The Last Battle

By C. S. Lewis

In The Last Battle, an evil ape tricks a donkey into wearing a lion's skin and makes the people of Narnia believe it is Aslan. Teaming up with the base Calormenes to the south, the ape enslaves the inhabitants of Narnia and sets its very destruction in motion. King Rilian's fervent appeal for help effects the return of Eustace and Jill. But will the others return as well? Will Aslan save Narnia in its darkest hour? The sixth book of the Chronicles of Narnia, it was first published in 1956.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dreamscape Media
• Release date: May 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781974908493

C. S. Lewis

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and have been transformed into three major motion pictures. Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) fue uno de los intelectuales más importantes del siglo veinte y podría decirse que fue el escritor cristiano más influyente de su tiempo. Fue profesor particular de literatura inglesa y miembro de la junta de gobierno en la Universidad Oxford hasta 1954, cuando fue nombrado profesor de literatura medieval y renacentista en la Universidad Cambridge, cargo que desempeñó hasta que se jubiló. Sus contribuciones a la crítica literaria, literatura infantil, literatura fantástica y teología popular le trajeron fama y aclamación a nivel internacional. C. S. Lewis escribió más de treinta libros, lo cual le permitió alcanzar una enorme audiencia, y sus obras aún atraen a miles de nuevos lectores cada año. Sus más distinguidas y populares obras incluyen Las Crónicas de Narnia, Los Cuatro Amores, Cartas del Diablo a Su Sobrino y Mero Cristianismo.

Book preview

Chapter 1

By Caldron Pool

In the last days of Narnia, far up to the west beyond Lantern Waste and close beside the great waterfall, there lived an Ape. He was so old that no one could remember when he had first come to live in those parts, and he was the cleverest, ugliest, most wrinkled Ape you can imagine. He had a little house, built of wood and thatched with leaves, up in the fork of a great tree, and his name was Shift. There were very few Talking Beasts or Men or Dwarfs, or people of any sort, in that part of the wood, but Shift had one friend and neighbour who was a donkey called Puzzle. At least they both said they were friends, but from the way things went on you might have thought Puzzle was more like Shift’s servant than his friend. He did all the work. When they went together to the river, Shift filled the big skin bottles with water but it was Puzzle who carried them back. When they wanted anything from the towns further down the river, it was Puzzle who went down with empty panniers on his back and came back with the panniers full and heavy. And all the nicest things that Puzzle brought back were eaten by Shift; for as Shift said, You see Puzzle, I can’t eat grass and thistles like you, so it’s only fair I should make it up in other ways. And Puzzle always said, Of course, Shift, of course. I see that. Puzzle never complained, because he knew that Shift was far cleverer than himself and he thought it was very kind of Shift to be friends with him at all. And if ever Puzzle did try to argue about anything, Shift would always say, Now, Puzzle, I understand what needs to be done better than you. You know you’re not clever, Puzzle. And Puzzle always said, "No, Shift. It’s quite true. I’m not clever." Then he would sigh and do whatever Shift had said.

One morning early in the year the pair of them were out walking along the shore of Caldron Pool. Caldron Pool is the big pool right under the cliffs at the western end of Narnia. The great waterfall pours down into it with a noise like everlasting thunder, and the River of Narnia flows out on the other side. The waterfall keeps the pool always dancing and bubbling and churning round and round as if it were on the boil, and that of course is how it got its name of Caldron Pool. It is liveliest in the early spring when the waterfall is swollen with all the snow that has melted off the mountains from up beyond Narnia in the Western Wild from which the river comes. And as they looked at Caldron Pool, Shift suddenly pointed with his dark, shiny finger and said,

Look! What’s that?

What’s what? said Puzzle.

That yellow thing that’s just come down the waterfall. Look! There it is again, it’s floating. We must find out what it is.

Must we? said Puzzle.

Of course we must, said Shift. It may be something useful. Just hop into the Pool like a good fellow and fish it out. Then we can have a proper look at it.

Hop into the Pool? said Puzzle, twitching his long ears.

Well how are we to get it if you don’t? said the Ape.

But—but, said Puzzle, wouldn’t it be better if you went in? Because, you see it’s you who want to know what it is, and I don’t much. And you’ve got hands, you see. You’re as good as a Man or a Dwarf when it comes to catching hold of things. I’ve only got hoofs.

Really, Puzzle, said Shift, I didn’t think you’d ever say a thing like that. I didn’t think it of you, really.

