The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle

I did not expect how this entire series would end. It literally blew my mind and left me speechless after finding out what happened to three of the Pevensie children, Diggory, Polly, Eustace, and Jill.

This book left me sad and wondering how C.S. Lewis could have ended the series without doing that to them.

But it is a good final book to an amazing series. It gave us a glimpse of what awaits those who hold steadfast to their faith. Trusting our faith leads us to the future that we dream of and having none would lead us to ruin.

In the book, those who believed in Aslan, his goodness, and his promises were able to see the real Narnia, the Narnia behind the door of the stable that is filled and overflowing with life but those who turned away and listened to evil faced eternal damnation.

Book 7 and its events are somewhat based on those of the book of Revelation yet told in a fairy-tale like manner. However, it lacks the seamless flow of adventures and challenges that is so evident in the first 6 books. Or maybe I just was just used to how the first six books had its adventures in a lot of settings/places? I am not sure.

But in general, it still has the magic that will make one want to turn the pages to know what will happen next.

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The Last Battle started when Shift (an ape) and Puzzle (a donkey) saw a lion’s skin in Cauldron Pool. Shift, who was cunning and always looking for an opportunity to take advantage of anyone or anything, told Puzzle to put in on and act like Aslan.

Many Narnians believed this and followed what Shift told them to do because they are afraid that Aslan would get mad at them.

The Calormenes took advantage of this fear and unfaithfulness of some Narnians and told them that Tash, their god, and Aslan are the same in order to take over the magical land.

But King Tirian, the last of Narnia, tried to defend it which led to the last battle the magical land would ever see.

Book Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair

Book 6 of 7 in the classic series of C.S. Lewis.

This was about the exciting journey of Eustace (the Pevensies’ cousin) and his friend, Jill, to save the only son of King Caspian, Rilian.

Prince Rilian went missing after his mom died due to a snake bite. Ten years after and Caspian is nearing the end of his life, Aslan called Eustace and Jill to search for the missing prince.

They were accompanied by Puddleglum, a Marsh-wiggle, who appears to be pessimistic in the beginning but the more you get to know him, the more you realize that in his heart, he holds more positivity than any other characters in Narnia.

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I have not read the last book yet but I think this is going to be my most favorite book in the series. I did not like the idea of Eustace coming back to Narnia at first. Maybe because I did not like him at all in Book 5 when he was being so difficult in the first part of the journey. But this book gave a glimpse of the idea that God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called. So no matter how broken the character of Eustace was, he was able to accomplish the next task that was given to him because he was chosen for it.

This book also used the idea of signs. Aslan gave Jill four signs that will help them find Rilian. He asked her to recite it morning and night, keep them in her heart, and never forget it no matter what. But when the situations got harder for her, when she got tired, hungry, and cold, she forgot to repeat the signs in her head, making her forget all about them. This made their journey longer and made them encounter a lot of challenges.

This reminds me of the truths of our faith. If we are fully committed to it, if we keep them in our hearts, and follow them no matter how difficult the situations get, we have the assurance that all will turn out well.

Book Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

“I am, but there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here a little, you may know me better there.” – Aslan (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)

This was Aslan’s parting words to Lucy and Edmund as they end their final adventure in Narnia. The kids were sad to leave, knowing that they would never return to the magical land.

Aslan, as I have always thought based of what I have read and seen in the movie adaptations of the book is a symbolism, representing Jesus Christ. There are a lot of things that Aslan did and somehow can be equated with how Jesus saved us. First, when Aslan died on the Stone Table to appease the Deep Magic and to save Edmund, who was considered a traitor then. It was written in a way like how Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. Second, how Aslan always showed up whenever someone was in danger or someone is in dire need of help. Should I need to remind each and everyone of how Jesus saves and keeps us safe every single day?

Many of Narnia’s readers might think that Aslan is indeed an allegorical figure of Jesus but C.S. Lewis made it clear that it is more of a suppositional incarnation of Christ. If the books are classified as an allegory of how mankind was saved, every symbol, every situation, in the book must have meant something in real life. That was not the case. Narnia was written by C.S. Lewis as his answer to his own question, “Suppose there was a world like Narnia and it needed rescuing and the Son of God (or the ‘Great Emperor oversea’) went to redeem it, as He came to redeem ours, what might it, in that world, all have been like?”

