Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #278615 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio Cassette
• 192 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
A false Aslan is roaming the land of Narnia, forcing the terrified Narnians to work for the evil Calormenes. Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb find themselves called back to Narnia just one more time to help them in their biggest and most frightening battle against injustice yet alongside King Tirian, who helps to lead them in the almighty struggle between good and evil.

The final book in the Chronicles of Narnia, The Last Battle, is a roller-coaster fantasy adventure through the strange and mystical land of Narnia, a place that has captured the hearts and minds of so many young readers since the Chronicles were first published in the 1950s. Pauline Baynes, with her hand-coloured illustrations, again highlights the magic of the original stories by dramatically conjuring up imaginative visions of the Narnians as they fight for their lives in this stunning, special edition, published to celebrate the centenary of CS Lewis. --Susan Harrison

Synopsis
The Narnia Chronicles, first published in 1950, remain some of the most enduringly popular ever published. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, has been translated into 29 languages! The illustrations in this book have been coloured by the original artist, Pauline Baynes. Now published with the original cover, as designed by Pauline Baynes. "To my side, all true Narnians! Would you wait till your new masters have killed you one by one?" A false Aslan is commanding all Narnians to work for the cruel Calormenes and striking terror into every heart. Jill and Eustace find themselves called into Narnia once more, this time to aid King Tirian in the mightiest of all battles...This is the seventh adventure in the exciting Chronicles of Narnia.

About the Author
Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. His major contributions in literary criticism, children's literature, fantasy literature, and popular theology brought him international renown and acclaim.

He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include, The Chronicles of Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet, The Four Loves, The Screwtape Letters, and Mere Christianity.

Customer Reviews

I don't know anyone who likes this.
C.S.Lewis is generally a well-respected and loved wrtier, but The Last Battle is... awful. Admittedly, it has a beautiul, stifrring ending, but before the last 10 pages, you have to put up with weak characterisations, screeds against evolution, Muslims, skeptics, girls who wear makeup, and everything else C.S.Lewis disliked in society of his time.

Yes, the last 10 pages are brilliant, possibly the best depiction of Heaven I've ever seen. But there's a lot of awfulness before then, and the plot depends on all the characters acting like idiots. It's almost a bad parody of religion for the first half.

...I cannot recommend it.

"Farther Up and Further In!"
Say what you will about the correct reading order of C. S. Lewis's "The Chronicles of Narnia", one thing is certain - "The Last Battle" needs to be read last. It is not simply because it was written and published last in the series, that it clears up all loose ends in the previous installments and leaves no possible room for any sequels, but because it will change your entire understanding and perception of the last six books. Do what you like with the other books' reading order, but trust me on this one: "The Last Battle" needs to be read *last*.

It has been over two hundred years in Narnia after the events in "The Silver Chair", when Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole saved Prince Rilian from imprisonment and restored him to his father and the throne. Now Rilian's descendant King Tirian enjoys the solitude of his hunting lodge with his best friend, Jewel the unicorn. But there is treachery in Narnia like nothing the country has ever faced before...

A dishonest ape named Shift has found a lion-skin and forced Puzzle the donkey to wear it. Now he lords over the Talking Beasts of the forest by pretending to be the mediator between them and the great Lord Aslan, who remains hidden in a stable and only emerges by the dim light of a campfire at night. Soon the game (which began as a way for Shift to obtain food without any effort) has gotten dangerously out of control. Convinced that Puzzle is the real Aslan, the Talking Animals are scared and confused at his changing attitudes toward them, and the Calormenes of the neighbouring empire have taken advantage of the situation by invading Narnia. Once Tirian is captured by his enemies, he remembers the great stories of the past in which children from another world appear to help Narnia in need, and appeals to the true Aslan for another such occurrence. Right on cue, Eustace and Jill appear to free the King and lend their aid to the free Narnians in fighting for their beloved homeland.

All of the books in "The Chronicles of Narnia" series contain Biblical allusions, but "The Last Battle" is easily the most allegorical considering it is best described as Narnia's Armageddon. To put it simply, this is the end of Narnia (and don't think that's a spoiler, as the very first sentence of this novel is: "In the last days of Narnia...") and as such, we have allegorical representations of the Antichrist, the false prophet, the fate of non-believers, Heaven, the Final Judgement, the Second Coming and the End of the World. It's a pretty hefty topic for a children's novel, and both the story and style of the book is weightier than any previous book in the series, with plenty of death, violence and tragedy. This creates an interesting paradox overall, considering "The Last Battle" is the most spiritual, the most controversial, the most disheartening and ultimately the most upbeat book in the series.

