The Silver Chair (The Chronicles of Narnia, #4)

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The Silver Chair (The Chronicles of Narnia Publication Order #4)

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

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 92,923 ratings · 1,602 reviews

Narnia . . . where giants wreak havoc . . . where evil weaves a spell . . . where enchantment rules. Through dangers untold and caverns deep and dark, a noble band of friends are sent to rescue a prince held captive. But their mission to Underland brings them face-to-face with an evil more beautiful and more deadly than they ever expected.

This edition follows the original...more

Paperback, 217 pages

Published August 28th 1970 by Macmillan Publishing Company/Collier Books (first published 1953)

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Apr 13, 2013 Peter rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone

Shelves: children, classic, fantasy, humor, read-to-my-son

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Jun 22, 2008 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: animals, classics, fantasy, young-adult

I felt that The Silver Chair gave better character arcs to the "son and daughter of Adam and Eve" than some of the other Narnia books. The focus of the book seemed to be shared between the children, Eustace and Jill, as well as the quest - instead of focusing on the quest alone. Also, the Marsh-wiggle is a well drawn character and pretty unique from Lewis' other personalities in Narnia.
Like the other books in the series, this one continues to touch the surface of the adventures and explanations...more

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Jun 05, 2008 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: school-books-kid-books, read-alouds, teen-lit-and-i-love-it

I'm just going to give a generic opinion of the whole series.

We love them.

The end.

Okay, so maybe I'll tell you that we read them outloud to the kids almost 2 years ago. So they were 5 going on 6 and 2. They all loved them and followed the plot and talked about the characters during their play.

We're re-reading them again (now ages 8, 4 and 2) and they're loving them even more than the first time. All I hear, all day long is "For Narnia" and then they rush through the house, swords drawn. They hav...more

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Jan 14, 2012 Abhishek rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Narnia is a magical place... a land you wish you would get to visit at least once in your lifetime! And meet the great Aslan as well... And this book starts with the same idea, wherein Eustace wants to visit this world in the other realm again after his adventures in the previous tale makes him hungry for more. I found The Silver Chair to be one of my favourite stories in these masterpieces of C.S. Lewis. This tale gave me an adventurous feeling none other than the ones I felt while reading The...more

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Apr 10, 2010 Britt☮ rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-paranormal, kiddie, kindle, read-2010

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was written in the '50s.
This was written in the '50s.
This was written in the '50s.

I have to keep reminding myself of that fact, because it is becoming increasingly difficult NOT to read this series with 21st century eyes. For the most part, I can do it, but I have my limits.

I first realized these limits when I read "The Horse and His Boy." Christian references I can accept. Christian references used to demonize non-Christians I can not accept. Though not as blunt as "The Horse and His Boy,"...more This was written in the '50s.
This was written in the '50s.
This was written in the '50s.

I have to keep reminding myself of that fact, because it is becoming increasingly difficult NOT to read this series with 21st century eyes. For the most part, I can do it, but I have my limits.

I first realized these limits when I read "The Horse and His Boy." Christian references I can accept. Christian references used to demonize non-Christians I can not accept. Though not as blunt as "The Horse and His Boy," in which the Calormenes are clearly representative of those evil, evil Arabs, "The Silver Chair" gets dangerously close to my limits with its commentary on secular schools. Since "Bibles are discouraged" and the kids are forced to refer to each other by last name instead of by their "Christian names," the school is in chaos and its officials are corrupt — until, of course, Aslan shows up to frighten the school into submission. Give me a break.

The ever-present male superiority in this series... I can also accept. Begrudgingly. But in this book it seems Lewis goes out of his way to demean women. This is the first book (chronologically) not featuring Lucy, the redeeming strong female character. Instead, we get Jill. And let's face it, Jill's a wimp. But then my hope was restored when the protagonists met the Lady of the Green Kirtle! Strong, independent, queen of the underground! I could hardly believe it when the knight said he planned to marry the queen and still obey her! Rejoice!