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The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was about King Caspian’s journey to fulfill his oath of finding the seven Lords of Narnia whom his uncle banished. He was accompanied by Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace, their cousin.

Book Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

“Aslan” said Lucy “you’re bigger”.
“That is because you are older, little one” answered he.
“Not because you are?”
“I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”

These, by far, are my most favorite lines in The Chronicles of Narnia. I feel like the lines are giving us a message about our faith in God. As we grow older, as life enriches us with wonderful experiences and unforgettable adventures, our faith must remain like the faith of a child: does not doubt, question or seek explanations. Just like how Lucy kept on believing in Aslan.

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In Book 4, Caspian fought for his rights to the throne.

His uncle planned to kill Caspian so that he could be king but Caspian was able to escape and to seek help from the Old Narnians (the Talking Beasts, Dwarfs, the Kings and Queens of the Golden Age).

It was a hard-fought battle but Caspian, together with the Old Narnians, was able to save the land from the Telmarines.

Book Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy

“Child,” said the Lion, “I am telling you your story, not hers. No one is told any story but their own.” – Aslan

This is the line that left a mark on me after reading the third book. Most of the time, we want to know a lot about things that do not concern us at all, that do not affect us in any way. There are many reasons why we do and your reason might be different from mine.

Aslan, in this book, reminds us that if it is not our story to tell, then we better zip our mouths. Let people tell their own stories.

If it is not a story that concerns us, then we better cover our ears and attend to matters that are more important.

C.S. Lewis is right. There will come a time when we are old enough that we get to read fairy tales again because these remind us of simple things that we have forgotten as we add years to our age.

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✅ The Horse and His Boy

The third book is about Shasta’s journey to discover who he really was. He was raised by a fisherman who treated him no better than a helper that he even considered an offer to sell Shasta to a rich man to become a slave. Upon hearing this, Shasta decided to flee together with a talking horse named Bree. They embarked on a journey to Narnia, the land of the free.

On this journey, they met Aravis, who is also going to Narnia to run away from the marriage to an old man that her father arranged for her. She was with Hwin, a talking horse.

While they were in Tashbaan, they heard about the plan of the prince of Calormen to attack Archenland and Narnia to force Queen Susan to marry him.

Trying to save Archenland and Narnia, Shasta and Aravis raced against the prince’s army to Archenland in order to warn them about the attack.

They were able to arrive in time and King Lune, together with the Narnians, was able to defend Archenland. Here, King Lune acknowledged Shasta as his missing son, the heir to the throne.

Book Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE took place during the time when Jadis, the White Witch, was reigning over the land of Narnia. Jadis was so evil, turning good creatures into stone and the entire Narnia to year-round winter and no Christmas.

It was about the first adventure of the Pevensie children (Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy) to Narnia through Professor Kirke’s magical wardrobe in one of his empty rooms. In order to rescue Mr. Taumnus, a faun that helped Lucy escape from Jadis the first time she went to Narnia, the Pevensies decided to help restore order in the magical land of Narnia with Aslan’s guidance.

Book Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew

Going back to my first love ❤️

This year, I intend to read more books to nurture my mind.

My first read this year is the Book 1 of The Chronicles of Narnia. I have always wanted to get my hands on this series as I am a huge fan of Aslan. And just like what they say, dreams do come true, right?

I have also decided to create an IG account solely for books that I have read starting this year and my journey of fighting for this first love no matter how busy my schedule gets. Cheers to my new bookstagram account! 🥂

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Now, let us talk about the book.

THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW is about the adventures of Diggory and Polly during the founding year of Narnia. It was not their intention to have this journey through different worlds using the magic rings. It was Diggory’s uncle, Andrew, and his selfish scheme that forced the kids to discover about these different worlds and to meet Jadis, the White Witch (well, she was just referred to as The Witch in book 1).

This book will also let you in to the secrets on why there is a magical wardrobe in Book 2, why Jadis became a powerful witch, and how Aslan created the land of Narnia.

Things that I learned after reading The Magician’s Nephew:

⭐️Be honest and keep your promises no matter how hard the situation you are in. Your heart’s desires will be fulfilled and your prayers will be answered as long as you stay good and true.

⭐️You will be tempted and evil will always use what you most yearn for so that you will go for it and commit sin. All that you need to do is to remember who you are and for whom you are made for.

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Now, on to the next book: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE!