Reviews

Mini Review: The Silver Chair and The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

Title:  The Silver Chair
Author:  C.S. Lewis
Series:  The Chronicles of Narnia #4/#6*
Publisher:  Collier Books, a division of Macmillan
Publication Date:  August 28, 1970 (First published 1953)
Pages:  217
Format/Source:  Paperback/Purchased
Age Group/Genre:  All Ages/Classics, Fantasy

Narnia . . . where giants wreak havoc . . . where evil weaves a spell . . . where enchantment rules. Through dangers untold and caverns deep and dark, a noble band of friends are sent to rescue a prince held captive. But their mission to Underland brings them face-to-face with an evil more beautiful and more deadly than they ever expected. (Cover and synopsis from Goodreads.)

 

Title:  The Horse and His Boy
Author:  C.S. Lewis
Series:  The Chronicles of Narnia #5/#3*
Publisher:  Collier Books, a division of Macmillan
Publication Date:  August 28, 1970 (First published 1954)
Pages:  217
Format/Source:  Paperback/Purchased
Age Group/Genre:  All Ages/Classics, Fantasy

Narnia… where some horses talk, where treachery is brewing, where destiny awaits. On a desperate journey, two runaways meet and join forces. Though they are only looking to escape their harsh and narrow lives, they soon find themselves at the center of a terrible battle. It is a battle that will decide their fate and the fate of Narnia itself. (Cover and synopsis from Goodreads.)

I read both of these books fairly quickly, and didn’t write too many notes, so I’m just going to write a mini review of both of them and share some of my notes.

  • The word “bulwark” (which is in The Silver Chair) always reminds me of Gilmore Girls (which I LOVE).
  • The Narnia books always make me hungry, because they always mention tons of food!
  • Puddleglum (in The Silver Chair) reminds me of Marvin from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and I love Marvin!
  • Yay for the return of the word “bivouac” in The Silver Chair!  I love that word for some reason, and so did Lewis, apparently.
  • The Silver Chair is really pretty suspenseful!
  • The main character in The Horse and His Boy is named Shasta! When I was almost three and my mom was about to have my brother, I wanted to name him Shasta.  Of course, I’m pretty sure I was thinking of the soft drink, but it’s awesome to see that used as a name!  See, Mom!  We could have named him Shasta!  Nah, you’re right. Tyler’s a much better name.
  • I love this quote in The Horse and His Boy: “Talking Horses always become more horsey in accent when they are angry.”
 
My rating for The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis:
 
 
4 stars.  I enjoyed this one a lot, but maybe not quite as much as Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
 
 
My rating for The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis:
 
 
3 stars.  I just didn’t find this one as suspenseful and entertaining as a lot of the others, but it was still good.
 
Disclaimer:  I purchased these books myself.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.

*Most of my copies of The Chronicles of Narnia series are numbered in the published order, although some are numbered so that the story moves chronologically.  I’ve decided to read them all in the order they were originally published.

2 Comments

  1. Brandi Kosiner

    November 25, 2013 at 3:07 pm

    Its been a while since I have read these, but remember enjoying.

  2. pagesunbound

    December 1, 2013 at 6:56 pm

    For some reason I always associate the word "bivouac" with Lewis, too. I don't know if I first encountered it in Narnia, or if Lewis just used it in a particularly memorable way!

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