Did the last battle freak you out to?

[jennyjenjen56]

I decided this section needed a thread so here we are!! Ok so the last battle gave me a weird creepy feeling when read it. Kind of like revelation does, I dare say that was the point. But it ceeped me out. Did it creep anyone else out?

[rosymole]

SPOILERS!
I wouldn't say it 'freaked me out' as such, it did leave me with a feeling of despair at some points- having the world that you've come to know and love being destryoed before your eyes, and feeling very angry about the way people and creatures were being treated. But then once the anger subsided and you realised what was happening, especially at the very end, it made me feel so glad that things could carry on in a better way and place. WHat did bother me though was that i couldn't read about what happened after!

[Lord Darcey]

When I first read the book back in third grade, I think, I was really disappointed at the ending. When I came across the books again in fifth or sixth grade, I really looked into their meaning a bit more, and I found that I really liked the ending of TLB. The idea that there's a world beyond this one is extremely intriguing, and I'd love it if all of it were true.

[In a Stable]

I totally love it. Yes it is scary at times, but in reality the end of our world is gonna be even scarier. But, I love it more than any of the other books, because where the other ones simply "returned the world to normal," this one allowed it to break that pattern and go beyond "normal" to "extraordinary." Yes, its true, our world will come to a catastrophic end, but, like the creatures who loved Aslan, we also has a hope to move on to the bigger and better world. The world we were meant to live in all along. Anyway, sorry if I ramble on, but that's my personal opinion, and the reason that book is my favorite.

[crjr9833]

Ya, I really liked Lewis' portrayal of "heaven" in that book.

[Lord Darcey]

I... seem to be the only athiest here. Actually, I'm leaning toward Agnosticism. But not sure...

However, I really'd love it if there was an afterlife like the one in the Last Battle. "Further up and further in!"

[lieke]

when i read te book i was also freaked out, but i has a great ending

[rosymole]

Dont't worry Lord Darcey -you're not the only non-Christian here, I too am healthily sceptical.
I think that one reason people feel so passionately about the LB is that it does contain the promise of the 'next place', and for me personally that conjours up a huge range of emotions- the wanting it to be true but then not being able to believe that it actually is.

[Lord Darcey]

>.< This sounds really screwed up, but I was delusional for three years. In my delusion, I sort of constructed a world how I wanted it to be, and a lot of it was based on the end of LB.

[rosymole]

Doesn't sound strange to me at all! I can see where you're coming from- the end of the LB provides a great deal of comfort, so if you can wrap yourself up in it totally then you're bound to feel better about things. It's part of the great power of the written word, and i understand you totally! :-)

[jennyjenjen56]

While the Last battle creeped me out, I still liked it. But it was very sad, and not the way I usually like to end a book series. I think the reason it creeped me out because thats, but even worse, whats going to happen to earth. I also love that picture of the unicorn with the blood dripping from his horn, from the cover of one of the editions of TLB. It's very iconic! :)

[Aslan223]

I was disappointed with the way that LB ended. No disrespect towards C.S. Lewis, because he did write seven books that I truly consider to be some of the greatest stories of all time, but I felt that the very end of the book was sort of a cop-out. It just seemed that he had spent so much time and detail going over every aspect of Narnia and everything that had happened in their adventures, only to end it basically saying that what happened next was just so beautiful he could'nt begin to describe it. I just felt that it shouldn't have ended that way.

[nejofsherwood]

I LOVE THE LAST BATTLE!!! I think that Lewis gave heaven a lot of thought; wouldn’t it ruin the whole thing if he explained it too in depth? I don’t know, I have always loved Revelation and I guess it would follow that I also love TLB. No, it did not scare me or freak me out.

[Mr Aslan]

I was originally really devastated by what was hapening to Narnia. After reading all of the other stories, I had really grown to like it. At the end, though, I thought that this heavan was wanderful, but in a creepy way.

[nejofsherwood]

Hello Mr Aslan! Welcome.

[Ithilien]

(hi! i'm a new joiner and this is my first time so be easy on me...)

