Book Review: The Last Battle
All good things come to and end, and the Chronicles of Narnia are no exception. The Last Battle is the last book in the Narnia series. And just as The Magician’s Nephew beautifully details the creation of the land of Narnia, The Last Battle, equally describes the end of this country.
Many of the humans and great creatures of the past make a return at the end of the book, but I am getting ahead of myself. In the beginning of the story, we are introduced to an ape named Shift and his dull-witted donkey friend, Puzzle. Upon finding a lion skin in a pool of water, Shift begins to weave a devious plan to convince everyone that Aslan has come back with some MAJOR changes that the Great Lion wishes to make in Narnia.
It is a very dark tale of deception and betrayal. The losses are real and poignant. In The Last Battle, we are actually seeing the end of not only the age, but the end of all in Narnia. But there is, as always, hope.
The TRUE Aslan shows up at the end of the last battle, and reveals all truth. It involves every human and animal (both talking and normal) in Narnia, and in lands beyond Narnia. Most all of our friends from previous books are all reunited and we get to see them celebrate together.
The religious overtones in this particular book are very obvious, and in a few places, a little forced. In one scene, the unicorn Jewel is rescued by a Lamb who immediately disappears. And also at the very end of the book, Aslan takes on ‘another’ form. We can only surmise that He has retaken His human form of Jesus, either way, it’s a great story, but still a little forced.
All in all, The Last Battle, is a great story and as a Christian, it fills one with hope for the future. In the book, there is a very clear description of what Heaven might be like. There is a passage of scripture in Revelation 21:1 that says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” This very scene is reproduced in The Last Battle. It’s truly amazing.
I have enjoyed my time in Narnia, and I probably would have not been able to endure these last few weeks of trials without these stories taking me to sleep. i have always been a fan of C.S. Lewis’ writings, but Narnia feels like an old friend that comforts me and brings me great peace and joy.
There is one scene that always rings very true to me, every time I read it. It is at the very end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Aslan has told Edmund and Lucy that they will never return back to Narnia because they were too old. And Edmund asks if Aslan is in our world, and to that, Aslan says, “I am. But there, I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. That was the very reason you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing Me here for a little, you may know me better there.”
And I truly feel as though I know Jesus a little better because of my time in Narnia. I pray that you can know Him a little better too.
