The Horse and His Boy (#3) by C. S. Lewis

11 Feb 2013 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Junior Fiction, Narnia Chronicles Tags: , , , , ,

Published: March 5th 2002 (originally 6 September 1954)
Goodreads badgePublisher: HarperTrophy
Pages: 241
Format: Book
Genre: Junior Fiction/ Fantasy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

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.

This is the other book that has contention over the order. Even though it’s only been a couple days I was already confusing myself when I thought I had started reviewing them out of order and had to go and check. The fact that different publishers have different orders makes it worse, we need a universal agreement on what it should be. Personally I like this order better, but it was because this is the order I first read them in so I don’t know whether that makes me lean towards this set other than the fact it’s the way I know. It really should not be an issue and I am a little annoyed these stories can be interchangeable. There is actually a reason why I like this book being in the third place instead of fifth is because the content of this story is referred to in the fourth book The Silver Chair and it was good to understand the reference. If you have an entire book explaining events and circumstances that refer to a minor mention in a previous book it looks odd. This way we are given the story and we see how the legend has lived on later on. To add to this confusion, there is actually a chronological order that keeps it in a timeline of the events rather than the published order; I think I liked it better before I knew any of these issues to be honest, it does your head it.

Either way, I rather liked this book. Because so much of this series refers to the sainted Pevensie children, any time they vary away from them it is a pleasure. They are still there in part of course, but they are not the major focus. This story is set during the reign of the four siblings that we brush over in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and explores the countries Calormen and Archenland which apparently are neighboring lands south of Narnia. What was great about this book was the fact we got to see a greater part of the world, and the fact it was just outside Narnia meant we were shown that it wasn’t the only land, nor was it the only one with Kings and political issues or war.

Initially we follow a young boy called Shasta who runs away with a horse, Bree, but soon they join another pair who are also journeying to Narnia. In the beginning we follow the travels of the group as they head through the land and through towns as they head north. There are developments in the story as Shasta is victim of mistaken identity , and it is through this we get to see the Narnian connection and the first references to the Pevensie Royals. Since the Wardrobe book brushed over their reign it is good that we actually get to read about some of the events that happened during those years. Considering they are talked about for years after the fact, and essentially becoming legends it was a bit unfair that we only got to see a few of their achievements. I don’t really want to talk more about the plot because I think it is better read than have it explained to you. Lewis pretty much explains the journey through these two lands and the adventures the group encounters as they try and reach their destination. There are battles, politics, and surprisingly a bit of mystery and confusion that make you guess where it could lead. It was a great little story that is rather sweet. If you think about it The Horse and His Boy really could not be in the series because aside from the reference later on there are no real events that impact directly on the future books, but I’m glad it is in the series, you get rather attached to Shasta as you go along.

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (#2) by C. S Lewis

10 Feb 2013 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Classic, Junior Fiction, Narnia Chronicles Tags: , , , , , ,

Published: March 5th 2002 (originally 16 October 1950)
Goodreads badgePublisher: HarperTrophy
Pages: 206
Format: Book
Genre: Junior Fiction/ Fantasy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

Narnia…a land frozen in eternal winter..a country waiting to be set free.

Four adventurers step through a wardrobe door and into the land of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change…and a great sacrifice.

Note: There is a spoiler at the end of this review. I apologise but I needed to have a rant.

I am hoping I am not the only person in the world who never noticed the heavy, over the top and obvious Christian themes in this book. It wasn’t until I studied it at Uni that I noticed the religion in this book. I knew the story as a kid and I loved it but I guess not being religious I didn’t see the signs, I dunno. Either way I loved this book. I always wanted to know Aslan because I loved lions and I liked that he was never tame and had that wild part of him.

It is a very British book, everyone is so proper and behaves properly despite walking into a magic wardrobe and finding a snow filled world and talking animals. The eldest takes charge, the youngest is dismissed as being young and foolish, all very believable. I do like how the children soon learn their lesson and realise it isn’t about age and share the duty and think logically.

The characters are very sweet and well developed. There is an entire world of Narnia that I was unaware of as this was the first book I had read of the series originally. Reading it again you realise how much was being led into this book and how everything came to be, who the Witch was and what her role in Narnia is. I think you should read them in order, and it is a shame most people think this is the first book, but it does very well establishing itself and Narnia despite being the second book. Mr Tumnus and the Beavers, all the creatures welcome strangers into their world working under this prophecy and greater power. I was glad that it was Edmund who initially messed everything up, he was also such a brat and if it was a girl the cries of Eve and the apple would be too great. Even though this book was not necessarily about that, there was enough Samson and Delilah, crucifixes and good vs evil for one little book.

