Rating: 
Summary: All Worlds Must Come to An End...
Review: "The Last Battle" is the Narnian apocalypse. Like many stories based on the Biblical model of the end of the world, this book is often brutal and uncompromising, (which some people may find disappointing) but in the end very beautiful and satisfying. Think of the Bible's "Book of Revelation" meets George Orwell's "Animal Farm".
Shift the Ape is a manipulative sort of beast. For instance, he pushes his "best friend" Puzzle the Donkey around all the time, playing with his emotions and sense of reason to get him to do whatever Shift wants him to do. One day, they find an old lion skin washed up in Cauldron Pool. Shift has a horrid idea. He'll get Puzzle to wear the skin, and pretend to be Aslan, the Great Lion, the savior of Narnia. The other talking animals will revere them both, giving them anything they want. Puzzle is reluctant, but manipulated by Shift, he agrees. Shift sets himself up as "the mouthpiece of Aslan", guilt-tripping and scaring the talking animals to follow him, to make an alliance with the warmongering Calormen, to merge their gods as one, and to capture their king. It is an time of great destruction, confusion and deceit. Poor King Tirian, tied to a tree, prays to Aslan, to the real Aslan, for an end to all this trouble and turmoil. Will the Great Lion answer his prayer?
No matter what your preferred reading order "The Last Battle", the seventh written and the seventh chronologically, is definitely the last one you should read. There are many references to past books which you'll only really appreciate if you've read all the others in the series. There are also many characters from past books too! (Eustace and Jill from "The Silver Chair" being just two of them)
C.S. Lewis was a devoted Christian, and his faith shines through in all his written works. "The Last Battle" is no exception, in fact I'd say his faith is even more obvious here. There are many parallels you can draw between "The Last Battle" and the "Book of Revelation". Shift, for instance, seems to be the antichrist, or perhaps he is akin to "Babylon the Great", the harlot of Revelation 17. She, in Revelation, is drunk on the blood of the saints, and Shift in Narnia, is drunk on Calormen wine. Both are dressed in red (scarlet), and both are connected with blasphemies of their savior. It's worth reading both to compare. There's also some allegory regarding the nature of belief within the pages of "The Last Battle". In life there are some who believe the truth (King Tirian), while others are deceived by false truths, either through fear or by ignorance (the Talking Animals allied with Shift). There are some who don't believe in anything, either because they are in on relgious deceit for their own gain (like the Cat and the Tarkaan), or because they've seen the trickery of a false religion, and don't want to be tricked themselves (like the Dwarves). Whatever the belief, they all have consequences when the truth (the real Aslan) reveals itself.
It's not mentioned much, but "The Last Battle" was first released in 1956, the year of the Suez Crisis. This was a conflict that put the world on the brink of nuclear war. Though an Arab-Israeli conflict on the surface, most of the tensions were a result of the incompetence of then British Prime Minster Eden. Being a British citizen, this conflict can't have been far from C.S. Lewis' mind when he wrote this book. In my opinion, I think this background of world tension contributed a lot to the feel this book. The grim moments are grimmer here than in the rest of the series, the beautiful moments all the more beautiful, the truths more shocking. It's a book with definite emotional power. Even though it's "a story" for children, every time I read I get caught up in the hopes, the fears, the sorrows and the triumpths of the Narnians.
