Saturday, September 8, 2012

The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis

In C.S. Lewis' The Silver Chair, Eustace, the Pevensies' once-annoying cousin, comes back to Narnia with a new friend: Jill Pole. There, they are told of their mission; to rescue Kind Caspian's son, Prince Rillian, from the Underworld, accompanied by them was a Marshwiggle named Puddleglum. As they travel, they encounter giants playing cock-shies, a giant's bridge, and a fair lady and knight who told them of the castle and of Harfang-home of the gentle giants. At the castle, they were graciously welcomed by the giants and treated very properly. That night, Jill had a dream involving the Lion and the words, "UNDER ME". Jill then told the other two about her dream which got them back on track. A few days later, they found a cookery book where they found out that they were going to be eaten at the Autumn Feast and decide to run away before the hunting party comes back. Moments later, they are running for their lives to escape the pursuing giants. Puddleglum manages to find a little hole and goes in, followed by Eustace and Jill. Inside, they fill the opening with stones to prevent the dogs from catching them. As they go down deeper, however, they slipped and arrived at the Underworld. From there, Earthmen appear and escort them to the castle where Prince Rillian was living. After a meal together, however, he started to change. The next time they see him, they see him bound to a silver chair. When the Queen of the Underworld arrives, she is surprised to see the prince free, the children and the Marshwiggle present, and the silver chair destroyed. She immediately locks the door and enchants them with a sweet smelling fire and a mandolin. As they struggle to think, they attempt to tell her about Narnia, the sun, and the lion. With enchantment almost complete, Puddleglum courageously went to the fire and stamped out the fire, causing the witch to turn into a serpect, attempting to wrap itself around the prince to finish him off. Will the children escape? Will Rillian be able to see his father one more time?

In this book, I thought that this was a great book full of adventures that is being awaited. It showed how the three travelers were able to overcome a quest that seems almost impossible. With adventures at hand, the future awaits to be take on.

-Reviewed by Kiersten, grade 9.

No comments: