The Last Battle, as its name implies, is the last installment in The Chronicles of Narnia. Many fans of the series like to pretend it doesn't exist. I must admit I'm one of them. It was published in 1956. So far it hasn't been adapted to the screen.
The story starts with an Ape and a Donkey finding a lion-skin. The Ape immediately decides to dress the Donkey up in the lion-skin and pretend he's Aslan. This hare-brained scheme actually works. (Apparently Narnians' intelligence and eyesight has worsened since The Silver Chair.) And it sets in motion a chain of events that lead to Narnia's destruction.
On paper the plot doesn't sound too bad. Except for the Donkey-in-lion's-clothing bit, but that's acknowledged in the book to be unconvincing. But in practice, it just falls flat. And the fact it ends with the Pevensies dying and Narnia being destroyed drives me mad. Why, C. S. Lewis? If you didn't want to write any more Narnia books, you should have just stopped with The Silver Chair!
The first time I read the book, I kept waiting for Aslan to arrive and turn the tables on the bad guys. But things kept getting worse and worse, and only get better after the heroes die. Years ago I tried reading the first half of the book, then stopping and imagining my own ending. (I used to do this for books like Charlotte's Web and A Tale of Two Cities -- and of course The Last Battle.) But it didn't work, and I always knew that no matter what I imagined Narnia was still destroyed. Very disappointing 😞
This book is best described as "an underwhelming end to a great series".
Is it available online?: I don't think so.
Rating: 4/10.
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