The Silver Chair (Chronicles of Narnia) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Silver Chair (1953) is a children's fantasy novel, the fourth in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. The reformed Eustace, along with his classmate Jill, are summoned to Narnia to rescue the now-aged King Caspian's only son.
The Silver Chair is a solid adventure, and, with its structure and content (giants, caverns, witches and such), is reminiscent of traditional fairy tales. On the downside, the story turns on a couple of rather predictable twists (they may be predictable even to children, at least to children who have, as Lewis might say, "read the right sort of books"), and there really isn't much of a climax.
Lewis always has moral themes going on, but here, they're particularly good. Eustace and Jill have to learn hard lessons in accountability and personal responsibility. The related theme of faithful obedience in the face of death is powerfully done: Eustace and Jill struggle the whole time, in sharp contrast to Prince Rilian, whose faith is summed up when he says, "Aslan will be our good lord, whether he means us to live or die. And all's one, for that." Lewis also continues to take shots at "modern" values by setting up his "Experiment House" school and then blasting it mercilessly; this assault is unapologetically obvious.
The characters are well done here: Eustace continues his struggle toward maturity. Jill, in contrast to the always positive but not particularly capable Lucy, is (and becomes) a competent and practical character. Puddleglum, the wettest of all blankets, is a nice supporting character (thankfully Lewis doesn't overdo it with him). And Rilian's simple but unshakeable faith is impressive.
The Silver Chair is a solid entry in the series, even if the moral themes pack more punch than the story itself.


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The Narnia Chronicles, first published in 1950, have been and remain some of the most enduringly popular ever published. The best known, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, has been translated into 29 languages! The illustrations in this book have been coloured by the original artist, Pauline Baynes.SILVER CHAIR"Quick!" said Eustace. "Hold hands! We mustn't get separated!" And before Jill quite knew what was happening, he had pulled her out of the door, out of the school grounds, out of England, out of our whole world into That Place.Eustace and Jill are whisked to the land of Narnia where Aslan, the great Lion, needs their help to find the missing Prince Rilian. Teaming up with Puddleglum, the Marsh Wiggle, the search takes them through some of the most dangerous underland of Narnia. Even if they attain their goal, it can only be the start of further trouble.

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Works of Jules Verne (Volume 13); The Robinson Crusoe School. the Star of the South. Purchase of the North Pole Review

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(More customer reviews)This omnibus from Avenel collects five of Jules Verne's most popular novels, and three stories from one of his first collections. These are all the earliest translations into English of his works, often appearing just months after the original French editions, containing many of the original illustrations. Oddly enough, the cover painting, although of Captain Nemo (a main character in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) is actually taken from an edition of The Mysterious Island which is not included in the omnibus.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a translation of Vingt Mille Lieues sous les mers by Mercier Lewis (1873), illustrated by Alphonse de Neuville and Édouard Riou. It is 6th in the Voyages Extraordinaires series, preceded by In Search of the Castaways, and followed by Around the Moon.
A Journey to the Center of the Earth is an anonymous translation, first published in 1871 by Griffith and Farran, of Voyage au centre de la Terre, illustrated by Édouard Riou. It is 3rd in the Voyages Extraordinaires series, preceded by The Voyages and Adventures of Captain Hatteras, and followed by From the Earth to the Moon.
Around the World in 80 Days is a translation of Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours, by George Makepeace Towle (1872), illustrated by Alphonse-Marie de Neuville and Leon Benett. It is 11th in the Voyages Extraordinaires series, preceded by The Fur Country, and followed by The Mysterious Island.
From the Earth to the Moon is a translation of De la Terre à la Lune by Louis Mercier & Eleanor E. King (1873), illustrated by Henri de Montaut. It is 4th in the Voyages Extraordinaires series, preceded by A Journey to the Center of the Earth, and followed by The Children of Captain Grant (In Search of the Castaways).
Round the Moon is a translation of Autour de la Lune, by Louis Mercier & Eleanor E. King (1873), illustrated by Émile-Antoine Bayard and Alphonse-Marie de Neuville. It is a sequel to From the Earth to the Moon, and is 7th in the Voyages Extraordinaires series, preceded by Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, and followed by The Adventures of Three Englishmen and Three Russians in South Africa (Measuring a Meridian).
Three short stories are included from the collection, Dr. Ox's Experiment, and Other Stories, translated by George Makepeace Towle (1874), with various illustrators: Doctor Ox's Experiment (translation of Une fantaisie du docteur Ox); Master Zacharius (translation of Maître Zacharius); and A Drama in the Air (translation of Un drame dans les airs).
Although the illustrators are identified in the introduction to the omnibus, the translators are not, and I was able to identify the translations with the aid of the Internet and various web sites.

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The book may have numerous typos or missing text. It is not illustrated or indexed. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website. You can also preview the book there.Purchasers are also entitled to a trial membership in the publisher's book club where they can select from more than a million books for free.Volume: 13 Original Publisher: f.Tyler Daniels co., inc. Publication date: 1911Subjects: Fiction / Classics; Fiction / Literary; Fiction / Science Fiction / General

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