The Silver Chair (Chronicles of Narnia, #6)

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The Silver Chair (Chronicles of Narnia (Chronological) #6)

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

3.89 · rating details · 50,838 ratings · 1,173 reviews

Jill and Eustace must rescue the Prince from the evil Witch.

NARNIA...where owls are wise, where some of the giants like to snack on humans, where a prince is put under an evil spell...and where the adventure begins.

Eustace and Jill escape from the bullies at school through a strange door in the wall, which, for once, is unlocked. It leads to the ope...more

Paperback, 243 pages

Published July 8th 1994 by HarperTrophy (first published September 7th 1953)

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Jun 22, 2008

Ann rated it

Shelves: animals, classics, fantasy, young-adult

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

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Jun 05, 2008

Heather rated it

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

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

We love them.

The end.

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

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

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Jan 14, 2012

Abhishek rated it

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

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Aug 27, 2009

Peter rated it

Recommends it for: anyone

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

Once again C.S. Lewis went beyond the borders of Narnia for another "Narnian" book - and once again, he came up with a new character with enormous humor and appeal for children.

In this case, the character is Puddleglum the Marsh-Wiggle. He guides Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb as they "follow the signs" on a quest given them by Aslan. They must rescue the lost Prince Rilian, son of Prince Caspian.

There are several points at which characters are irritatin...more

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Apr 10, 2010

Britt☮ rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, kiddie, kindle, read-2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that powerful, independent queen?

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

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

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

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

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Jan 23, 2012

jzhunagev rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: C. S. Lewis fans!

Recommended to jzhunagev by: the "Voice"

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

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

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

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Aug 09, 2010

Harmonybites rated it

Recommends it for: Children and Fans of Fantasy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Sep 16, 2010

Daniella rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of fantasy and lovers of a good Quest story.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Mar 31, 2010

Sean Higgins rated it

· review of another edition

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

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

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Jun 23, 2008

Arya rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anyone

Recommended to Arya by: My Father

Shelves: christian-fiction, fantasy

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

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Nov 21, 2009

Nikki rated it

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

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

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Jul 26, 2008

Jodi rated it

Shelves: re-read

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

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Jun 29, 2008

Cmh us rated it

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

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Dec 15, 2008

Alison Looney rated it

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

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

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Oct 23, 2011

Margarita rated it

It's been a long time since I've read anything in Narnia, and I started here because we'd just seen the Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie. The silver chair is not the best of the Narnia novels, but it's still good, with its thoughtful theological backing and decently fun adventure. Not sure how they're going to make a movie of this one though... In any case, it reminded me of why I loved the Narnia novels when I was younger. It's the thought of escaping to a fantasy land and coming back wiser and...more

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Sep 08, 2011

Sammy rated it

Shelves: children-s

Of the seven Narnia books, my relationship with most is clear. I adore "Nephew", "Lion" and "Horse", am indifferent about "Caspian" and "Voyage", and despise "Battle. But "The Silver Chair" and I have admired and resented each other, equally, since I first read it as a kid.

On the one hand... this is perhaps the most justifiably dark book in the series, as Jill and Eustace (replacing, thankfully, those tiresome Pevensie...moreOf the seven Narnia books, my relationship with most is clear. I adore "Nephew", "Lion" and "Horse", am indifferent about "Caspian" and "Voyage", and despise "Battle. But "The Silver Chair" and I have admired and resented each other, equally, since I first read it as a kid.

On the one hand... this is perhaps the most justifiably dark book in the series, as Jill and Eustace (replacing, thankfully, those tiresome Pevensie children) find their own belief in Aslan and themselves fading fast, and their uncertainty as to what to do is quite palpable. Lewis passionately makes us believe that the world of Narnia is falling apart, and references to the past stories actually are quite terrifying, in the same way that most series have to wait for their non-canonical installments (e.g. "Return to Oz") to do. It's the most literate of the seven books, also.

Opposing this, of course, is the fact that all of this passion stems from Lewis making each Narnia book more and more of an aggressively Christian allegory. For "belief in Aslan" read "belief in Jesus". For "the world of Narnia is falling apart" read "the world of white, Christian living". This doesn't inherently render the book a failure - after all, Dante was of the same passion, and the Divine Comedy is a masterwork! But it does sadden me a little that my childhood nostalgia is now tainted by the knowledge that Lewis' books are pushing a strong agenda that goes beyond mere children's literature moral fables and into religious propaganda.