I personlly adore the last battle. I thought is was beautifully written and couldn't stop crying happy tears upon reading Lewis' description of heaven. I did find moments of the book scary though, especially the description of the dwarves' blind disbelief in Aslan's presence. It makes me wonder if I ever accidentally missed out on something and was ... left behind!

[Warrior-Poet51088]

Hello there, Ithilien!

I'm assuming you're making a reference to the "Left Behind" books at the end of your post?

[rosymole]

You know what Ithilien- i felt exactly the same the first time i read LB, almost as though there was this big conspiracy and other people got to carry on reading the stories, but not me.
WElcome to the site, i like your use of the name Ithilien, it's such a nice word!

[Ithilien]

thanx Rosymole! It's a place in Lord of the Rings.

To Aragorn: I wasn't intentionally referring to the books "Left Behind". I've only heard about them recently, but have never read them. They seem quite popular. Are they good?

[rosymole]

thanx Rosymole! It's a place in Lord of the Rings.




Really? No, I did know that, it's nice to see it used as a 'name' for a person rather than a place, that was what i meant!

[Sojourner]

TLB is my favorite book of the whole series..though when I first read it with my dad(6 years old) i was lost at the end. but now close to 12 years later i undserstand.

[Mercury]

TLB isn't my favorite of all the Narnia books, but I sure liked it. I just could basically tell from early on that this was going to be the end of Narnia, and it was interesting to see how Lewis actually made it happen.
I also loved how he described heaven. It made me appreciate earth more. Maybe that sounds weird or confusing... lol! But that's what it did for me.

Well, to address the issue of Lewis not describing heaven more in detail. I think that was smart and not a cop out. Because it's the same thing like describing to people what God looks like. They all believe then that that is the one way God looks, and if he'd show himself in any other form, no one would believe it was him. The same could be for heaven. All throughout Lewis' books (i especially remember The Great Divorce) Lewis is very careful to make any factual statements about what heaven is like, because he acknowledges that he can't know, and anything he could describe would not be the real thing. And I think it was always his intention to not delude people, but actually hint them at what he believed to be real. So I think it was good he didn't go into further detail about heaven.

[VeritasRatioque3D]

It’s all in Plato. What do they teach in schools these days? – The Professor
(I’m sorry it is not an exact quote – my CoN books are at home and I am at college :( )

C.S. Lewis’s idea of heaven should not seem as odd or “freaky” as it does to some people. C.S. Lewis was heavily influenced by Plato and St. Augustine, a fact that is clearly shown in the final scenes of TLB. Lewis’s description of heaven comes almost directly out of book VII of Plato’s Republic.

Plato describes a cave in which people are sitting in the bottom chained and fettered. Their only source of light comes from a fire that is above and behind them. Artifacts are carried in front of the fire, but behind the people, casting shadows onto the wall directly in front of the people. These shadows are the only things that can be seen by these prisoners. Since they know of no other things, these people cannot help but think that the shadows they see are real things. As they watch the shadows pass before them, they identify, name, and study them. The brightest become very good at this game and are revered among his fellow prisoners. Then, one day, one man is freed from his chains and compelled to make his way out of the cave. At first, he cannot see, being blinded by the light. As the shapes begin to form in his eyes, however, he realizes that what he is seeing is the real thing and what he thought was real, those shadows in the cave, were only a fragment of the true nature of the artifacts.

Lewis’s idea of heaven was much the same. He thought (and I’m inclined to agree with him) that this earth is only a shadow of the place God has prepared for his children. When we (His children) arrive in heaven, we will see things more real than anything we have ever experienced on this earth. The fragmented shapes and fuzzy outlines of this earth will seem as nothing compared to the realness of heaven. This was Lewis’s concept of heaven.

I agree with Mercury’s response concerning the lack of description of heaven in TLB. I would like to add to it a little though.

Speaking of the man who had just exited the cave, Plato said:
“And when he came into the light, with the sun filling his eyes, wouldn’t he be unable to see a single one of the things now said to be true?.. I suppose, then, that he’d need time to get adjusted before he could see things in the world above. At first, he’d see shadows most easily, then images of men and other things in water, then the things themselves. Of these, he’d be able to study the things in the sky and the sky itself more easily at night, looking at the light of the stars and the moon, than during the day, looking at the sun and the light of the sun… Finally, I suppose, he’d be able to see the sun, not images of it in water or some alien place, but the sun itself, in its own place, and be able to study it.”

