Author: C.S. Lewis
Year of Publication: 1956
Official Fan Page
Synopsis: The last battle is the greatest battle of all. Narnia...
where lies breed fear... where loyalty is tested... where all hope seems lost.
During the last days of Narnia, the land faces its fiercest challenge - not an
invader from without but an enemy from within. Lies and treachery have taken
root, and only the king and a small band of loyal followers can prevent the
destruction of all they hold dear in this, the magnificent ending to the
Chronicles of Narnia.
STEPH SAID
Rating:
Review:
Most part of this book was like any other Chronicles of
Narnia book: human kids accompany some Narnians on a quest and the story ends
up with a battle. What makes this book different and better is what happened
after the battle.
The first chapter tells the story of how an ape, Shift, and
a donkey, Puzzle, found a lion’s fur and how Shift adjusted it and made Puzzle
wear it. I wish I hadn’t heard that story; I wish this first chapter was never
written. Later on in the story, an ape appears claiming to be Aslan’s
spokesperson. Aslan, apparently, wanted all kind of horrendous things, like
selling all dwarfs and talking animals as slaves, to Calormene. If I hadn’t
read the ape/donkey story of the first chapter, this would’ve intrigued me and
make me feel suspicious. However, since I did know the story, I knew Aslan wasn’t
asking for those things. Of course this is a book for children. I guess C.S.
Lewis didn’t want kids to think Aslan would actually do such things and decided
to expose the ape first handed. That way kids wouldn’t lose faith in Aslan.
Shift allied with Calormenes and so the last battle began:
King Tirian, Eustace, Jill and many Narnians vs. Shift, the Calormenes and many
Narnians. It wasn’t as big as I expected, or as epic. It was in fact a bit disappointing.
It wasn’t a great war-like battle, more like two or three small battles.
Up to this point, the book was ok. But then came the end of
Narnia and the book was way better. Not because of the actual end of Narnia, but for all the
friends that we were able to see again. Every human that was once in Narnia
appeared again: Digory, Polly, Peter, Edmund, Lucy, Eustace and Jill. The only
one missing was Susan. In Peter and Jill’s words:
"My sister Susan," answered Peter shortly and gravely, "is no longer a friend of Narnia."
"Oh Susan!" said Jill. "She's interested in nothing nowadays except nylons and lipstick and invitations. She always was a jolly sight too keen on being grown-up."
Also, it was overwhelming to see every character that was
important in the series. Fledge was there, and Trumpkin, the Badger and the
Beavers, Puddleglum, but most importantly (to me) Reepicheep and Mr. Tumnus. I
even cried when I read about the latter two.
It was a great ending to the series, not the actual last
battle, but what came after it: the second half of the book, the actual ending.
And the last page held a plot twist— which I’m not going to spoil even though I
saw it coming— that made the ending of the series perfect.
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