The Last Battle (The Chronicles of Narnia, #7)

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The Last Battle (The Chronicles of Narnia Publication Order #7)

3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 · rating details · 88,572 ratings · 2,043 reviews

The last battle is the greatest of all battles, and the final ending the most magnificent of all endings in this, the last book of C.S. Lewis's timeless series, The Chronicles of Narnia.

This edition follows the original numbering scheme. More recent publishers have re-numbered the volumes so that the books are ordered chronologically. This was reportedly the author's prefe...more

Paperback, 184 pages

Published August 28th 1970 by MacMillan Publishing Company (first published 1956)

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Nov 30, 2010 Maria rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, young-adult

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Apr 14, 2007 Josie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens-fiction

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May 16, 2012 Annie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first part of this book was so difficult for me to get through. I hated how Narnia had become so tainted. Everything was so utterly depressing, but thankfuly, things did not stay that way. The last half is so wonderful. I hardly knew what to do with myself after reading it for the first time.

Of any of the worlds I've read about, Narnia is the one I would most like to visit or better yet, live in forever. I think that speaks to C.S. Lewis' ability to understand the longing of the human soul t...more

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Sep 21, 2007 Meg rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-midgrade, 2007, 2012

I recently reread this series. I was very worried that my added perspective as a religious studies major and adult would mar my childhood love of the books, but honestly, this is the only one in the series that I found unpalatable. Maybe it's because I find the rapture/end-times story to be more annoying that the sacrificed God story adapted in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I don't know. That said, given the choice of reading this again and reading Left Behind again, I'd choose Left Behi...more

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Mar 05, 2009 Luke rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lewis understands the way the world works better than any other writer I have ever read. It's likely due to his appreciation for story and powerful imagination fed by scripture. This book was eye opening for me to feel truth about how deception and our societies work in rebellion to God, through a fictional story. It was painful to recognize the major battle and struggle that is so slippery and subtle in our own lives. It would feel better to feel the stark good vs evil contrast in the Lion the...more

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Aug 11, 2010 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Devout Christians? Those Who Want to be Culturally Literate

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

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I might be giving this 3 or 4 stars were it not for the penultimate paragraph of the book. My first Narnia book was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I did think the imagination and imagery striking but found the Christian Allegory too blatant. Friends told me however, that with the exception of The Last Battle, those aspects aren't so prominent in the later books, and that much of the series is wonder-full. So I found it from then on up to this book.

Well, it could be said I'd been warned--b...more

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Penelope The description of the Calormenes that you quoted really struck me as well. Although Emeth is the exception, I felt like the negative descriptions/con...more
Oct 07, 2011 03:05pm

Lisa (Harmonybites) Penelope wrote: "The description of the Calormenes that you quoted really struck me as well. Although Emeth is the exception, I felt like the negative...more
updated Oct 07, 2011 06:03pm

May 29, 2008 Amber rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

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Feb 14, 2008 Mark rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is my third time through the Chronicles of Narnia. After finishing the final installment, I have come to the realization that I will probably never read them again.

Why?

Because they're not that good.

Lewis has an odd style. Speaking as the narrator he attempts to describe really good or bad feelings, tastes, smells and such. Now, if these sensations are beyond description, he's sure to let the reader know that should they one day visit Narnia, they should definitely check this out. As if h...more

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Sep 04, 2007 lia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: y-a

I just recently re-read this and the Horse and His Boy on the recommendation of a friend. I haven't read the Narnia books in a really long time, but had been wanting to, after reading some of CS Lewis' theology writings, and figuring out that all of those lions and daughters of Eve were morality tales in disguise.
I still enjoyed the story, but was overwhelmed by the now obvious religious undertones to everything. Intolerance of those who worship an ugly hawk faced god (brown people in turbans no...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Werner rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, classics, childrens

After reading a book or series of books, sometimes thinking over time about what you've read, mentally comparing it to other literature in the same genre, and being involved in discussions about it will lead you to value it more highly, and to give it a higher rating. That's what's happened to me with the Narnia series; my appreciation for it has steadily grown!

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Jan 21, 2013 Jordan Gregory rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is much darker than the other Narnia books, but that's not a bad thing.

In contrast to The Magician's Nephew, the volume before this which chronicles the founding of Narnia, The Last Battle chronicles the destruction of Narnia and the end (or beginning?) of King Tirian's reign. Evil enters Narnia through the cunning of Shift the ape, and the gullibility of Puzzle the donkey. They create a form of idolatry, revive slave labor, and destroy the western lands of Narnia with their wickedness. It...more This is much darker than the other Narnia books, but that's not a bad thing.