I believe that Lewis had a glimpse of that more real realm we call heaven. Only, and Lewis himself realized this, he had only reached the level of seeing-shadows-most-easily or perhaps seeing-images-of-men-and-other-things-in-water. This may not seem far, but considering most of us are still in the cave, this was quite an accomplishment. He knew that he had not yet seen “the sun itself.” Knowing, however, that he had seen more than what most of us have seen he wanted to describe it the realness of what is to come. This description is what we see in the final scenes of TLB.

[she-elfwarrior19]

i wouldnt say i was really that freaked...... but then again come to think of it i think i was at some certain parts

[therearenoaccidents]

every time i read TLB (or any of the CoN for that matter)I get something a little bit new or diffrent out of them.the first time i read TLB I wasnt really "freeked out" it was a ending i didnt expect and i was a little surprised.But as Ive read it again and again... Ive come to realize that it is trying to describe the indescribeable and it gives me a great excited feeling.but to see the world of narnia come to a "end" did give me a werid feeling. you might be able to call it freaky. :)

[Dead Rain]

i finnally finished LB. *sigh of relief* but no. i wasn't freaked out. just sad. very sad.and like.... i don't know. I hated Shift as soon as his name was mentioned. but like Ginger, the cat, i liked him, even though he was evil. and i gave him pitty when he lost his..eh.. ability to speak. I guess that's just because i like cats in general. ah well. and Jewel was awsome. and so was Fledge! such old memories!

[The Prince]

It definitly was just a little no a lot FREAKY

[she-elfwarrior19]

as i said b4 it was in a way scary but i still liked it when i read all seven, just talking about Narnia puts me in the mood to watch the LWW animation, going to watch it now
bye

[inkspot]

I can still remember the first time I read TLB, when I was a kid. It was all wrong, what was happening, but I knew everything would come out right, so it didn't freak me out -- until that night of the battle when the horses were galloping up the hill to join in the fight, and the dwarves started shooting them. Seriously, that passage made my heart drop, as if it just couldn't be happening ... I remember that, from all those years ago. I don't know why, but that struck me as more wrong and hopeless than anything that had happened so far. As for Lewis' handling of heaven, or the new Narnia or however you want to look at it: Aslan's assurance that school is over and the holidays have begun was, for me, perfect. It was the end of all doubt, confusion, pain, and the promise of more adventure than we can imagine -- what could be more perfect?

[Wallis]

Near the end, the division of the Narnians clearly represented the imagery of the Bible with the division of the sheep on the right and the goats on the left.

But the dwarfs????

The dwarfs are in Aslan's Country. At least those who are in Aslan's Country can see and even interact with the dwarfs. However, the dwarfs are locked in a prison of their mind/beliefs and still believe that they are in the stable.

I wonder what Lewis was trying to convey.

[jasonc65]

They're in purgatory, lol!

[rosymole]

That's an interesting idea Wallis, and one that works! Do you think that eventually the dwarfs would be redeemed and be able to join the others, or were they derstroyed when Narnia ended? So in a way being in the stable surrounded by all the food was a last chance for them to open their eyes properly and see what they had been missing?

[waterhogboy]

If you read Revelations in the Bible it talks about people who even to the last days will be blind to the faith. Possibly C.S.Lewis was trying to convey the dwarves as these people??

[Wallis]

Although I'd like to pray that the dwarfs would finally overcome their unbelief, I'd have to agree that they'll be stuck in their predicament for--forever.

[inkspot]

I never thought that maybe those dwarves would be like lost souls in purgatory. There is a Catholic practice of praying for the dead, perhaps this is a picture of those we're praying for, not eternally lost but not able yet to fully partake in the joys of heaven? That would make me feel better.

[perOperO]

I just finished TLB today. It wasn't that freaky for me. I thought The Voyage was freakier.