Is that unfair? Perhaps. I'm literate enough to be able to enjoy this as a story, and be intrigued by the moral dilemmas of the characters, without hating it just because of the author's beliefs. But at the same time, I don't think kids should be going into this without an adult to guide them through the maze. It's great that Lewis was writing intelligent fiction that would make children ask questions. It's just a pity that he's already decided which answer they should arrive at.(less)

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Aug 29, 2011

Michelle rated it

Shelves: 2011, book-i-own, fantasy-novel-research, rereads

I think I am just a little too invested in this series at this point, because even though Aslan told us at the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader that we wouldn't be seeing Pevensies anymore, I was really resentful of Jill and Eustace for getting to go to Narnia when Lucy didn't. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME.

To be fair I read this whole book by candlelight in the middle of a hurricane, so there's that.

Anyway, I actually really liked this book. I love quest narratives (tha...moreI think I am just a little too invested in this series at this point, because even though Aslan told us at the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader that we wouldn't be seeing Pevensies anymore, I was really resentful of Jill and Eustace for getting to go to Narnia when Lucy didn't. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME.

To be fair I read this whole book by candlelight in the middle of a hurricane, so there's that.

Anyway, I actually really liked this book. I love quest narratives (thanks JBlack), and this has everything that allegorical quest could possibly want. It's right up the alley of The Faerie Queene, so I was pleased with that. Some people were annoyed with the ambiguous quality of Aslan's instructions for Jill, but that's part of the allegory, duh. Also, Jill and Eustace's struggle to follow the signs and remember their quests is not only obviously part of the allegory, it is also very typical quest novel stuff (Redcrosse Knight anyone?).

I said it before about The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and it is definitely true about this book as well, C.S. Lewis was definitely exploring other places just so he would write about fun new creatures and phenomenons. Grotesque giants Evil snakey witches Marsh-wiggles Underground gnomes Edible gold and jewels Cool stuff Don't worry C.S. I'm not hating if I were writing a children's fantasy series I'd do it too.

The characters of this novel were pretty good too - Jill was definitely privileged over Eustace and I found that I grew to like her even though I will always love Lucy the most . Puddleglum was awesome and at risk of talking about this story like it really happened Jill and Eustace couldn't have hoped for a better guide.

In summary as a child when I read these I think I got a little bored toward the end because I can't remember them at all. But as an older person more well-versed in the history of story telling and fiction I'm enjoying these later installments must more than the earlier ones although of course The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe will always have a special place).(less)

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Aug 20, 2011

Heidi rated it

This was solidly my favorite Narnia book so far. Eustace, who we met in the last book, comes upon an acquaintance, Jill, crying behind the gym because the school bullies have been tormenting her. Trying to escape the bullies, the two children duck through a doorway in the school's wall, which turns out to be a doorway into Narnia. (This single scene fed about 90% of the fantasies and daydreams I had as a child.)

Once in Narnia, Aslan commissions the children with a quest: find the ...more

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Jul 22, 2011

Chad Warner rated it

Shelves: christian, fantasy, fiction

This is one of my favorite books in The Chronicles of Narnia series. It follows the formula of many medieval quests: the heroes land in a predicament, set out to make things right, and encounter adventure along the way. Lewis fits many lessons about the Christian life into the story. Like the other Narnian tales, the visitors from our world (Jill and Eustace) become better prepared for facing life in our world because of their experience in Narnia.

This book introduces one of my favor...moreThis is one of my favorite books in The Chronicles of Narnia series. It follows the formula of many medieval quests: the heroes land in a predicament, set out to make things right, and encounter adventure along the way. Lewis fits many lessons about the Christian life into the story. Like the other Narnian tales, the visitors from our world (Jill and Eustace) become better prepared for facing life in our world because of their experience in Narnia.

This book introduces one of my favorite Narnians: Puddleglum, a chronically pessimistic Marsh-Wiggle. There are also several interesting locations, such as Underland, an underground realm inhabited by gnomes named Earthmen. I really liked the journey through Underland, especially the scene where they pass the sleeping Father Time and the Warden says, “They say he will wake at the end of the world.” Remember this passage when you read The Last Battle. I also liked the description of Bism, the land under Underland, where jewels grow like fruit.