A fitting finale to a wonderful series, one of my favorites. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A fine end to a classic series
Review: As the title implies, "The Last Battle" is the final book of C.S. Lewis' acclaimed Narnia Chronicles. It is also, for all intents and purposes, the end of Narnia itself, culminating in a sequence that bookends with the creation chapters and final coda of "The Magician's Nephew."Unlike the other Narnia books, "Battle" begins not in the real world with the children who have been at the core of the series, but in Narnia itself. There, an ape called Shift and a donkey named Puzzle find a lion skin which washed down a waterfall. Seeing an opportunity to makes others do what he wants, Shift forces Puzzle to wear the lion skin and pretend he is Aslan. The ape's deception is central to both the conflict that drives the story and the questions of faith and belief that act as this book's moral center. That conflict and the events which follow lend the story a tension not found in the previous six books, largely because the ape's deceptions just feels *wrong* in every way. The populace of Narnia believes the false Aslan is the real thing, even when he begins to sell them into slavery. Narnia's last king, King Tirian, tries to convince the Narnians that this Aslan is not real, but most are either too scared to not believe or are losing their faith in Aslan altogether. Enter Eustace in his third Narnia appearance and Jill in her second. The tale moves along at a good pace, driven sometimes by action and other times by a pressing need to know what will happen next. After six Narnia book, the effect of Narnians turning away from Aslan is compelling. What little hope there is for the Good Guys falters again and again, which only adds to the steadily growing tension of the book's first two-thirds. It's effectively done and reads well; it is also has a more serious tone than previous Narnia books, similar to the difference in tone from Lloyd Alexander's first Prydain book and the last. It is roughly two-thirds of the way through that the story takes a left turn in much the same way "The Magician's Nephew" shifts its focus. Here, however, the effect is not as jarring as it was in "Magician." It works largely because the sense of wonder and discovery present in much of Lewis' work is here in spades. The final chapters of the book may be overly spiritual for some readers, but by and large that spirituality is of the same sort present at the end of "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," a wondrous, timeless sort of revelation that fits within the framework of a fairy tale. Those readers who want to see Christian elements in the tale's finish surely will see them, but one can easily enough read it as the magical end to an equally magical saga told in the tradition of ancient storytelling. Themes of faith, belief and trust drive "The Last Battle" forward.
All time-tested themes, and Lewis weaves them into a good enough story that they rarely feel heavy-handed. Because the story ends as it does, "Battle" offers true closure to the series, a rarity in lengthy works of fiction where "one more installment" is always a possibility. "The Last Battle" is a well written and superbly fitting end to C.S.
Lewis' Narnia Chronicles, granting readers a compelling conflict before delivering on a finish that satisfies in spite of the near deux ex machina end to it all. The book manages to tie the elements of the six previous volumes together to close out one of the most beloved children's series of all time. "The Last Battle" is fine piece of work all but the most demanding reader will enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Loved the earlier six books,
Review: but couldn't really stand this one. The reason might be that I am not Christian, so a lot of the doom and gloom stuff simply did not resonate with me as much as it might with people who understood where C.S. Lewis was coming from.
The first time I read this books (all seven in one sitting), I literally could not believe what I was reading in "The Last Battle". All the wonder and glory in the previous six books, decimated in a couple of hundred pages.
Oh, well. To each their own...
Rating:
Summary: Aslan's Glorious Appearing
Review: I thought it timely, in light of the controversy surrounding another "End Times" story, to remark on this most remarkable of C.S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles. This satisfying series conclusion illustrates Lewis' brilliant analysis of Biblical prophesy in a touching story children of God can all look to with anticipation ("...Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." Rev. 22:20b). This is the story of Armaggedon; the conflict between anti-Christ (anti-Aslan) and the great masses of inhabitants of lost Narnia deceived by him and doomed for eternity versus the ultimate salvation of the few true followers of Aslan to eternal life in His Country, the True Narnia. The allegory to Scriptural truth is remarkable as illustrated by this most insightful, genius mind of modern-day Christian apologists. The high point of the story occurs after the destruction of the old world and the lost souls who rejected Aslan, who are dispatched allegorically in Revelations 20, "lake of fire" fashion. The heroes of the story, including all the key players from the earlier Chronicles, are seen trying out their new "resurrection" bodies exploring the most beautiful place ever imagined, thrilled to have Aslan with them. They find after a while that the beautiful country is actually Narnia, the REAL Narnia. Though the Narnia they knew and loved was perceived most wonderful, it was a mere shadow of the perfect New Narnia, the one that would last forever, always with Him present and providing all the light in the never-ending Day. For believers in Christ, Lewis has projected a clear picture mortal minds can comprehend of how it might be on that Day. It is shown through a children's story because that is how we must come to Him; like a child. "You must become just like a child to enter the Kingdom of God". Jesus said "let all the little children come to Me". In Narnia, those child-like believers were never lost once they found Him, by His grace. Those who perished were the lovers of the old, decaying, temporary Narnia and were deceived by what their own wills commanded, rejecting and hating Aslan and worshipping the god of their chosing, their own selves. This is a definitive picture of our fallen world and our fallen culture. Lewis' work is prescient in describing the condition of the world of today, one in which Jesus could return to at any time, as our prayer pleads from Revelation cited above (but if He tarries, one and all can be sure that He is coming soon; "soon" defined as the lifespan of the individual). One last point on a most poignant scene from the story. It involves the fierce young Tarkaan warrior Emeth, devoted follower of the vulture-like god of the Calormens, Tash. As our heroes are exploring the Real Narnia, following Aslan "further in and further up", they discover this unlikely believer sitting perplexed under a tree, "surprised by joy". Emeth's story is one that demonstrates man's frequent inability to match his rational and correct thoughts with his often erroneous mental images of said correct thought. In this case this child of the Light lived bravely demonstrating the fruits of the Spirit in humility, submission and obedience to the true God of everything, the Self-Existant Great I AM. But his human error was in his vision of what God looked like and not knowing His correct name. Emeth is somewhat like Helen Keller, who, when "told" about Jesus by Anne Sullivan in the eternal darkness, quiet and aloneness of her disability, said "so that's His name; I know Him". The story of Emeth's salvation by grace is much akin to the salvation of the thief on the cross, or like mine. It doesn't say that "being good" gets one into Heaven, as one mistaken reviewer opined. It does show that a totally surrendered heart turned toward the One true living God in obedience and love will not be turned away, no matter how mistaken one's mental images may be about God. It is a beautiful picture of salvation by faith through His grace and not by works. God does all the saving; the Holy Spirit teaches us about the true nature of God by His perfect, inerrant Word. Lewis' picture of Emeth is one all believers should take heart in, realizing it is not our purview to know who God has saved by His sovereign will. Of course, Emeth's works demonstrated his salvation, even though he was not recognized as a believer. Emeth's conviction, humility and devotion in this passage continues to bring me to tears. As Aslan seeks him out in the New Narnia, Emeth is convinced he is about to die. He has seen Aslan in His Glorious Appearing and is convicted of his sins. He falls at His feet thinking "Surely this is the hour of death, for the Lion (who is worthy of all honor) will know that I have served Tash all my days and not him. Nevertheless, it is better to see the Lion and die than to be Tisroc of the world and live and not to have seen Him." Read the book to see a most beautiful prosaic illustration of Christ's mercy and grace. This is an ideal book to read either before or after reading the last of the Left Behind series, Glorious Appearing. The stories are very similar with the same outcome and the same great Hope. The self-possessed "intellectuals" of the world may guffaw at those who believe in "Whom" Lewis and other Christians have assurance. Most of these "intellectuals" are ignorant of Scripture, though some are over-studied yet deluded by their self-enlightenment, hard hearts or pride (see 2 Corinthians 4:4, 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 for the bottom line, or if you can't get translation from that source, try reading Lewis' definitive study Miracles). The Chronicles of Narnia are reading for a lifetime. They should be read by believers as a reminder of how we are to come into His presence. In Narnia we see the joys of serving Him in the trials and in the triumphs of this life. In The Last Battle we see the Genius of Revelation as given to Lewis on a plain that even great intellects can embrace if they are willing to "not harden their hearts" (Hebrews 3:12-15). If they are not willing they will get a clear picture of the consequences.
