Nathan Mconald
Well there we are, the end... it was a tough choice between 3 or 4 stars for this one as there was a lot I did like and a lot I didn't. It was a strange finale, it wasn't as epic as I expected, it had an odd plotline that was a little confusing at times ( I know this is for kids but I feel like either some things didn't make sense or Lewis didn't explain things properly) it was interesting having this false Aslan arc with Shift who I thought would be an interesting villain but ultimately was fairly underwhelming and went out like a chump or chimp?
I feel very torn about this book... I did enjoy it but I wanted to enjoy it more than I did, this was my first time reading it fully but when I was younger I used to listen to a radio dramatisation of it, so it holds a lot more of nostalgia for me, however reading it all the way through for the first time as an adult the book felt a bit all over the place. I liked the set up in Victorian London and the mystery behind Uncle Andrew and his rings and he proved to be a fairly interesting character, and I enjoyed the world of Charn for a change of pace and it was interesting to see that there are other worlds besides Narnia, it was also interesting seeing Jadis' again and her backstory as I feel she's been the best villain in the series so far, though with only one book to go I doubt there will be better, it was funny seeing her in London as well, once we get to Narnia though I began to lose interest, it was essentially the book of Genesis with a Narnian makeover, and it all felt quite rushed and random from all that had happened in the book previously, I also realise more and more how much it helps to be a Christian to read these books in the Aslan sections as it is just endless descriptions of how great he is and him giving lessons to everyone, as an atheist I found these sections too long. I liked the very end with explanations for how the wardrobe and lamppost came to be and wrapping up the story quite nicely.
Digory and Polly were okay enough characters, there wasn't much to them, the most interesting thing was who Digory grew up to be and the plotline with his mother. Polly was fine, she was kind of just Lewis' typical female character, feisty but never fights and is the moral good, though I liked her better than Jill. I also like the Cabby and Strawberry as characters. Ultimately this book was enjoyable and I feel like I've been really negative which isn't my intent because it's definitely worth reading and good fun, it just wasn't my favourite of the series, I will be interested upon a reread in chronological order to see if that changes the experience, as now I'm going from the first book chronologically to the last which will be an odd jump.
Still highly recommend reading and if you like Narnia don't pass this one up. Very interested to see what the Last battle will hold.
Sooo, I overall really enjoyed this book but I think it took a while to get into it. I found the ending to be the most interesting part which probably isn't a great thing. The story was fine, and a unique one as far as Narnia goes, being the only book not follow characters from our world entering Narnia. The thing I've really enjoyed about the series is that each book builds and shows us more of this world (I know that should be a given for any series) but Lewis does it so well and making each book show us different and diverse areas showing just how large this world is. I also like how previous books will hint at certain events or places and some we get to see it in subsequent books. The story had many familiar story traits, i saw lots of hints of ‘Aladdin' (with the fictional Middle Eastern country and culture and the character of Aravis very much mirrored Jasmine in a similar situation being forced to marry someone she won't) and ‘Prince and the pauper' with Shasta and Corin briefly switching places.
I found the characters to be decent enough Shasta wasn't a badly written character but was probably one of Lewis' less interesting protagonists, and I found his situation and hidden royalty more interesting than his actual character as I would struggle to tell you many of his character traits. Bree was a good character with a nice arc showing him leave behind his arrogance over the book. I was intrigued by Aravis' plot line and character however it didn't really do much for me overall not leading much and often found her a bit irritating and found her and Shasta's friendship a bit rushed and oddly paced, not spending that much of the book together. The other main character was Hwin but there really isn't much to say, she was definitely one of the strongest of the four and found her likeable and wanted to root for her but I found she just wasn't given enough time to develop and maybe they should have omitted her and spent more time on the other characters.
I don't want to go on about the badly aged racial representation of Calormenes in this book which is very clearly inspired by Middle Eastern culture and paints it in a negative light, and often making all the white characters perfect in comparison which was disappointing but it can't be changed now. The religious allegory in this book again like previous books doesn't feel as in your face as it does to some people, though with the book having less Christian themes overall, when Aslan appears it's quite jarring and being an atheist, I always find his presence quite jarring to the flow of the story and often takes away from any character growth or decisions as it feels it's all God's doing (I mean Aslan)
I'm reading these in publication so this was a jump back in time but it was nice to see Edmund Lucy and Susan in their prime during the much talked about golden reign which we hear much about but rarely see, would've been interesting to see some Peter as he is always talked about in such a high manner. Two left and I'm very intrigued as to how the series will end.
