The Horse and His Boy (Chronicles of Narnia, #3)

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The Horse and His Boy (The Chronicles of Narnia #5)

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

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 102,648 ratings · 2,420 reviews

A wild gallop for freedom. Narnia... where horses talk... where treachery is brewing... where destiny awaits. On a desperate journey, two runaways meet and join forces. Though they are only looking to escape their harsh and narrow lives, they soon find themselves at the center of a terrible battle. It is a battle that will decide their fate and the fate of Narnia itself.

Paperback, 256 pages

Published July 1st 1994 by HarperCollins (first published 1954)

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Mar 29, 2012 Kat Lowe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens, horse, fantasy

Read this in elementary school. I now understand that The Chronicles of Narnia series is an allegory for Christianity. But I did not know that when I read this, my first book by C.S. Lewis. To a ten year old, this was simply a wonderful tale of adventure and friendship. The fact that the runaway Shasta, and the talking horse Bree who kidnapped him, could help save a kingdom from invasion, appealed to my dreamer personality. I loved that a poor kid could rise up to make a difference in the world.

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Jun 06, 2011 K.D. Oliveros rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: Filipinos Group

Shelves: childrens, series

The story is so simple but it took me awhile to appreciate what's going on because I am reading the series not in its proper sequence. I read Book #2, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe last year and now this Book #3, The Horse and His Boy without reading Book #1 The Magician's Nephew first. Reason? I misplaced my copy of Book #1 and I had to search for it.

Well, it is quite hard to rate this book. It is a simple fantasy story. The horse in the title is Bree, the talking Narnian horse. He and t...more The story is so simple but it took me awhile to appreciate what's going on because I am reading the series not in its proper sequence. I read Book #2, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe last year and now this Book #3, The Horse and His Boy without reading Book #1 The Magician's Nephew first. Reason? I misplaced my copy of Book #1 and I had to search for it.

Well, it is quite hard to rate this book. It is a simple fantasy story. The horse in the title is Bree, the talking Narnian horse. He and the boy in the title, Shasta meet when the latter is about to be sold by his foster father to a rich Calormen. They escape together and meet other escapees, a girl named Aravis and her another talking Narnian horse called Hwin. What follows is their adventure on their way back to Narnia particularly through Tasbaan which is the capital of Calormen, an enemy tribe of Narnias.

This reminded me of the adventures of Magnon and Zimatar, two radio programs being played over DZRH in the 70's, when I was a young boy. The Zimatar series played for thirty minutes at 2:00-2:30 p.m. and even up to now, I could still hear its theme and recall the names of its main characters like Zimatar himself and Wiwin, his powerful dwarf friend. I remember that Zimatar also has a flying white horse whose name I cannot recall anymore. When the series started, our family did not have our own radio so I had to go in front of our neighbor's house and stand by their front window to hear their radio.

For the memories brought back by this book, I am rating this with a 2 stars (It's okay). I still prefer Book #2 because it has more child characters. Aslan, my favorite so far character in the series, makes just a brief appearance here.

The battle between Archenlands and Narnians versus Calormen seemed to be lopsided and it was told only through the apparitions on the hermit's lake so it failed to make the match interesting to read in my opinion. Also, Aravis and Hwin were not in it plus Sashta seemed to be untrained to be seen as a big hero what with him lacking the basic skills in combat. I mean, in Book#2, Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy had training prior to the big battle. I thought it would have been better if Sashta was trained first so he could be a hero-warrior at the end of the book. Also, the battle could have been more exciting if the point of view was Sashta's and Aravis was there fighting together against the Calormen.

I have started reading Book #1 and will read the sequence in chronological order until Book #7.(less)

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Mar 23, 2013 Nic rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(As with all the Narnia books, I read this years ago, but am rereading it now.)

I have to say, having now reread all of the Narnia books except for The Last Battle, that this is my favorite. It's coherent, exciting, and has likeable characters. I even found Aslan much more likeable in this one; I think it's because he does less scolding and more helping, and he's better integrated into the plot than in, say, Prince Caspian.