[Lunis]

I sort of agree with you there, perOperO. "The Voyage..." had many strange things in it:

(**spoilers if you haven't read the books**) ...


That dream/nightmare realm, that lake that turns you into gold, the treasure that can make you a dragon. The last two, a sign of what greed can do. It was very intense in a way. I loved it a lot, but some parts made me "freak out" to a degree. ;) But, my beliefs being a lot like C.S. Lewis's, I understood all (or most) of what he was conveying. (*Lunis

[Purple Shadow]

I first read TLB when I was around twelve or thirteen, and I remember coming away with this EMPTY feeling. I put the book aside, and I couldn't look at it for another few years. I didn't read it when I read the series, and I didn't count it among the books. As far as I was concerned, CON only had six books.

But when I finally did pick up the book, thinking that I was being stupid about the whole thing and it's just a book, I forced myself to read it. And I understood it better. I remember thinking the first time around that I shouldn't be reading it, because by then I had known for some time that Aslan represented Jesus, and I knew that impersonating him was evil. It was like reading about sin, and committing it at the same time. I was also upset that Narnia was over and done, and there would be no more books, lol...

Now that I understand it better, I love this book. It deals with some very real situations, even though the people and places are fictional. I think it represents Shift as the Antichrist, though I haven't decided if Puzzle is included in that title. The book really does have a happy ending in that loved characters are going to "Heaven", but at the same time you have to get your minds around the fact that they're actually dead. And Susan was left out of it. I'm still not sure if she died in the railway accident and ended up in Hell, or if she wasn't on the train at the time and has to live with what happened...

And I know this is a thread for TLB, but I noticed that none of the characters acknowledged in Prince Caspian that their old friends were long gone. I would have thought that Lucy at least would have been sad that Mr. Tumnus was dead, but she never mentions him at all, except when she tells Susan that he told her long ago about Bacchus.

[centaurus]

The book presents a clear picture of how those with hearts that are distant from God end up doing evil to themselves and others. What I find freaky is the way in which we as a society are doing the same. You know, as in ignoring what God wants and doing whatever pops into our heads. And then convince ourselves that He's just a faery-tale and wont hold us accountable. It only leads to disaster. :eek:

[nickumsix]

I read the whole series for the first time in the third or fourth grade, and I had some strange reactions. It took me the longest time to read The Horse and His Boy -- I think I thought it was boring, God knows why -- and I didn't even finish The Last Battle. I read up to the scenes where Jill and Eustace are preparing for battle and then I just stopped. I really don't know why I did, but I did. When I reread the chronicles a few years later I just omitted the two books I hadn't enjoyed and moved on. But then, just a few summers ago, I decided to rediscover the entire series, including The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle. And I saw how truly beautiful The Last Battle was. Freaky? Not a bit. I thought it was absolutely stunning, one of the most heart wrenchingly, well, beautiful accounts put to paper. After reading The Last Battle, I decided to see what else Lewis had to say, so I read some of his theological writings, and, together, they opened my eyes to God. After 5 or 6 years of doubt and wandering, I recomitted myself to the Lord. So, you see, that's why I love the chronicles so much, especially The Last Battle. Not because of the richly imagined fantasy and the fantastic writing (although both of those certainly contributed), but because they truly saved me.

[inkspot]

Wow, that's a great story, Nick (may I call you Nick?). Thanks for sharing! Score one for TLB.

[Lunis]

I concur with Inkspot. It was very great of you to share that with us, Nick. My Uncle had the same experience in his college years. Both Tolkien and C.S. Lewis's works convinced him there was a God and Saviour. :) I wonder if these men knew how greatly they'd be used through their writings...

It's an encouragement to those of us who love to write; somehow God comes into most everything I think up, (whether it be stories, plays, songs, poems, etc). Hmm, I still need to read all of "Mere Christianity;" I'm excited that I may have time this summer. :D


(*Thia Lewis (aka~Lunis)

[Tae]

I don't think it really freaked me out... but I didn't get freaked out about Revelation either. *laughs* I guess it just gets me all excited... just the reminder that God does have something more for us. It makes me want to keep searching- to keep digging for more truths about Christ. It truly makes me want to go further in and higher up!

