Rating:  -
Though slower to engage than the two preceding volumes of the Narnia tales (preceding per the chronology of Narnian history rather than publication date), "The Horse..." is perhaps the more focused in its single, clear theme - namely, that lurking just behind the surface of everyday events and efforts flows the steadying hand and ubiquitously engaged attention of the Ultimate. And Lewis does manage succesfully, if hesitantly, to draw the reader in to illustrate the tenet of the Faith perhaps most difficult to conceptualize, that of the third person of the Trinity. This "power just behind the veil" approach closely parallels the writing of his good friend Charles Williams, and that of a writer of significant influence upon Lewis, GK Chesterton. In each case, the writers wrote some (most, in the case of Williams) of their fiction addressing the lurking of the Ultimate in or just behind the banal. With "The Horse and His Boy", Lewis joins them as exemplars of how to handle the theme and does so less obscurely than Williams, and less randomly than Chesterton. Except for a slightly slow start, it is an excellent book. 4 Stars and certainly a necessary read for fans only acquainted with "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."
Rating:  -
Unlike all the other Chronicles of Narnia, THE HORSE AND HIS BOY has as its protagonists two youngsters native to the Narnian world rather than to ours, although neither is a Narnian. It's set during the golden age of Narnia, covered by the latter part of THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, although the High King and his brother and sisters don't come into this story much, as it takes place mostly in Calormen and Archenland, which lie south of Narnia.
Shasta, the adopted son of a poor Calormene fisherman, has lived a hard but somewhat sheltered life. He's never seen much of the world, so when a passing nobleman begins an evening's bargaining with Arsheesh to buy him, Shasta is more excited than worried, wishing only that the nobleman's warhorse could talk and tell him what sort of a man this stranger might be.
"But I can."
Bree, in fact, is a Talking Horse from Narnia, caught as a colt years ago and mistaken for an ordinary animal when he had the sense to keep his mouth shut. And while the Tarkaan is good enough to an expensive warhorse like Bree, Shasta would be better off dead than a slave in the Tarkaan's power.
Bree longs for the childhood home he barely remembers, but knows how slim a stray horse's chances are of making the Calormene border without being caught and sent back to slavery. Shasta, for his part, has nowhere to go in Calormen and no hope of making it far on foot. Clearly, the two of them can help each other, and since Bree is the more experienced of the two, it quickly becomes a case of a horse and his boy rather than the other way around.
Some way into their journey north, the two meet with another equally unusual pair of fugitives: Aravis, fleeing an arranged marriage, and her mare, Hwin. (Aravis' background isn't shown directly, like Shasta's, but told by Aravis in the formal Calormene storytelling mode, which is worth hearing.) The four of them join forces, and in a neat bit of characterization, they don't get along particularly well at first, although all four are good people. Aravis is a considerable cut above Shasta socially, and since even the horses know the same places and people that she does, Shasta is at first rather left out (and sulks accordingly). But on the last leg of their journey before reaching the great desert separating Calormen from the northern lands, the party is separated while passing through the capital - only to learn separately some very dangerous information that makes it vital that they cross the desert as fast as possible, if they want there to still be a Narnia to flee to when their travels are over.
While I enjoy all of the Narnia books, I'm particularly fond of this one, although it has weaknesses. Shasta's Calormen speech patterns are introduced at the beginning of the story, but quickly fade away. Three people originally from our world, on the other hand, have adopted very archaic speech patterns that aren't like either their original accents or those of most Narnian characters we encounter. (They also seem a bit hypocritical on the subject of very young people being in battle, which is another story.)
That sort of thing aside, the book also has many strengths. At one point, one of the protagonists has a chance to eavesdrop on a secret meeting between the Tisroc and two high-ranking members of his court, giving us a glimpse of a very self-possessed tyrant, practical politics, and an understanding of how the northern lands have managed to remain free of the empire for so long. Lewis knew enough about war as an infantryman to write a realistic battle scene from the point of view of a completely untried person, as well as some of the pragmatic facts about the difficulties of organizing supplies for large groups as opposed to small ones.
I recommend the unabridged audio edition narrated by Alex Jennings, who also narrates most of Susan Cooper's THE DARK IS RISING books. One touch that made me smile is that Jennings uses almost the same voice for Bree here as that for Great-Uncle Merry in OVER SEA, UNDER STONE, but with some subtle differences (Bree only *thinks* he's exceptionally wise and experienced.)
Rating: -
The Horse and His Boy is the least exciting out of all of the Narnian Chronicles, but the plot line and the characters make this my favorite out of them all. Shasta is a very likable hero, yet he is unlike most heroes in that he is not very heroic at all (i.e. not good at battle, or even at riding his horse). The last chapters of this book were also the funniest out of the whole series. I was dying laughing when Shasta almost cut his own ponies head off in battle, and when he couldn't get his horse to run and talked about how beastly and horrid it was.
Rating: -
The Horse and His Boy is a stunning and fitting title for this the fifth book of The Chronicles of Narnia. Only in Narnia can the role be reversed, and instead of the human leading the animal it is the other way around.
And the book does not disappoint, living up to the expectations that the title implies. I found this tale to be a wonderfully complete and succinct tale. It started a little slow as it slowly moved forward at a boring pace. But once Shasta met up with Aravis it becomes a bit more interesting: the high born lady meets a lowborn slave. But it truly picks up when they must move through an important border city, the Tisroc's own place of living.
Through the tales of a slave and a high born lady and two talking horses comes a fun and inviting tale. Take your time with this one and enjoy it, both young and old. Another great Narnian tale, one that I would recommend.
Rating: -
While this story lacks quite a bit of the fantasy portion familiar to other "Chronicles of Narnia" books, it more than makes up for it with great character development, superb story-telling, and a complete and fulfilling plot, from setup to conclusion.
The protagonist of the story, Shasta, is a poor boy who is about to be sold into slavery. Desperate to escape this fate, he plays on running away with the horse of his future owner. Little did he know the horse, Bree, is a talking horse from Narnia who also wishes to be reunited with his original home.
Shortly thereafter, Shasta and Bree are joined by two other runaways, Aravis Tarkheena, an adventurous young girl born into riches, and her horse Hwin, who, like Bree, is also originally from Narnia. Hwin saved the life of Aravis, who is fleeing from an arranged marriage, and eventually talked her into traveling to Narnia together.
The four set out on a trek to Narnia where they encounter dangers, fear, and a few humorous scenarios.
Eventually the story unfolds into lessons and values typical of the "Chronicles of Narnia" series. Friendship and bonds are forged via the travels and new acquaintances. Courage is displayed and humility is learned as a result of trying situations, tests of will, and later a great battle. Even the idea of karma-driven morality comes into play as Aravis learns about the repercussions of her actions.
In the end, Aslan (who is present throughout several portions of the story) teaches the ultimate lesson of forgiveness, while guiding and protecting all throughout Narnia. And as a fairytale should end, good triumphs evil, there is a grand feast, and everyone who is just lives happily ever after.
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