The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 7

I’ve stated it before in the context of this series that fantasy is not my cup of tea. That dislike came to a head in this, the final installment. My family and I made it about halfway through the book together, my reading it aloud each night to my kids, when we all just determined together that it wasn’t worth our finishing. I put it down, and a month and a half passed before we decided that we’d like to give it another shot.

Enter Patrick Stewart to the rescue!  We found the audio version on CD at our library and started the book over from the beginning. It was so much better the second time around, that I was really quit shocked. I’m so glad we pushed through to finish it! I teach my kids that it’s OK to set a book aside if you’ve given it a fair shake, but I also want to teach them that a little persistence through something you don’t necessarily love can have its own rewards.

This is the most philosophical tale of the Narnia lot, or at least a close-second to the pure allegory of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Whereas Aslan in the first tale represented Jesus, and all the Land of Narnia is rescued by his sacrifice, Shift in this final book represents the Devil, and he convinces all the land of Narnia that Aslan is nothing but an ancient hoax. When you get into the depths of the imagery, it actually is quite a lesson. I just don’t think my kids caught onto it.

The story begins with Shift the ape and Puzzle the donkey discovering a lion’s skin in the stream. Shift convinces Puzzle to wear it as a costume, and with this tool in hand, he goes on to spread a cloak of lies over Narnia, announcing that Aslan has returned and convincing the Narnians to commit some of the most heinous acts in the name of Aslan whom they have now seen. Shift proves himself to be the most manipulative, deceitful character I think I’ve ever read about in a story, and he ultimately succeeds in convincing the world that Aslan is nothing more than a false god who thinks too highly of himself and one that needs to be taken down a notch.

All the while, King Tirian has recognized the fault of it all, and with the help of two humans returned to Narnia in Alsan’s good timing, he hopes to reclaim the Narnians’ allegiance to Aslan and restore order to the world.

Amazingly, C.S. Lewis manages to allegorize both physical death and Heaven in this tale, as both explode in color and flavor in ways I hadn’t ever considered before. The imagery was sensuous and wonderful, even if some consider it over the top. I really enjoyed the new perspectives it offered.

This final book leaves a lot for the reader to chew on (i.e. was Tash somehow Aslan’s opposite?), but I’ll leave those for the students tasked with developing fuller reviews. This was a great book with which to end our C.S. Lewis kick, and I think it’s finally time for a break from fantasy. Whatever’s next on the docket for me and the kids, I’m sure, will be more down to earth. I’m just not yet sure what it is!

©2021 E.T.

See More by C.S. Lewis:

• Nonfiction:
  The Screwtape Letters (1942)
  Reflections on the Psalms (1958)
• Space Trilogy:
  Out of the Silent Planet (1938)
  Perelandra (1943)
  That Hideous Strength (1945)
• The Chronicles of Narnia: 
  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950)
  Prince Caspian (1951)
  The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
  The Silver Chair (1953)
  The Horse and His Boy (1954)
  The Magician’s Nephew (1955)
  The Last Battle (1956)
• Other:
  Till We Have Faces (1956)