8-11: The remaining Chronicles of Narnia

[lnr]

- 8: Prince Caspian: C.S. Lewis: ISBN 0-26-167049-2
- 9: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: C.S. Lewis: ISBN 0-26-167050-6
- 10: The Silver Chair: C.S. Lewis: ISBN 0-26-167051-4
- 11: The Last Battle: C.S. Lewis: ISBN 0-26-167052-2

I may as well write about these as all one entry. There's not really much to say. I enjoyed them all, though I think Dawn Treader is possibly the one I like most. For some reason Eustace and Jill together don't seem to make as much of a mark on me as some of the other combinations of characters do. The nice thing about the last one is seeing them all together again, especially Lucy, who despite being a bit wet at times, and a bit too much of a goody-two-shoes, is somehow my favourite. Though I'm still not sure I forgive C. S. Lewis for dropping Susan. And the last one *is* too preachy, even for me. And not really enough of an adventure. And surely there must have been more than *one* of the Calormenes who wasn't a complete rotter.

What next? I seem to have accidentally ordered a copy of Pratchett's Night Watch from Tesco today (it came up at the end of a rather incongruous list of search results when I was looking for Weight Watchers breakfast cereal), which will probably be devoured at some point about as quickly as this lot have. I seem to have missed only The Last Hero (illustrated) and The Amazing Maurice (aimed at kids) in terms of Discworld books before this one, which mildly surprises me, since I've not been keeping up.

I'm also looking at Ilium and Absolution Gap both of which Richard has now finished. And the 10th Wheel of Time book when it arrives, though that may not be til late Feb since I ordered it with a CD which is an import and might take weeks. And the pile from my mum of course too. And some more things in French. No doubt at some point I'll pick one :-)

Comments

[senji.livejournal.com]

Jill is currently my favourite of the lot, with Diggory a close second (this being since my re-read at Christmas).

What he does to Susan is, I think, an important device, and helps to underline the choice aspect of the whole thing. One could probably write an essay on this though. In my heart I feel that Susan (*stops, thinks, calculates ages*) will end up in the 'real' Narnia eventually.

I do agree with your comments on the last one though.

I was discussing this with angelofthenorth the other day, and I think that Silver Chair is the best in the whole series, but either the Dawn Treader or The Magician's Nephew is my favourite, and TMN comes out top on a best/most-enjoyed combined comparison.

[hoiho.livejournal.com]

Jill is currently my favourite of the lot, with Diggory a close second

Reepicheep!

[glamwhorebunni.livejournal.com]

The Last Battle is *terrible*! I mean, for whoever's sake!
The Last Battle, determining the fate of a Whole World, being about a dozen people on each side? I'd expect something more than that, from an author who was good mates with Tolkien...

The Last Skirmish doesn't sound as good a title tho, I suppose.

I like Night Watch. It's quite different from previous Pratchetts. In a way that seems to have continued with the even-more-recent ones. But I like it. Reg Shoe *rocks*. And Vetinari & That Woman are interesting (but I've always loved assassins & Vetinari). Yeah, good stuff.

[atreic.livejournal.com]

The Magicians Nephew was always my favourite. Possibly because I read TL,TW&TW first, and it explained everything nicely. But I liked Polly better than Digory

[lnr]

Hang on, it doesn't determine the fate of the world. Or at least the outcome of the battle doesn't

[glamwhorebunni.livejournal.com]

No, but it's all tied up in it.
And I still dispute that that counts as a battle...

[ottah.livejournal.com]

I have the two Discworld books you've missed if you'd like to borrow them.

[sparrowsion]

Susan [ ... ] will end up in the 'real' Narnia eventually

You think she has the chance to change her afterlife within the afterlife? Does this extend to the dwarfs? The Calormen who were eaten by Tash? Who is alloweded a chance at redemption after having ended their lives as blind to the truth? (I'm not going to extend this questioning to people who never knew the base Narnia because that's well trodden theological ground.)

The endings of Narnia and LotR make an interesting, to me, philosophical and emotional contrast. In Narnia, everyone dies but we explicitly see them going on to a better world. Whereas many of the characters in LotR believe they are setting out for a better world, but we have no assurances beyond our beliefs that they're not going to an ultimate death, and to pass out of all worlds forever. I find this very much more moving -- more so than a simple death would be -- and at the same time much less glib than Narnia. Tolkien offers our view of the characters the chance of life after life, if we believe; whereas Lewis tells us what will happen to them, imposes his theological will on us.

[lnr]

Oh that would be cool, thanks!

[lnr-at-work.livejournal.com]

Is Susan definitely on the train with the others? I know Peter and Edmund were on the platform, the other Narnian-visitors on the train and Peter mentions his parents are on it too, but I can't recall him mentioning if Susan is too.

[damerell.livejournal.com]

The last battle can only turn out one way, though, because of manifest destiny and shit.

Most of the CS Lewis<->Tolkien influence went the other way - apparently the early draft of the Silmarillion has much more Greek or Roman gods, with lots of smiting and shagging. Lewis in contrast was expert at rationalising the absurdities in his belief.

The Vimes books are almost always good; in particular, Feet of Clay remains my single favourite.