The silver chair (by CS Lewis)

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As a child and then as a teenager, I read the Narnia series by CS Lewis fairly often. I then read it aloud to my sons when they were young, and enjoyed it all over again. I’ve dipped into one or other of the books from time to time in the decades since then, but it took until this year for me to decide to read the whole series, in chronological order. 

It’s over twenty years since I last read ‘The silver chair’, which - as an adult - is one of my favourites of the series. I found it a bit scary when I was younger, as did one of my sons when I read it aloud. But now I appreciate it very much, and think it’s an excellent, well-told story.

The two main protagonists from Earth are Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb. Eustace was introduced in the previous book in the series, ‘The voyage of the Dawn Treader’, where he became a much nicer person. Jill hasn’t quite realised this so when she’s upset about something, she thinks at first that he’s coming to tease her. They are both at an ‘experimental’ boarding school, and are the target of bullies.  They’re running away when they find themselves in Narnia.

Since they’re squabbling, they get separated, so only Jill is around when Aslan comes to give her some instructions. They’re like a treasure hunt, with clues rather than saying in detail what they are supposed to do. Jill has to repeat them several times, and is told to say them every day, to ensure she doesn’t forget. 

They quickly learn that they’re in Narnia to find and rescue the crown prince Rilian, who has been lost for the past decade. Many valiant men have set out to find him, but none have returned. Caspian, who wasn’t much older than Eustace in the previous book, is now an old man, and is worried that there is nobody to succeed him. It’s never entirely clear why Caspian is so very much older than Rilian. 

The children fail in the first instruction, and blame each other… but they have help from owls, and then meet the marsh-wiggle Puddleglum.  He is a wonderful creation, an Eeyore-like character who insists that he’s seeing the bright side of everything, while spreading doom and gloom. And apparently he’s too cheerful for the other marsh-wiggles. There are several amusing conversations including Puddleglum, which give a light-hearted contrast to the bulk of the story, seeing the three on a very dangerous mission. Puddleglum becomes a staunch leader, and is full of wisdom even though he often doubts his own advice. 

‘The voyage of the dawn Treader’ is a series of adventures as part of the ongoing challenge, each feeling complete in itself. But ‘The silver chair’ is more of an ongoing story, as the quest continues. It begins as the trio set out heading north to the ruined city of the giants. This involves making their way past a lot of other giants who turn out to be rather stupid and clumsy, but decidedly dangerous. 

I knew the story, of course; I remembered the main action and the eventual climax to the book. But I had forgotten a lot of the detail. I love Lewis’s writing style in these books. He gives just enough description to set a scene, without it becoming dull. The conversation flows, and I particularly like the way that Jill and Eustace gradually stop squabbling and recognise each other’s strengths. They both have plenty of flaws, and some phobias, but they learn to accept these and help each other.

There are plenty of underlying Christian ideas and principles in this book, as with the others in the series, but they’re quite subtle. I don’t think I was aware of them as a child, as the books can all be read simply as adventure stories, as well as in their allegorical form. I’m glad nobody tried to explain this to me, so I worked out for myself who Aslan was meant to be, and discovered, each time I read the books, something more that was relevant. And this is quite a thought-provoking book. It includes, for instance, the concept of following what is right, even when it seems difficult or even impossible. 

Definitely recommended to children of about eight and upwards, or possibly as a read-aloud for slightly younger children. It’s also an excellent book for teenagers or adults who enjoy this kind of writing, whether or not you read it as a child. I think ‘The silver chair’ is best read as part of the series, but it’s not necessary. Each of the Narnia books stands alone. 

As with others in the series, this book has been almost constantly in print since it was first published in 1953, so it's readily available either new or second-hand. 

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