The Horse and His Boy

The third in the Chronicles of Narnia series, The Horse and His Boy is the story of a harsh ruler from where the protagonists- Shasta and Aravis, Bree and Hwin, escape because of their personal circumstances. It is a story of hope and ofcourse magic, considering that Bree and Hwin are ‘talking horses’. The escape is directed towards reaching Narnia but is marked by the travails of a tough journey as well as twists and turns, particularly in the life of Shasta who meets his twin brother and towards the end discovers that he is himself of royal blood. 

The story is marked by expected turns, wars described in an entertaining manner rather than gory details, both of which are appropriate for children. However, given the language, the number of characters with increasingly complicated names (Rabadash is the key antagonist) and the fairly vivid descriptions of numerous places, I am at a loss at the age group for which this story is appropriate. Probably a movie or a drama would do it more justice or a book with a lot more pictures. The story is too simple for those in their teens and too detailed for the younger ones. Maybe an abridged version would be better. In the end, all things turn happy and the suitability for children is reaffirmed. However, I am a bit disappointed about Rabadash being converted into a donkey. Donkeys are nice, it is quite an insult to a donkey to turn a villain into a donkey for punishment!

For adults like me who are smitten by fantasy fiction of the cute kinds, it will be difficult to read since it is too simple and yet too long. 

I purchased an omnibus edition from the Book Fair and now I am forced to read it since I have all the books. If I had purchased one at a time, I probably would not have read all the books. The story does fill you with hope and a faith in possibilities of all things ending happily.