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The Horse and His Boy (Paperback) (Paperback)
by C. S. Lewis
| Category:
Narnia, Adventure, Fiction, Ages 4-8, Children's book |
| Market price: ¥ 98.00
MSL price:
¥ 88.00
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 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Four children open a magic wardrobe door and fall into another world - A tale of awakening, hilarious, beautiful, frightening, and wise. |
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Author: C. S. Lewis
Publisher: HarperTrophy
Pub. in: July, 1994
ISBN: 0064471063
Pages: 256
Measurements: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BC00094
Other information: Reprint edition
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- MSL Picks -
The Horse and His Boy - Venturing into exotic locations, with a likeable cast and a good thriller format, this is a pretty cool fantasy that gives some insights into what the cast of "Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" were doing during that time before they returned home.
Shasta is the son of a poor fisherman, and his life is pretty ordinary until a mighty Calormene (sort of a generic Mideastern civilization) Tarkaan comes to stay at his home. He overhears his father admit that he found the infant Shasta on a raft with a dead man, and the Tarkaan offers to buy him. That night, Shasta escapes with the Tarkaan's talking Narnian horse Bree, and by chance bumps into a runaway Calormene girl called Aravis, who also has a Narnia horse (Hwin).
The four plan to run away to the free land of Narnia. But they run into problems when they enter the city of Tashbaan - the rotten son of the Tisroc (emperor) is planning to kidnap Queen Susan of Narnia and marry her whether she likes it or not. What's more, Shasta is caught up by the kings of Narnia, who think he's the prince of Archenland - what's more, the prince looks exactly like Shasta. With the guidance of the mysterious Aslan, Shasta and Aravis must keep the Calormenes from attacking Narnia.
This book introduces new and very interesting characters, as well as bringing back old ones like the kings and queens of Narnia, Tumnus, and Aslan, of course. The Christian subtext is probably faintest in this volume, and it's probably the least connected to the main storyline that runs through the series. But it's also a good exploration of stuff that Lewis had introduced, such as the Middle-Eastern Calormen kingdom, and the talking animals. And the writing is superb, especially the scene with Shasta near the tombs.
Target readers:
Kids aged up 4
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- Better with -
Better with
The Magician's Nephew (The Chronicles of Narnia) (Mass Market Paperback)
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C. S. Lewis(1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English literature at Oxford University until 1954 when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. His major contributions in literary criticism, children's literature, fantasy literature, and popular theology brought him international renown and acclaim. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include The Chronicles of Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet, The Four Loves, The Screwtape Letters, and Mere Christianity.
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When Shasta discovers he is not Arsheesh's son and therefore does not belong in the cruel land of Calormen, he joins forces with Bree the talking horse and flees north towards Narnia, where freedom reigns.
And so begins their hazardous journey, fraught with mystery and danger. Calormen's capital city of Tashbaan must be crossed, a harsh desert endured, the high mountains of Archenland climbed, their enemies overcome. For the young Shasta it is an adventure beyond his wildest dreams and one destined to change his life forever.
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Amanda Richards (MSL quote), Georgetown, Guyana
<2006-12-30 00:00>
This is the third book (chronologically) in the Narnia series, and the fifth one published. It is vastly different from The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, given that most of the story unfolds outside of Narnia, and it's missing the magic that permeated the first two books.
I hasten to add here that it is a richly descriptive novel, my best description being "Moses" meets The Prince and the Pauper and "Alladin" in "Arabian Nights ".
Breehy-hinny-brinny-hoohy-hah, aka Bree, the horse in question does not live up to the "star" billing of the title, being a touch vain, proud and conceited and a little chicken in times of trouble, but without him there would not be a story, and Shasta (his boy, as you may have guessed)would still be a Tarkaan's slave.
They are joined in this adventure by Aravis Tarkheena, assisted by her stable and sensible horse Hwin. Aravis is fleeing an arranged marriage to an ugly old brown-nosing Grand Vizier-designate with a humpback.
Together they defy the odds, fight and squabble a lot, uncover a treacherous plot and finally crawl across the desert into Narnia via Archenland to help save the day.
A grand battle ensues to satisfy the rejection issues of hot headed Tashbaan Prince Rabadash, and Queen Lucy and King Edward (of Book 2) are right in the middle of the fray. High King Peter is off fighting somewhere else, and Queen Susan is staying out of this one, even though she more or less started it. All our friendly mythical creatures appear at this point.
Shasta finds his true identity, his real family, and secures his future job, and everybody lives more or less happily ever after, except Rabadash, who makes a jackass of himself.
No story of Narnia is complete without the presence of the great and powerful Aslan, who appears in various guises throughout the story, guiding, calming, disciplining and protecting his children.