When Jill is pulled from England into Aslan’s country, she tells Aslan that, “nobody called me and Scrubb, you know. It was we who asked to come here. Scrubb said we were to call to...Somebody, and perhaps the Somebody would let us in. And we did, and then we found the door open.” Aslan answers, “You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you.” Lewis gives this lesson in predestination; although from our perspective we think we take the initiative in seeking Jesus, we can only do that because Jesus first called us.

Throughout the story, Jill and Eustace suffer the consequences of not remembering and following Aslan’s instructions. Their failure causes a lot of unnecessary trouble. The same occurs in our lives; we only bring trouble to ourselves when we neglect or disobey God’s laws.

When the Black Knight mocks Puddleglum for believing that the letters carved in the City Ruinous were one of the signs, Puddleglum responds, “There are no accidents. Our guide is Aslan; and he was there when the giant King caused the letters to be cut, and he knew already all things that would come of them, including this.” God is omniscient and foreknowing; everything fits within His master plan.

The witch tries to convince Puddleglum, Eustace, and Jill that their memories of Narnia, such as the sun and Aslan, are simply objects they invented based on things they observe in her underground realm. She says,

“You see? When you try to think out clearly what this sun must be, you cannot tell me. You can only tell me it is like the lamp. Your sun is a dream; and there is nothing in that dream that was not copied from the lamp. The lamp is the real thing; the sun is but a tale, a children’s story...You have seen lamps, and so you imagined a bigger and better lamp and called it the sun. You’ve seen cats, and now you want a bigger and better cat, and it’s to be called a lion...And look how you can put nothing into your make-believe without copying it from the real world of mine, which is the only world.”

Of course, the sun and Aslan, the Lion, do exist in Narnia. Christians are accused of believing in a God and a supernatural world that are simply delusional imaginings based on observable realities. Yet the truth remains regardless.

A dwarf remarks that, “the lesson of it all is...that those Northern witches always mean the same thing, but in every age they have a different plan for getting it.” Lewis’ point is that Satan never stops scheming to destroy Christians, but he changes his tactics throughout history.

After his death, King Caspian’s body appears in Aslan’s country, and Aslan and the others weep. Then Aslan has Eustace drive a thorn into his paw, and a drop of blood resurrects Caspian and restores his youth. This scene serves not only to bring back a well-loved Narnian character, it’s also a stirring reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice and a glimpse into His joyful welcoming of Christians into the afterlife.(less)

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Jul 12, 2011

Terry rated it

Many folks have fond memories of reading the Narnia books as children. I loved "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" as a kid and enjoyed it as an adult. Now that I'm re-reading the series with children of my own, I'm struck by how un-charming, pedestrian and just plain 'blah' several of the other books are. "The Silver Chair" is my least favorite, and that's saying a lot, given my distaste for "The Horse and His Boy" and the even worse "Voyage of the Dawn Tr...more

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Mar 02, 2011

Melissa rated it

Shelves: own, fantasy, young-adult

This book could be considered a stand alone, but I highly recommend reading the preceding stories in the Narnia series for first. As a part of the Narnia series, it is definitely interesting, but not the best nor worst of the series. For those who haven't heard of Narnia, it is a magical land watched over by Aslan the great lion and inhabited by noble people, mythical creatures, and talking animals.

In the Silver Chair, Eustace (who has visited before) and his schoolmate Jill are runnin...moreThis book could be considered a stand alone, but I highly recommend reading the preceding stories in the Narnia series for first. As a part of the Narnia series, it is definitely interesting, but not the best nor worst of the series. For those who haven't heard of Narnia, it is a magical land watched over by Aslan the great lion and inhabited by noble people, mythical creatures, and talking animals.

In the Silver Chair, Eustace (who has visited before) and his schoolmate Jill are running from bullies when they are brought into Narnia. Due to foolishness, Jill accidentally pushes him off a cliff, but he is saved by Aslan, and after Aslan gives Jill a task, she is also swept away by his breath to arrive in the Kingdom of Narnia just as Prince Caspian is leaving its shores on a journey. They watch the old King leave and then set off to find his son Rilian, who was kidnapped years before. Their only companion on this journey is a Marsh-Wiggle named Puddleglum who is sober and depressing, but very level headed throughout the novel. They have many dangerous encounters on their adventure and their biggest enemies seem to be themselves at times. But they must stick it through and find Rilian or die in the trying.