Why, what have I said wrong? said the Ass, speaking in rather a humble voice, for he saw that Shift was very deeply offended. All I meant was—

"Wanting me to go into the water, said the Ape. As if you didn’t know perfectly well what weak chests Apes always have and how easily they catch cold! Very well. I will go in. I’m feeling cold enough already in this cruel wind. But I’ll go in. I shall probably die. Then you’ll be sorry." And Shift’s voice sounded as if he was just going to burst into tears.

Please don’t, please don’t, please don’t, said Puzzle, half braying and half talking. I never meant anything of the sort, Shift, really I didn’t. You know how stupid I am and how I can’t think of more than one thing at a time. I’d forgotten about your weak chest. Of course I’ll go in. You mustn’t think of doing it yourself. Promise me you won’t, Shift.

So Shift promised, and Puzzle went cloppety-clop on his four hoofs round the rocky edge of the Pool to find a place where he could get in. Quite apart from the cold it was no joke getting into that quivering and foaming water, and Puzzle had to stand and shiver for a whole minute before he made up his mind to do it. But then Shift called out from behind him and said: Perhaps I’d better do it after all, Puzzle. And when Puzzle heard that he said, No, no. You promised. I’m in now, and in he went.

A great mass of foam got him in the face and filled his mouth with water and blinded him. Then he went under altogether for a few seconds, and when he came up again he was in quite another part of the Pool. Then the swirl caught him and carried him round and round and faster and faster till it took him right under the waterfall itself, and the force of the water plunged him down, deep down, so that he thought he would never be able to hold his breath till he came up again. And when he had come up and when at last he got somewhere near the thing he was trying to catch, it sailed away from him till it too got under the fall and was forced down to the bottom. When it came up again it was farther from him than ever. But at last, when he was almost tired to death, and bruised all over and numb with cold, he succeeded in gripping the thing with his teeth. And out he came carrying it in front of him and getting his front hoofs tangled up in it, for it was as big as a large hearthrug, and it was very heavy and cold and slimy.

He flung it down in front of Shift and stood dripping and shivering and trying to get his breath back. But the Ape never looked at him or asked him how he felt. The Ape was too busy going round and round the Thing and spreading it out and patting it and smelling it. Then a wicked gleam came into his eye and he said.

It is a lion’s skin.

Ee—auh—auh—oh, is it? gasped Puzzle.

Now I wonder ... I wonder ... I wonder, said Shift to himself, for he was thinking very hard.

I wonder who killed the poor lion, said Puzzle presently. It ought to be buried. We must have a funeral.

Oh, it wasn’t a Talking Lion, said Shift. "You needn’t bother about that. There are no Talking Beasts up beyond the Falls, up in the Western Wild. This skin must have belonged to a dumb, wild lion."

This, by the way, was true. A Hunter, a Man, had killed and skinned this lion somewhere up in the Western Wild several months before. But that doesn’t come into this story.

All the same, Shift, said Puzzle, even if the skin only belonged to a dumb, wild lion, oughtn’t we to give it a decent burial? I mean, aren’t all lions rather—well, rather solemn. Because of you know Who. Don’t you see?

Don’t you start getting ideas into your head, Puzzle, said Shift. Because, you know, thinking isn’t your strong point. We’ll make this skin into a fine warm winter coat for you.

Oh, I don’t think I’d like that, said the Donkey. It would look—I mean, the other Beasts might think—that is to say, I shouldn’t feel—

What are you talking about? said Shift, scratching himself the wrong way up as Apes do.

I don’t think it would be respectful to the Great Lion, to Aslan himself, if an ass like me went about dressed up in a lionskin, said Puzzle.

Now don’t stand arguing, please, said Shift. "What does an ass like you know about things of that sort? You know you’re no good at thinking, Puzzle, so why don’t you let me do your thinking for you? Why don’t you treat me as I treat you? I don’t think I can do everything. I know you’re better at some things than I am. That’s why I let you go into the Pool; I knew you’d do it better than me. But why can’t I have my turn when it comes to something I can do and you can’t? Am I never to be allowed to do anything? Do be fair. Turn and turn about."

Oh well, of course, if you put it that way, said Puzzle.

I tell you what, said Shift. You’d better take a good brisk trot down river as far as Chippingford and see if they have any oranges or bananas.

But I’m so tired, Shift, pleaded Puzzle.

Yes, but you are very cold and wet, said the Ape. You want something to warm you up. A brisk trot would be just the thing. Besides, it’s market day at Chippingford today. And then of course Puzzle said he would go.