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Erika Sorocco (MSL quote), Southern California, USA
<2006-12-30 00:00>
Shasta has always been a hard worker, partly because he has known no other existence. So when he finds out - upon overhearing his "father" speaking to a rich stranger - that he was actually adopted, and his parents are unknown, Shasta decides that he must leave the life he has forged as a slave boy, and make his way to a new existence. That is how he, along with Bree - the rich strangers talking horse - become friends, and decide to make their way to Narnia. A magical land that is ruled by Kings Edmund and Peter and Queens Susan and Lucy, along with Aslan - a kind lion. The two friends make their way to the city of Calormen, and soon meet up with Aravis, a tough girl who is actually royalty, escaping from her father and evil stepmother who are trying to wed her to a nasty, aging man; along with her talking horse Hwin. The four friends set out on their travels to Narnia, but are quickly separated, and must find a way back together, or they will never make it to Narnia.
It's hard to find a series that can enchant readers young and old, but that is exactly what I view C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, as doing. Blending the magic of Alice in Wonderland and Harry Potter together and placing a few Lord of the Rings-sequel battles throughout creates a fail-proof, enchanting series that is hard to resist. The Horse and His Boy is no exception. Shasta is a brave character, whose constant bickering with Aravis can be, at times, exhausting, but, all in all, lays the groundwork for an inseparable pair; while Bree and Hwin's varying personalities bring the two horses together like yin and yang - their personalities playing off one another in a luminescent manner. Together, these four characters come together to create one enjoyable novel that will enchant fans of C.S. Lewis' previous NARNIA novels, as well as fans who are just dipping their minds into the world of Lewis now. Another can't-put down must-read novel that will leave readers scrambling for the next installment, and have them itching for a sword of their own...
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A. Woodley (MSL quote), New Zealand
<2006-12-30 00:00>
This book is set in the time when the children - Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy - are still in Narnia as Kings and Queens. It is about a boy, Shasta, who learns that he is going to be sold by the man he has always thought of as his father. Listening in at the door he finds out that the man who has treated him like a slave all his life is not his father and in fact he is not even Calormene - he is likely from the North.
Shasta sets about running away but finds a talking horse on the way. The horse was kidnapped from the mountains as a young colt straying where he shouldn't be. Bree is his name and he never talks as he would just be put in a circus and watched more closely by the Calormenes. Instead he has been silent and watchful for years waiting for his chance to run back to Narnia and this is it.
This is the story of Shasta and Bree's escape. On the way they need to face their fears, and meet up with a young Calormene noble girl, and her talking horse, Hwin, who are also trying to escape.
There is a bit which is very like the Prince and the Pauper - where Shasta is mistaken for Prince Corin briefly by Edmund, and Susan who are visiting Calormene to see if a young prince is a suitable husband for Susan. However they realize they are in danger from the prince and the Calormenes.
The amazing thing about this book, I thought, was the role Aslan played, from helping the two children find one another to spurring them on; to letting them approach their fears and Pride. In one instance the horses are flagging Aslan scares them, while Bree - the war horse runs, and later must approach his pride, Shasta faces the lion and wins.
I loved this book for its moral discussions - and its lovely story. |
Eric San Juan (MSL quote), Brick, NJ USA
<2006-12-30 00:00>
The Horse and His Boy is one of CS Lewis' classic Narnia books, one of the later published but the third if taken chronologically. The tale takes place during the time period just before the end of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, (roughly during the start of "Wardrobe's" last chapter) and is largely independent of the other six Narnia books. All of the Narnia books can be read independently, but "Horse" in particular has little link to the others.
The tale is a classic "young person escapes a bad life" story, and in the end becomes a classic "downtrodden young person saves the day" and a "young person of meager background is" - well, that would be giving something away. Time-tested clichés of the genre, to be sure, but not clichés in a bad way. In Lewis' tale, this is a Good Thing, because it works.
The story concerns Shasta, a young boy, and a talking horse, Bree, who flee their evil masters in an attempt to reach the free land of Narnia to the north. In their flight they meet up with Aravis, a young girl also fleeing with a talking horse, Hwin. They adventure their way through the country of Calormen, a thinly-veiled substitute for the Middle Eastern countries of the real world.
Like the best of children's literature, the pacing is brisk and the obstacles to be overcome are introduced quickly and almost without pause.
As in all the Narnia books, we are introduced to Aslan. This time Aslan's role initially seems minor, but is revealed to have retroactively been a major role. It is among the worst uses of the lion in the series. Much of what the lions tells Shasta feel dreadfully like the famous poem "Footsteps," in which Jesus explains to a walker looking at his life traced in footsteps on the beach that those moments when there were but one set of footsteps, not two for the walker and Jesus, were moments when Jesus carried the walker through life, not the walker walking through his troubles alone. In "Horse," it slaps the reader from the story. Worse still is the fact that the entire meeting with Aslan is written in a gratingly worshipful tone that is horribly jarring; it does the story a great disservice. The scene, however, is mercifully short.
Because The Horse and His Boy is a side adventure in Narnia more than anything else, it does not have as strong a connection, and therefore sentimental tug, as the rest of the books. Still, heavy-handed Aslan scene aside, "Horse" is a delightfully simple adventure about young people escaping a bad situation. Escapism is almost never a bad thing, especially for younger people who prefer to read over playing video games, and Lewis does it very well. Most readers will thoroughly enjoy this, even if it isn't essential Narnia.
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