Publication Info
The Horse and His Boy is a high fantasy children's novel written by C.S. Lewis. It was originally published on September 6, 1954 by Geoffrey Bles. In terms of publication, it is the fifth book in the series, however many fans of the series, myself included consider this the third book in the story.
Brief Summary
The Horse and His Boy is a unique book because unlike The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, it is the first book in the Narnia series that takes place fully in the world of Narnia. Where the Pevensie children were from London and traveled to Narnia, the protagonist of this story is from the magical world.
The story follows a young boy named Shasta. The reader is dropped right into the story, because Shasta overhears Arsheesh negotiating to sell him to a Calormene. Upon hearing this discussion Shasta finds out the Arsheesh, the man who he thought was his father, is not. Shasta accepts his fate and goes to wait in the stable for his new master. It is here that Shasta meets Bree, the Calormene's warhorse. However, Bree is no normal horse. He speaks to Shasta, and he is astounded. It turns out that Bree is a talking Narnian horse who was captured as a foal. After much discussion, Bree and Shasta agree to make for their escape to the land of Narnia.
On their journey they come across another set of travelers, Aravis, a young Calormene aristocrat, and Hwin, yet another talking horse. The story follows these four travelers as the make their way to the wonderful and magical land of Narnia, or so they think.
Review
The Horse and His Boy is not the most well known of the Narnia books, however, it is perhaps one of my favorites of the series. The fact that this story fully takes place in the world of Narnia is special. One of the things that make this book special is that we find out the Pevensie children are in it...to an extent. This book take place right in the middle of their rule in Narnia. This just continues to add to the overall world, and I thank Lewis for that.
The friendship that Shasta and Bree form is unique. While there are many books that have unique friendships, this one is different. Shasta is young and has little wisdom of the outside world, and Bree is a weathered war horse. This dynamic helps to serve the story in such a great way.
Recommendation
I believe that everyone should read this book.
Rating - 5/5
Currently Reading:
The Sirens of Mars - Sarah Stewart Johnson
The History of the Hobbit (part 1) by John D. Rateliff
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