As soon as he was alone Shift went shambling along, sometimes on two paws and sometimes on four, till he reached his own tree. Then he swung himself up from branch to branch, chattering and grinning all the time, and went into his little house. He found needle and thread and a big pair of scissors there; for he was a clever Ape and the Dwarfs had taught him how to sew. He put the ball of thread (it was very thick stuff, more like cord than thread) into his mouth so that his cheek bulged out as if he were sucking a big bit of toffee. He held the needle between his lips and took the scissors in his left paw. Then he came down the tree and shambled across to the lionskin. He squatted down and got to work.

He saw at once that the body of the lionskin would be too long for Puzzle and its neck too short. So he cut a good piece out of the body and used it to make a long collar for Puzzle’s long neck. Then he cut off the head and sewed the collar in between the head and the shoulders. He put threads on both sides of the skin so that it would tie up under Puzzle’s chest and stomach. Every now and then a bird would pass overhead and Shift would stop his work, looking up anxiously. He did not want anyone to see what he was doing. But none of the birds he saw were Talking Birds, so it didn’t matter.

Late in the afternoon Puzzle came back. He was not trotting but only plodding patiently along, the way donkeys do.

There weren’t any oranges, he said, and there weren’t any bananas. And I’m very tired. He lay down.

Come and try on your beautiful new lionskin coat, said Shift.

Oh bother that old skin, said Puzzle, I’ll try it on in the morning. I’m too tired tonight.

"You are unkind, Puzzle, said Shift. If you’re tired, what do you think I am? All day long, while you’ve been having a lovely refreshing walk down the valley, I’ve been working hard to make you a coat. My paws are so tired I can hardly hold these scissors. And now you won’t say thankyou—and you won’t even look at the coat—and you don’t care—and—and—"

My dear Shift, said Puzzle getting up at once, I am so sorry. I’ve been horrid. Of course I’d love to try it on. And it looks simply splendid. Do try it on me at once. Please do.

Well, stand still then, said the Ape. The skin was very heavy for him to lift, but in the end, with a lot of pulling and pushing and puffing and blowing, he got it onto the donkey. He tied it underneath Puzzle’s body and he tied the legs to Puzzle’s legs and the tail to Puzzle’s tail. A good deal of Puzzle’s grey nose and face could be seen through the open mouth of the lion’s head. No one who had ever seen a real lion would

Reviews for The Last Battle

[wfb-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I reread the Narnia series every year, and this last story in the series completes the annual 'fix'.

[sandra.pinkerton83 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great! Wrapped the entire story.

[therebelprince · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This book makes me uneasy, quite frankly.

Look, I'll give Lewis props for a rather unexpected ending to the series. It's bold, mature and the exact opposite (in some ways) of the "everyone lives" philosophy of Russell T Davies or JK Rowling. Completely destabilising Narnia is something that feels visceral to anyone who fell in love with the books as a child. And I did enjoy, somewhat, the comic allegory of the faux Aslan.

But... pardon the pun, Jesus Christ this is skeevy. For the most part, the series as Christian allegory could be wilfully ignored if you wanted to just enjoy the texture of the books and their creation of a world. Not so much here, quite frankly. Even aside from Lewis' infamous "screw you" to Susan for, you know, being interested in sex and make-up, the book is rather blatant in what it wants to push on to children.

As I mentioned in my "Silver Chair" review, I'm not inherently against this. After all, it worked for such luminaries as Dante and Evelyn Waugh. But there's a clear difference here, I feel, and - while I can still appreciate the allegory even from my anti-religious bias - this simply doesn't feel like a fitting end to the Narnia series. Instead, it feels like an overly aggressive Sunday School teacher who's tired of just sitting around and telling kind stories. I completely understand Lewis' passion, from his point of view, to try and show the true terror of losing his world to a more secular one. It's just a pity that rather than simply writing essays about the perceived problem, he had to incorporate it so thoroughly into the final book of a much beloved children's series.

In spite of my beliefs, and the fact that Philip Pullman and his ilk have eradicated our generation's need for Narnia, I still treasure these books from my childhood, and always will. It's just a pity, that's all it is.

[mindea_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I officially finished The Chronicles of Narnia! This series is definitely very interesting. On the surface it is a kids series about a place called Narnia, with a bunch of fun adventures. On a deeper level it is completely and utterly about Christian theology. The creation of Narnia, the belief in and ability of Aslan, the good and evil in the land and people, the place beyond Narnia, etc. This is Revelations retold as children's stories. I remember not liking The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe movie when it first came out because of it's obvious religious undertones throughout the whole story, but ~20 years later I am able to look at it and appreciate it for what it is and it didn't bother me as much. I am so glad I finally read this series.