In contrast to The Magician's Nephew, the volume before this which chronicles the founding of Narnia, The Last Battle chronicles the destruction of Narnia and the end (or beginning?) of King Tirian's reign. Evil enters Narnia through the cunning of Shift the ape, and the gullibility of Puzzle the donkey. They create a form of idolatry, revive slave labor, and destroy the western lands of Narnia with their wickedness. It was all treacherous, and I loved reading about it.
Tirian and some Narnians form a resistance, and Aslan eventually sweeps in and saves the day, and then BAM! Narnia dies. Shit went down in the last forty pages, and Lewis did a splendid job with it all. The "new" Narnia established at the end of the book was interesting enough, and wrapped up the whole series in true "happily ever after" fashion, but yet it was somehow still unsettling and thought provoking. Well done, old chap.

While this book was rather enjoyable, I did have a couple problems with it.

Firstly, the Calormenes. As with The Horse and His Boy, the Calormenes are irrevocably different from the Narnians. They are unintelligent, brutish, and purely evil... which are somehow exemplified by their racial and religious differences. Tirian and his men even use black-face and act rough and unfeeling, and through this they pass as Calormenes. BLACK-FACE. I can handle racially-charged material when it's to prove a point (see: my undying love for Mark Twain and Richard Wright), but Lewis seems to be playing with race and difference to strengthen existing prejudices and make everyone who is non-white, non-European, and non-Christian as a blackened Satan worshipper.

Similarly, this book explores speculation that Aslan and Tash, the god central to Calormene doctrine, are actually the same deity. Does this sound like any modern-day theological battlefields? Lewis, for most of this book, seems largely unresolved on the issue: first Aslan is absent, and the claim seems plausible; then "true" Narnians vehemently reject it; then Tash actually DOES appear, as does Aslan, so the whole claim is hogwash; and lastly, Aslan explains in the "new" Narnia that no, they ARE kinda-actually the same, only good deeds by any name pay homage to Aslan, and wickedness is wholly Tash. So Narnians know the true name of righteousness, Aslan, but Calormenes, good or bad, know only Tash. Lewis seems to be saying that actions speak louder than words, which is lovely and all, but he's also further relegating all that is different in lifestyle, religious practice, and even skin color to evil territory. The theological implications of this are muddled, but also problematic for me.

Speaking of theology, I will always be uncomfortable with the end-of-days thing. Yes, the book is based upon Revelations, and yes, it's supposed to be uplifting with its promise of eternal life. But from my secular perspective, it's also rejecting the idea that the existing world is worth improving. The Chronicles of Narnia are about overcoming evil through morality, fortitude, and love. Yet now we suddenly have an insurmountable evil, though it appears to be no worse than any of the other Narnian forays into wickedness, so we should just give up?

Not only do they enter a "new" Narnia, but they do so through death. Yep, on the second-to-last page, Aslan drops a bombshell: they all died in a horrible, fiery train accident in England, so rejoice! Now they can stay in "new" Narnia forever and be happy. I appreciate this for being wholly unsettling and really freaking my shit out, but I also don't like the overarching theme that the current world is just a placeholder for something better, so there's no point in trying to make it better. If there should be any message to The Chronicles of Narnia, it should be that there is magic and joy to be found in being a good person, and serving others as well as yourself; I feel this message still comes through in The Last Battle, but in a more unnerving fashion.

I have one last minor qualm: Susan. She's dropped from the narrative altogether, because she has decided to label Narnia as a childhood fantasy and instead pursue becoming a vapid, man-hungry teenybopper. Lewis creates strange conceptualizations of femininity in Narnia: you can either be a crazed witch or sorceress; an Aravis, who was inexplicably maimed in The Horse and His Boy; a Lucy, who is boyish and naive and described in other volumes as "just as good as a boy"; or now, a Susan, and not be allowed into Narnia at all. Most disturbing about this scenario is that she's still in the "normal" world, not in "new" Narnia, and so just lost all three of her siblings AND her parents AND the professor in a train crash. Mother of God, her life is a Grecian tragedy. Did Lewis think no one would notice this? Perhaps I am reading too much into it, but Susan seems marginalized into suffering for just choosing a different path than Aslan. Which, once again, brings us back to my main point about otherness in Narnia.

Sorry to be such a Debbie Downer in this review. I really did enjoy this volume, and even bumped it up from three stars to four after I more fully processed all that it had to say. It's a tad problematic for me, but I love it for being so thought provoking and as magical as all of its predecessors. Thank you, Narnia(s), for another wonderful adventure. (less)

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Jeannette It's been a while since I read this, but I was impressed at the time, that in spite of the obvious Christian message of salvation, etc. that Lewis was...more
Dec 27, 2012 02:39pm