I think that this book has some very undeveloped characters. Rilian doesn't have much description in the way of personality and Eustace, while present isn't elaborated on. I just found Jill annoying, which was a shame as she was a main character. My favorite would have to be Puddleglum as he was written excellently. But neither he nor the Green Lady had very much history or backstory that I would have liked to see. After all, we have never heard of Marsh-wiggles before and I wonder where they've been in all the books before this one.

The writing is appropriate for children (just a few minor curse words) and should be easily understandable. There are a few scary parts, but they are over quickly and should have no lasting effects. An adult may find the book rushed, but it is a good pace for children. There is nice description on the areas and land and other fascinating things, but as said before the characters seemed to lack this same care.

Overall it is a good book, but not my favorite in the series. It fits in well and provides a nice change of pace from the rest of the series.

The Silver Chair
Copyright 1953
257 pages

Review by M. Reynard 2011 (less)

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Mar 01, 2011

Rafal Jasinski rated it

· review of another edition

Sporo czasu upłynęło od ostatniego przeczytania całości cyklu narnijskiego i w pamięci ciągle miałem za niepodważalny fakt, że "Podróż Wędrowca Do Świtu" jest częścią tegoż cyklu najlepszą. Ponowne zapoznanie się ze "Srebrnym krzesłem" doprowadziło do rewizji tego przekonania. Ta część książki wypada dużo lepiej pod wieloma względami. Najważniejsze z nich to kapitalne pomysły na kolejne lokacje Narnii, które eksplorują bohaterowie, oraz niesamowity comic relief w postaci wiec...more

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Feb 12, 2011

Madalina rated it

Shelves: fantasy, children, magic

After seeing the three movies it got me curious.

Sadly, I'm way past the age when i would have appreciated it to its full potential in the same way that soon I'll be past the age when i appreciate vampire books and such. The way I've become now, these books, what can I say... disagree with the 'now' me.

What's fascinating about this book in a rather grown-up sort of way is that I got the feeling that Eustace and Jill were real, in a way that Prince Charming, Harry Potter an...more

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Sep 30, 2010

Janeen-san rated it

Recommends it for: Kendall and Nick

The sixth book in the Narnia series is absolutely great! I loved it; as always, the writing style was great and described everything perfectly, as the familiar face of Eustace Scrubb (Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and newcomer Jill Pole journey into Narnia, and try to recover King Caspian's son, Prince Rilian, who has mysteriously gone missing after the death of his mother ten Narinain years ago.
Along the way, Eustace and Jill make a friend, a marsh-wiggle named Puddleglum. He always looks ...more

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Sep 12, 2010

Cori rated it

Like I said in my recent review of Prince Caspian, one of the highlights of reading the Narnia series is to understand the different ways that Lewis allegorically describes Christianity. The Silver Chair is full of things to consider — remembering God’s promises and instructions; not taking your eyes off of God’s promises to you, being bound and shackled by an enemy, the continuing war against darkness, being misunderstood by others in your life’s work, knowing who you are and where you come fro...more

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Jul 20, 2010

Krista rated it

I'm sure it would be tiresome to mention that this book annoyed me in the same way that the final book of Pullman's His Dark Materials did but there it is. Don't beat me over the head with your depiction of the Underworld, Underlands or whatever you want to call it, and the powers of darkness. I get it.

And the children in this one were bleak and beastly; I didn't like either of them and it's hard to care about characters you don't really like. I grew to like Puddleglum but I want...more

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Apr 05, 2010

Mark Dewey rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audio, fantasy, juvenile

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I liked the story and the things that happened. There seems to be a lot of stuff between key events, though, and the stuff between, I think, is pretty hard to follow (harder than any of the other books in the series, for sure).

This wasn't a war story. I was glad about that. I liked The Voyage of the Dawn Treader more, though, personally, although I was glad to read another book without the Pevensie siblings (with the other one being The Magician's Nephew).

Some things were...moreI liked the story and the things that happened. There seems to be a lot of stuff between key events, though, and the stuff between, I think, is pretty hard to follow (harder than any of the other books in the series, for sure).

This wasn't a war story. I was glad about that. I liked The Voyage of the Dawn Treader more, though, personally, although I was glad to read another book without the Pevensie siblings (with the other one being The Magician's Nephew).