[justagirlwithabook · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Chronicles of Narnia really define my childhood in so many ways. I remember being read to at night before bed as my parents made their way through each of these books and my imagination went running rampant. I absolutely adored each one of these stories, the children and their tumbles into Narnia, the lessons that they learned from Aslan and his people, and the greater implications it had on me as a reader and human being. I adore British literature, and especially children's British literature from the master, C.S. Lewis!

[marie2830-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I cried at the end. Oh god I love this series!

[bell7_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A crafty Ape named Shift finds a lion skin and, using it to cover a donkey named Puzzle, tricks him into masquerading as Aslan and the Talking Beasts of Narnia into following his whims, even going up against King Tirian.I'll be honest here... this book is probably one of the ones that had the most impact on my decision to be an English major. When I was 8-9 years old, I most often named it my favorite book. Okay so the plot is razor thin and choppy, and reading it as an adult I was a little disappointed at times that things didn't quite match my recollection. But as a kid...oh, as a kid I was so proud to have figured out some of the parallels between this book and prophecy in the Bible. Reading "between the lines" was new to me, and the ability to match one thing with another and see Lewis's interpretations of end times and heaven and the rest just fascinated me. I still love the last few chapters and the very last line especially gets me every time.

[comfypants · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The adventure/battle stuff is nice enough, although "The Last Skirmish" would be a more appropriate title. The allegorical aspect is not so great; the pretense of this being fantasy gets thinner and thinner as the book becomes purely religious in the end.

[bill5bradford · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had forgotten how well written the last of the Narnia series is. Lewis is more open about the Christian basis of the series in this than in any other, I believe, but weaves it into a compelling story. There are so many elements at play, and all are done so skillfully, that it is difficult to single any one out. New well developed characters meet those from the prior stories and it is a very satisfying conclusion for all (with one exception). It is nice to finish on such a high point.

[silverwing2332 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing series, and an amazing book. There is very little else I can say that no one else has, but this book is wonderful, and a great conclusion to the series. These books always seem darker than books geared towards the young audience normally are. I, personally, loved how dark and deep the novel was, and although I still have trouble remembering or understanding all the details of the book, it still left an impact on me.

[pussreboots · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Up until the last three chapters, I enjoyed the book. Save for the rather poorly written and equally poorly veiled retelling of Revelations in the last three chapters, The Last Battle is a parable about the dangers of blindly following. It starts with a monkey's deception and coercian of a donkey. From there it leads to the corruption and invasion of Narnia and the dethroning of the last monarch. At the last battle (actually the only battle in the book) C.S. Lewis stops telling a story and just starts preaching. It would have been a more powerful book if the characters had just been allowed to be defeated. Instead the entire world is destroyed and all the characters killed just so they can all be "happily" reunited in the last chapter with characters from previous chapters. LAME ENDING to an otherwise well written book.

[sueincyprus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Last of the seven 'Narnia' chronicles. This is an exciting adventure with a fairly overt underlying message about the Christian doctrine of the End Times. Manipulative Shift the ape persuades the gentle donkey Puzzle to dress up and pretend to be someone else... disaster follows until two children from our world go to join King Tirian. Lovely ending.

[amelish · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Suddenly the King leaned hard on his friend's neck and bowed his head.

"Jewel," he said, "what lies before us? Horrible thoughts arise in my heart. If we had died before today we should have been happy."

"Yes," said Jewel. "We have lived too long. The worst thing in the world has come upon us." They stood like that for a minute or two and then went on.

[hippielunatic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Last Battle doesn't feel like the other Narnia tales. Perhaps it isn't supposed to, in that it is not only the end of the story as we can know it, but the beginning of an unknown. In some ways, it is the final coming-of-age tale, in that the adolescence of earthly life is over, and the cast of characters can begin to appreciate the fullness of a paradise life.The absence of one character is discussed within a two page span, and while some readers may question this choice by Lewis, I have to say that I respect it. After having other portions of a Christian belief stuffed down your throat, the need to stay on track with belief, the need to keep your faith a focus, the need to want the connection and to have those lessons shown with such strength, clarity and brevity was a welcome relief.All in all, this is my least favorite of the series, but still worth reading, if not as often as the others.