Taylor That was a wonderful review and has arisen old thoughts about the book for me. It has been my favourite book since I was eleven because of all of the...more That was a wonderful review and has arisen old thoughts about the book for me. It has been my favourite book since I was eleven because of all of the different scriptural references and demonstrations of Lewis' spiritual beliefs within the book. I am a Christian, so I loved learning from him. What he and I believe as truths are just as hard to read through whether you are a Christian or Atheist or any other type of belief. Many Christians don't even like this book because they don't take time to think through these things as Lewis intended. Through this book he tries to bring up and answer many issues that people see in Christianity, which are parts in the story which many people dislike or have problems with. Obviously, you have thought through these things and talked about it and studied the book in an attempt to understand it and you have probably read different comments from other people that may have answered some of your questions, but here is my take on things:

The Calormenes: You said that you see that Lewis is strengthening prejudices within this book by the Calormenes being brutish and purely evil. There are no different Christian implications here, but merely the question of what Lewis thought about race. Many think he is very racist by what he says, but I don't think so. What you must consider before deciding that this was his intent is The Horse and His Boy. In that book we see many more Calormenes and we delve deeply into their culture. We do see some that are brutish and evil, but we also see those that are good like Aravis and even Lasaraleen. Lasaraleen was quite self absorbed and a little silly, but we must remember that she is merely a child and that in the end she does help Aravis escape Tashbaan and she continues to look out for her and help her beyond watching her escape, even though this may not have been the best choice for her. She puts her friend's fate above her own and is a large part of Aravis and Shasta's escape. There is also Aravis. She is smart and brave and a good role model for anyone. She does have her flaws, but she is not evil or brutish or horrible. Not all of the Calormenes are evil. Including Emeth in The Last Battle. He even gets to the New Narnia (the intent behind this still puzzles me to this day about the possibility of "good" non-Christians getting to Heaven. I am not quite sure what he exactly was implying with this aside from proving that not all Calormenes are evil, but I can only assume it is that. Like I said, I am not sure.) And we must also remember that when they put on the "black-face" and were acting "rough and unfeeling" it was to imitate the Calormene soldiers. They are soldiers so being tough and harsh is part of a lifestyle when they enter into another country. These soldiers are also following orders to be around the Narnians, who they don't particularly like, because of the selfish gains of a few. I would say the selfishness and roughness of the people leading them is enough to make many of them resort to that behaviour themselves. And Tirian was using this as a method of protection, possibly from sensing that hostility when he was first captured by the Calormenes and tied to a tree. I am sure he and the others know that there are good Calormenes out there but from what he saw personally, to let them cloak themselves and fit in they needed to act like the ones he met previously.

I was rather confused about how you talked about Aslan and Tash and how you thought Lewis was describing them, but much of the book was confusion of the citizens of Narnia and Calormene because of the combined efforts of fooling them into worshiping the false "Tashlan." All before the real Tash and later Aslan show up. Until the end when Emeth is in the New Narnia and we are all a little confused. I won't pretend to know what he was thinking there besides maybe believing in any god and doing good in their name will get you to Heaven. I'm not sure. Even after reading the book around ten times... Like you said, it is a little muddled and problematic to Christians and non-Christians alike.

Yes, this is the ending of Narnia. No way around that. If you are uncomfortable with that, then Lewis is trying to answer many questions you may have in a different way than the Bible does and he tries to be less confusing than the Bible is, but obviously, that is a difficult thing to do. I don't quite see that it is saying that we shouldn't try to better the world in which we are living while we can. We should definitely try to improve it. This is described in the other Narnia books. In Prince Caspian the relationships between many of the characters and groups of people is much improved by the end of the book. The usurper king Miraz is replaced by the good King Caspian who mends the land and the peoples, making it a better place. For this book, on the other hand, Lewis is writing the end of a world. The good Narnians fought those who were selfish and power-hungry until the end. They tried to succeed and they fought valiantly, but Aslan knew that it was the end. They never gave up. Until the end they fought for Narnia and Aslan, but no matter what they did Aslan knew that it was time for that world to end. He is describing the actions of Christians in the end of times. Those who believe must continue to do so and live in his name - Jesus - and we don't know when God will end this world and Lewis is saying that it could be through something that seems no greater than anything else that this world has gone through. The Narnians have fought bigger and more intense battles and against greater foes, but this is the end of times and no matter what choices they could make, nothing could have changed that. It all would have happened in Aslan's timing.

This book is meant to be read last for a reason. Two of those reasons can be how we view the Calormenes as not all evil - from The Horse and His Boy - and how we should always fight for what we believe and continue to better the world in which we live - as shown in Prince Caspian. This is not all there is to take away from these books, but merely a couple of things to remember when reading The Last Battle because they are not explicitly explained.

And yes, they do enter through death, but not all of them depending on how you look at it. Yes, the people on the train did die, but Jill and Eustace may have not. With Tirian it is said that he was thrown into the barn or shack and the moment he went through the door he was in a bright, open field. This could mean that he may have just been taken at that moment to the new Narnia and the same could be for Jill and Eustace. I believe for Jill and Eustace at the beginning of the train crash they were thrown into Narnia and because Narnia time moves differently than ours, they never actually died but were taken when Aslan had no more need for them in either world. But this is completely my interpretation, so you decide whatever you like. It does say that the others are killed in the accident and different characters like Jewel were killed in battle, so there is no escaping that there is a lot of death scattered through the end of the novel, but there could be life if you choose to look at it that way.

