Tag: #Narnia

BOOK REVIEW: The Silver Chair

Author: C.S. Lewis

The Silver Chair is the sixth book in The Chronicles of Narnia series and serves as the sequel of the film ‘ The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’. There had been speculations about this book being adapted into a film but as of now there is no confirmation regarding it. However, this book is included in The Chronicles Of Narnia TV series which is a British BBC produced television serial and aired form 1988 to 1990 and covered four books of the series.
It is a middle grade book just like the rest of the series. This book dives deeper into the land of Narnia and shows the sides of it which weren’t shown before. It is the first book to show openly Narnia as a much less friendly and darker place than the other books. Well it may be because as the series proceeded, it became rather more mature. The Pevensies, who serve as the main characters throughout the film trilogy and also in most of the books, are not in this book.


“You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you,” said Aslan.”

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65641.The_Silver_Chair

The story opens with a girl named Jill Pole who had been experiencing bullying. She is comforted by Eustace Scrubb. This is the same guy who was in the film The Voyage of Dawn Treader and was very annoying in the starting but eventually became good by the end. He tells her about Narnia and they both get there. There, both of them are given a task by Aslan, to find and rescue King Caspian’s son, who is the heir to the throne of Narnia.
The book consists of sixteen chapters. The story is very progressive. It gets interesting after every chapter. There is this aura of mystery surrounding the story which wasn’t very prominent in other books. The more you read, the more you get invested in unravelling the mystery of Prince Rilian. Chapter 11 and 12 in particular have a great plot twist which makes overall story very exciting.
There are a lot of referencing in this book as well. It also explores underworld, the part of Narnia which is not really emphasised in other books. This must be the reason that makes this book very different than rest and also gives it a relatively darker tone. Deceit, manipulation, captivity, bullying, delusions are some themes which make this story very different from others. The main antagonist is the Lady of the Green Kirtle, the Queen of the Underland. She is depicted as a very beautiful women who turns out to be very deadly by the end of the book. Looks can be deceiving huh!
The writing style of the author is simple, conversational and cunning. It is written very descriptively and makes the story lively. The narrative of the story gives a very nostalgic feeling as if the story is of a very distant past. Overall, it is a very good book. The storytelling, the characters, the plot, everything is amazing. It is a must read!!!

https://youtu.be/O6yxZ8WXVtw

BOOK REVIEW: The Magician’s Nephew

Author: C.S. Lewis

The Magician’s Nephew is the first book in The Chronicles of Narnia series. There are total seven books in the series. Three of them have been adapted into theatrical films. The Magician’s Nephew serves as the prequel to the movie ‘The lion, the witch and the wardrobe’.
The Chronicles of Narnia series is set up in a fictional world known as Narnia where talking beasts walk, and magic exists. The series follow stories of various people who are associated with Narnia. Each book is has it’s own timeline and is connected with other without loosing essence of it’s own.

Being a prequel of the film, this book deals with a lot of stuff that wasn’t completely explained in the film. It explains the origins of Narnia and the wardrobe and also deals with the backstories of characters which were in the film like white witch and professor. Reading this book prior watching the film make the experience better.

“This is a very important story”, explains the author at the beginning, “because it shows how all the comings and goings between our own world and the land of Narnia first began”.

https://www.goodreads.com/community_answer/93466/comments?reverse=true

The story revolves around a boy named Digory. He befriends a girl named Polly and both agree to go on some sort of adventure for fun but things don’t go so well when they encounter Digory’s uncle Andrew. He tricks the girl into using one of his experimental rings which send her to unknown dimension. Digory goes after her in a quest to save her and find a way back home.
The story then follows their journey through different worlds. The book has a total of 15 chapters. Chapter 3 and 4 in particular are very interesting. They represent the feeling of unfamiliarity very well. The sense of adventure when you try something new yet the feeling of uneasiness which comes out of fear are very well portrayed.
The writing style of the author is very casual and conversational yet very cunning and ominous. It is very descriptive and makes you imagine the stuff in the novel real quick. The world building in this novel as well as the series on the whole is phenomenal. There is a lot of referencing in this book as well and lot of foreshadowing too. The book is written in such a way, it feels like distant past and gives nostalgic vibes. The narration changes from third person to first person many times throughout the series. The later chapters deal with the creation of Narnia, the origins of Jadis, the white witch, who serves as the main antagonist in the sequel. The end of this story marks the beginning of all others and it serves a perfect intro for the rest of the series.

Talking about the lessons it teaches, the first one would be learning to contain your curiosity. Throughout the story, most of the problems occur because the characters are curious to find out what’ll happen if you do a certain thing or so. Values of friendship, loyalty and commitment are also presented well. Overall, this book is a must read.

https://youtu.be/nVBMw372IxU