This was an interesting book, it definitely felt the most unique of all the books so far, feeling darker in places and being the first book to not feature the Pevensies. First of all I really liked the premise of the lost prince and liked the backstory with the serpent and thought the book had a really strong beginning. But as the book went on I found I was less invested and I'm honestly not sure why, maybe it was because the villain was taken out so quickly and the idea of under land didn't really interest me, and I felt for a book called ‘the silver chair' the chair wasn't in it much and would have been interested in more explanation behind it and how it's magic works. The ending was satisfying enough with a pretty emotional character death I didn't see coming but, is instantly brought back (technically in the afterlife) which I felt undermined the moment somewhat, but these stories are inspired by Christianity which has life after death, and the Christian allegory still doesn't really bother me and save for Aslan I still don't feel it's as in your face as everyone says.
Character wise this book was strong and had a tough job following the likes of Reepicheep and Trumpkin but it did a solid job, the standout being pessimistic Marshwiggle Puddleglum who is arguably the real hero of this story, and probably the funniest character in the book, really hoping this isn't the last of him in the series. Our leads this time are Eustace Scrubb fresh from the previous book having had a turn of character and is much more likeable, but similar to Edmund after his character change, there wasn't really anything particularly interesting going on with him, not to say he was a bad character. Jill was a weird one, I wouldn't say I liked her and I wouldn't say she is a bad character, she is fairly unlikeable at first which feels intentional, often clashing with others and usually driven by self preservation, but I never felt that her character had an arc of any kind, staying very the same throughout but I will say she had a stronger personality than some of the previous characters, though I think it would have been better to follow Eustace's perspective rather than hers.
Prince Rilian was very much Caspian Jr so there isn't much to say as he only appears in the latter half of the book but he is a likeable character who is very brave and has a few moments of comedy when it's shows how fearless he is. I wish we had been given more of the Lady of the Green Kirtle and some backstory behind her motivation besides just being evil or even just more page time but she was a creepy enough villain but not quite as impactful as Jadis.
To wrap up I enjoyed this book a fair amount but not as much as the first three, and I can't help feeling that Lewis peaked with LWW, not to say any of the sequels are bad but none have quite matched up, I'm still looking forward to continuing though and am interested to see what it will be like now jumping back in time for ‘The horse and his boy'.
Just finished Dawn Treader, this one took me a bit longer than the first two, taking me just under two weeks instead of one (I know they're short but I'm a slow reader who overthinks) really liked this one, preferred it to Prince Caspian, and liked it just as much though maybe a bit less than LW&W. We're thrown straight in with an unlikable Dudley-esk character called Eustace ( I know this was first) who is the cousin of the Pevensies, he's pretty unpleasant and annoying at the start but similar to Edmund in the first book has a good little character transformation, it's a bit abrupt but I liked the fact he turned into a Dragon, though it would have been cool if that lasted for longer.
Most of the same characters return minus Susan and Peter, though this was no great loss, most of the character traits and comments fit well with the established characters. Lucy had a lot of spotlight in the book same as the last two, probably being the closest to a main protagonist, she's likeable as usual and easy to follow, Caspian is very similar to Peter being the strong leader but he is clearly unsure and trying to live up to Peter at times, which was interesting, I liked that he returned and he was given more interesting character moments like getting angry and sad (he is still a child). Unfortunately Edmund was a bit shafted in this book largely being kept to the back to comment on the obvious or be the stern one, with a couple of hints that he's learned and improved from his treachery in the first book, it's a shame as he was one of the most interesting before.
A highlight of the book was Repicheep the talking mouse warrior who appeared briefly in the previous book but is given a much more prominent role here often being the bravest, always having the back of everyone, he had a nice little plot line and his story ended nicely. The plot itself was good, it followed many different adventures exploring the oceans looking for Caspian's father's friends and hopefully trying to find Aslan's land (which is an allegory for Heaven) and Aslan explicitly states he is also in our world (presumably Jesus). Like the last book he told the Pevensies (last time Peter and Susan, this time Edmund and Lucy) they will never return to Narnia but will go to his land. And we get a hint that Eustace may return. Really enjoyed this book i feel 5 stars is fair as I enjoyed it as much as the first, I don't think it's the greatest book ever written but it is a fun fantasy story for a younger audience.