With all the female characters you can pick out different little things he says negatively, but you can also see the good in them. I choose to believe that Lewis has nothing against women (as some people try to say that he does) and that the characters were all written as they were for a purpose. With Susan, even I was particularly saddened. She was my favourite character throughout the series and I did cry a lot when I found out that she wasn't there (as I cried throughout the whole end of the book and at the destruction of my favourite fictional world) but he did this for a purpose. He wanted us to know that some may believe in Aslan and Narnia - Jesus in our world - but that they are able to fall away. She saw him and believed in him at one point in her life, but fell away and dismissed it as child's play, as some people dismiss Christianity later in life. And having her whole family ripped away from her is tragic and horrible, but she is not the only one to whom this has happened. He was expecting everyone to notice this. Many people have families die in car accidents or in other tragic events. This shows us that in life there are horrible things that happen and that we do have hope in Heaven, even if some cannot see it. This is horrible for her and I hate it because she does not have faith in Aslan anymore. Some people chose to believe that after these events and through them she learns to have hope again and comes back to Aslan and Jesus, but that is something you can choose to believe or not. The deaths of her family are not a punishment for not believing in him in some people's eyes, but rather a catalyst to bring her back to him when she has nothing left. Either way, I don't think it is punishment, I believe that Aslan knew that they could do no more for their worlds in life, but their death would be meaningful and that was the last deed he had for them, as it is for all of us. I am not sure if he wanted people to think that she came back to Aslan, but Lewis' main point in this is that some people do fall out of faith, even from believing at a young age.

Anyway, I know I am super longwinded, but here are my thoughts! I am not sure what you believe, but maybe this clears things up from the Christian perspective a bit. I know I have very blatantly thrown Christianity into the mix as Lewis does not - or does but disguised well in the story - and if you do not like that, then I am sorry, but it is what I believe and my thoughts. I expect to have my own thoughts and I will believe in what I want to believe. This is in no attempt to shove it down anyone's throat, as I hope was plain. Everyone can believe in what they want to believe in, but I am a Christian and this is what I think on The Last Battle and the things of which you were baffled. So! Here are my answers and I hope they have helped! :)(less)
May 16, 2013 12:58am

Jul 22, 2008 Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Narnia fans!

Shelves: actionadventure, animals, classics, fantasy, young-adult

I'm always torn on what rating to give the Narnia books. I think if you take the series as a whole, it is - in a way - better than the individual books.
I did enjoy "The Last Battle" quite a lot! And, unfortunately, took longer to read it than I would have liked (which probably didn't help the flow of it). But, for the most part the good and the critiques are the same as always.
The world of Narnia is beautiful! Aslan is always magnificent! What we learn of the characters is enjoyable, and often f...more

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Feb 09, 2008 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

These books may only be about 200 pages long, but Lewis sure packs a lot into those 200 pages. Love, death, despair, hope, redemption.... It's all there, and it's in this book in spades.

This is, of course, the last book in the series. A good author knows how to name his books properly. If this had been the first book, the editor might have tweaked the title a little, although I do think it would be funny to call the first book in an epic fantasy series "The Last Battle" and then have the next si...more These books may only be about 200 pages long, but Lewis sure packs a lot into those 200 pages. Love, death, despair, hope, redemption.... It's all there, and it's in this book in spades.

This is, of course, the last book in the series. A good author knows how to name his books properly. If this had been the first book, the editor might have tweaked the title a little, although I do think it would be funny to call the first book in an epic fantasy series "The Last Battle" and then have the next six books deal with the aftermath of a near-apocalypse.

But I digress.

It is the end of an age, and its main players are a drunken monkey and a donkey with self-esteem issues. When the talking Ape named Shift finds a lion skin in the river, he sees opportunity. But opportunity takes hard work, and he prefers to delegate that to his donkey friend, Puzzle, who has come to accept that Shift will always be smarter, better and more Right than a poor old donkey can ever be. The way they figure it, if Puzzle wears the skin, and Shift promotes him as Aslan, the world will be their bivalve of choice! Now you may be wondering, how could anyone be taken in by a donkey in a tatty old lion skin, when the real Aslan is bigger than life and makes you want to cry when you see him?

Answer: low lighting and some clever accomplices.

Shift falls in with some of Calormenes, who are still looking for ways to take over Narnia. Shift and the Calormenes decide to blend their gods - Tash and Aslan - to make Tashlan, a unified deity before whom all must prostrate themselves. And give up all their worldly possessions, which Shift and his associates will gladly take up the burden of administering.