Like I said I did not know this was a religious themed text. When I was researching I was amazed at how Lewis had managed to disguise everything and create new situations that worked whether you knew the content or not. Aslan and the White Witch, the stone table, all of that worked on its own level without being confusing as a symbol of something else. What was also great was the fact that there were good dwarves and bad dwarves, good giants and bad. There was not bad animals and good animals, just animals who chose a side. You see the impact of being in Narnia has on the children, they grow stronger and are less childlike, I guess this helps in the accepting and motivation to fight. Tied in with general curiosity I guess it can take you a long way.

I was being very good and not ruining the ending but I think/hope people know the story because I need a rant. What always, always has annoyed me about this book is how accepting the children are at the end when they return to the real world. After spending what seems like forty years or so in Narnia, completely having forgotten the real world, they stumble across that blasted lamp post and just walk into the wardrobe. They are flung into the old house once more and seem perfectly calm and content having left the Narnian world behind, no explanation of where they went and no way to return. So quickly they forget that Narnia carries on without them and could people perhaps wonder where they have gone, apparently not a concern. But yep, just something that always bothered me, and just quietly, it is referenced later on about how they just vanished one day. I’m sure deep in Narnia there was mass panic, threats of war and suspicion over where their murdered bodies were buried. Or perhaps the Narnians accepted they were gone and didn’t need them anymore. Who knows.

The Magician’s Nephew (#1) by C.S Lewis

09 Feb 2013 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Classic, Junior Fiction, Narnia Chronicles Tags: , , , , ,

Please note, this series is reviewed in the Chronological order, not the Publication order

Published: March 5th 2002 (originally 2 May 1955)
Goodreads badgePublisher: HarperTrophy
Pages: 221
Format: Book
Genre: Junior Fiction/ Fantasy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

Narnia…where Talking Beasts walk…where a witch waits…where a new world is about to be born.

On a daring quest to save a life, two friends are hurled into another world, where an evil sorceress seeks to enslave them. But then the lion Aslan’s song weaves itself into the fabric of a new land, a land that will be known as Narnia. And in Narnia, all things are possible…

I adored seeing how Narnia began. I loved how the next book was set up in the process and how the entire world was organised and thought out with ideal balance. I did understand the Garden of Eden references and situation but I didn’t mind, this was Narnia and the world is so complex and magical I think the beginning of anything new is always going to be stuck with an Eden stamp, intentional or not.

Initially I thought I had made a mistake reading these out of order (I had read The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe years before), but then I came across the Wikipedia article of the book. Apparently it was never intended as the first of the series, Lewis expected people to understand the world of Narnia from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe before reading about how it all began in The Magician’s Nephew. The mystery that Lucy experiences and the unanswered questions of the second book was Lewis’ initial plan as a first book. In the end The Magician’s Nephew has been set as the first book but can also be read out of order if you wish. I know, it is very confusing to get your head around it. I suggest you pick one order and stick with it rather than trying to figure out which way it was intended to be read. I followed the order my boxset provided which placed this book as number one, but because I had read The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe I knew the information Lewis intended readers to have. Reading this book as number six is kind of like answering all the questions but only after they have been asked from the other books; but if you read it first it is like giving you the information before you know why you have it. This made me a lot happier because as I read it I liked spotting the clues and realising where each hint and character or object would end up in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Let’s just ignore how you should read it for now and focus on the book. It was not just clues and trying to explain beginnings that was the focus, there was a lot more going on around main characters Diggory and Polly and their gradual understanding and acceptance of the adventure going on around them. We follow their introduction to this new place called Narnia and watch as they witness it grow and become stable and diverse. The adults and children in this story were refreshing from the Pevensie siblings everyone knows and who often dominate the recollection of the Narnia stories. It is a shame there were not film adaptations of each book because they certainly are deserving. I do not know how the more popular 2nd, 4th,5th and 6th books came to be the sole focus but it is a shame.

Through the Looking-Glass (#2) by Lewis Carroll

08 Feb 2013 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, General Tags: , , , ,

Published: June 25th 1998
Goodreads badgePublisher: Oxford University Press
Pages: 133
Format: Book
Genre: Fantasy/Literature
★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

Nothing is quite what it seems once Alice journeys through the looking-glass, and Dodgson’s wit is infectious as he explores concepts of mirror imagery, time running backward, and strategies of chess-all wrapped up in the exploits of a spirited young girl who parries with the Red Queen, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and other unlikely characters.

Since we did Wonderland of course we had to do the sequel. I do not really have any preference between the two, there are favourite moments in both. I think the problem is Wonderland is much more well known, and the parts that  have been borrowed from Looking-Glass are mistaken for being in Wonderland which is a shame. This second Alice book is set a few years after the Wonderland adventures; Alice looks older and Dinah has grown and has kittens of her own. Through the Looking-Glass takes Alice into another strange land that begins when she walks through the mirror into Looking-glass House.

