The Silver Chair is the fifth journey into C.S. Lewis's fantasy world Narnia. This time out, as before, children from our familiar world are transported there in a time of need. This time the Pevensie kids are out of the picture, they are too old, too attached to our world to go back to Narnia. Eustace Clarence  Scrubb, the un-enchanting child from the previous book, is back along with his classmate Jill Pole (her first time out in Narnia). We were told in the last book, "Voyage of the Dawn Treader", that Eustace is the kind of kid who calls his parents by their first names and that they are the sort of people who don't eat meat and wear "special underclothes." It may not come as a surprise then that he goes to school at a place called "Experiment House". This one of those places where children are allowed and encouraged to do as they please. Naturally, they form themselves into packs and chase and torment their smaller fellows. It is during such an episode that Eustace and Jill find themselves swept away by Aslan, the Lion.

Aslan is the Lord of all Narnia and stands in, within Lewis's legendrum, for Jesus Christ. In this story he takes a more hands-on (paws-on?) approach to things than in "Dawn Treader", snatching the two children from a bit of ugliness at Experiment House and propelling them to Narnia. Once there they discover that Prince Rilian has disappeared into the badlands in the north in search of the monster who has killed his mother. Eustace and Jill have been given the job of finding and returning him home. Aiding them in their task is Puddleglum, a nearly-human creature called a marsh-wiggle. He's a world-class wet blanket but their vital guide through gloom and snow, past un-gentle giants and into the bowels of the earth where their goal lies.

Like many of the other Narnia books, "Silver Chair" spends a bit of time making moral points, in this case, perhaps, that one should pay attention to the actions of others, not their appearance or words. The best example of this is the Green Lady who rules the underworld. Although stunningly beautiful, she is not so attractive in what she does.

This book is a bit on the flat side. There are no great battles or impressive images like in #mce_temp_url# the first Narnia book or "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader", the previous book in the series. This, combined with the grim settings of the plot make reading the book a bit of a down-beat experience.   One notible high spot is the transformation of Eustace from a little bastard in the previous book into something of a leader here.

Aslan also participates much more directly this time out and this leads to a bit of a deus-ex-leo which might be a bit of a problem for some. Aslan, to me at least, is best in small doses.

All in all this book is a servicable but not earthshaking book. Peg it, perhaps, at the center of Lewis's cannon of Narnia.

Recommended: Yes