Book #43
During the last days of Narnia, the land faces its fiercest challenge - not an invader from without but an enemy from within. Lies and treachery have taken root, and only the king and a small band of loyal followers can prevent the destruction of all they hold dear in this, the magnificent ending to the Chronicles of Narnia.
A fitting and emotional ending to my Narnian journey - albeit brimming with religious overtones and, not unexpectedly, wholesome to bursting point.
Lewis doesn’t wander from his formula here - Narnia is in trouble, and the kids are whipped back to lend a hand. This time, a power hungry monkey has dressed a donkey up in a lion skin, and is parading him around pretending he’s Aslan. Dissent begins to spread amongst the talking creatures, and soon we have a rebellion on our hands - not good against evil this time, but more of a believer versus non-believer kinda feud.
It’s not the best of tales, nor the most exciting, but the skill here lies in the ending. I don’t want to give too much away, but it felt like a perfect way to end our trips across worlds, a real conclusion which there’s no coming back from. All of these chronicles have been heavy with religious allegory, and you see it here more than in most; I had to be prepared to brush that off my shoulders.
So it’s all over. No more blasting through the thin veil between worlds, no more conversations with animals, no more Marsh-wiggles. Narnia is closed forever to me, and I can’t see myself returning as I get older. It’s been magical.
“The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.”