I've also decided that I kind of like Lewis' weird semi-omniscient talks-t...more

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May 02, 2013 David Mosley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is increasingly becoming one of my favourites from the Chronicles of Narnia. If asked why, I believe it is because it is the most like a medieval faerie romance. A young boy and girl in the mundane world of Calormen suddenly find themselves in the presence of faeries––talking horses––who wish to take them into Faerie itself––Narnia. Faerie, and the journey to it, however, is perilous and fraught with dangers. Once in it, or on its borders (i.e. Archenland) it becomes even more dangerous. A...more

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Mar 01, 2011 Δx Δp ≥ ½ ħ htgkvkkviholmvobsvzighxofyyzmw rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: your-mother-should-know, magical-mystery-tour

baca ulang edisi terjemahan jadulnya

Inilah buku Narnia yg paling meresahkan yg pernah saya baca dan membuat saya mogok baca serial Narnia ketika SMP kelas 3 dulu--saya sampai harus konsul dulu ke seorang "mentor" untuk memberi masukan

Seperti yang semua orang telah ketahui, CS Lewis telah menciptakan sebuah negeri dongeng yang ajaib. Negeri permai yang bernama Narnia ini hidup dalam kedamaian yang melenakan, dipenuhi makhluk-makhluk baik hati bak malaikat dan hewan-hewan ajaib yang bisa berbicara...more

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Aug 04, 2007 Rob rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is probably my favorite of the Chronicles. It takes place during the Golden Age of Narnia, with the Pevensies reigning in their prime, although the story is actually set in the countries to the south of Narnia, which provides for a rather different feel to much of this novel. I always find the visual imagery captivating: riding across the moors at night, entering the towering city of Tashban, spending a night among the tombs of the ancient kings.

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Feb 13, 2012 Peter rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens, fantasy

Good storytelling, an exciting and well written hero's journey kind of a tale, which takes in lots of scenery and locales outside Narnia. There is lots of great horse riding action and chases. I loved the characterisation of Bree, Hwinn, Shasta and Aravis. Aslan is not quite as annoying as in the other books, although his explanation of why he attacked Aravis has a whiff of old testament Christian morality. There is still some clunky dialogue, Shasta and the Royal Narnians are always lapsing int...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Jason Nichols rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was an entertaining book full of interesting plots and story twists. The main character Shasta has no parents and grows up with an elderly fisherman in the city of Archenland. Shasta over hears the fisherman trying to sell him to a nobleman from Calormen, and he runs away with the nobleman's talking horse named Bree. They plan to ride to Narnia and live as free man and beast. They meet a girl names Aravis who is royalty from Calormen .She is running away to escape a forced marriage. With he...more

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May 29, 2012 Valerie added it · review of another edition

This is the first Narnian book I read.

I picked it up because I liked the title. I liked it enough that I read the other books in the series. And I read the others in the order they were published in, and not according to internal chronology.

Whether I would have gone on to the other books if I'd started with one of the the others first, I doubt.

I liked the book and its characters, but I don't quite see how it happened that none of the nonhuman intelligences of Narnia don't seem to have gone fart...more This is the first Narnian book I read.

I picked it up because I liked the title. I liked it enough that I read the other books in the series. And I read the others in the order they were published in, and not according to internal chronology.

Whether I would have gone on to the other books if I'd started with one of the the others first, I doubt.

I liked the book and its characters, but I don't quite see how it happened that none of the nonhuman intelligences of Narnia don't seem to have gone farther afield than Archenland. The Calormenes don't seem to have any relations with nonhuman peoples.

The 'hero' (the fisherboy Shasta...and out of curiosity, where does this name come from? It's not a Calormene word, from what I can tell. But it's not his birth name, either) is poorly educated. But it's odd that even his twin doesn't seem to know what an embezzler is (come to think of it, what WOULD one embezzle in a magical land? Magic itself? The Calormenes use money, and they have marketplaces and such, but though there's some money in Narnia and Archenland, there's not much evidence of what it's used for.)

I liked the storytelling skill of the Tarkheena Aravis. If she went North and didn't find anywhere else to lodge, I'd think she could set up as a professional storyteller.

As for the titular horse, I didn't care much for him. I understand that it's not a given that a human should take the lead in a relationship in lands where there are Talking animals and other nonhuman life. But I found the horse a braggart and something of a rogue. I much preferred the less aggressive mare Hwin, who doesn't try to manage people or situations. It didn't surprise me that Aravis and Bree had more to talk about than either Hwin or Shasta...after all, they had similar upbringings.