[emhromp2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book makes quite clear what Lewis intended with his chronicles. I must say that I was rather disturbed by the book. It is a very credible story, for as far as fantasty goes, of course.

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the last Chronicle of Narnia for which C. S. Lewis won the Carnegie Medal as the best book published for children in 1956. The battle is between King Tirian and the forces of evil, as represented by Shift the Ape and his poor dupe, Puzzle the donkey. Shift dresses Puzzle up as the great Aslan himself, corrupting the animals, slaughtering the talking trees and destroying the harmony of the kingdom. The children from the previous books return to Narnia to help and many other characters from previous stories make appearances as well. C. S. Lewis wrote no more fiction after this book, a great pity.

[stormydawnc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As a kid, this was my favorite Narnia book. I don't think it's that anymore, especially since the whole "Problem of Susan" has become much more multi-faceted in my mind, but it's still a good story. The tone is darker than the previous books, and I don't enjoy the PLOT is much, but I get what C.S. Lewis was doing, and as far as diving in to the philosophy and theology behind his works, I think this book comes second only to Voyage of the Dawn Treader in fascinating spiritual themes.

[deldevries · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another classic tale from C.S. Lewis. Listened to the audio book on a road trip with my family - it made the time (and miles) fly. This is the final book of the Chronicles of Narnia.

[clq_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It is impossible for me to be objective about this book. Obviously the end of the Narnia-series, and the conclusion to seven books of fantastic story-telling. I had goosebumps while reading about half of it, and I'm not even sure why. I don't care one bit that it might have been a little cheesy, cliched at times, and preachy. It was a moving, worthy and brilliant end to a great series. Not that it needs saying, but it's hard not to imagine that the Chronicles of Narnia will still be read and enjoyed for hundreds of years to come.

[ikhaya_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

We still haven't finished this one. We got burnt out on forcing ourselves through the books. They are hard to read after the Horse and his Boy. They become too science fiction for me.

[bibleblaster · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I know people who have read and enjoyed the Narnia books without even really noticing the Christian theological subtext. Lewis made that hard to do with this one. It was impossible for me to avoid noticing his thinly disguised commentary on those who would conflate Jesus...er, Aslan with other, well, gods. And Lewis runs into the same problem as Dante did in Paradisio; it's much harder to describe heaven than hell (or at least hellish problems). Lewis does a lot of "the taste, sight, sound was indescribable if you've never experienced it..." Well, um, thanks. But that's why I'm reading the book. And I admit to a deep disagreement with Lewis' theology (though I respect his work and his creativity); he professes the "one way" of Christianity that led me to embrace the non-creedal religious community of Unitarian Universalism.

[susan139 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The last book, and yes I'm 43 and yes, I still cry at the end.

[melanielost · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My favorite book ever! This book is perfect

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When yopung I disliked this because it was sad, but I have some to feel it is important to undestand the god guys do not always win in this world (or in Narnia)

[jenreidreads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the last book in the Chronicles of Narnia (obviously).This book is a little difficult to read. That the end has arrived is obvious, but it's still hard to come to the conclusion of a much-loved series. And what an ending! That horrible Ape! Of course, it's made clear that it's not really an ending, but a new beginning in Aslan's Country. Not as magical an installment to me as The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe or The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, but still lovely, and a strong conclusion to a wonderful series.

[tom15rose3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was about how Tirian, last king of Narnia, Eustace, and Jill fight against the calormens who are led by an evil ape named Shift. In the end, Aslan comes and destroys all Narnia. Everyone then goes to the "real" narnia where everything is perfect and they discover that the Narnia they knew was all fake.All and all it was a pretty good story.

[maggie_rum · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book gets a bit too big for its britches, at Lewis finally cavaliers off from adventure children books to religious pandering. Still fun to read, but not as action packed as I'd like it to be.

[bexaplex · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I never think I like the Last Battle until I read it. Still, with no new children to get to know and the average bland Narnian king, it's not the best in the series. The end is a little ghoulish at times (Haven't you guessed, children...).

[hpluver07 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This one was my favorite out of all of the books. I liked how all the characters from all the books came together in this one. I loved it! Perfect ending to a series.

[wealhtheowwylfing · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Last Battle was when the Christian undertones began to dawn on me, but even the religious and racist subtext couldn't ruin this book for me. If I didn't have so many problems with it, this would be my favorite Narnia book--as it is, it remains the one I am troubled by and yet return to, again and again.