This one also posted only on my old self-hosted site. I had to include it here to complete the set!
I’m always a little sad when I reach the end of a great series, no matter how many times I read it. Narnia is no exception. And The Last Battle certainly wraps up the series. It is the end of Narnia, the destruction of Narnia, the end of time.
I’ve read this so many time, yet I completely missed the parallels to Revelation. You’ve probably heard of the Anitchrist and his false prophet. Well, they’re in there in the form of an evil monkey and a fake Aslan. There’s a mixing of gods, and all religions are considered the same. I don’t know how I never saw it before. The Narnians have to choose up sides. Are the with the king and with Aslan? Or do they fear the false Aslan too much to join the small loyal band? Or have they stopped believing altogether? After all, Aslan hasn’t been heard from in person for a thousand years. Who can tell if the old stories are really true? This one is all about faith and End Time prophecy.
I have heard some complaints that this series is nothing but Christian propaganda. It is certainly true that it contains biblical parallels, sometimes even outright statements. For instance, Lucy says during a conversation about the magical interior of a stable, “In our world, too, a Stable once contained something inside it that was bigger than our whole world.” So if you aren’t of the Christian faith, I can understand the complaint. (I feel the same way about The Golden Compass and its atheistic propaganda.) Yet Narnia contains so many adventures, so much magic, so much wonder that it is widely regarded as a classic. It’s just plain good story-telling.
The Last Battle is not my favorite book in the series. I hate that Narnia ends (though in a sense it lives on—you’ll have to read it). I don’t enjoy the hopeless, faithless tone. I’d prefer, like Lucy, a perfect Narnia that went on and on unendingly. It also has some weirdness in it very much like Revelation that is hard to wrap my mind around. Yet I enjoy how the children come out of the past to help the final king in his struggle. I like the deep friendship between the king and Jewel the unicorn. And I like how we meet all the friends of Narnia from our world one final time. It’s the back cover, the last bookend, the satisfactory ending to a phenomenal series. And like the entire series, it’s highly recommended.
The Last Battle (Chronicles of Narnia), by C.S. Lewis, 1956
Huh? How did you go from book three to book seven? I vaguely remember the last book. And, thank you for reminding me of the similarities to Revelations. I do remember that. Don’t you wish you could just jump into the book and be Lucy? The books are timeless for all ages!
I did mess up the order, Pat, but not as much as you think. I read them in the order they were written, not chronogical order within the series. That’s probably why it seems so funny. But back before Christmas I did posted Magician’s Nephew (book 6) instead of The Horse and his Boy (number 5). So I did goof. Regardless, I had reviewed them all last spring and just wanted to get them on this blog instead of losing them to cyber space. Ah, I love these books.
Me too!
I love this series! 😀 The ending was sad though. I am currently reading the Book of Revelations. 🙂
Wow! That’s a tough challenge. Have you ever read the Left Behind series or seen the movies? Actually, you’re probably a little young for the adult series. I let my daughter read them at age 14. There is a kids series as well, but you may be too old for that one, lol. The movies aren’t bad. My kids have all seen them. Anyway, they’re based on Revelations. Interesting take on it. The series does seem a little dated, though, as they were written before 9/11 and Islaam, which has become so prevelent on the world stage, is hardly mentioned at all.