Publication Info
The Last Battle is a high fantasy children's novel by C.S. Lewis. It was published in 1956 by The Bodley Head Publishing company, and is the seventh and final book in the Narnia series. While this book serves as the finale to the wonderful series that is Narnia, it feels almost disjointed and disconnected from the rest of the series. I'm not going to beat around the bush, instead I will just flat out tell you, this is without a doubt the worst book in the series in my opinion. But more on that later.
Brief Summary
In the beginning of the book the reader is introduced to two completely new characters, Shift the Ape, and Puzzle the Donkey. Very early into the book Shift and Puzzle find a dead lion, and Shift convinces his "friend" Puzzle to wear the skin and pose as Aslan the great lion. In this plan he attempts to convince both the Narnian's and the Calormen that he is their god.
The book follows Tirian, the king of Narnia, Eustace Scrubb, and Jill Pole as they seek to bring balance and restore the right order to Narnia.
Review
I don't have much to say about this book honestly. This book while still a part of the Narnia series, feels like it belongs in a different series. It makes it even more unbelievable when you realize that all of the characters up to this point make an appearance.
It is also worth mentioning that we have another gap in time from books. This book takes place 200 years after the events of the Silver Chair. It is also important to note that from the start of this series in the Magician's Nephew to this point, 2500 years has passed in Narnia while only 49 years has passed in our world.
I don't know why this book feels so disjointed from the rest of the series, but it hinders me from enjoying it as much as I would like.
Recommendation
While I have been rough on this book, it is still a part of the Narnia series, and more than that, it is the conclusion to the series as a whole. If you have never read this book and have read the rest of the series up to this point, you owe it to yourself to finish strong.
Rating - 5/5 (Narnia rating 3.75/5)
Currently Reading:
Harry Potter: and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
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