Unlike Wonderland there is a lot more structure to the world.
The absurdities and irrationalities remain, but the land is set out like a chess board, and the characters Alice meets are players on the board. When Alice meets the Red Queen she gives Alice and the readers a summary of what is going to happen through the rest of the book. Since the world is divided into squares she tells us that at the Seventh Square Alice will meet the Knight, and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum at the fourth. You do tend to forget that it is a chess game as you read but the rules of the game are woven throughout. Alice is given the position of the pawn and therefore is only allowed one square at a time. The goal, like chess, is to get to the other side unharmed.

The way Carroll has constructed the Looking-Glass world is amazing and there has been a lot of thought put into this to replicate the game. This book also has one of my all time favourite poems in it: The Walrus and the Carpenter. I first fell in love with this poem from watching Harriet the Spy of all things, and I often wondered how you could have ceiling wax, and what it actually was. That is until I learned about sealing wax that was used in letter writing. It made slightly more sense, but in terms of the poem not a whole lot changed. There is the Jabberwocky poem, but the best has to be the Walrus and the Carpenter. Carroll weaves these poems though the novel, just as he did in Alice in Wonderland, and once again accompanies them with stunning black and white drawings.

This new land does confuse Alice a bit more in certain areas but she recovers well. There are a lot of familiar characters such as the talking flowers, Tweedle Dee and Dum of course, and a few others that are less well known but very funny indeed. The ending is once again instantly devoid of any mystery. I think Carroll likes to demonstrate that imagination of a child rather than give us a wonderful world that could be true or could not be. He does not leave anything unclear. However there is a moment with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum where they remark whether Alice is within the dream of the sleeping Red King or whether he is in her dream. That is as far as the analysis of the world gets.

I do think if you are going to read Wonderland you have to read this as well. If you came to these book as a fan of a movie – even the Disney one, it will be good because a lot of book two was used in the Disney film and some of one character’s attributes were transferred to other people; you may find your favourite character was not actually who you thought. If not for that reason than simply because it is a strange and peculiar book that somehow manages to make a lot of sense while still being strange but very enjoyable. If you love the absurd than this will be great, but it is not so bad as to cause any confusion, Carroll does restrain himself in that sense.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

07 Feb 2013 2 Comments

by Amy in 5 Stars, General Tags: ,

★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

Happy 201st Birthday Mr Dickens! Yes, not as glorious as the 200th but what can we do. I have chosen A Christmas Carol as the token birthday review post because it is a glorious little book. I have read a couple others of his but my opinion of Bleak House is not one wants to read about on such a joyous occasion, and for many years turned me off reading any more I am afraid. We will slowly come back to him because I understand he is wonderful but sometimes you need a long break to recover. Much rather stick with the ones that make me smile for now.

Let me just start by saying I adore this book. Absolutely adore it. Ever since I was a kid I have loved this story, and while I may not have had the real book to begin with, some of the film adaptions are fairly awesome as well, though there are some exceptions. A Christmas Carol is about a man called Ebeneezer Scrooge who hates everyone and loves money. Every one knows this about him and every one dislikes him for it. The focus of the narrative is that one Christmas Eve Scrooge is given the opportunity to change his ways with the help of an old friend, whether he likes it or not. When the clock strikes one is when it all begins.

Dickens starts the story already filled with mystery and intrigue and you are instantly drawn into the story. People say that this story is about the true meaning of Christmas and how important it is to love your fellow man and it is, but there is also the simple pleasure and fascination in seeing how a person’s life and actions, and how others around him behave, influences and changes him.

There are supernatural elements to this certainly and it is done in such a good way and so cleverly. In an attempt to change Scrooge’s behaviour, he is forced to visit the past, present and future, each having a particular influence on him. There are classic quotes taken from this book and Dickens has done an excellent job in not making the story seem rushed, unbelievable or too extravagant. It has just the right balance to create realistic characters who are detailed and have depth, but also, as he is great at, creating a world that is so reflective of the era and the true Victorian life. There is a lot more explained in the novel than in the film versions, you get a deeper insight into how Scrooge became who he was. This I think does not necessarily make you pity him, but you understand why he is what he is; though that really offers no excuse to his actions either.

This story has probably been adapted into every television show or movie in some way, shape or form, but for all of its over exposure it really does never get old. I think there is nothing really wrong with going to a book from a film, some instances it could work out well. If you have seen the movie and you go ‘I rather enjoyed that, oh there’s a book is there. Let’s see if it is just as good’, well then that’s great. Because there are so many variants of this film that cover from Mickey Mouse, The Muppets, Mr Magoo, The Simpsons, not to mention included in a range of television shows, you are certainly going to get exposed to this story in some form, and if that directs you to the book than what harm has it done. I know at the end of the Muppet Christmas Carol Mr Dickens himself (aka Gonzo) tells you to read the book if you enjoyed the film.

I make a point of reading the book every December and I could reread this book a million times over and fall in love with it every time. A true classic, and I think despite the setting it is a timeless and wonderful story.

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