Customer Reviews

The Silver Chair (paper-over-board) (Narnia)

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The Silver Chair (1953) is a children's fantasy novel, the fourth in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. The reformed Eustace, along with his classmate Jill, are summoned to Narnia to rescue the now-aged King Caspian's only son.

The Silver Chair is a solid adventure, and, with its structure and content (giants, caverns, witches and such), is reminiscent of traditional fairy tales. On the downside, the story turns on a couple of rather predictable twists (they may be predictable even to children, at least to children who have, as Lewis might say, "read the right sort of books"), and there really isn't much of a climax.

Lewis always has moral themes going on, but here, they're particularly good. Eustace and Jill have to learn hard lessons in accountability and personal responsibility. The related theme of faithful obedience in the face of death is powerfully done: Eustace and Jill struggle the whole time, in sharp contrast to Prince Rilian, whose faith is summed up when he says, "Aslan will be our good lord, whether he means us to live or die. And all's one, for that." Lewis also continues to take shots at "modern" values by setting up his "Experiment House" school and then blasting it mercilessly; this assault is unapologetically obvious.

The characters are well done here: Eustace continues his struggle toward maturity. Jill, in contrast to the always positive but not particularly capable Lucy, is (and becomes) a competent and practical character. Puddleglum, the wettest of all blankets, is a nice supporting character (thankfully Lewis doesn't overdo it with him). And Rilian's simple but unshakeable faith is impressive.

The Silver Chair is a solid entry in the series, even if the moral themes pack more punch than the story itself.

It is perplexing to share comments about a Narnia book because so many people have pre-existing opinions. Some will opine that they are pious pamphlets; and, true, I have seen them sold in Christian bookstores. Many folks shy away from reading them since most bookstores stock them in the children's section. Be that as it may I personally was very surprised how well written they are compared with what passes for fantasy literature today. Stories about human beings being transported to another reality are one of the standard topics of the science fiction/fantasy genre. Fortunately Lewis dispenses with the pseudo scientific clap-trap most authors use to "explain' how this happened. A wardrobe, a train station, a painting of a ship or a opening in a stone wall no matter what is employed we all know that it's impossible so attributing it to a supernatural being like Aslan is as good as an explanation as any.
I found The Silver Chair a wonderful read. All the elements I found delightful in the three other Narnia books I have read were present: fantasy beings with human emotions, alien landscapes reminiscent of something out of a Lovecraft story and enigmatic statements and interactions with Aslan. I am still pondering the meaning and significance of the scene in the chapter "The Healing of Harms" when a dead King Caspian is resurrected with a drop of blood from Aslan.

The Silver Chair
By C.S. Lewis

Although The Silver Chair may be the least-well known of the seven books in The Chronicles of Narnia series, its imagery and character description make for a great story. Reading you get the feeling like you're there with Eustace, Jill, and the Marshwiggle, Puddleglum. Although this adventurous story is full of suspense and deceit, for me, the most rousing part of the book is near the beginning when C.S. Lewis is describing a cliff of size nearly beyond imagination. The setting varies greatly in detail while the description is unyielding. Like many great authors, C.S. Lewis has an uncanny ability of speaking from contrasting points of view with diverse characters throughout the novel. Unlike some adventure novels, The Silver Chair is an exciting read, all the way through. The suspense and foreshadowing clearly falls into the category of the timeless classics one hates to put down and can't wait to pick up again. In summary, this novel may be slightly unknown but it is a great book and I highly recommend it.