I found quite a bit of psychological realism in this story. For example, if Rabadash had been killed outright, the foreign policy of Calormen would likely not have changed. But if he was made to be an object of ridicule before his future subjects, he would have no credibility as a warlord. This is more realistic than other presentations of that sort of thing, in Lewis's work or in the works of others.

But it still is not clear WHY the Calormenes wanted to rule the Northern lands. What do they need that they can't get where they are?

Nor is it clear where the Calormenes came from. Their genesis stories are not narrated. Who IS Tash? Where did he come from? The next book is not useful for clarification.
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Jan 24, 2011 Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: indulgences, dis-over-my-dead-body

The perfect book to yap about on a day when I cannot see straight.

To put the record lineal, I have always been, and always will be, a sucker for equine esque adventures. It's just something uncurable. And I know no one who knows they don't have something insufferably pestiliant. My abiding love of this particular Lewis book might have something to do with the absence of this nonsense:

If that were not the case, I would be nursing a deep and unfathomable hatred for Lewis. Nothing against any futu...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Hnasman rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Horse and His Boy was one of my favorite chronicles of Narnia when I was younger — partly because I love all things oriental, and the setting of Calormen is Lewis’s quasi-Arabian society — but more importantly, because of the heroine Aravis. The young Calormene aristocrat, a ‘tarkheena’ as she is entitled, is a singular character in the Lewis mythology: here, for once, the author shows us that he is capable of envisioning a female who is neither a mild-mannered English girl, nor an evil sorc...more The Horse and His Boy was one of my favorite chronicles of Narnia when I was younger — partly because I love all things oriental, and the setting of Calormen is Lewis’s quasi-Arabian society — but more importantly, because of the heroine Aravis. The young Calormene aristocrat, a ‘tarkheena’ as she is entitled, is a singular character in the Lewis mythology: here, for once, the author shows us that he is capable of envisioning a female who is neither a mild-mannered English girl, nor an evil sorceress.

The indomitable Aravis, wearing her brother’s armor, rides off into the night to escape marriage to the disgustingly old and corrupt Ahoshta Tarkhaan. Prepared to end her own life rather than submit, she is persuaded not to commit suicide by her talking horse, of all things (very Lewis), and resolves to escape to Narnia instead. In Aravis, we see Lewis’ incarnation of Scheherezade from One Thousand and One Nights, of course — and possibly a little bit of Mulan, though that might be a mere coincidence.

Unfortunately, there Lewis’s brief excursion into actually respecting female power and other cultures comes to an end. After all — Aravis isn’t Narnian. And the penalty, of course, for not being born into the group of privileged white people known as the “Sons of Adam” and “Daughters of Eve” is that somehow, for some reason, you aren’t as inherently good.

Aravis is accused by both Shasta (who is, for all intents and purposes, a Narnian boy) and Aslan of being unempathetic. During her escape, she drugs a slave in order to escape — knowing that said slave will likely be beaten for oversleeping. Later, Aslan claws her back — actually inflicts physical violence upon her — he says, to atone for the lashings that her slave must have endured. Is that really fair? Should Aravis have really stayed in Calormen, enduring marriage to a sniveling man 4 times her age, just to avoid causing hurt to a slave that will likely be hurt on a regular basis anyway? Does Aslan follow Shasta around and inflict a punishment for every sin the boy has committed? Is Edmund, who gives up his sisters and brother to the White Witch (in the previous chronicle) ever punished for his crimes? No, Aslan takes the blame for good little Northern boys. Not Aravis, though. She’s not allowed to get away with even the slightest blemish on her character.

I find Lewis’s Calormenes (and the Chronicles’ clear bias against them) interesting, as far as his pathological narrow-mindedness is concerned. Throughout The Horse and His Boy, the Calormenes and Calormene culture are referred to with scorn and contempt — particularly by the Narnian warhorse, Bree. They’re rather one-dimensionally depicted; tyrannical, superstitious, idolatrous, vain… Commoners are “men with long, dirty robes, and wooden shoes turned up at the toe, and turbans on their heads, and beards, talking to one another very slowly about things that sounded dull”; the nobility are “mostly impressive, rather than agreeable to look at.” No reason is given as to why this country –which, presumably, was created by Aslan just as well as Narnia and Archenland were — turned out so badly.

Perhaps he implies that religion is to blame for their unjust society; their pagan worship of the god Tash and other deities, like Zardeenah, clearly sets them at odds with the authority of Aslan. Have they just, over the years, lost their way? Maybe that is what Lewis intended…? But it just doesn’t seem like an adequate explanation.

