The sixth book in the Chronicles of Narnia series: The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis is another adventure with new faces who are in for a wild ride. The story of The Silver Chair, which takes place decades after the events of Voyage of the Dawn Treader, pans out as follows: the son of King Caspian, Prince Rilian, has disappeared and all hope is lost. That is when Aslan calls two humans, Jill and Eustace, to find the Prince and return him to Narnia. They set off and come across wastelands, mountains, giants, subterranean creatures, and every kind of danger in-between. They eventually find the Prince in the Underland and must face an Evil Witch and fight there way back home! Along with the story, in keeping with true Lewisian fashion, elements of the Christian Faith are interweaved in the plot and is once again manageable for children to grasp. Whether it's divine intervention or heaven or human nature, the concepts of Christ are concise and clear for all who read. Overall, the themes and motifs make-up the bulk of the work, while the settings, characters, and plot all help to produce a work that is very much a great children's fable. Overall, while action might be lacking from previous installments, this book is no less an extraordinary adventure in Narnia! 5 stars and great for children and young adults.
Personally, while I found the action to be limiting, the motifs and themes of the story really caught my attention. I couldn't believe my eyes as I read and progressed through the story, as it felt like the Odyssey but with a twist. To give some perspective, Homer's The Odyssey is split into two distinct parts: basically the first part is Odysseus telling his tale, whilst his son seeks him. The second part is them coming home and putting everything in order. This story feels like the first part except the son is the main focus; we go to far lands in search of someone, we meet man-devouring giants, wicked sorceresses, and travel into the underworld. Then we find the Prince under an enchantment, break it and then free an enslaved population before escaping and re-uniting with everyone, and go home. The only difference is going to Narnia's heaven, or Aslan's homeland. Regardless a bloody good adventure that, sadly, doesn't involve the Pevensie kids, but sets up a new cast of characters, with old faces of course. A nice little fable.