-Tae

[o0nik0o]

I like the book. It didnt freak me out. but i am writing a review of a nother book, but need to compare it to another adventure story. PLZ PLZ PLZ help. the chapter summaries on this website arent working. could someone plzzzzzzzzzzzzzz refresh my memory on what happens. plzzzzzzzzzzzz

[o0nik0o]

I 4got 2 mention. Im in year 7, and i read the book in yr 5. plzzz help. plz

[inkspot]

You need to know what happens in The Last Battle?

*** TLB Spoilers!!! ***

1.Way up in a pool by Lantern Waste, a mean monkey named Shift finds a lion skin and forces his dumb donkey friend Puzzle to wear it -- he convinces Puzzle that Aslan wants Puzzle to pretend to be Aslan so more people will believe in Aslan, but what the monkey really wants is for everyone to serve him.

2. The last king of Narnia, Tirian and his best friend a unicorn named Jewel, are alerted that things have gone wrong up near Lantern Waste and rush there to find the forests are being cut down and the wood sent to Calormen, and the animals are being sent as slaves to Calormen, all on Aslan's orders (they don't know it is Puzzle imitating Aslan, after dark, by a fire, with the monkey speaking for him). Tirian and Jewel attack a Calormen party and are arrested.

3. Tirian prays for help, and Eustace and Jill from "The Silver Chair" are sent to help him. They discover Puzzle and want to let everyone know it was a false Aslan, but the monkey beats them to it and announces Aslan is so angry about a donkey dressing up like him, he will no longer show himself, even in the dark. By now the Calormens have got control of the monkey and all Narnia. While many animals rally to Tirian, Eustace and Jill, the dwarves refuse to help anyone but themselves.

4. In a final horrible battle, the Calormens drive Tirian and his forces up against the stable where Puzzle used to live -- the Calormen monster-god Tash is within, and they think he is gobbling people up when they force them inside. But as the last of the Narnians is driven into the stable, they find themselves in Aslan's country, and Kings Peter and Edmund and Queen Lucy are already there. (The dwarves are also in Aslan's country, but because they don't believe in Aslan and are only out for themselves, they think they are just stuck in a smelly stable.)

5. Aslan closes time on Narnia, and it is destroyed as the children watch through the stable door, but then they find the "true Narnia" has been waiting for them inside the stable -- not only that, but they discover their parents are across the way in the perfected "true Britain," apparently the whole family was killed in a train crash and now is in heaven.

Does this ring any bells?

[Johan 72109]

TLB has to be my favourite of the Chronicles. You get such a whirlwind of emotions reading it... I was so horrified and outraged at the dwarves and Calormenes, Tash scared the pants off me, and the final chapters... I was so happy reading them, I actually laughed. I feel similar when I read Revelation. The final chapter of Revelation has to be one of the most inspiring books I've ever read, especially when you're feeling low.

Brilliant.

[Narnian Jedi]

Wow, TLB was, I think, one of the most difficult stories to pull off for Lewis. Although he says CoN isn't an allegory of God's Word, it still echoes Biblical events and truths. If one knows his or her Bible well, especially the book of Revelations and other passages about the end times, the feeling should be one of admiration for this writer for putting such complex events into a well-written story for children (in addition to other feelings posted earlier). Great book. My kids haven't gotten this far in the CoN yet (we're only on the HHB) but that should make for some interesting discussions when we do read TLB.

[inkspot]

I agree, Jedi, and further ...

Even if you are not religious and do not see the parallels with Revelations/Bible prophecy, you can still see some universal truths in the book:

* Deception and manipulation of emotions can ruin not just individual lives, but whole cultures.

* Refusing to help your fellow man (as the dwarves did) not only injures the people you refuse to help, but injures you, too -- it cuts you off from the brotherhood of humanity and leaves you helpless in selfishness.

* Death is not the end -- and to die among friends, in a battle for truth and righteousness, is not a tragedy. (We see this also in Tolkien's Return of the King when Gimli says he never envisioned his death fighting side by side with an elf, and Legolas asks, "What about side by side with a friend?" Aye, Gimli says, that he could do.)