I should have known it was too good to be true. A disgusted Jill replies, "Where I come from, they don't think much of men who are bossed about by their wives."

And that powerful, independent queen?

Turns out she's an evil witch hellbent on overthrowing Narnia.

One good thing about this book's being written in the '50s: an opportunity to truly appreciate the English language and how much it has changed over the years.

"Gay," said Puddleglum with a deep sigh. "That's what we've got to be. Gay... You must watch me and do as I do. I'll be gay. Like this..."

"All right. Gay's the word," said Scrubb. "Now, if we could only get someone to open this door. While we're fooling about and being gay, we've got to find out all we can about this castle."(less)

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Feb 18, 2012 Micheline rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, magic-witches-wizards, mystical-animal-protag, fantasy

2.75 stars ...close to 3, but not quite.

To be perfectly honest, I think I've debated between 3 stars & 4 stars for most of the stories within the Chronicles of Narnia...except perhaps The Magician's Nephew. The Silver Chair is certainly not as good as it's predecessors (chronologically speaking, since I read the series in chronological order and not in publication order). I didn't hate it...but it pretty much had no lasting impact for me. One the one hand there's the inherent magic and innoc...more
2.75 stars ...close to 3, but not quite.

To be perfectly honest, I think I've debated between 3 stars & 4 stars for most of the stories within the Chronicles of Narnia...except perhaps The Magician's Nephew. The Silver Chair is certainly not as good as it's predecessors (chronologically speaking, since I read the series in chronological order and not in publication order). I didn't hate it...but it pretty much had no lasting impact for me. One the one hand there's the inherent magic and innocence that warrants a higher rating. But on the other hand there's the frustrating and dated subtexts. The Silver Chair almost comes off a bit sad, when compared to the other stories of the Chronicles...maybe sad isn't the right word but the tone just doesn't seem as optimistic as it used to be. And while that in and of itself isn't enough to warrant the slightly lower rating, it simply felt off. The other, more prevalent reason for my lower rating lies with my issues regarding the main villain in The Silver Chair and Capsian's faith I guess, which I'll get to in a bit.

Essentially, The Silver Chair features Eustace Scrubb from TVOTDT along with one of his school friends Jill Pole. I was surprised (and a bit let down) that the story is told mainly from Jill's POV. Having seen the amazing transformation that Eustace went through during Dawn Treader, I was anxious to get to know his character better. The story takes place approximately 1 year after the events of TVOTDT (but 70 years have passed in Narnia...gah!) I really enjoyed all of the new characters, even if I struggled a bit with Puddleglum the Marsh-wiggle at first. Being called to Narnia, as usual offers a much welcomed escape for our heroes and a chance to make a huge difference in that world. Aslan's presence is more subtle than it was in Dawn Treader (where he seemed to appear randomly the second someone needed a hand). Here our heroes have to work hard to overcome all obstacles and evil.

My main issues with The Silver Chair were really only two things. Firstly, I was saddened by the unfairness that seemingly follows (view spoiler) End rant.

I still enjoyed reading The Silver Chair despite certain aspects or context I just couldn't wrap my head around...or even try to ignore this time around. These stories are without a doubt classics that should be read a least once in a lifetime, but the tone in this one drops considerably. It made me a bit sad to see what seems to be becoming of Narnia by this point in the series(less)

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Jan 23, 2012 jzhunagev rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: C. S. Lewis fans!