Some things were a little depressing, though. I mean, Jill fails so much, and her attitude toward Aslan's tasks seems to deteriorate. It didn't seem she had much of a chance for her first task, though. Because of this, it seems harder (not impossible) to appreciate Jill (because of all her failing her tasks, and more particularly after she purposefully stops repeating the words every night). I don't know why Aslan didn't just give her a piece of paper with instructions, unless we were supposed to learn something from it—or unless it was meant to be a trial for Jill (but I don't know that there was much resolution to tell us that she learned something from it).

I hope you've read the book before reading the rest of this paragraph, or you mayn't appreciate it: My favorite part was when they discovered that the giants were going to eat the humans, and then Puddleglum (their marsh-wiggle friend) goes up to the cookbook and says, reading the next page's recipe, "Marsh-wiggle." For some reason, that made me laugh a lot (probably because his race seemed so rare and peculiar, and the giants hadn't seemed familiar with marsh-wiggles before—plus, to think they would consider eating him after some of the things it said about them, but it explains how they would consider it). I listened to the audiobook, and so the narrator reading probably had something to do with the humor, too. It actually was a great narration.

I'm not sure whether I followed the intended meaning of Aslan's tasks (except it were meant to be blatant), but he did seem a little more down to Earth in some regards, at least (as far as his fierceness went)—though he might have seemed a little touchy and unapproachable at times. I mean to say that he's pretty serious and stern in this book, although he lightens up a little near the end.

I'm not sure why they named the book after the chair. I guess the prince's rescue was important and all, but I don't know if there's something deeper to understand about it. I guess I'm looking at it from the abstract/symbolic point of view. It makes perfectly fine sense from the point of view of an action/adventure story that doesn't particularly focus on character development (though I think there is development here, and perhaps it is deeper).(less)

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Dec 13, 2009

kingshearte rated it

Shelves: 2009, kids, fiction

Narnia... where owls are wise, where some of the giants like to snack on humans (and, if carefully cooked, or Marsh-wiggles, too), where a prince is put under an evil spell... and where the adventure begins.

Eustace and Jill escape from the bullies at school through a strange door in the wall, which, for once, is unlocked. It leads to the open moor... or does it? Once again Aslan has a task for the children, and Narnia needs them. Through dangers untold and caverns deep and dark, they...more

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Jul 22, 2009

Josh rated it

These books are meant to be Christian literature, but they only resemble Biblical stories in very superficial ways. In order to get from Biblical stories to the Chronicles of Narnia, you have to remove all the horrible details, like God commanding 'every living thing that breathes' to be killed in Jericho, and you have to add a good deal of charisma and nobility. For instance, you wouldn't see Prince Caspian whoring his wife out. That's just not something he would do. However, that is exactl...more

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Jun 18, 2011

SnowyAngel rated it

Shelves: 4-stars-genuinely-good, childrens, series, fantasy

‘The Silver Chair’ is a wonderful masterpiece of the series. It is beautifully laid out to show the ability of satanic elements to lure you inexplicably into horrendous situations and use you for your full worth to gain whatever evil purpose they mean to gain and then abandon you to your own devices. However, the most interesting aspect that Mr. (or as I recently learnt Prof.) Lewis has brought up in this book is that it is not very difficult to free yourself from the clutches of evil, you just ...more

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About C.S. Lewis

Clive Staples "Jack" Lewis was an Irish writer and scholar. Lewis is known for his work on medieval literature, Christian apologetics, literary criticism, and fiction. He is best known today in secular culture for his series Chronicles of Narnia.

Lewis taught as a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford from 1925 to 1954, and later was the first Professor of Medieval and Renaissanc...more

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Books by C.S. Lewis

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #2)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia, #5)

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

Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia, #4)

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Quotes from The Silver Chair

“I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia.” — 1,278 people liked it

“One word, Ma'am," he said, coming back from the fire; limping, because of the pain. "One word. All you've been saying is quite right, I shouldn't wonder. I'm a chap who always liked to know the worst and then put the best face I can on it. So I won't deny any of what you said. But there's one more thing to be said, even so. Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things-trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that's a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We're just babies making up a game, if you're right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That's why I'm going to stand by the play world. I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia. So, thanking you kindly for our supper, if these two gentlemen and the young lady are ready, we're leaving your court at once and setting out in the dark to spend our lives looking for Overland. Not that our lives will be very long, I should think; but that's a small loss if the world's as dull a place as you say.” — 222 people liked it

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