The other protagonist, Shasta, is a boy of Northern descent who just happens to be raised in Calormen — and somehow he escapes the inherent moral corruption of his cruel and greedy “father,” Arsheesh. Aravis’s steelness of character can’t merely be explained by wealth and nobility, since poor, Calormene fishermen apparently have it, too. Bree, the Narnian horse spells it out for us in the first chapter: Shasta is different, Shasta yearns to go North, “because of the blood that is in him.”

Whatever moral arguments Lewis tries to make to rationalize the bad character of Calormenes… It seems to me that their main flaw is apparently not being European. It’s a matter of race, not deservedness; and Lewis dispenses worth preferentially to protagonists of his own ethnicity. For what is Narnia, besides… WWII allied forces? Aravis’s suicide attempt certainly has something Japanese about it. But I digress, that’s for another piece.(less)

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Aug 23, 2012 Emily Crowe rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm torn with my rating. I read this book at least a dozen times growing up and I always loved it, and I just finished listening to a rather fine audio production of it, which I enjoyed. But it's hard for me to separate my nostalgia for this book from a critical evaluation of the story.

Oh, Jack. You have no great love for women, do you? Or at least not until Joy Gresham came into your life. If you'd known her earlier, I think your female characters would have benefitted so much!

Aravis is one of...more

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Dec 24, 2012 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, own-book-form, fantasy

4.5

This time around it surrounds a young boy and his horse in a heroic type, rags to riches tale. The adventure element was high as the child tries to escape being sold to a cruel master and travels to Narnia with a talking horse, Bree. Along the way they meet a girl who is also escaping, although she's privileged and leaving for a much different reason, with her talking horse as well. Each character has their own personal reason to get to Narnia, all escaping different enemies, each with their...more 4.5

This time around it surrounds a young boy and his horse in a heroic type, rags to riches tale. The adventure element was high as the child tries to escape being sold to a cruel master and travels to Narnia with a talking horse, Bree. Along the way they meet a girl who is also escaping, although she's privileged and leaving for a much different reason, with her talking horse as well. Each character has their own personal reason to get to Narnia, all escaping different enemies, each with their unique character flaw to transform. It's similar to a medieval fairytale romance set in a royal time.

The characterization in this one helped make the story the success it was. While it was a good story, there was additional charm with the players. I loved the horses and their conflicting personalities, adorable things. Bree is funny and far from humble, while Hwin holds a supreme gentleness and nobility. Shasta is a very likeable hero with his morals and strength, but also his insecurities, doubts, and humorous thoughts. Aslan is present again in this one, and pretty heavily. He repeats in this book several times the same he said in others - that he would only tell the person their story and not others. There was a particularly awesome scene, almost creepy with the ending whisper, on Him answering to Shasta who He was. I really loved King Lune too, he was jolly, kind hearted and hilariously well-natured.

We get to see Lucy, Edmund and Susan again. This time they are in their King and Queen station and, while it's nice to see them in their element, it doesn't really seem like them from the other stories. Could be because it's not told from their viewpoint, or else because they are only seen as royalty here. There's a fun, short cameo with Tumnus too. Their high speech again, though, argh!

There's no great, huge villain, but a series of them - from lions, slave-owners, and invading, spoiled princes. The only time the book lagged was when Susan and Edmund debated on the best action to take while still in the Prince's town. I thought that could have been shortened a little, but this didn't take from the story much.

It may seem unrealistic to have Aslan himself in so many stories, while before it made sense because of his connection to the children and them fulfilling their prophecy. Here it ends up making sense as the end reveals this is also part of another prophecy which was foretold in years past. The scene with the boat reminds me a little of the story of Moses as a baby in the basket. The ending was a surprise and I love how CS Lewis wrote it. It finished on a sweet, charming note unlike some of the others. Maybe it held less sadness because the players were already in the world they were supposed to be in and wouldn't be leaving it.

Regarding the order of the story, this is one of those that had been exchanged with another in the Publication Versus Chronological changes. A big change too, swapping from being book five to becoming book three when republished later chronologically. Besides it being during the children's reign over Narnia, there is no difference in time that would affect series reading. Still happy I stuck with the original publish sequence. As book five, it's a delight after reading the last two to revisit the world as it was with the Kings and Queens in their prime and look back on that era to see familiar faces again.