Recommended to jzhunagev by: the "Voice"

Shelves: award-winning-best-seller, adventure, childrens-or-middle-grade-books, classics, dark-chest-of-wonders, fantasy, from-book-to-film, religion-books, inspirational, 2011-reads

Over and Under Narnia
(A Book Review of C. S. Lewis’s The Silver Chair)

The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis is considered the penultimate book in The Chronicles of Narnia, and I have no contention why readers said that it’s an all together different book (though I had taken a much different tack in reading the series for reasons stated on this post). At the outset it is the first book in the series that does not have anything to do with the Pevensie siblings; instead it features Eustace Scrubb (who fi...more

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Aug 09, 2010 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Children and Fans of Fantasy

Shelves: children-s, classics, fantasy, religion, popular-fiction, spirituality, novels, fiction

I started the series with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, making this the fifth book I've read in the series, and so far it's my least favorite. I wasn't going to proceed with the series after the first book I read, because I found the blatant Christian Allegory annoying, but friends told me that, except for The Last Battle, that aspect of the books becomes less evident--and I pretty much found that to be the case, including in this book, although it's hard not to see it when Aslan the Lio...more I started the series with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, making this the fifth book I've read in the series, and so far it's my least favorite. I wasn't going to proceed with the series after the first book I read, because I found the blatant Christian Allegory annoying, but friends told me that, except for The Last Battle, that aspect of the books becomes less evident--and I pretty much found that to be the case, including in this book, although it's hard not to see it when Aslan the Lion enters the story.

And actually, in a way I almost enjoyed that aspect this time. Call it Stockholm Syndrome, but I thought that entire scene with the Witch and the Marsh-wiggle debating was a cool version of Plato's Allegory of the Cave. It's not a philosophical view I ascribe to, but I had to give Lewis snaps for presenting rather sophisticated philosophical/theological concepts through the workings of a magical spell in a children's story.

What annoyed me here were the slaps at co-educational, secular (and democratic/republican ie non-monarchial) education through the school the children Jill and Eustace attend. "Experiment House" has a Head who *gasp* "was by the way, a woman" and where "girls are not taught to curtsy." Quel horror! It irritated me so much--even though it's a very small part of the story, that it was hard for the story's admitted charms to come though. I think much of the accusations I've read that Lewis' Narnia is racist or sexist is mostly Politically Correct hogwash. His girls are every bit as smart, brave and capable as his boys--and as important to the story. But all that does make me cringe.

As usual though, Lewis does exhibit a prodigious imagination and powerful imagery in this quest tale as well as winning touches of humor and whimsy. Puddleglum is a great comedic character and settings like Bism unforgettable. It's been obvious reading these that Narnia is as influential in fantasy as Tolkien's Middle Earth. With messenger owls, giants, feasts and the evils of the color green connected to snakes I'm reminded of Rowling's Harry Potter tales just as the warrior mice of Prince Caspian made me think of Jacques' Redwall and the talking horses of The Horse and His Boy made me think of Lackey's companions in her Valdemar books. And it's more obvious with every book Pullman's His Dark Materials is the anti-Narnia.

So, bottom line is as a fan of the fantasy genre I'm glad I'm finally catching up with this series. Were I a parent I might feel ambivalent giving this to my children--Lewis' values aren't mine. But I also tend to think it's best to just feed kid's imaginations and not worry books like these are going to indoctrinate them. I know people of all faiths and no faith who loved Narnia as a child--and I can understand why.(less)

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Sep 16, 2010 Daniella rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of fantasy and lovers of a good Quest story.

Shelves: childrens-lit, classics, fantasy, series, 2010

Finally, a proper novel! Thank you, Mr. Lewis. Sixth time's the charm, eh?

The Silver Chair is my favorite out of all the Narnia books. Not only does it have all the usual elements of this wonderful, rich fantasy world Lewis created, but the characters are better, at least in my opinion, the story feels less contrived, and it has the added benefit of being a proper novel. That is to say, it has: a) an actual plot; b) an identifiable climactic point; and c) a clear, concise denouement. For once, I...more Finally, a proper novel! Thank you, Mr. Lewis. Sixth time's the charm, eh?

The Silver Chair is my favorite out of all the Narnia books. Not only does it have all the usual elements of this wonderful, rich fantasy world Lewis created, but the characters are better, at least in my opinion, the story feels less contrived, and it has the added benefit of being a proper novel. That is to say, it has: a) an actual plot; b) an identifiable climactic point; and c) a clear, concise denouement. For once, I wasn't left scratching my head at the end and going, "What the hell was the point of that?"

