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brogan7's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
2.5
The reason I read this book was because of the opening pages, depicting a relationship between a narcissist (monkey) and his henchman (a donkey). I wanted to know how that played out; what the donkey learned; whether he withstood the persuasions of someone who wasn't a friend at all...but none of that was delivered in the book.
(Eventually I kept reading because I also wanted to know if the animals discovered the monkey's ruse of pretending Aslan had returned.)
But overall, pfff. A strange monotheistic tale of the glory of death, what a curious religion Christianity is!
Also, who could fail to notice the Calormenes are all "dark" (as well as evil)...
(Eventually I kept reading because I also wanted to know if the animals discovered the monkey's ruse of pretending Aslan had returned.)
But overall, pfff. A strange monotheistic tale of the glory of death, what a curious religion Christianity is!
Also, who could fail to notice the Calormenes are all "dark" (as well as evil)...
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and War
abitterknitter's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and War
silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Re-reading this as adult, I realized that I was mistaken about why I struggled to enjoy this one as a child. I thought it was because it was sad that Narnia was ending (and was later informed that I was bad/wrong/childish to see the ending of Narnia as sad compared to the entry into heaven/Aslan's Country). But the thing is, the real sadness of this book is the pre-millennial worldview where Narnia has to fall apart for no good reason before we can get to Aslan's Country.
The relationship between Shift and Puzzle is both infuriating, and also impressive, because even as a child with no words for the manipulative gaslighting that Shift pulls on Puzzle, I still got a very clear picture that these sorts of shenanigans are bad, and people like Shift are not to be trusted.
There are still some bright spots in the book that made the re-read well worth it:
*Tirian. Possibly my favorite king of Narnia. (He might have to share that title with Peter, though, but that's okay because neither of them would be greedy about titles.)
*The Bear. Mostly comic relief in my childhood, he's gotten more relatable even just in memory as I've aged, and one of the lines about him (while still funny) made me full on cry as an adult.
*Assorted adventure and heroics, as you would expect from the heroes of Narnia.
The relationship between Shift and Puzzle is both infuriating, and also impressive, because even as a child with no words for the manipulative gaslighting that Shift pulls on Puzzle, I still got a very clear picture that these sorts of shenanigans are bad, and people like Shift are not to be trusted.
There are still some bright spots in the book that made the re-read well worth it:
*Tirian. Possibly my favorite king of Narnia. (He might have to share that title with Peter, though, but that's okay because neither of them would be greedy about titles.)
*The Bear. Mostly comic relief in my childhood, he's gotten more relatable even just in memory as I've aged, and one of the lines about him (while still funny) made me full on cry as an adult.
*Assorted adventure and heroics, as you would expect from the heroes of Narnia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Death
abby_can_read's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
🎧
I've enjoyed the entire series, and I struggled with this book. It was darker compared to previous books, though overall I did enjoy reading it.
I've enjoyed the entire series, and I struggled with this book. It was darker compared to previous books, though overall I did enjoy reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Xenophobia
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Racial slurs
lizziaha's review against another edition
1.0
It’s been said before but truly I could not focus on anything except the BLATANT racism in this book, ft. our beloved heroes doing blackface, “darkies” (lewis’s word, not mine) worshipping a god that is revealed to be a demon, and an evil ape (really the racist symbolism is so transparent) creating a fake Aslan for his own gain. I see what c.s. lewis is doing, and it infuriates me. As someone who was raised Christian, i found the rhetoric in this book deeply distasteful. Being intimately familiar with Christian beliefs, i just can’t stop thinking about how this book could be so much better. The ending felt like the biggest cop out ever, the end of the world of narnia felt rushed and also i felt like it wasn’t a true representation of biblical end times. And don’t even get me started on Susan 😤
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Islamophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Xenophobia, and War
fragrant_stars's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Definitely a darker tone than the earlier books... as an adult, it's a little uncomfortable to read the racism and xenophobia in these books-- I don't believe CS Lewis had any malicious intent when he wrote these tropes, but.. you know. Still uncomfortable. All in all though, I think it was a decent wrapup to the Narnia series, and I'm happy I was able to enjoy these books as a young child.
BTW Susan didn't enter Aslan's kingdom in the end because she was.... you know..... still alive......... Smartassery aside it's very clear in-text that Susan doesn't go to Aslan's kingdom because she doesn't really want to go. She doesn't even believe it exists. She's so obsessed with being a part of the Grown Up Club that she's too proud to believe in fairytales. It's not about the lipsticks nylons and boys. CS Lewis himself says that he thinks that it's not too late for Susan to grow up and realise it's okay to indulge in "silly" and "childish" things and come back to Narnia again someday.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Car accident, and Death of parent
annaofjesup's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and War
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Grief, and Alcohol
rebeccarudisill's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Racism, and War
clevermird's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Here we are. The closing chapter. The final story. The Last Battle.
