[Minor spoilers.]
What an absolute joy this book turned out to be. Whereas "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" explored the seas, "The Silver Chair" explores the earth and what lies below. And they add an absolutely charming character named Puddleglum to help lead the way.
Now, understand that it was Eustace returning in this one, bringing along his friend Jill. The story spends most of the time using their last names (Scrubb and Pole respectively), which I thought was strange, but there is a very important reason for this that is given later in the book. I won't explain it here, but it does have to do with Christian values, so I'll leave it at that.
The aforementioned Puddleglum is a creature called a Marsh-wiggle. They tend to be pessimists but are actually surprisingly brave. He steals the show. He just does. Read this book for his sake, and you won't be disappointed.
The actual quest was to find and rescue the missing Prince Rilian, son of Caspian. The journey to do this leads the adventurers underground, where most of the story takes place. There was some adventure aboveground too, but the underground stuff was, to me, the most striking.
Another thing that you may be happy to see is Aslan's Country. If you were wondering what it was like, this is the book for you. There are two scenes that take place there, so here is your chance. No Reepicheep though! That was my only disappointment.
I do want to say that the story's title is not very good. It sounds good, but the actual silver chair in the book is rather an uninteresting thing. My choice for title would have been "The Missing Prince." It attacks the plot head on. If you have already read it, why not take a crack at retitling this one yourself.
I absolutely recommend "The Silver Chair." It's extremely good and exciting to read. I am only sad to say that I have one left after this.
This blog was written on August 28, 2023.
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As a storyteller as a writer myself, this seems to be a book written to give ideas context. Puddleglum was proabably something Lewis imagined and chuckled imagining. The Lady of the Green Kirtle was because he loves sexy villains, as is clearly evident in THE MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW. Harfang and its "Autumn Feast" reveal are typical of old fairy tales and he included it as nostalgia. He probably thought "The Silver Chair" was a cool title even if he did not yet have a context in mind. Your idea: "The Missing Prince" would have been better.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds about right.
DeleteI agree Puddleglum was an excellent character, well worth the read. It was cool to see Aslan's country. The lack of Reepicheep can be forgiven with the fantastic narrative and characters, but yea that was poor title for sure.
ReplyDeleteReepicheep's best book!
DeleteIt can be difficult coming up with the best title for a work. There are times when the one that sounds good does not fully describe the story. That is when we must ask ourselves if another title might be better.
ReplyDeleteWell at least the story does not disappoint.
Delete