In this book, we're reunited with Eustace, the Pevensies' cousin, who has turned into an all right guy since we first met him in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Pity how he's kind of bland now that he's not an insufferable git anymore. Fortunately, it wasn't Eustace, but his schoolmate Jill who really made the book for me. Jill is a modern sort of girl; she has new age hippie parents who send her to a new age hippie school, and though Mr. Lewis obviously didn't seem to think much of it, I rather think it did her some good. Unlike the Pevensie girls, who had a tendency to be ninnies and were very much girls of their time, Jill is a pretty level-headed kid, and neither expects nor receives any particularly special treatment on account of being a girl. She's a real, honest-to-god herione, who takes a--if not the--central role in the proceedings, rather than just sort of standing around observing while the boys do all the important stuff. Girl protagonists, for the win! I love it.

Also, I feel it's worth mentioning that Jill using the sort of behaviors, if a bit exaggerated, that annoyed me about Lucy and Susan to trick the giants of Harfang, and with no small amount of disgust, amused me greatly. Maybe Lewis finally got the memo that post-war girls were a different breed.

But even though I rather adored Jill, I think my favorite character--not just from this book, but out of the whole series--has to be Puddleglum the Marsh-wiggle. God, what a character! In my opinion, he has the most personality of any of Lewis's other characters. I love his upbeat sort of persistent doom and gloom, though that would seem to be an oxymoron, and his bravery and resolve despite his bleak, pessimistic outlook on life. I also loved that he was the only one who kept his head and saved the day through a heroic and selfless act when the witch was trying to enchant them. And I really hope we get to see him again in The Last Battle.

The other thing I really enjoyed about The Silver Chair is that it's a Quest story. I mean, who doesn't like a good Quest story? If there's a story where so-and-so goes on a long, harrowing journey to complete a difficult and dangerous task, I am all about it. The only thing I didn't particularly like was that the journey itself didn't last long enough for my tastes, and the final conflict and resolution were a little too easy, but since it's a children's book, I'm willing to handwave those points.

Definitely worth a read if you're into fantasy. And overall, if you were going to read just one of the Narnia books, I would recommend this one.(less)

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Mar 31, 2010 Sean Higgins rated it 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book. It wasn't because of Puddleglum.

This is still my first time through Narnia and, though three books in the series remain, The Silver Chair has pushed the Wardrobe to the side. Maybe it's because I'm more into Lewis' flow after four adventures. Maybe I'm in a better position to appreciate fiction. Or maybe it was the story itself. No matter, I eagerly read this to the kids. Some nights I read two chapters (time permitting) because I wanted to know what happened next!

I...more

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Jun 23, 2008 Arya rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone

Recommended to Arya by: My Father

Shelves: christian-fiction, fantasy

Although not my all time favorite (that honored place belongs to Prince Caspian)the Silver Chair is next in line. According to Douglas Gresham, Lewis had a peticularly rough time choosing a title for this book that the publishers would except. He went through, Knight's under Narnia, Nomes under Narnia, News nder Narnia, and then breaking with his, "under Narnia" theme, the Silver Chair. This title is perfect for this story. Puddleglum, is a great character. He's, probably the reason this is one...more

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Nov 21, 2009 Nikki rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, fantasy, children-s-and-ya

The last two books are definitely not in line for my favourites. There are various factors -- one of which is simply that I don't like seeing Narnia come to an end! But the main one is that I don't find Jill, Eustace and Puddleglum that compelling as main characters. Or Rillian, for that matter, even though he's Caspian's son. They're quite realistic and human, and lack the nobility that Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy have, I think. Perhaps too realistic. I want to kick Jill a lot of the time for...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Yasmin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A second adventure for Eustace, a new one for his friend Jill, who started it with great excitement until she realized that it's more than just an adventure. The difficulties that appeared on their way were way too challenging,so the choices they had to take had to be very selective.
Struggling between their internal longings and trying their best to accomplish the mission they assigned to, the two friends with their new narnian mate fought their way till the end no matter how it would be.

