"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 ways, "The Last Battle" is how "Prince Caspian" should have been written. We start up in Narnia, establishing the crisis (the ape and the fake Aslan), following the King Tirian and then having Eustace and Jill arrive. There was a sense of immediacy, of intensity, of tension that is present, that has you gnawing on your nails, wondering how this will end. The scene where King Tirian is tied up and desperate, thinking of the stories of the past and praying for deliverance was well written and heart-stirring. Not to mention, I feel like I actually got to know and understand King Tirian in a way I never was with Prince Caspian.I love how all the books are woven together in this final chapter. The Professor is finally revealed as Diggory from "The Magician's Nephew". Other characters from throughout the series return (Reepicheep, Cor, Puddleglum, and more).The return of Eustace and Jill was great, as each has grown even more (especially Jill, as she is a much better archer--Girl Power!). I felt they retained, for the most part, what they were, but had appropriately grown-up. Other than Diggory and Pollly, they are probably my two favorite characters--they are realistic, they are brave, and they are interesting.The battles are more intense and not shoved into the background. Even though it's a little odd to have children (maybe tweens?) killing, I did like how the battles weren't blink-and-you-miss-it. Also, the subject matter is very much more mature. A false "god"? The Narnians following this false god? The Narnians denying the real Aslan? Wow! That isn't something you see tackled in a bunch of children's books.And while I wasn't fond of the entire outcome of Susan, I found Polly's words to be the most poignant (especially as she is technically an old woman who has lived her life and understands what it is to be a 20-something woman):"She wasted all her school time wanting to be the age she is now, and she'll waste all the rest of her life trying to stay that age. Her whole idea is to race on to the silliest time of one's life as quick as she can and then stop there as long as she can."Honestly, I think everyone can think of a few people who rush to be at a certain stage at life then desperately try to stay that age forever.I Didn't Like:If you don't like spoilers, I'll give you a very brief, vague idea of what I didn't like so you can skip to the overall:1. Susan's outcome.2. Apathy to the real world.SPOILERS FOLLOW (You've been warned!)1. Peter, Edmund, Lucy, Diggory, Polly, Eustace, and Jill return at the end, but Tirian asks, "Where's Susan?" The children rather glibly respond, "Oh, yeah, Susan? Well, she doesn't believe in it anymore, sorry git. Moving on..."Susan was always my favorite character. I liked how she was practical and not perfect like Lucy. To see her left out of the joys of Narnia is heart-wrenching, even if it does tell a powerful lesson about maturity and belief. I have to hope that the deaths of her ENTIRE FAMILY end up shaking up her world enough that she believes in Narnia again and becomes reunited with them,2. All the above get to Narnia because they DIE in a TRAIN WRECK. And what is their thought of dying? "GOODY GOODY!" Seriously, don't you regret not seeing your sister? What about all the others you loved and cared for who didn't also die on the train? I don't care if they go to "heaven", but I think even Aslan/Jesus would be crying over those who weren't there yet.Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:Puzzle the donkey is called an "@ss" (I think it's literal, not figurative). Tirian says "da**ation".Some people interpret the reason that Susan didn't go to Narnia was because she found "sex", as hinted in the lines "nylons, lipstick, and invitations".This is probably the most violent of all the Narnia books. Eustace is said to explicitly kill a Calormene. The Fake Aslan is responsible for killing dryads and enslaving animals.Overall:Finishing the Chronicles of Narnia was bittersweet. This final book is one of the better novels in the series, but at certain points, I found myself grinding my teeth. One thing you can't say is that Lewis left this series wide open and didn't bother to bring closure to his world. But I warn, if you don't like Christian theology hammered into your head, you may want to pass this over.
I agree with the reviewer who said this was the worst ending ever. Not only does it have the worst ending, but the book itself is the worst ending to any series that I have ever read. Period.Seriously, Mr. Lewis, what the hell is this though? Aside from the phenomenally craptacular ending--where we're supposed to believe that the very best thing that could possibly happen is for everybody to die--this book was just a whole lot of suck. It seemed to have no point whatsoever, except that Lewis decided he was done writing Narnia stories, and instead of leaving it open for fans to imagine what adventures might've come after, he figured he could cram some more Christian allegory in there and thoroughly traumatize his young audience by killing off every single character they'd come to love. Except Susan, because we shun the nonbeliever, shuuuunnnn.Whatever. It was completely unnecessary, and the "but it's okay because they went to heaven" ending made me roll my eyes so hard they were in danger of falling out, but it didn't piss me off half so much as the convoluted End Times theme. What the fuck? There was absolutely no rhyme or reason to it whatsoever, at least that I could pinpoint. Basically some jerkass old ape (I see what you did there, Mr. Lewis) dresses up this gullible ass in a lion skin and starts ordering the Narnians around as the mouthpiece of Aslan, so instead of punishing Shift for his wickedness, Aslan DESTROYS THE WORLD. Because that's not overreacting or anything. Apparently Lewis ascribed to the angry, vengeful God of the old testament. I mean, wow. Was it because the Narnians were so easily deceived by the false Aslan and their love for him turned to fear and revulsion? Because it seems to me to be largely a result of Aslan's long absence, combined with the apparent inherent stupidity of Narnians, that made them susceptible to the lies of Shift and the Calormenes, which Aslan in his omniscience would've known would happen if he stayed away. So, in other words, he punished THE ENTIRE WORLD for something that he could've prevented and chose not to. Nice. But maybe I just don't get it, wicked atheist that I am.Anyway. Unless you're a hardcore fan of the Narnia series, or OCD like me, I recommend skipping this one. It's not worth your time.
What do You think about The Last Battle (2015)?
I think this is the first book I've ever hated. And that list is pretty short. As a child, it really distressed me - I didn't understand much of it, and it confused me why its tone was so very different from the other Narnia books. Then, when I reread it a few years ago, it just pissed me off. The message about religious pluralism is refreshing, sure, but the book just plain reads wrong, and I will probably never get over Lewis's treatment of Susan. I guess if you don't believe in God, you deser
—Maria
I hated this book. I hated it so much. I'm glad I didn't finish the series as a child (I petered out some time after the 3rd or 4th, in publishing order), because this book would have scarred me for life. As impressionable as I was as a wee bairn, I would have either run around crying for a week over the way everyone *insert spoiler here* at the end, or I would have traipsed about hoping for Armageddon so I could go play with the pretty lion. Not cool. Not cool at all. Either way, I would have been totally messed up--permanently scarred.It has all the racism of The Horse and his Boy, all the sexism of The Silver Chair, the ginormous Christian bludgeon of Lion, Etc., and all the dull, meaningless traversing of landscape of Caspian (Onward and upward, guys! Everything's green! I'VE NEVER SEEN NATURE BEFORE!). Plus, the content is morbid and depressing, and the plot line fills me with despair. And all I can think of at the end is poor Susan, left behind to deal with the real-world aftermath, excluded from the love of Jesus/Aslan because she likes panty hose? What the fuck is that shit? I always though Jesus would be a wee bit more forgiving of the foibles of teenagers.Maybe I wouldn't be full of so much haterade if I hadn't read this after The Magician's Nephew, which was actually quite delightful and appropriate for children. My husband's boxed set is missing the last book--when it comes time to share it with the future spawn, I might just leave the last book missing. I think it's better that way.
—Jennie
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 Witch and the Wardrobe, but it wouldn't be as cutting or true as this "Last Battle".
—Luke