The Calormenes are called "darkies" throughout the story, and are indisputably the villains; what with their part to play in the destruction of Narnia and the worship of their pagan-god Tash, an element of one other books in the series ("The Horse and His Boy") that has raised accusations of racism. Yet Lewis makes what is perhaps an attempt to compensate late in the novel by introducing a young Calormene named Emeth, who is permitted to enter Aslan's country based on his virtue, even though he never believed nor followed Aslan in his lifetime; a thought that may appeal to many, though it does not exactly fit into Christian teachings. As always, the author's dogma is a little muddled, for in all of his books Lewis plays by his own rules, by his own sense of right and wrong - this ranges from previous attacks on vegetarians and co-ed schools to his own opinions on who deserves salvation and who doesn't.

This leads into the second major point of controversy within the book: the fate of Susan Pevensie, the onetime Queen of Narnia. To put it bluntly, she's not here and her siblings dismiss her as someone who is no longer a friend of Narnia. Why? What could have possibly caused her abandonment from Narnia and Aslan? Surely something truly terrible! Well, no actually. Lewis pinpoints the cause as Susan's interest in "nylons and lipstick" and an interest in "grownup things". A beloved major character is excluded from the final installment of the series on the grounds of puberty? What?! Her fate becomes even more tragic when further information is revealed over the new "situation" of her siblings and parents (readers will know what I`m talking about, and what it must mean for poor Susan). I was very young when I first read "The Last Battle", and I recall how upset I was at the treatment of Susan - it stands to reason that other children will feel the same.

Okay, those are my issues and now they're off my chest. On to better things. "The Last Battle" makes fantastic use of Lewis's poetical prose, and the book carries a sense of both bittersweetness and grandeur, particularly in the chapter "Night Falls on Narnia". Though Tirian is somewhat indistinguishable from Caspian and Rilian before him, his friendship with Jewel is immensely touching, as is his relationship with the children who come to his aid. Far from the squabbling duo in "The Silver Chair", Jill and Eustace acquit themselves excellently throughout "The Last Battle", reaching hero-status in their efforts to aid the falling Narnia.

"The Last Battle" is also Lewis at his most philosophical (perhaps it's no coincidence that Professor Kirke mentions Plato), as he explores metaphysics, the boundaries of belief, the relationship between the real and the unreal, the existence of life after death and the nature of God Himself; in some ways "The Last Battle" is more akin to Lewis's apologetic Christian writings, such as "Surprised By Joy" or "Mere Christianity" than any of the other Narnian books, in that Lewis uses it as a basis for many of his spiritual concepts and ideas. As mentioned, "The Last Battle" carries the most obvert Christian messages, particularly in a declaration Lucy makes toward the end of the novel. The stable door, which begins as a convenient holding-pen for the fake Aslan soon takes on new theological meaning, with a surprising symbolic connection to our own world.

Lewis makes excellent use of components introduced in his previous books, calling up the strange creatures and that Jill and Eustace discover in "The Silver Chair", the Narnian concept of stars explored in "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader", the magical transporting rings in "The Magician's Nephew", even the use of the phrase Son of Adam and Daughter of Eve that was used so long ago in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." It all culminates in a wonderful reunion at the conclusion of the book that may just brings tears to your eyes - especially when Lucy rediscovers her first and best Narnian friend.

Make no mistake, this is a fitting end for the trilogy and if the new movie franchise gets this far I'll be first in line for a ticket - but I'm removing a star in honour of Susan.

A rather exciting beginning for a syrupy ending.
This is the seventh and last (chronologically) Chronicle of Narnia (after The Magician's Nephew; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair).

This final volume is more or less cut in two parts. In the first one, an Ape called Shift bullies and forces his companion Puzzle the donkey to wear an old lion skin on his back and to pretend he's Aslan the great Lion. Allied with Calormenes, they start slaughtering Talking Beasts and doing other evil deeds.

To Tirian, the current King of Narnia, and to his dear friend Jewel the noble Unicorn, this seems like a most unusual behaviour for Aslan, so they set out in search of the truth. They'll call children from our world to their aid: Eustace and Jill.

Ensues a battle opposing the King's small party to the Calormenes and the Men and Beasts they've managed to cheat.

In the second half of the book, like in a mirror image of the adventures of Digory and Polly in The Magician's Nephew, we witness the unmaking of the World by Aslan (the real one this time). Like in a curtain call, all the characters (but one) from the previous volumes return for the final journey to the forever kingdom of Aslan.

Whereas the beginning was rather exciting, I found the ending really too syrupy and allegorical. It was also very shocking to see the absence of Susan explained by "she's interested in nothing nowadays except nylons and lipstick and invitations." With its oldish style, and the fact that the baddies, the Calormenes, have a definite Middle-Eastern profile, I felt that the book was really anchored in the 1950's. I must admit I'm glad to have finally finished the series.