The Horse and His Boy: The Chronicles of Narnia

C. S. Lewis

Oct 2009 · Chronicles of Narnia Book 3 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

Illustrations in this ebook appear in vibrant full color on a full-color ebook device and in rich black and white on all other devices.

Narnia . . . where horses talk . . . where treachery is brewing . . . where destiny awaits.

On a desperate journey, two runaways meet and join forces. Though they are only looking to escape their harsh and narrow lives, they soon find themselves at the center of a terrible battle. It is a battle that will decide their fate and the fate of Narnia itself.

The Horse and His Boy is the third book in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, a series that has become part of the canon of classic literature, drawing readers of all ages into a magical land with unforgettable characters for over sixty years. This is a novel that stands on its own, but if you would like to return to Narnia, read Prince Caspian, the fourth book in The Chronicles of Narnia.

Ratings and reviews

While I always have and always will love this book it doesn't stand up as well to re-reading as an adult as the others in the series. While the plot is strong enough and the characters are interesting, it's difficult to not look at the way the country of Calorman is portrayed as a kind of hokey, racist middle eastern caricature. It's like someone drained all the magic and splendor out of Arabian Nights. It's almost cringe worthy in some points. While I do feel that Lewis is, in general, a writer who believed in equality and included an incredible amount of diversity of character in his works, this book contains a lot of residual racism that was probably entirely unnoticed by the author himself. When you read it everything coming from the southern culture of brown middle eastern type people is cruel, boring, or foolish. Everything coming from the culture of white English types in the North is good and honest and right. If that's not some type of racist bias I don't know what is. Please read the book and form your own opinions about it, but remember that it is only by recognizing where even great authors have made mistakes in the past that we can hope to improve in the future.

I read it as an adult and still feel the adventure the same as I did as a child. If you have lost any of the childhood magic that made you love Narnia in the first place and if you have become a politically correct 'organic'sheep like many are happily doing daily, you will not enjoy this book for the innocent little masterpiece it is.

The story, albeit short and decently predictable, is executed beautifully and told in Lewis' excellent manner. The characters and very likable, and I love that he tied the story in so well to the lore set up in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. My favorite book of the series so far.

About the author

Pauline Baynes has produced hundreds of wonderful illustrations for the seven books in The Chronicles of Narnia. In 1968 she was awarded the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal for her outstanding contribution to children's literature.