Well,...more

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Jul 26, 2008 Jodi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: re-read

Possibly my favorite of the set. I re-read it a couple of years ago and discovered it's an allegory of Plato's Cave. It's a pleasure to come back to something you knew well at one time and realize there's a great deal to it that you missed entirely. Actually, it was strange because I was in a play at the time (4.48 Psychosis) and came to find out The Silver Chair was referenced in it, as well. The character in the play claims that she experiences only one hour of sanity each night (4:48am), allu...more

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Jun 29, 2008 Cmh us rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is only one of my favorites from this series. The whole Chronicles of Narnia series is absolutely amazing. They have such great symbolism and show how great of a guy C.S. Lewis was. Although all the books are great, The Silver Chair is probably my favorite. It is so true that if we don't follow the 'signs' in life that we can go so wrong. Just like Jill, we can't always assume that something that looks and sounds as good as the feast at the giants is good. Temptation can lead us so far...more

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Dec 15, 2008 Alison Looney rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Remind me not to vote CS Lewis for school board. In his mind, a school is corrupt if a) there is a female headmistress, b) the children don't learn Latin and read the Bible every day, c) girls and boys are allowed to interact, d) girls are not taught to curtsey or e) children are not beaten for misbehaving.

All that is beside the point of the plot, but Lewis just can't control his parenthetical asides. Whenever something goes wrong for the children, he jumps into the narrative to blame their Exp...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Andreia Silva rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biblioteca, leituras-de-2013

Estou cada vez mais perto do fim, mais perto do culminar das aventuras de Nárnia, mais perto de fechar a porta do mundo dos animais falantes! Tenho sentido oscilações de livro para livro e, depois de dois livros que me souberam agarrar, encontrei um volume que não me satisfez!

Quem entra em Nárnia neste sexto volume tem de deixar para trás os quatro irmãos e tem de avançar no relógio narniano muitos anos de modo a que o Principe Caspian seja já um idoso que procura o seu filho desaparecido. E que...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Ebookwormy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

I love this series, but this installment is a bit weaker to me, personally.

Part of it is Eustace and Jill. While Eustace experiences tremendous growth during his first adventure in Narnia, he wasn't a favorite and without the Pevensie's to support him, he is flat. Lewis tried to do more with Jill, but her character still seems stilted and it is unclear HOW Lewis envisions her maturation. In the end, I miss the lovely Pevensie's, clearly drawn, dearly remembered, fondly embraced.

Secondly, the se...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Katy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A lot of people are surprised when I list this as my favorite of the Chronicles of Narnia. But here is where, as a believer, I find the most lessons and the most sympathy. There's not the heavy-handed Biblical shadow play of Magician's Nephew or Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe or (heaven forbid) The Last Battle. Nor is it a whole-hearted departure like Prince Caspian and The Dawn Treader. It belongs with The Horse and His Boy as an adventure story whose heart is where true faith and fellowship show...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Hunter Morris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

most people ar familiar with the Chronicles of Narnia books. Mainly because of the movies such as "Lion,Witch, and the Wardrobe" and "Prince Caspian" but when i was little i was read the book the silver chair, so i decided to revisit it. i wanted to read a book in the trilogy that doesnt have that much to do with the movies. granted the book is a series that take place one after another just like most do, and they might make a movie version, i felt i should read the book before everyone else do...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Al rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For the first time, an edition of Lewis's classic fantasy fiction packaged specifically for adults. Complementing the look of the author's non-fiction books, and anticipating the forthcoming Narnia feature films, this edition contains an exclusive "P.S." section about the history of the book, plus a sample chapter from its sequel. Drawn back to Narnia, Eustace Scrubb and his new friend Jill Pole are sent to rescue a captive prince. In a world where evil weaves a spell, Giants and Marsh-wiggles