And of course, because Lewis did belive in the life beyond this one, TLB was a great way to cap the series, by showing children that God can snatch victory even from the most overwhelming defeat, and that heaven, when attained, is too beautiful for description ...

It's a wonderful book. :D

[Narnian Jedi]

This is true Inkspot. That's a great POV regarding this book. I'll definitely incorporate your points when we start discussing TLB.

[Tarkheena_Finduilas22]

It's such an emotional book! I laughed one minute, and the next I was crying! It was a... well, yes it is kinda interesting. It "Creeped me out" in a Biblical way I guess you could say. The discription of heaven, Oh, I couldn't get over that! It was the best part. :o

[I_Believe]

I was a little '"freaked" at times. But when it came towards the end i got happy knowing that it was going to be alright. I was really happy with the ending. They all were together (Minus Susan).

[Xenithar]

I really enjoyed LB despite the dark parts, although the parts with Tash sometimes send some sort of feeling of creepy dread into me lol

[Lord of Light]

The LB didn't even come close to freaking me out, but when I read about Tash, for some reason, I ended up going and getting my Bible and cross referencing him with the beast in Revelations.

[Sforzando77]

I'd have to say that I was far from "freaked out" by The Last Battle. In a strange way, I actually felt very reassured about my beliefs about where we go after death. When I finished, I felt a sense of finality and I was extremely happy, but in a bittersweet sort of way, if that makes sense. I just felt very good about a lot of things, and now it is one of my favorite books from the series.

[Elentari]

I love TLB! While I was upset at the dwarves, especially when they began shooting at the Horses, I was in no way "freaked" or "traumatized". (I first read it in middle school, then countless times since.) Some of my other thoughts:

1. While much of the imagery does remind readers, esp. Christians, of Revelation, TLB is not allegory it is "suppositional". This means that Lewis was writing books about characters "supposing" they went through similar events/trials to what we go through in life. While LWW has strong religious themes and TLB has strong religious themes, neither are meant to be direct representations, so Tash does not NECESSARILY represent Satan, Shift does not NECESSARILY represent the Antichrist, etc.

2. It IS interesting that Eustace is not mentioned meeting Caspian again, however we can assume it happened later, as we can also assume ALL the "good guys" are there (including Cor and Aravis, Bree and Hwin, etc.). Lewis probably didn't want to list EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER in Aslan's Country! :)

3. Tash never scared me for some reason. None of the evil characters scared me, even as a child (though I did not read the books till I was 10-12).

4. While I did feel let down that Lewis does not continue describing Aslan's Country at the end, I did understand that Lewis wanted to leave that up to OUR imaginations. I also enjoy thinking of Heaven as being like Aslan's Country--bigger and better than this world, but yet still recognizable. I also loved the fact that the "Britain" section was connected--through the Mountain--to the "Narnia" section...I guess it is that idea of "other worlds".

"Further Up and Further In!":D

[Son of Adam]

Actually this is my favorite book of the entire series. As a pastor and former Bible College teacher, I have taught Bible Prophecy for many, many years. I am fascinated by the subject. I see many parallels between "The Last Battle" and Biblical End-time prophecies. So actually every time I read "The Last Battle", I feel excited and blessed and look forward to heaven more each day as I think Mr. Lewis gives us a very interesting and perhaps a prophetic look into heaven. "further in and further up".

[inkspot]

Yah, I love the ending, but I always cry and cry ...

I agree with Elentari about those pesky dwarves and particularl dislike them for shooting the horses!

[Dragonchild]

TLB is my favorite, too, and has been so from the beginning on. But I can recall that I WAS afraid of Tash when I first read it (must have been around 13, 24 years old). I am reading this thread and up pops the picture of Tash with his many arms and veiled, somehow, in stench and darkness as he appears in my almost-read-to-pieces-Paperback edition.

When I first read TLB I knew nothing about Christ, at least nothing good, and I remember I was disappointed when it says in the end that Aslan didn't appear to them as a lion any more. I thought: Drat it! Now he probably turns into a lamb or into that guy with the long hair and the sandals. Pity, a lion is much more picturesque than a 30-year old jewish carpenter.

