The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy (1954) by Clive Staples Lewis
This story is not as familiar as the famous ones made into movies like The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe or Prince Caspian or The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (by the way, in 2018, Netflix already purchased the rights and will reboot the series. I have high expectations about the production quality. Still, I hope that they will not distort the character of Aslan and kept the stories as original as possible) and that's what makes it an exciting read. The Horse and His Boy is the third book in chronological order but the fifth book in the publication order. There are four main characters in this story. First, a boy named Shasta, who lived in Calormen, discovered that the man he stayed with was not his birth father and would be sold into slavery. It makes sense since Shasta felt that he had "little love" for his guardian. While thinking about what to do, Shasta was surprised to know that the would-be master's horse was a Talking Horse from Narnia. So, the second character is the horse named Bree. Together they planned an escape and heading "For Narnia and the North!" Then early on their journey, they meet another pair of runaways, the third character, a girl named Aravis, and a mare, the fourth character, a Talking Horse too, named Hwin.
Bree and Hwin know for sure where they are going, namely, the land of Narnia, their birthplace, before being captured as dumb animals by the Calormenes. Meanwhile, Aravis, a girl from a noble Calormene family, just wanted to run away as far as possible to avoid being forced into marriage. So she followed wherever Hwin went. Shasta (funny name), on the other hand, is very clueless. He still needs to know his identity. Before the journey, he always "look eagerly to the North" but doesn't know why and he felt very out of place as the 'son' of fisherman in the far south of Calormen. So like any other adventure story, the journey of these four characters is about self-discovery, friendship, conflicts, and especially for Shasta, an exploration of his true identity. Interestingly, the story takes place when Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy were kings and queens of Narnia (although Peter the High King was absent from this story because he was fighting against the giants elsewhere). The four characters encountered with the mysterious Aslan always fascinate me. He was 'there' even before they began the journey and every step of the way. When Shasta first met with Aslan (as "The Voice," then as "The Thing," and as himself), he asked, "Who are you?"
"I was the lion… I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to received you" (page 281). And as you read on - I hope you do - you will discover that Aslan was not 'safe' in a sense that he was the one who puts the children and horses amid danger, and yet he is 'good' because he would make sure that they will be victorious (although wounded along the way) to the end. Remember what Mr. Beaver said to little Lucy years ago about Aslan? "He isn't safe. But he's good." To enter Narnia, you have to be tested by fire! As I closed this book last week, I was inspired and shouted, "For Narnia and the North!" Of course, not too loud as to wake up my neighbors… ✅
#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #TheChroniclesOfNarnia #CSLewis #RealmOfImagination #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain
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