The scheme works wonders. The talking Beasts of Narnia follow Shift and Puzzle because they really do think it's Aslan. They've never seen the real guy before, so some lion-looking creature in the shadows and some slick talk from the Ape make it believable. Aslan tells them to cut down the trees in the Lantern Waste? Well, he must have his reasons, so let's get to it and hope that the dryads' screaming doesn't get too shrill.

That's where the last King of Narnia comes in. King Tirian and his unicorn, Jewel, get wind that something's not right. There's someone calling himself Aslan who is ordering the denizens of Narnia to destroy their own land. Like any good king, he decides to take matters into his own hands, and promptly gets himself captured. Silly, silly king.

But there is hope. In the dead of night and at the end of his endurance, he calls out to the children who, legend has it, appear in times of great need. He begs for their intercession, and, ten minutes later, Eustace and Jill pop into view, fresh off the train. They free Tirian and Jewel, round up as many loyal Narnians as they can find, and set to unmasking the scam that Shift and the Calormen are perpetrating.

But first they have to go through Tash. And he ain't a very nice God.

As you can easily guess from the title, this is the end of the series, and it is certainly an apocalyptic one. The Destruction of Narnia is beautifully written and illustrated, and it's certainly a sad moment in fantasy history. At least until you get to the next page and remember your Plato. Needless to say, it gets very metaphysical. There are worlds within worlds here, and each of them is more real and more wonderful than the one before. The Narnia that we knew, that we loved, is but a reflection of the True Narnia, and what holds true there also holds true here. Lewis tries to describe Heaven, and makes a very good go at it. But finally he gives up and says that it's truly beyond his power to describe. He assures us that this is a happy ending, and the Diggory and Polly, Peter, Edmund and Lucy (Susan apparently Grew Up and is, in Peter's words, "no longer a friend of Narnia." Yikes), Eustace and Jill have more adventures. But their adventures are beyond his ability to tell.

And so we must simply be content in knowing that Narnia endures, and always will endure. And that, one day, we will stand on its mountaintops, look out over its endless plains and oceans, and we too shall endure...(less)

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Mar 29, 2011 Crystal Starr Light rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children, fantasy

"Would it not be better to be dead than to have this horrible fear that Aslan has come and is not like the Aslan we have believed in and longed for?"

One day, a mean, old, nasty ape named Shift spots a lion's skin and forces the obedient, somewhat witless donkey, Puzzle, to wear it and imitate the great Aslan. The ape's deception ends up turning Narnia around, and King Tirian desperately calls out to the children of Narnia (the Pevensie children, Eustace, and Jill) to save them.

I Liked:
In many wa...more

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May 02, 2013 Jenna Leigh rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

SPOILERS! Don't keep reading if you don't like 'em!

Gosh, I love The Last Battle. As a Christian, Aslan's compassion and mercy in all of the books is moving, but it is especially highlighted in this novel.

Some people may not like the ending. I know my sister didn't, especially because of the fact that Susan isn't brought into the new Narnia with the other Pevensie children. My thought has always been(and this is purely my own interpretation/speculation) that Susan will eventually be saved. She i...more

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Mar 25, 2012 jzhunagev rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People who would want a good book to read during Lent.

Recommended to jzhunagev by: the "Voice"

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

So Long, Narnia
(A Book Review of The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis)

Right from its opening sentence C. S. Lewis’s concluding book in The Chronicles of Narnia series homes in that matters are off to an ominous start. News of the appearance of the great lion-deity Aslan on the edge of the forest near Lantern Waste spread like wild fire throughout the land. And who wouldn’t be elated by this knowing it’s been two hundred years since the King of Beasts and the son of the Emperor-Over-The-Sea was last se...more

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Jan 25, 2011 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This is one of the best books in the Chronicles of Narnia series! The beginning got me so frustrated, as I can't stand how the ape Shift treated the donkey Puzzle; also how "puzzled" & dumb Puzzle can really be. The climax & the ending is VERY exciting! This really give me a glimpse of how heaven will be like, as I can't stop smiling and laughing in the end. What really surprised me is how the ending is so unpredictable, but is THE best happily ever ending I've ever heard. You have to re...more

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Jan 14, 2009 David rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who like "The Shack" or "So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore"

Shelves: fiction, fantasy-myth-metaphor-nonsense, novel, philosophy-theology-spirituality

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I really enjoyed "The Last Battle." Then again, I'm also one for allegory. This final book in the Chronicles of Narnia is the most clearly allegorical of the lot—even including "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." This is the primary reason why I liked it so much.

Like the Talking Beasts of Narnia, so many people are deceived and convinced that our God is an unkind, impatient, and vindictive God.