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May 18, 2008 Vincent rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My second grade teacher, Ms. Cook, at Gisler K-8 introduced this series to our class. She read to us everyday. I bought the series and read books 1-7. I still have my box set from then.

Reread: May 17-18, 2008
As I mentioned in my updated review of "The Magician's Nephew" I skipped over "the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," because I've read it a couple of times and am so familiar with the story, to read this one again which comes next in the original sequence.

I remember as a child I didn't th...more

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Sep 22, 2007 Sara-larus rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I wanted to finally read this series. As I kid I was given The Chronicles as a gift. I didn't own very many books and I was in love with the set and, especially, the box that it came in. So much in love that I only wanted to LOOK at the box on the shelf. I did read the first book about the wondrous wardrobe.
I also remember adults around me talking about a Christian allegory -- Aslan and all that. But at the time I was silent but internally venturing into literary criticism: I was sure they were...more

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Mar 08, 2010 Daniella rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Narnia fans, and fans of adventure fantasy.

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

I liked this book better than its predecessor, largely because it felt like more of a proper story than, "A girl goes through a wardrobe to a magical land, and here, have some Christian allegory. And how about a bit more Christian allegory, with a side of Christian allegory, topped with Christian allegory?" Aslan is still Jesus, obviously, but he only shows up toward the end of the book, so you don't get overwhelmed by the religious message.

The rest of the book is a fun, fast-paced little advent...more

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Mar 01, 2008 Rebecca rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: no one

The basic story is a good and entertaining one, but I could not get beyond the overt prejudices of C.S. Lewis on display throughout this book.

I'm incredibly disappointed. His portrayal of the people of Calormen is horrid. I admit, by calor I don't known if he is implying people of the hot lands (as calor indicates heat) or if it is a not-so-subtle way of suggesting colored people, but the descriptions speak for themselves. These people are described as dark-skinned, turban-wearing, cruel slave-o...more

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May 25, 2008 Leslie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adolescent-fiction

Another wonderful part of the Chronicles of Narnia series. This book takes place during the reigns of Kings Peter and Edmund and Queens Susan and Lucy. It is only indirectly a story about the Pevensies but is more about the affairs in the neighboring kingdoms of Archenland and Calormen (although the story is in essence a story of the saving of Narnia from a Calormeen invasion). For me, the most striking theological argument of the novel is the influence of Aslan in the lives of people who do not...more

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Jun 09, 2008 booklady rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: children...of ALL ages

Shelves: all-ages, fantasy, 2008

From what I have gathered, most Narnia lovers don't like this particular book as well as the others in the saga and I'm inclined to agree with them. It was popular with my own girls growing up because of the two talking horses who figure prominently in the story. However, for myself, Aslan is always my favorite character. I read the books ever on the look-out for Him . . . and for the tidbits of Wisdom Lewis tucks in wherever he can, even if they are a bit obvious at times.

Started: 5 June 2008

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Mar 21, 2013 04MattS, added it · review of another edition

