The Silver Chair
by C. S. Lewis , illustrated by Pauline Baynes
DETAILS: Series: The Chronicles of Narnia, #4 Publication Date: July 01, 1994 Format: Paperback Length: 243 pg. Read Date: December 10-11, 2025
If you need to know what this book is about, or anything about this series…seriously, just stop what you’re doing and pick up this book. I don’t mean to be a snob, or maybe I do, but something was missing from your childhood, and now is your time to fix it. I realize that there are many legitimate reasons for people not to have read this (more for some of the later books), and I’m not questioning the choices you or your parents made (actually, I guess I am). But I’m not going to try to talk about this book like I do most others.
If only because everything worth saying has been said by other, better, writers. Probably several times.
I’ve also read this too many times to count as a child—even through my college years, and at least once a decade since. I’ll probably pick up the pace of re-reading them so I can talk to the grandcritters about them, too.
But I feel the need to say something now, so here are a few things that jumped out at me during this read:
Awww, even Eustace gets rejuvinated by the Narnian air. He really changed from the whiney twerp.
Outside of Reepicheep, is there a more fully-drawn charcter in the Chronicles than Puddleglum? It’s also just a great name, summing him up in a nutshell. The other Marsh-wiggles finding him adventurous and devil-may-care is hilarious. As are his encouragements to the children to be more like him–upbeat and happy.
Describing Rilian as “altogether looked a little bit like Hamlet,” is one of the oddest lines in the series.
Everything that the Queen is up to is wrong, that’s a given. But the whole Prince/Queen mother-pseudo son thing is strange–when you add in the wedding plans? Ew, ew, ew, ew, and ew.
That’s an unexpected–and odd–lesson in Centaur anatomy and diets. (one stomach human, one stomach equine and needs to feed both appropriate food). Is this common to other Fantasy uses of Centaurs?
I just didn’t like Aslan this time out–disciplining Jill and wreaking havoc on the entire mission for something simple and understandable?
Even stranger–sending Caspian and an unusually-still-Narnian-garbed Eustace to rough up some human bullies at the end back on Earth. That just doesn’t match with the Aslan we’ve been getting to know.
Take our Lion out of things, and this was a pretty enjoyable adventure.
This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
allysonyj
I agree that Aslan is more the god of wrath than the god of love in this episode, and it strikes one as odd. And having Caspian and armored Eustace be visible to the bullies at the school seems a violation of the Narnian world-rules.
C.S.Lewis must have truly hated his experience in British public schools – actually, has anyone read a book in which they are not shown as hotbeds of prejudice, torment, and bullying?
KWHR
Can’t speak to British public schools, but “hotbed of prejudice, torment, and bullying” about sums up my experience of American public school at its worst. (I was blessed to have glimmers of bright sunlight with some solid teachers though throughout my pilgrimage).
HCNewton
I can’t think of a depiction of any level of British school without those hotbeds…a fairly disturbing thought, really. (well, maybe in the memoirs of some of the Pythons, Patrick Stewart, etc. But even then…not great).
Good point–Lewis was pretty miserable at his first two schools, according to Surprised by Joy, so it makes sense in this case.
Lewis and I would both quibble with “god of wrath” vs. “god of love,” language–but I get your point. I’ve just finished The Last Battle, and it remains the depiction of him that bugs me the most for the series.
KWHR
Silver Chair, with respect to the sagacious Lewis, was the most difficult read for me when I first made my way through the series. I’ll be interested what I think of it when I go through the series with my kids.
HCNewton
I’d differ only in “most difficult”, but yeah, there is some challenge in getting through things between meeting Puddleglum and encountering the Prince in the titular piece of furniture. I remember that from every time I read the thing.