Over the years I got to know this jewish carpenter more and more (as he had been knowing me all along) and when I read the book now this sentence is one of my favorite. For, of course, I know that Aslan did not redeem us but I also know that Mr. Lewis and I share the same hope and Aslan was born out of this hope so he's kind of real, too, and I so like that thought.

All the best,
Dragonchild

[queenaravis707]

I read it when I was 10 and I was kind of creeped out by it. I was also creeped out by the book of Revelations and the Left Behind series for kids... I don't know, but I think I took it all too literally and back then, I wasn't really a Christian, so it was kind of scary. Tash for me was the creepiest part of the Last Battle.

[Catherine]

i first rea it when i was like....well, i guess i was about eight or so....it didn't really freak me out, but i was sad at some parts....like when the bear dies.he's a very minor character and its only like one line in the book, but i always feel really sad at that part.

[Vanzetti]

When I read TLB, I interpreted the ending as if all worlds ended, not just Narnia.

[fernshirehobbit]

when i was little, reading the part about the shed scared me a bit. i was way more freaked out when reading horse and his boy though

[inkspot]

Welcome, Vanzetti! I didn't see you post before.

Fernshire, what freaked you out about HHB?

[Kells]

I was inconsolable the first time I read it. I think I was 7, and my parents had only read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with me. They thought that the stories wouldn't have anything that would upset me and were happy to see me reading. But I read The Last Battle all at once. I had to keep reading and make sure things would be okay.

I was horrified that Shift manipulated the Narnians' love for Aslan, that Cair Paravel had been taken, when Eustace was thrown through the stable door and the worst was learning what had happened to the friends of Narnia.

I think I was too young to understand it, and now whenever we sell a set of the books at the bookstore, I tell parents to read The Last Battle before their children and then with them. I'm older now, and I understand and love the end of the books now. I know to feel sorry for Susan, even though I am convinced that she would know where they have gone and make sure Aunt Alberta and Uncle Harold knew, too, and anyone else who would listen.

And now, I mostly cry at the end of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, when they are back in the spare room, and at the ends of Prince Caspian and Dawn Treader.

[Elentari]

I was horrified that Shift manipulated the Narnians' love for Aslan, that Cair Paravel had been taken, when Eustace was thrown through the stable door and the worst was learning what had happened to the friends of Narnia.

I skip the parts with Shift in them now that I've read the book so many times. I only read the story from Tirian's vision to the end. The whole thing with Shift irritates me. I still get frustrated with the manipulation of the Narnians, I cry when they find that Roonwit is dead and Cair is in the hands of the Calormens :(...But it doesn't bother me in the LEAST when Eustace gets thrown in (though I feel for those who don't know what's coming). When Tirian enters the stable I am excited because my favorite part of the story is about to begin--the happy part where Good ALWAYS wins and there is no more battle, pain, or manipulation! Just Aslan, the Friends, and the re-discovery of the True Narnia they have just entered into! :) It's simply grand!

[fernshirehobbit]

Welcome, Vanzetti! I didn't see you post before.

Fernshire, what freaked you out about HHB?
i was a young child... i was reading it... it got late at night... i got to the part where their were tombs...;)

[inkspot]

i was a young child... i was reading it... it got late at night... i got to the part where their were tombs...;)
LOL! That was a scary part ...

Yah, in TLB the wretchedness of that Shift! Pretending Aslan was comanding all that stuff. That made me very distressed.

[lizardy]

:eek:Yea, it freak me out. But, I think that it's a happy ending cuz they gone to the their fav place! Only it isn't for Susan who lose her whole family in a horrobly way n left with out fate.

[Elentari]

i was a young child... i was reading it... it got late at night... i got to the part where their were tombs...;)

That part scared me the first time, but after that I always knew the cat would come and the Cat was Aslan. :)

[Kells]

i was a young child... i was reading it... it got late at night... i got to the part where their were tombs...;)

Odd, that one unsettles me now as an adult - the scene with Rabadash's plans to take back what he considers his - learning that men like Rabadash were not figments of Lewis's imagination.