...more

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Jan 17, 2013 David Haga added it · review of another edition

Jill and Eustace went to Narnia when a lion opens a portal into the world of Narnia for them. When the children arrive, they are standing on an enormous cliff and Eustace falls off the cliff while trying to pull Jill to safety because she was falling off. Aslan arrives and sends Eustace flying on the wind to Narnia. Aslan tells Jill that she must find Prince Rilian and sends her flying to where Eustace is. They then start talking to some owls then they meet a guy named Puddleglum who guides them...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Rosalinda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Main Character/s: Aslan, Eustace, Jill, Prince Rilian, Puddleglum
Setting: Narnia
POV: 3rd Person

Summary: This is the fourth book in a series titled The Chronicles of Narnia. This book takes readers back to the magical land of Narnia, which was discovered in the first book. The book starts out with Eustance and Jill trying to escape the bullies at their school. They decide the best way to clear their minds and escape the bullies is to open the special door on the wall. Once the children arrive at...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Tatiana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens-chapter-books

I would like to say that The Silver Chair is my favorite in the Narnia series, but we skipped a few books in THEO class, so I'll say that out of the Narnia book I have read, it made the greatest impact on me.

Lewis used every book in The Chronicles of Narnia to illustrate Christian themes, and in #6, it is primarily temptation. Admittedly the symbolism is thinly veiled (the serpent, Aslan's signs, Jill's distraction, etc.). That might possibly be part of the reason I liked it. I felt sure in how...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Personally, I feel that this is the weakest of the Narnia books.

Mostly it's because it feels like Lewis is repeating himself at this point, and especially repeating character subtropes from his other novels. We've got Eustace from TVOTDT, a Lucy stand-in in the form of Jill Pole, a Capsian expy, a Trumpkin expy and a female villian that is so close to the White Witch from TLTWATW that most readers and scholars are divided on the opinion of whether it's the same person or not.

But I digress. There...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Von Sowards rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, christian

While The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was kind of a little odd due to the play on symbolism, The Silver Chair redeems the series to a more normal and symbolic plain, but still with dash of oddity. The main spiritual message of this book is that often we find that our course of wrong action are what bind us down and enslave us even though we in our mind think that these actions are giving us joy and happiness, even freedom.
The journey that the heroes take is symbolic of our journey that we take. I...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Ryan Bradley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Twas one of my favourite in the series.

The silver chair follows Jill and Eustase as they try to rescue a prince who was kidnapped. You know, I've heard similar plot lines, but this was different.I like the circumstances of how Jill and Eustace get to Narnia, it flowed and was a fun idea. When Jill fist meats Aslan, it's like a new excitment grows. You find some charcter devolpment and it's where the real adventure begins. It's one of my favourite scenes. Sure, you could say alot of stuff before...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Irish Tagamolila rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I can't say that The Silver Chair is my favorite book in the series because I love all of them, but I might say it was in the top 3 if I was forced. This series was probably the first set of young adult books I read for enjoyment. Each time I picked them up, I understood and appreciated them more and more because my background knowledge was continuously growing. The Silver Chair was fascinating because the children were given signs to look for in order to find a Prince. The signs were vague, so...more

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May 21, 2012 Valerie added it · review of another edition

I don't know that this is the exact edition I have, but it has the same cover.

The numbering of the series changed several times. This is the fourth book that was published. The spine describes it as the 'sixth', which is based on reading the series in order of internal chronology. If the books are shelved in any but alphabetical order, they have to all be the same edition not to cause confusion in shelving.

This edition starts with a map of Ettinsmoor and environs. I've largely neglected the illu...more I don't know that this is the exact edition I have, but it has the same cover.

The numbering of the series changed several times. This is the fourth book that was published. The spine describes it as the 'sixth', which is based on reading the series in order of internal chronology. If the books are shelved in any but alphabetical order, they have to all be the same edition not to cause confusion in shelving.

