger and stronger there that is willing to protect you from all of the things that go bump in the night.

Although the morals and messages in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe are strong and potent, it’s really the joy of the story that makes this so much fun. This is the ultimate children’s adventure. A cold, rainy day and you decide to play hide and seek, only to be swept away on a journey of good versus evil. Plus, even Santa makes an appearance!

Image source: Narnia Translations Home

Title: The Magician’s Nephew
Author: C.S. Lewis
Series: Chronicles of Narnia #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Grafton
Year: 1955
5th sentence, 74th page: But he was, in any case, as vain as a peacock; that was why he had become a Magician.

Digory let out a scream. “What’s happened to Polly?”

“Congratulate me, my dear boy,” said Uncle Andrew, rubbing his hands. “My experiment has succeeded. The little girl’s gone – vanished – right out of this world.”

When Digory and Polly discover Uncle Andrew’s secret workshop, they are tricked into touching the magic rings which transport them to the Other Place. But even Uncle Andrew doesn’t realise the wonders that await them, for here is the gateway to the Land of Narnia and the beginning of many wonderful adventures there…

I found this Narnia story a little harder to get into at the beginning. Probably because the rest of the books have got residual characters from previous books. Characters that I have already formed an attachment to. However, from the third chapter onwards, I was happily hooked and involved. And, as it turns out, these are characters and happenings that are actually integral to the story of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The Magician’s Nephew is a story that I’ve read a few times – actually, it’s the first prequel to a series that I’ve really sunk my teeth into. And, it’s everything that a prequel should be. There is a sense of beginning, and although there is still the typical beginning, middle and end, the end is a little more open and there is a sense of new starts throughout the tale. Or at least, that’s how I always feel when I finish The Magician’s Nephew – like this small tale might be over, but the big battle is just beginning.

A big part of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and indeed, all of the Narnian stories is the fact that while the land is not a land of men, it must be ruled by man (or woman). It makes the stories work, but it is something that annoys me – the symbolic mastery of man over nature as though it can’t survive without us. But, regardless of that, I had always wondered how other men had come to the world. In the first book, they came through the wardrobe, in Caspian’s time, his people long ago slipped through another portal and bred up in a different country within the world. So, how did the first king and queen arrive? The Magician’s Nephew answers this, and how the wardrobe came to be, and even how the queen managed to sink her teeth into Narnia in the first place. So many questions that I hadn’t even known I needed answered…

Image source: The Outer Edge of Normal