Soo this was an interesting book, it had some pretty good moments in it but for a 200 page book it dragged at times, the first couple of chapters were fine but we spent so much time on the island and it's the Pevensies in what I assume is character building and learning more about them but ultimately they weren't all that unique, Edmund is probably still the most interesting from is redemption arc in the first book and is usually the most logical one of the group and you can see his character has really grown, Peter and Lucy are basically the same though we see much more towards the end of how Peter's reign as High king has matured him and is very much a grown man in a boys body, Lucy has a very similar plot-line where no one believes her and that got quite boring.
And where do I start with Susan? Honestly the most irritating character but not in an interesting way like Edmund was but just being unjustly dismissive but without it really coming to anything, and putting down Lucy, and then she did nothing of note for the rest of the book, honestly doesn't add much to the story.
The side characters in this book are definitely stronger than the first, giving us more time with them and more of them, unlike the first where we basically just had the Beavers and Tumnus. I really liked Trufflehunter the loyal badger and Trumpkin the Dwarf who both had interesting and well written traits, I liked seeing Trumpkin turn from skeptic to believer towards the end. The villains in the book were more of a concept than characters only appearing a couple of times, Miraz could have been quite a good villain if given more time in the spotlight and seeing his lords scheme behind his back was intriguing. Caspian himself was a decent enough character, I really enjoyed the chapter about his backstory and was sad leaving him and going back to the less interesting Pevensies and was sad to see Caspian was sidelined for the rest of the book in HIS OWN book. The entire ending was weird, I liked the duel and and everything but found the section where Aslan and the girls free the animals and overthrow the Telmarines to be a bit too easy and rushed. I don't want to say I didn't like it, because i did! But compared to the first it didn't do it for me. Am reading these books in publication order as almost everyone says that's the best way so next is Dawntreader which I'm told is a lot of people's favourite so I'm looking forward to that!
Absolute classic. Would highly recommend to any fantasy fan of any age though be prepared it was written for children. I saw the BBC tv series from the 80s when I was very young as well as the Disney movie but this is my first time reading it and I didn't remember much about the story. I also decided to read in publication order as everyone online says to do so. Very easy going conversational style writing and nice morals and lessons, ( I didn't find the Christian allegory too in your face ) and fun story.
The children for the most part were entertaining enough characters, typical audience surrogates, with Edmund probably having the most interesting arc, none of the characters really jumped out at me as being fantastic but they were all likeable and served their purpose, the story left me mostly satisfied though I wish we could have seen more of certain events like the battle at the end and the reign of the children. Overall this is 5 stars, I think this book has aged really well with only a bit of sexism which was unfortunate but there wasn't too much of that.
I'm excited to read the rest of the series!
This was my first Pratchett and my first Gaiman and I have been meaning to read this for a while before I watch the show, and wow! What a book!
Both writers bring their A game and I can see why so many enjoy it, this book is incredibly witty, clever and overall funny, one of the few books that has made me laugh out loud. It's starts out as a spoof of the Omen but becomes so much more as the book goes on with so many interesting and loveable characters that all felt like main characters of their own story, I particularly liked Crowley and Aziraphale and loved reading their discussions and debates.
The book does slow in places and there were some parts that I struggled to understand whether that was me overthinking it and and thinking it was more complicated than it was or just the complex crazy nature of the writing im not sure...
Overall I'd recommend this to anybody really, definitely not a kid (not because it's too dark, only occasionally were horror elements implemented) as sometimes it can be a lot to follow and remember but as I said I tend to overthink things and feel like I'm missing something, it's a great introduction to absurdist writing, up there with something like hitchhikers guide, but it was also just nice to read a stand-alone novel and have one complete story and not think that now I've jumped in to a massive 17 book series and feel overwhelmed. This book has made me really excited to start reading Pratchett's Discworld and more of Gaiman's work.
If you haven't read it I'd highly recommend, this is definitely going in to my reread list.