To think so of our "Aslan" causes many horrible things (of which, I'll give three):

1) People learn...more I really enjoyed "The Last Battle." Then again, I'm also one for allegory. This final book in the Chronicles of Narnia is the most clearly allegorical of the lot—even including "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." This is the primary reason why I liked it so much.

Like the Talking Beasts of Narnia, so many people are deceived and convinced that our God is an unkind, impatient, and vindictive God.

To think so of our "Aslan" causes many horrible things (of which, I'll give three):

1) People learn to feel genuinely frightened by Him. And when that happens, they can be easily manipulated. Fear is by far the easiest path for coercion to take. In "The Last Battle" the ape, Shift, is able to convince people that he speaks for Aslan, and with this power, he is able to redefine the way they conceive of him. At this point, he manipulates their new fears and is able to make them do his will under the guise of Aslan's will. Fear gives undeserved power to those who have the ability to induce it and it destroys the opportunity for relationship. It stratifies equal people into unnatural hierarchal structures.

2) When someone comes along and convinces people that their God is not the cold, mean God they thought him to be (as Tirian did for the Dwarfs), some people do rejoice when it dawns on them that He really is as kind and loving as they hoped he was. But, some people jump to the conclusion that there is no God at all. They hear the proof against the idea that "Aslan" is bad, and rather than decide Aslan must therefore be good, they exceed the evidence, deciding instead that Aslan must not exist at all. So, in the end, the lie can destroy not just one's concept of who God is, but one's acceptance of his existence as fact.

3) When people are frightened by something, the usual response is to put as much distance between them and it as is possible. They run, they hide, or they guard themselves. They seek a shield or a wall to keep it from touching them. They seek a buffer to lessen the power of its terror on them. They seek a mediator to deal with it so they won't have to. It is simply too horrible a thought for them to interact directly with it. Read it in the allegory in chapter 10:

      "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you," said dozens of voices. "That's what we wanted! We can go in and see him face to face. And now he'll be kind and it will all be as it used to be." And the Birds chattered, and the dogs barked excitedly. Then suddenly, there was a great stirring and a noise of creatures rising to their feet, and in a second the whole lot of them would have been rushing forward and trying to crowd into the Stable door all together.
      But the Ape shouted: "Get back! Quiet! Not so fast."
      The Beasts stopped, many of them with one paw in the air, many with tails wagging, and all of them with heads on one side.
      "I thought you said," began the Bear, but Shift interrupted.
      "Anyone can go in," he said. "But one at a time. Who'll go in first? He didn't say he was feeling very kind. He's been licking his lips a lot since he swallowed up the wicked King the other night. He's been growling a good deal this morning. I wouldn't much like to go into that Stable myself tonight. But just as you please. Who'd like to go in first? Don't blame me if he swallows you whole or blasts you into a cinder with the mere terror of his eyes. That's your affair. Now then! Who's first?"...
      But the Beasts all stood looking at one another and began backing away from the Stable. Very few tails were wagging now. The Ape waddled to and fro jeering at them. "Ho-ho-ho!" he chuckled. "I thought you were all so eager...?"
...
      "Mercy! Mercy!" wailed the Beasts. "Spare us, Lord Shift, stand between us and Aslan, you must always go in and speak to him for us. We daren't, we daren't."

(less)

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Jul 03, 2008 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well I'll be darned. Lewis did a pretty good job of redeeming himself with this final book in the chronicles. This one I solely listened to on audio. Patrick Stewart, as you'd have it, was the narrator. I'm sure his reading helped a bit. But there was a strong, bittersweet story that remained taut throughout the novel. While once again religiously overt, the story still worked on many secular levels. I do have to chastise Lewis once again for his depiction of the Calormenes. At least he introduc...more Well I'll be darned. Lewis did a pretty good job of redeeming himself with this final book in the chronicles. This one I solely listened to on audio. Patrick Stewart, as you'd have it, was the narrator. I'm sure his reading helped a bit. But there was a strong, bittersweet story that remained taut throughout the novel. While once again religiously overt, the story still worked on many secular levels. I do have to chastise Lewis once again for his depiction of the Calormenes. At least he introduces the Calormene character of Emeth. Besides offering a more balanced view of the Calormenes, his conversation with Aslan is one of the philosophical high points of the book. Intention of action is, ultimately, what defines you.

It was rather a bow tie ending that didn't even try to hide its Christian ideology. This would have bothered me a lot more were it not for the conversation between Aslan and Emeth. Still, it doesn't sit particularly well with me. In any case, the book ends appropriately for the series. The cycle is completed. Lewis seems to be writing for an older audience; gone are the disruptive assurances during events that everything will work out just fine. There is uncertainty and room allowed for conflicted characters. This is something new to Narnia. The depth it allows is refreshing. I'm speaking in particular of the dwarfs.