In slightly less poetic words, no matter which reading order you use, this is the 7th and concluding installment of The Chronicles of Narnia.
It's been hundreds of years since Eustace and Jill freed Prince Rillian from the Emerald Witch and now, in the far western lands of Narnia, rumors are spreading that the lion has returned. But this version of Aslan is very different from the one in the old stories, and when King Tirian tries to put things right, he finds himself in the midst of a battle for the minds and souls of Narnia - one that might be a lost cause.
This story was my favorite of the series as a child, and reading it again, it's easy to see why. It's the darkest of the Chronicles with character deaths and destruction of familiar sites from other books abounding. I also loved the mythological, epic tone of the last few chapters. To say too much would spoil the story, but suffice to say that the series ends with a bang that is likely to stick with readers, especially young ones. Some of the metaphors became more obvious as an adult, which, again, without spoilers, involve false prophets and cult leaders, the importance of not blindly following mortal religious leaders, and the variety of human reactions to fear and uncertainty.
The book isn't perfect, though. First, like several of the books in this series, it takes a while to really get going and even when it does, the pacing is a bit uneven. Second, while I didn't find the depictions of the Calormines to be that bad overall in The Horse and His Boy, there's definitely some uncomfortable racial overtones in a few scenes (the brownface-as-disguise scene and the dialogue surrounding it in particular), even if Lewis pulls of a bit of a saving throw later on with a Calormine character who puts in a brief but meaningful appearance to improve matters. It doesn't dominate the book, but it definitely merits a heads up.
I feel like I would be remiss to conclude this review without mentioning the Susan Problem that so many other reviews here and elsewhere have covered. I don't think this is the place for getting into it, but my take is that the most common complaints require a bad-faith interpretation of the text and that in context, it is fairly clear that Susan's problem is not "femininity" but "holding fleeting social popularity as the ultimate goal in life".
Overall, while not as technically brilliant and perhaps no longer my favorite, The Last Battle is a book that managed to get me to tear up reading it even now and provides a satisfying conclusion for the series, and really, that's all I could ask for.
In slightly less poetic words, no matter which reading order you use, this is the 7th and concluding installment of The Chronicles of Narnia.
It's been hundreds of years since Eustace and Jill freed Prince Rillian from the Emerald Witch and now, in the far western lands of Narnia, rumors are spreading that the lion has returned. But this version of Aslan is very different from the one in the old stories, and when King Tirian tries to put things right, he finds himself in the midst of a battle for the minds and souls of Narnia - one that might be a lost cause.
This story was my favorite of the series as a child, and reading it again, it's easy to see why. It's the darkest of the Chronicles with character deaths and destruction of familiar sites from other books abounding. I also loved the mythological, epic tone of the last few chapters. To say too much would spoil the story, but suffice to say that the series ends with a bang that is likely to stick with readers, especially young ones. Some of the metaphors became more obvious as an adult, which, again, without spoilers, involve false prophets and cult leaders, the importance of not blindly following mortal religious leaders, and the variety of human reactions to fear and uncertainty.
The book isn't perfect, though. First, like several of the books in this series, it takes a while to really get going and even when it does, the pacing is a bit uneven. Second, while I didn't find the depictions of the Calormines to be that bad overall in The Horse and His Boy, there's definitely some uncomfortable racial overtones in a few scenes (the brownface-as-disguise scene and the dialogue surrounding it in particular), even if Lewis pulls of a bit of a saving throw later on with a Calormine character who puts in a brief but meaningful appearance to improve matters. It doesn't dominate the book, but it definitely merits a heads up.
I feel like I would be remiss to conclude this review without mentioning the Susan Problem that so many other reviews here and elsewhere have covered. I don't think this is the place for getting into it, but my take is that the most common complaints require a bad-faith interpretation of the text and that in context, it is fairly clear that Susan's problem is not "femininity" but "holding fleeting social popularity as the ultimate goal in life".
Overall, while not as technically brilliant and perhaps no longer my favorite, The Last Battle is a book that managed to get me to tear up reading it even now and provides a satisfying conclusion for the series, and really, that's all I could ask for.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Racism, Violence, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Colonisation
Minor: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, and Religious bigotry
esme_may's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
This book was so unbelievably racist. It deals with the Calormenes very badly and constantly presents Asian as the ‘right’ god to believe in. It only manages to be better than The Horse and His Boy by not being painfully boring
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Murder, and War
Minor: Sexual content and Alcohol