The book “The Horse and His Boy”, by C.S. Lewis, which is the fifth book in the Chronicles of Narnia that he wrote, and third chronologically, is a decent book in of itself. It is full of adventure, and all the things that make all his other books quite good. But, when put in the middle of the chronicles of Narnia, weather written order, or chronologically, is not a very good book. It just doesn’t relate with any of the other’s before it.
Let’s first focus on the positive of the book. It is a boo...more The book “The Horse and His Boy”, by C.S. Lewis, which is the fifth book in the Chronicles of Narnia that he wrote, and third chronologically, is a decent book in of itself. It is full of adventure, and all the things that make all his other books quite good. But, when put in the middle of the chronicles of Narnia, weather written order, or chronologically, is not a very good book. It just doesn’t relate with any of the other’s before it.
Let’s first focus on the positive of the book. It is a book full of fantasy creatures, and adventure. The thing I liked the most is that many of the creatures in the book aren’t magical creatures, it tolled of a land that is in the world that Narnia is in, but isn’t Narnia. Whereas before this, we think the world is Narnia, but this says that Narnia is just a kingdom in the world, and a small kingdom at that. When I now watch the movies, of the Narnia series, I come to realize that there journey across Narnia isn’t that big a journey at all. Just a journey across a space about the size of Utah at the most, maybe Texas, but not the journey across America I used to think.
Secondly, his book was full of adventure. C.S. Lewis took a different perspective on this book. Instead of giving the main characters a task by Aslan, or have to solve a problem, in this book they have their adventure, and all the time we think that many of the coincidences are just things happening at the right place at the right time, or wrong place at the wrong time. Although we find out in the end much of it was Aslan guiding the way, but that is beside the point. In all the other books Aslan is a major character, in this book you only meet him once at the very end when he explains everything. So this was their own adventure; they made their own mistakes and successes. All Aslan did even when explained his part was help push them along.
Now we get to the bad parts of the story. In taking Aslan out of the picture he needed to put something else in to relate it to Ether “prince Caspian” or the “Voyage of the Dawn Treader”. And there were many parts that he could have done that. In introducing us to this new part of the world that never had talking animals, and in having attack Anvard, the kingdom next to Narnia, he could have it win therefore making your brain make the connection of, well, after 5-10 years they could have taken over Narnia, and then kicks out all the magical creatures. But the reason we can’t make that connection now is because Anvard won. And so now they halve to cross the ocean to the east, desert to the north, or forest in the west each more difficult than the next to cross Anvard had to be won before Narnia.
A Second thing that he could have done is make Shasta an ancestor of Prince Caspian, or one of the kings that they talk about in “Prince Caspian”. But they name Shasta, and Aravis’s son Ram, who we never hear about in any of the other books of the chronicles. We never hear about the thing we are most curious about in the Chronicles. How do the magical animals get over taken, and become normal. What happened between the times of the kings peter, Edmond and queens Lucie, and Susan; and the time of prince Caspian. How Did the Telmarines take over Narnia? And more importantly, Who Are the Telmarines?
So now that I’ve presented both sides I will leave it up to you to read it and decide whether you like it, or dislike it. But to me the fact that he had many chances of putting the Telmarines in, and not, makes it not a good book in my mind.
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Jan 01, 2012 Ricky Ganci rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I used to think that this was my least favorite of the Narnia books, and now I’m not so sure. It’s a great adventure story, and it too contains all the great allegory that the others do, too. Book Five is a fantastic adventure story with a very Prince of Persia feel to it – I love that. Aslan’s appearances are a bit harsher and more rebuking that his appearances in other books, but I think I really appreciate that this time more than I have in other times I’ve read this volume. Perhaps its to re...more

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Mar 23, 2009 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Synopsis:

An orphaned boy and a kidnapped horse gallop for Narnia... and freedom.

Narnia, where horses talk and hermits like company, where evil men turn into donkeys, where boys go into battle, and where the adventure begins.

During the Golden Age of Narnia, when Peter is High King, a boy named Shasta discovers he is not the son of Arsheesh, the Calormene fisherman, and decides to run far away to the north - to Narnia. When he is mistaken for another runaway, Shasta is led to discover who he rea...more

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Dec 22, 2008 Alison Looney rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I feel more conflicted about this book than any of the other Narnia books. On the plus side, the story is stronger and CS Lewis manages to keep his blatant editorializing to a minimum (maybe because none of the characters are transplants from wartime London).

But holy crap, the modern reader will find his racist descriptions pretty hard to swallow. He reintroduces his devious, smelly, turban-clad race, the Calormen. A lost white boy is raised among them and he is sad until he is finally reunited...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Summer Cull rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

When Shasta learns he is to be sold as a slave to a rich foreigner from another land, he runs away with a talking horse named Bree to try to make a new life in the peaceful land of Narnia (where Bree is originally from). The two meet up with another young rider and her horse, also escaping to Narnia. However, along the way they discover a plot made by the Tisroc’s son to invade and capture a land called Archenland and eventually Susan, the queen of Narnia. The two children and their horses are...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Thomas I rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was once again, a FANTASTIC book, C.S Lewis, writes a less Action-ie tale then his previous tale, Lion With and the Wardrobe, but it was still a tale full of very well crafted story telling, and descriptions, there were parts that were very tense, and parts that were just sort of relaxing to read, but overall it was very well balanced, and ended it just being GOOD literature, the story was loosely about, a boy, who lives on a farm, and one day, a man comes that wants the farm-owner to sell...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Gale rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-classics, fantasy-young-adult

"Born to Save his Homeland"

This chronicle of Narnia is set takes place during the Golden Age when the Wicked Queen and Winter have been banished—-during the beneficent reign of High King Peter and his siblings: King Edmund, Queens Susan and Lucy. Making brief appearances (sometimes in feline disguise) to rescue or guide the new young protagonists, Aslan himself offers justice and saves Narnia yet again.