Finally, the reintroduction of certain characters makes a person realize how fond they were of them. One of my biggest beefs with Lewis throughout the books was his avoidance of genuine, emotional interaction between characters. It was always a quick sentence here or there. There were a few exceptions, most notably Lucy. In this book, he finally gives way and lets the love flow (terribly corny way of putting it, I know). I can see how some may find this altogether too clean or too sentimental, but I think it is what makes the ending of the story effective. The sense of loss is made the more profound by the memories these characters trigger within the reader.

The writing is good. As to the "happily ever after", that's not exactly my cup of tea, but from a literary standpoint, and I suppose equally importantly, from Lewis's personal beliefs and goals with these chronicles, it is appropriate and fitting.(less)

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Jul 02, 2008 Vanessa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 09, 2008 Liz rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Last Battle really frustrates me. It appears that Lewis just gave up on the series, but had to end it somehow. Looks like he decided it was a great chance to get up on his soapbox about human behavior as well. While his allusions about Christianity and life were much more subtle in the earlier books in the series, that subtlety has completely gone by the wayside. It feels overwhelmingly like a condemnation of human life and an outright exhortation to repent. While the imagery is good, I thin...more The Last Battle really frustrates me. It appears that Lewis just gave up on the series, but had to end it somehow. Looks like he decided it was a great chance to get up on his soapbox about human behavior as well. While his allusions about Christianity and life were much more subtle in the earlier books in the series, that subtlety has completely gone by the wayside. It feels overwhelmingly like a condemnation of human life and an outright exhortation to repent. While the imagery is good, I think it may have been more effective had he stuck with his initial pretext.

I'm surprised also at the lack of hope in this writing (much like the same lack of hope I felt in The Silver Chair). When Tirian calls on Aslan and on the 'children from the other world' (surely, as king he should have known their names and the stories?!), you're filled with hope, but it's dashed pretty quickly with the arrival of Farsight the eagle.

The amazingly quick decline of Narnia also leaves you to wonder how the king got to be so lazy about protecting his land. You think that the trouble that seems to have come to a boiling point couldn't have happened while anyone was paying attention. Why have towers in the Western Waste if you're not going to keep sentries in them?

The resolution of the book is quite odd as well. The suspension of disbelief that is required of the reader is stretched to the limit, where events don't even seem possible given what the rest of the series has shared. Perhaps I am limited by my completely human mind, but trying to comprehend and accept that the idea of a more perfect Narnia still exists where those who had passed on now 'live' and that it's inside, yet larger, than the Narnia before it is a challenge for me. I see the allusion to heaven or, perhaps Eden, as "heaven" was 'Aslan's land,' which Jill clearly states is not where they are.

I do particularly like the conversion story of Emeth, as it provides the detail and imagery that I know Lewis is capable of.

And, might I add: Queen Susan, who no longer is a friend of Narnia, hasn't been included in the final scenes. How horrid. Really, what did this nugget add to the story, as the rest of the family doesn't seem too upset by it? And that we're not told the reason for it, beyond her interests in "invitations and stockings."

All's well that ends well, I suppose.(less)

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Aug 29, 2008 Annette rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow, talk about a cool book about times right before the millenium - symbolically of course, but CS Lewis talks of faith here and I want to read this again just to grasp the idea that our development of our faith is up to us and no one, not even Christ can just give us faith. Oh how Aslan wants to let everyone have a feast, but we see that there are those that can't see that the feast is there - but see something else or their faith limits them so they can't see beyond what their physical eyes c...more

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Oct 03, 2007 Shawna rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: children

The end of Narnia has begun. A false Alsan enslaves the denizens of Narina in fear and labor, the last king fights back with help from old characters, and Narnia is destroyed with Alsan to lead those true to him to a new and better land.

I have finally completed the Narnia chronicles. Overall I did not enjoy CS Lewis's writing style. He constantly inserted the author’s voice, often in parentheticals, breaking the fantasy. I found the series patronizing and disturbing when I look back on it…pat th...more

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Dec 02, 2007 Jenny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-books

As Narnia getting closer to its end, the Narnians confused about Aslan. That is because they were tricked by a donkey, who disguised as Aslan by its friend the monkey. The Narnians confused because "Aslan" act strange, but they were not dare to seek the truth. Only the true friends of Aslan brave enough to find out who was the real Aslan and revealed who was disguising as Aslan. It's similar with the Christian as stated in the book of Revelation of the Bible. As the world getting closer to its e...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Carly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, children, epic-fantasy, world-within-portal

Oddly, this was always one of my favorite books in the series as a child. When rereading as an (agnostic) adult, it lost much of its appeal.
C.S. Lewis continues his allegory of Christianity to the next logical step: the end of the world. The main characters here are actually some of the creatures of Narnia rather than the children, and Puzzle, the donkey, was always one of my favorites. Even as a child, I found Lewis's picture of heaven to be...well...boring. But he certainly captures beauty and...more

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Dec 05, 2008 Manny rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children, science-fiction

