The Silver Chair (The Chronicles of Narnia, Full-Color Collector's Edition) [Paperback]

C. S. Lewis (Author), Pauline Baynes (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: August 22, 2000 | Age Range: 8 and up

Jill and Eustace must rescue the Prince from the evil Witch.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

NARNIA . . . where owls are wise, where some of the giants like to snack on humans (and, if carefully cooked, on Marsh-wiggles, too), where a prince is put under an evil spell . . . and where the adventure begins. Eustace and Jill escape from the bullies at school through a strange door in the wall, which, for once, is unlocked. It leads to the open moor . . . or does it? Once again Aslan has a task for the children, and Narnia needs them. Through dangers untold and caverns deep and dark, they pursue the quest that brings them face to face with the evil Witch. She must be defeated if Prince Rilian is to be saved. Enter this enchanged world countless times in The Chronicles of Narnia.

About the Author

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) fue uno de los intelectuales más importantes del siglo veinte y podría decirse que fue el escritor cristiano más influyente de su tiempo. Fue profesor particular de literatura inglesa y miembro de la junta de gobierno en la Universidad Oxford hasta 1954, cuando fue nombrado profesor de literatura medieval y renacentista en la Universidad Cambridge, cargo que desempeñó hasta que se jubiló. Sus contribuciones a la crítica literaria, literatura infantil, literatura fantástica y teología popular le trajeron fama y aclamación a nivel internacional. C. S. Lewis escribió más de treinta libros, lo cual le permitió alcanzar una enorme audiencia, y sus obras aún atraen a miles de nuevos lectores cada año. Sus más distinguidas y populares obras incluyen Las Crónicas de Narnia, Los Cuatro Amores, Cartas del Diablo a Su Sobrino y Mero Cristianismo.

Pauline Baynes has produced hundreds of wonderful illustrations for the seven books in The Chronicles of Narnia. In 1968 she was awarded the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal for her outstanding contribution to children's literature.

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: HarperTrophy (August 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064409457
• ISBN-13: 978-0064409452
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #335,769 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars THE SILVER CHAIR by C. S. Lewis February 1, 2011

By thepaxdomini

Format:Paperback

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A new character performs interestingly January 26, 2010

By Israel Drazin TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Several weeks have passed since Eustace returned from his sea adventure with King Caspian in the magical land. Eustace is now back in England attending a boarding school filled with bullies, where the school head has no control over the students.
Jill also attends the school. Eustace finds her crying because of the way she is being treated by the bullies. He tries to console her and tells her about the magic land. The two wish they can escape to Narnia.
They hear the bullies coming to hurt them, and they run. Suddenly they are transported to the other world. They land on a mountain and Aslan, the magic lion, transports Eustace to Narnia. But before blowing Jill there, he tells her that he brought the two so that they can find the lost son of a king. The king is now old and believes that he will die without leaving an heir to reign in his stead.
Aslan gives Jill four signs. First, Eustace will see someone he recognizes from his last trip. He should talk to that person immediately. Second, they should travel north to the land of the giants. Third, they will see a writing there on a stone and should do what the writing says. Fourth, they will recognize the lost prince when he asks them to do something in Aslan's name. Aslan then blows Jill to Narnia where she finds Eustace.
The two see a very aged king leaving Narnia on a ship. They are told that the king is Caspian, who Eustace knew during his last visit. Eustace realizes that although only weeks have passed in England since his last adventure, some seventy years have gone by in Narnia. Eustace and Jill also realize that they failed to fulfill their first task, for Caspian has gone.
They become involved in an adventure with owls that fly them around on their backs but cannot take them north because owls do not like to fly during the day. The owls tell the children how the prince's mother was killed and how the prince disappeared. They suspect that a wicked witch is involved.
The owls take the children to Puddleglum, a scarecrow type being, who is gloomier than his name, who sees bad in everything, but who agrees to help the children fulfill the second requirement of going north to the land of the giants, even though he tells them that their future will certainly be terrible.
Several adventures follow. The three pass through a land of stupid giants where stones are thrown. They meet a beautiful lady on a beautiful horse and a knight dressed in black who does not speak. The lady sends them to a house and tells them to say that they are "sent to your Autumn Feast." Jill forgets the third sign about a writing on a wall.
Readers will enjoy hearing the details of these adventures. They will also hear the other adventures the two children and Puddleglum had. Who was the beautiful woman? Were the three able to find the prince? Did they save him? Was there a wicked witch? Did King Caspian return and see his son the prince? Did the prince become king? What happened when the two children returned to England? Were they able to beat the bullies? What happened to the head of the school?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Review by Happy January 4, 2007

By C. Staff

Format:Paperback

The Silver Chair was an excellent read filled with action, adventure, and peril. The tale starts out with two Adolescents named Jill Pole and Eustice Scrubb. They are about to get whisked away to the magical land of Narnia. A secret mission is given to them by the ruler of the land, Aslan the great lion. Their job is to rescue the prince Rilian of Narnia, who is said to have been killed on a hunting trip, years and years ago. With the help of their new friend Puddleglum the Marsh Wiggle, Pole and Scrubb will go through a series of challenges which will test their friendship and their faith in Aslan, the most essential part of their mission (for reasons I can't spoil for you all). From fighting through blizzards, to fording ice cold rivers, to escaping from the flooding of an underground fortress, this is a great book from start to finish.

Right from the beginning, I could tell that this would be a great book. C.S. Lewis has done a phenomenal job with this book. I would never have thought that he could surpass the other books in the series, but he did. Pole and Scrubb go everywhere. There's a big "Lord of the rings" type journey thorough the mountains, a "Jack and the bean stock" style of escaping a castle, they even go underground into the heart of Narnia, a little C.S. Lewis "Original twist".

There is absolutely no way to guess where prince Rilian is until the answer is upon you. All hope is lost until BAM! The children find the missing piece to the puzzle, they solve the riddles, and they find that they were closer to the answer then ever before. I personally thought that they were going to die. They get trapped underground by a powerful witch. There's about 100,000 earth men that are against them as well, I didn't see hope. I can't say what happens but I'll say this, it turns out good.

In Conclusion, The Silver chair was a great and epic tale. I recommend reading the other Chronicles of Narnia first. Seeing as this book is the sixth installment to the series, it's very hard to understand without the background information. If you like the Lord of the Rings, you've got to read this.