Shasta, a ragged fisher boy yearns to travel to the mysterious lands to the North, but his...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Von Fritz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-and-fantasy

Done reading the book. The thing is, I started reading this book way back 2007, in PDF format. But my desktop was bugged back then and I wasn't able to continue. Until I bought a copy of the book for only 50 Php. So I continued reading the tale of Shasta and his horse, Bree.

Actually, I was kinda bored when I was reading it in PDF. The story took place sometime between The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. So I thought it's nonesense...some other character's story. But too bad...more Done reading the book. The thing is, I started reading this book way back 2007, in PDF format. But my desktop was bugged back then and I wasn't able to continue. Until I bought a copy of the book for only 50 Php. So I continued reading the tale of Shasta and his horse, Bree.

Actually, I was kinda bored when I was reading it in PDF. The story took place sometime between The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. So I thought it's nonesense...some other character's story. But too bad I judged it after reading just a few chapters. Coz I tell you know, after reading the book, it's one of the epic moments of Narnia and a very essential one in the chronicles.

Epic because this book involves a great battle. The main character in the story, Shasta, along with a Narnian talking horse, Bree is entangled with their destinies to save Archenland and all of Narnia against the forces of the evil Rabadash. Along the way, Shasta and Bree meet friends who eventually helped them in succeeding their missions and finally facing the truth about themselves.

Essential because only in this book did CS Lewis described the geography of Narnia...and the lands beyond in details. We get to know the Calormen and Archenland and the mountains and lakes and other places. So we had a better picture of Narnia now.

Oh yes, there's the big four. They're no longer kids but rather great kings and queens of Narnia. And I do hope when this one becomes a movie, it'll still be a reunion of the actors.

And of course, there's Aslan. Gawd, it gives me goosebumps everytime he's talking. I mean, you could really think he's God. When he helped Shasta since he was a baby until he finally escapes Calormen...as well fulfilling his destiny...it's all about God's plan for all of us. That He never fails. That He will always be there to guide us and provide us what we need.

And for Aravis, with Aslan punishing her for what she had done with her servant, it's all about God's fair judgment. Might as well be connected to the Golden Rule.

And oh, I kinda like the friendship of Aravis and Lasaraleen. It's understanding each other's differences. And that no matter what happens, no matter what path you choose, a friend is still a friend.

Five down. Two more to go in the series.(less)

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

This book was about and young bot that lived in the Golden age of Narnia and had a talking horse that lived with him. This place was a mystical place. People can turn into donkeys, little boys go to war, and where adventure started. This young boy went everywhere with his horse. The horse can also talk they would go to places that people didn't know that existed. Peter the boy was a high king in the castles.

He go up north where Narnia is located at. He runs away with his horse and leaves the cas...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Patrick rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another of Lewis's classic tales. C.S Lewis (and I will not tire in saying this)is one of the most extraordinary writers that the English language has ever produced. The story of Shasta is a marvelous story of a young boy's courage in face of adversity. Shasta, the boy of noble blood, abandoned at birth, and forced to live the remainder of his life in total obscurity if not for the fated encounter with Bree the talking Horse. Thus begins the start of a wonderful friendship and their magical jour...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Biondy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, continue-the-series

Judul: Kuda dan Anak Manusia (The Horse and His Boy)
Pengarang: C. S. Lewis
Penerbit: PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Halaman: 312 halaman
Terbitan: September 2005

NARNIA... tanah di mana para kuda bisa berbicara... pengkhianatan mengintai... dan takdir menanti.

Dalam perjalanan penuh tantangan, empat pelarian bertemu dan bergabung. Meski awalnya mereka hanya berusaha membebaskan diri dari kehidupan yang kejam dan menekan, tak lama kemudian mereka mendapati diri mereka berada di tengah-tengah pertempuran da...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, #2)

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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“Do not dare not to dare.” — 231 people liked it

“Aravis also had many quarrels (and, I'm afraid even fights) with Cor, but they always made it up again: so that years later, when they were grown up they were so used to quarreling and making it up again that they got married so as to go on doing it more conveniently.” — 174 people liked it

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The Horse and His Boy (The Chronicles of Narnia #5)

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