A dismayingly poor conclusion to the series... I honestly don't understand why a fair number of people apparently like it. (I believe it even won some kind of award). The writing is flat and uninspired compared to the earlier volumes, and the preaching has completely taken over the narrative. Oddly enough, a lot of it also comes across as extremely immoral. Let's not even get into the question of whether the treatment of the Calormenes and their god Tash is racist or bigoted. The thing that real...more

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view all 9 comments

Manny Hi Valerie,

Well, it sounds like we don't really disagree very much here, except that I must regretfully say that I am not a Christian. I do not know J...more
updated Jun 10, 2012 01:36pm

Valerie Hi Manny,
Ah yes...I have never understood how most of my friends in the church run to Republican politics under the guise of concern over issues such...more
Jun 10, 2012 12:46pm

Jul 14, 2008 Nielson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This was a FABULOUS ending to the series! I love the very last page...the idea that this whole series was just the title and cover page and that their real story is just beginning with Aslan in Narnia. It was the perfect ending and was an inspiring, spiritual ending. I love how Narnia is portrayed and can picture its great beauty in my mind. I have really fallen in love with this series and am so glad that I read them. Fantasy is such a great genre to open your mind to new heights and wonders.

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May 26, 2013 Rebecca rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh no, you didn't, Lewis.

Unlike the previous book in the series, only about half of this one is dedicated to an actual adventure. Same premise - Earth children come to rescue some situation (the absolutely most contrived of them all). The second half deals with how God/Aslan ends his experiment of Narnia, now that it has gone to hell in a hand basket.

This was definitely my least favorite of all the books, including The Magician's Nephew. Lewis said he always thought each Narnia book was his last...more

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May 02, 2013 Alden rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Summary:
This is the last book in the Narnia series. This book starts off with Tirian as the King of Narnia. Then he is told by roonwit a guy would learned off stars tells him that there is a evil coming to narnia. Then later on the evil does come. The evil thing is a ape/gorilla. The ape find a lionskin and tells the donkey (his helper) to pretend to be aslan. After that the plan does work Tiran get trapped by the ape, while his is captured he prays to aslan, then he gets a vision then after hes...more Summary:
This is the last book in the Narnia series. This book starts off with Tirian as the King of Narnia. Then he is told by roonwit a guy would learned off stars tells him that there is a evil coming to narnia. Then later on the evil does come. The evil thing is a ape/gorilla. The ape find a lionskin and tells the donkey (his helper) to pretend to be aslan. After that the plan does work Tiran get trapped by the ape, while his is captured he prays to aslan, then he gets a vision then after hes done he looks and sees that people named jill and Eustace are there to help him get free. Then they escape find a small group to help them fight. But they lose and they go to this barn. In it they find that it is a place just like Narnia but better in it they find the calormene god, also all the other characters in Narnia like Jill, Eustace, lady polly, digory, lucy, Peter, and Endmund. I kind of skipped to the last book so I don’t know who lady polly is. In the end they find Aslan and he tell them that Narnia is destroyed and that is the new world.
Assessment:
While reading the series skipping over some books I find that this is just like the fight against good and evil. With in the end how the old earth is destroyed and there is a new one like the same but so much better. I like how C.S lewis puts all these books together. Actually, for the last book horse and his boy it didn’t fit well in this series in my opinion. Next what I liked was a the think by lewis like how an evil comes pretends to be the good then when the escape to a new world they find that the evil dies. After that there isn’t that much that I can say for this book being bad. The worst thing that I can think of isn’t even that bad, it’s the end and how the find the new world how they were going back from losing then going to the new world. I kind of wanted them to beat the evil ones but I guess it show that its God’s/Aslan’s Job to destroy them and not ours/the narnian’s
Would I recommend this:
I think I have said this before in other book reports. I would defiantly recommend any of the books in the Narnia series. But if you just read one and not the others it would kind of be hard to understand. I have said that all the books are the same before. But with this one I am really happy that they kind of changed this in the final book. But back to recommendation I feel that they does a great job show the fight for good and evil and the real life. So for like someone that doesn’t know God that much I could maybe let them read this series first so they could get a better understanding for this.
(less)

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Apr 28, 2013 John Afford rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Overwhelming to say the least. A wonderful story from cover to the last two chapters. Oh I wouldn't say that last two chapters weren't wonderful, but nevertheless put the cork back on the wine bottle.

It was most certainly sad to see them all depart in a horrid accident. But in hindsight they will live out their eternal existence in the world that brought them so many adventures and memories, that their Shadowlands could not. Twofold this expresses how we should not take life for granted and str...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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Quotes from The Last Battle

“I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now...Come further up, come further in!” — 413 people liked it

“But courage, child: we are all between the paws of the true Aslan.” — 256 people liked it

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The Last Battle (The Chronicles of Narnia Publication Order #7)

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