Rating:
Summary: Aslan's Glorious Appearing
Review: I thought it timely, in light of the controversy surrounding another "End Times" story, to remark on this most remarkable of C.S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles. This satisfying series conclusion illustrates Lewis' brilliant analysis of Biblical prophesy in a touching story children of God can all look to with anticipation ("...Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." Rev. 22:20b). This is the story of Armaggedon; the conflict between anti-Christ (anti-Aslan) and the great masses of inhabitants of lost Narnia deceived by him and doomed for eternity versus the ultimate salvation of the few true followers of Aslan to eternal life in His Country, the True Narnia. The allegory to Scriptural truth is remarkable as illustrated by this most insightful, genius mind of modern-day Christian apologists. The high point of the story occurs after the destruction of the old world and the lost souls who rejected Aslan, who are dispatched allegorically in Revelations 20, "lake of fire" fashion. The heroes of the story, including all the key players from the earlier Chronicles, are seen trying out their new "resurrection" bodies exploring the most beautiful place ever imagined, thrilled to have Aslan with them. They find after a while that the beautiful country is actually Narnia, the REAL Narnia. Though the Narnia they knew and loved was perceived most wonderful, it was a mere shadow of the perfect New Narnia, the one that would last forever, always with Him present and providing all the light in the never-ending Day. For believers in Christ, Lewis has projected a clear picture mortal minds can comprehend of how it might be on that Day. It is shown through a children's story because that is how we must come to Him; like a child. "You must become just like a child to enter the Kingdom of God". Jesus said "let all the little children come to Me". In Narnia, those child-like believers were never lost once they found Him, by His grace. Those who perished were the lovers of the old, decaying, temporary Narnia and were deceived by what their own wills commanded, rejecting and hating Aslan and worshipping the god of their chosing, their own selves. This is a definitive picture of our fallen world and our fallen culture. Lewis' work is prescient in describing the condition of the world of today, one in which Jesus could return to at any time, as our prayer pleads from Revelation cited above (but if He tarries, one and all can be sure that He is coming soon; "soon" defined as the lifespan of the individual). One last point on a most poignant scene from the story. It involves the fierce young Tarkaan warrior Emeth, devoted follower of the vulture-like god of the Calormens, Tash. As our heroes are exploring the Real Narnia, following Aslan "further in and further up", they discover this unlikely believer sitting perplexed under a tree, "surprised by joy". Emeth's story is one that demonstrates man's frequent inability to match his rational and correct thoughts with his often erroneous mental images of said correct thought. In this case this child of the Light lived bravely demonstrating the fruits of the Spirit in humility, submission and obedience to the true God of everything, the Self-Existant Great I AM. But his human error was in his vision of what God looked like and not knowing His correct name. Emeth is somewhat like Helen Keller, who, when "told" about Jesus by Anne Sullivan in the eternal darkness, quiet and aloneness of her disability, said "so that's His name; I know Him". The story of Emeth's salvation by grace is much akin to the salvation of the thief on the cross, or like mine. It doesn't say that "being good" gets one into Heaven, as one mistaken reviewer opined. It does show that a totally surrendered heart turned toward the One true living God in obedience and love will not be turned away, no matter how mistaken one's mental images may be about God. It is a beautiful picture of salvation by faith through His grace and not by works. God does all the saving; the Holy Spirit teaches us about the true nature of God by His perfect, inerrant Word. Lewis' picture of Emeth is one all believers should take heart in, realizing it is not our purview to know who God has saved by His sovereign will. Of course, Emeth's works demonstrated his salvation, even though he was not recognized as a believer. Emeth's conviction, humility and devotion in this passage continues to bring me to tears. As Aslan seeks him out in the New Narnia, Emeth is convinced he is about to die. He has seen Aslan in His Glorious Appearing and is convicted of his sins. He falls at His feet thinking "Surely this is the hour of death, for the Lion (who is worthy of all honor) will know that I have served Tash all my days and not him. Nevertheless, it is better to see the Lion and die than to be Tisroc of the world and live and not to have seen Him." Read the book to see a most beautiful prosaic illustration of Christ's mercy and grace. This is an ideal book to read either before or after reading the last of the Left Behind series, Glorious Appearing. The stories are very similar with the same outcome and the same great Hope. The self-possessed "intellectuals" of the world may guffaw at those who believe in "Whom" Lewis and other Christians have assurance. Most of these "intellectuals" are ignorant of Scripture, though some are over-studied yet deluded by their self-enlightenment, hard hearts or pride (see 2 Corinthians 4:4, 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 for the bottom line, or if you can't get translation from that source, try reading Lewis' definitive study Miracles). The Chronicles of Narnia are reading for a lifetime. They should be read by believers as a reminder of how we are to come into His presence. In Narnia we see the joys of serving Him in the trials and in the triumphs of this life. In The Last Battle we see the Genius of Revelation as given to Lewis on a plain that even great intellects can embrace if they are willing to "not harden their hearts" (Hebrews 3:12-15). If they are not willing they will get a clear picture of the consequences.
