The Silver Chair

As I've been re re re reading the Narnia Books (how many times have I read these?!) I have been wondering which my favourite one is. And just as I was about to start 'The Silver Chair' I thought that this might be it. The last time I read it I was sure it was. Now, having finished it again, I'm not so sure.

The story follows Eustace's return to Narnia with a school mate called Jill Pole. They are given a specific task by Aslan - to find Prince Rilian, Caspian's long lost son. To do this they have to battle Giants, go miles underground, and defeat the evil Lady in the Green Kirtle (is she the White Witch from 'The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe?' Who knows).

I think what makes this book brill is the rather thorny relationship between Eustace and Jill (they only refer to each other by using their first names right at the end of the book), and the character of Puddleglum, the Marshwiggle. He is my favourite character in the Narnia books - so desperately glum yet in fact a real hero. The section where he drinks slightly too much in the Giants' house is hilarious. His speech goes all doolally and it makes me laugh out loud.

But whether it was to do with my mood when reading it, or whether it was because the tone of the book was darker, I don't think this is my favourite Narnia book. I'm now thinking that 'The Lion...' or 'The Magician's Nephew' might be. Oh, who knows!

Incidentally, the first time that I came across this book was 30000 feet in the air as my dad read it to me on the way to America (I think it was America), and I was not at all bothered to hear the end. For years I thought that it was 'the boring one'. How wrong I was!