The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis - a mini review

The Silver Chair - book 6 in The Chronicles of Narnia - is a story about duplicity and identity in which the heroes gripe and groan while the villains laugh and sing. 

The major theme appears to be that we are given the choice every day about which of our two natures we wish to be: good or bad. The two children protagonists - Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb - often behave badly or bratty, while the villains are all smiling and charming, such as the King and Queen of the Gentle Giants or the Green Witch. 

Prince Rilian behaves as both villain and hero, and in a clever twist his true nature is revealed when we first encounter the titular Silver Chair. Poor Rilian isn't given the choice about which of his two halves he gets to be - and he only gets to be free of his bad side when he's tied up by the Witch and allowed to be good for a short time every night. Sounds kinky...

Like Rilian, we are bound to our bad habits when we succumb to our base natures - and it is only by the grace of God - or Aslan - that we can be set free to pursue our better selves. Even if God - or Aslan - isn't real, the belief in Him is a useful fiction that does far more good than harm. Or does it?

A moral compass is a fine thing to have and if God exists, He is like the magnetic force that will always reveal the true north; but in reality many atrocities have been conducted in the name of God. As a gay man and a free thinker, I know how easily any religion can become like a Bermuda Triangle that confounds our compass and puts us at risk of becoming lost for good. 

I value the wisdom of any prophet - whether they are divinely conceived or inspired, or have simply become wise because they opted for sensitivity, compassion, and creativity, thus becoming the noblest version of themselves possible. C. S. Lewis stands among the best of them. 

Favourite Story Moments: Puddleglum's pessimism and Eeyore-like sayings. He's the real hero of the story because he alone resists the Green Witch. He's used to putting a good face on things so he chooses to believe in Aslan even when the others have given in to doubt. Also I loved the threat and danger of the Green Witch's insidious spell work. 

Least Favourite Moments: When Jill, Eustace, and Caspian are sent by Aslan on a sanctioned crusade to whip and beat the schoolyard bullies of Experiment House. And I felt shortchanged by the origins of the Green Witch; since the White Witch has such a compelling backstory, I was let down when I learned that the Green Witch just slithered down from the North. 

Rating: 4 of 5 

My Mission Statement

Mission Statement

            I have for many years now been on a quest for Truth.

            In my youth, this took the form of a journey: I packed a bag and hit the road. I left school, gave up everything. Assuming another name, I lived abroad where no one I knew could find me. I put my hand out, and it was filled; the Truth came to me.

            I did not want to live a life that had no direction. I did not want to quake and quail before that which terrified me. I sought the ways of becoming strong and honourable, and found them in only one place: in stories.

            Who among us hasn’t been caught up in the magic of a well-told tale? Or who hasn’t been inspired to achieve their goals, once they’ve read the real-life stories of people who’ve done exactly that?

After reading Fight Club, I burned down a house.

After reading Neverwhere, I leapt off the Sellwood Bridge.

            After reading Jitterbug Perfume, I hitch-hiked to New Orleans.

I believe that my life is a story, and I intend to tell it well. I expect to struggle and suffer, but also to rejoice - as does every hero, in all the myths that were crafted to guide us and instruct us. I endeavor to become the best version of myself that I can be.

My novels are attempts to create real mythic literature; by writing of faraway, make-believe worlds that are filled with wonder and mysterious powers, I’m able to share the insights that I’ve gained, by giving them also to my characters.

In Last Knight, I explore the desire of a young man to become a knight in the modern world, searching for Excalibur in our own time. What makes a man noble? How does he learn to be courageous? Without any role models, without exemplars, how can any of us find ourselves, lost as we are?

The Sylvan Song was written in a blaze of wit and rum: I gave myself the exercise to write ten pages a day, to complete a novel of a hundred pages in a mere ten days. Each day I feared writer’s block; and each day I marveled as the story emerged, speaking to me of Love, and Destiny.

            

             I have a vision of a world filled with people who are uplifted by the Truth. I invite you to share what I have learned in my travels, both literal and literary. My stories are bound to my own story, and to know them is also to know me.

            

              That is why I write.

First Entry

This is the first entry of a new blog.

I'm hoping I will find more motivation with this blog than I have in the past. It seems that inspiration for such things is short-lived, and one has to come to rely on diligence after an initial period of prolific posting.

My name is Phin Scardaw. Recently I have self-published two fantasy novels with a company based in Raleigh, North Carolina, called Lulu. The purpose of this blog is to advance my career as an author and to promote my work with sophisticated readers.

Here I shall be posting news about my progress as a publisher of my own writing, reviews of work that impresses me including films and books both contemporary and classical, and some of the compositions of opinion and wit that I feel the need to share.


Phin