Book #8 - The Horse and His Boy

Taking a bit of a break and reading something _not_ school-related, and working my way through The Chronicles of Narnia, since I don't think I've actually read them all. Also because Prince Caspian is coming out this summer and I want to refresh. I'm skipping The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, though, because I've read it probably like three or four times. My boxed set has The Horse and His Boy being the third book, but they also have The Magician's Nephew as the first, which I don't think is quite right. I understand it's in chronological order in regards to the whole overall timeline, but I usually like to read things in the order in which they were published, so prequels that were written after the fact should be _read_ after the fact. That way we get those "aha" moments when something familiar is finally explained. Like the lamppost and Jadis and Diggory and the Wardrobe itself. I'm glad it looks like they're doing the movies in the published order instead of chronologically. Eenyhoo, off the soapbox.

I don't think this is one of the better-known books in the series, and is a bit of a departure from the usual theme of children from our world transported to Narnia being the main characters. The Pevensies (minus Peter) are here, though they are secondary characters. The protagonist is Shasta, a foundling raised in Calormen far to the south across a desert from Narnia. Though he doesn't know anything of his past, he feels drawn to the North, so one night when he meets a Talking Horse from Narnia, they escape together. They meet friends and enemies and overhear information important to the fate of Narnia on their journey, which hastens them across the desert to the climactic battle (is there always a climactic battle in these books, or is it just me?).

I enjoyed this, though I was initially a little thrown off by the departure from Lewis' usual style, as mentioned above. But it does show that "Narnia" is more than just Narnia, that there are other countries and people in this whole richly detailed world. And those other people have their own opinions of and attitudes toward Narnia and its people. As a writer I appreciate that; seeing that the author has thought outside of his own box. It makes me wonder what other places Lewis created and never wrote about, or only touched briefly upon in The Magician's Nephew.

Title: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 241

8 / 24 books. 33% done!

Book #8 - The Horse and His Boy

Taking a bit of a break and reading something _not_ school-related, and working my way through The Chronicles of Narnia, since I don't think I've actually read them all. Also because Prince Caspian is coming out this summer and I want to refresh. I'm skipping The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, though, because I've read it probably like three or four times. My boxed set has The Horse and His Boy being the third book, but they also have The Magician's Nephew as the first, which I don't think is quite right. I understand it's in chronological order in regards to the whole overall timeline, but I usually like to read things in the order in which they were published, so prequels that were written after the fact should be _read_ after the fact. That way we get those "aha" moments when something familiar is finally explained. Like the lamppost and Jadis and Diggory and the Wardrobe itself. I'm glad it looks like they're doing the movies in the published order instead of chronologically. Eenyhoo, off the soapbox.

I don't think this is one of the better-known books in the series, and is a bit of a departure from the usual theme of children from our world transported to Narnia being the main characters. The Pevensies (minus Peter) are here, though they are secondary characters. The protagonist is Shasta, a foundling raised in Calormen far to the south across a desert from Narnia. Though he doesn't know anything of his past, he feels drawn to the North, so one night when he meets a Talking Horse from Narnia, they escape together. They meet friends and enemies and overhear information important to the fate of Narnia on their journey, which hastens them across the desert to the climactic battle (is there always a climactic battle in these books, or is it just me?).

I enjoyed this, though I was initially a little thrown off by the departure from Lewis' usual style, as mentioned above. But it does show that "Narnia" is more than just Narnia, that there are other countries and people in this whole richly detailed world. And those other people have their own opinions of and attitudes toward Narnia and its people. As a writer I appreciate that; seeing that the author has thought outside of his own box. It makes me wonder what other places Lewis created and never wrote about, or only touched briefly upon in The Magician's Nephew.

Title: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 241

8 / 24 books. 33% done!