This edition starts with a map of Ettinsmoor and environs. I've largely neglected the illustrators (who vary), but the illustrations make a difference as to how the books read. There's also a 'cast of characters' list for the whole series before the text.

While I don't generally remember dramatizations of these books, I do most vividly remember a BBC version of this book, because Tom Baker (the 4th Dr Who) played Puddleglum the Marsh-Wiggle. And played him brilliantly, I might add.

I've mentioned in my discussion of other volumes in this series that Lewis had a serious problem with British schools. In this book the 'Experiment House' falls prey to particular, and quite disingenuous, scorn. The implication is that there was never any bullying in British schools before attempts at reform came in, and that what engenders bullying is that the children are not beaten up enough. This is pure rot, of course. I don't think Lewis is misremembering the bullying he himself experienced as a child. I think he was remembering it very well: and arguing that 'traditional' bullying wasn't actual bullying, because (I gather) the older bullying was done, not by peers, but by 'superiors', which (it's argued) makes it better for the victim (how?). Lewis was an unapologetic royalist, who, it seems, believed that royalty were divinely inspired and appointed, and that the truest freedom was abject obedience to the elect.

The journey in search of Prince Rillian is almost an afterthought. The Prince is an object of a quest: but the true object of any quest is the quest itself, and the description of the landscapes and the adventures along the way is the real issue.

The joyless enchanted gnomes seem to have been enchanted to no real purpose. They have assigned tasks (?assigned by whom? It's never quite clear), but they don't seem to be DOING anything. It's hard to say, of course, because until they rebel at the breaking of the spell, none of them are really seen clearly. They're hauling and carrying, trading (with whom? and in what?), plodding along sadly, and not doing anything on their own account. They're also digging upward, but they don't want to do that, and it's not clear what the Lady of The Green Kirtle hopes to gain by it, either.

Then when they ARE freed, they go home. While it would have been interesting to get more than a fleeting glimpse of the land of Bism, I'm not sure humans could live there. I wonder what became of the gnomes, at the end of the world?

I personally liked Puddleglum. I can see why his fellow Marsh-Wiggles found him flighty and unreliable. There's a strong tongue-in-cheek element in his gloomy pronouncements, which I think the other Marsh Wiggles would have found cheeky, and which Jill considers, at one point, to be humbug. But my interpretation of his character may have been altered by Tom Baker's depiction of him.

I also wish I could have seen more than a little of the everynight life of Narnia. The end of this volume (in this edition) refers to odd volumes which seem to be elaboration and commentary on several things referred to in passing by Lewis. But they're not things I feel needed further elaboration. Why does nobody seem to be working on a psaltery of Narnian songs, choreography of the dances, etc? What kind of first fruits ceremonies did they have? Were all the pearl divers merfolk? If moles and dwarves are the delvers, and Marsh Wiggles were the ferry operators, did none of the other peoples go out for things that weren't 'racially' appropriate?

I've mentioned Lewis's fascination with beheading. But I haven't mentioned before how queasy the emphasis on blood-sacrifice has always made me. Aslan's repeated shedding of his own blood disturbs me, and I keep looking out for other bloody altars. Where is Quetzalcoatl when we need him?(less)

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May 20, 2012 Matt Bianco rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

This is the fourth book I'm reading on my plan to read through the seven Chronicles of Narnia books in seven days. I'm making great time on this vacation in Narnia. I've read four books in just the first three days. Of course, my trip will likely slow down as I go into the weekdays...

Puddleglum is hilarious. Do not miss out on this if you get the chance to visit him. He is a silly character, who, as Jill points out, is the bravest (and possibly wisest) of the group. Like Reepicheep, he represent...more

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About C.S. Lewis

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 th...more

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Books by C.S. Lewis

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)

The Chronicles of Narnia (Chronicles of Narnia #1-7)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia, #3)

The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)

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“I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia.” — 1,989 people liked it

“You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you," said the Lion.” — 499 people liked it

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The Silver Chair (The Chronicles of Narnia Publication Order #4)

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