Rating:
Summary: compelling eschatology
Review: In this, the last book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, Lewis again uses a compelling story to speak deep truths about the end of the world, God's judgment, the decision each of us must make at the end of time, and the dangers of false religion and false prophets. My five year old son, with whom I've been reading the series, was again transfixed by Lewis's evocative telling of the falling of eternal night on Narnia. At the end, we were both in tears but joyful, and he wanted to start again on the first book, so that's what we did.
Rating: 
Summary: The Last Battle
Review: The book The Last Battle, a book by C. S. Lewis, is the last book in the 7 book series in the chronicles of Narnia. This fantasy book again goes into the amazing land of Narnia, inhabited by talking beasts, tree spirits called Dryads, centaurs, and just about any other mythical or true creature you could imagine. In this story we again follow Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole as they venture into Narnia when King Tirian magically appears at a sort of reunion party for all the "friends" of Narnia. (You can read about all of them in the other books in the series.) Scrubb, Pole, and Tirian fight to save Narnia along with the great lion, and king of Narnia, Aslan. But can they, with the help of some talking beast and other creatures, save Narnia from destruction before the Calormen of the desert nation to the south take over? This is a book that everyone young and old can enjoy! This story is so vivid you can almost see the story happening, and hear the English accents of the characters as if it was happening right in front of you. Read this book and take your very own adventure into Narnia! I recommend reading the all of the books in the series, it makes it easier to understand, but you can also just read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Life-long favorite
Review: The Chronicles of Narnia are books that I began reading as a child, and I to read and re-read them as an adult. They are among the best children's books ever written. Of the Chronicles, this is my absolute favorite (with Voyage of the Dawn Treader a close second).
Rating:
Summary: The Chronicles Of Narnia-The last battle
Review: The Chronicles of Narnia is"a saga that began with The Magicians Nephew." That followed up with The lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, The Horse and his Boy, Prince Caspain, The Voyage of the Dawn Treaader, The Silver chair,And Finally the book i read. The last Battle. All these chronicles were written by C.S. Lewis. In all his stories he writes of another world. One place in paticular being Narnia. All of his stories in clude kids from our world and talking animals. these animals are a little bit larger than the ones we are used of seeing today and have personalities much like our own. The Last Battle was about a greedy ape named Shift who wants to secretly take over the country of Narnia. He wants to accomplish this by using his 'friend', a helpless donkey named Puzzle in the process. You see one day a lion skin floats down stream to where Puzzle and Shift live. Shift totally takes advantage of his 'brainless' buddy and tells him to slip the lion skin on. This makes him look like their great Aslan. Aslan has great power over people and anything he says usually goes. Shift thinks up a plot that will enable him to get everything he's always wanted.So with the help of a few other fantasy people he gets his wish for a while and scares all the narnians into waiting on all the Apes every need. Some of them were even going to be sold to the Cholermenes as slaves. In the end Shifts einsteinic plan falls in smoke because King Tirian, Poggie, Jewel the Unicorn, Jill, Eustace, and a few other good fellers come to the rescue to find that all this time they have been in a 'mirror image'of Narnia. soat the end of the story all the good animals and heros follow Aslan through 'magic doors' and find that the real Narnia is more of a magical place then anywhere they had ever been. the fruit was better too!
Over all i would have to say i liked the book.I would give the bok 4 out of 5 stars. i like the fantasy side of it. it really made me want to not stop reading because it always had something going on . Like "oh another battle(400) scene is coming up."It just really kept my excitement goin more then anything else! I also like the is was a part of a set of books. i have only read in either in back in fourth grade but i can remember liking that one too. That was The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe.i would definetly reccomend this book for other kids. But i must warn you your in store for some pretty crazy aeventrues especially if you read the whole set. Overall i woulde willing to bet you wouldn't beable to put the book down for a long time
Rating:
Summary: The Last Battle
Review: The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis is the last book of a seven book series entitled The Chronicles of Narnia. I enjoyed reading this book very much. It was full of adventure and it kept the reader in suspense throughout the whole book. This book also has great imagery. It takes the reader feel as if he or she is actually with the characters in the book. This book would be a fantastic choice for a few different people. Anyone who enjoys reading adventure stories will enjoy this book. It is also great for kids because it has a lot of life lessons in it. This book would also appeal to anybody who enjoys a few fictional elements.
|
