Inkdeath

The final volume in Cornelia Funke's trilogy offered everything that I could hope for. It was a great conclusion to the wonderful story that began on a dark night when three people were pulled from a book into our world. The story continues in the Inkworld as the night gets treacherously darker. The poor are oppressed more than ever and fear lives in the hearts of the people. Their only ray of hope is the White and Black hand of justice. The Bluejay and Black Prince live as gloriously as Robin Hood and his merry men, robbing from the rich to feed the poor. But their charade is quickly put to an end when the Piper, the silver-nosed villain, comes to the village and threatens to take away all the children to work in the deadly mines unless the Bluejay surrenders himself to the law.

Meggie and those she holds dear to herself are suddenly thrown in the face of danger again. More than ever loyalties are tried and tested. Betrayal roams among them like a deadly shark and they never know where it will strike. Who can be trusted? Does anything in this world really exist, or is it all just made of ink? At what point does someone's personal life become more important than the person's obligation? Or does it? Such questions are thoroughly explored throughout the book. It is masterfully written and extremely captivating. I would love to shake Cornelia Funke's hand and congratulate her for a very fine piece of work.

Inkspell

After reading Cornelia Funke's Inkheart, which I loved (in case you couldn't tell from my earlier blog), I had to read the rest of the trilogy. This book was better, if that's possible, than Inkheart. It explored so many issues!!! What is real and what isn't? What are the limits for abusing power? Are our roles pre-determined, or do we choose what roles we will play in life? What is the true meaning of sacrifice? Where does dedication end?

I won't spoil too much, but read the following at your own risk.

After being pulled into our world, Dustfinger finally finds a way back into the world of Inkheart, which is sometimes called the Inkworld. He leaves behind Farid, which makes him disappointed, but he is soon able to adapt into what he thought would be his normal life. But, to his dismay, a lt has happened as a result of his, Capricorn's, and Basta's disappearance ten years earlier. Even one of his daughters has died.

His life only gets more complicated when Meggie reads herself and Farid into the Inkworld, and later when the Magpie and Basta bring Mo and Resa into the Inkworld. The Magpie shoots Mo and leaves him for dead. Fenoglio tries to write everything back in order, only to have everything take a turn for the worst as they face a greater threat than Capricorn ever was. Friendships are tested as they must face death itself to save everything that means the most to them.

I became so involved with this book that I had to stop reading it at night or else I didn't sleep well and just dreamt that I was in the story. When I finally finished the book, I was so sad that I had tears in my eyes. I wish I could thank Cornelia Funke in person for such a wonderful book!

The Last Battle

This is the seventh and final installment of C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. It is also one of my absolute favorites. Aslan has not been seen for centuries. Everything is just as it should be in the land until one day a very clever and sinister ape finds a dead lion. He skins the beast and puts the skin on a donkey and makes the donkey pretend to be Aslan. He then goes on to join forces with Narnia's enemies and combines Aslan with the god they worship to create Tashlan, an abomination since Tash basically represents the devil. They go about deceiving most of the people. When the King of Narnia resists, along with some faithful animals, they are captured or driven away. While captured, the king suddenly finds himself in a room filled with people. They were Diggory and Polly, Peter, Edmund, and Lucy, Eustace, and Jill. All those who had been to Narnia (except Susan), were having a sort of Narnia reunion. When they see the king in the corner, they know they must get back to Narnia somehow. Before their plan can get into motion, Eustace and Jill find themselves in Narnia and are able to free the king. Everything leads to a great, terrible, last battle.

But when pushed through a door, Eustace and Jill (and the king) find themselves in a pleasant country, along with Diggory and Polly and the Pevensies (minus Susan). They are told to go upward and inward and as they do they begin to meet people they know. King Caspian, the Beavers, Reepicheep, even Mr. Tumnus. During their journey they meet a soldier that was an enemy to Narnia. But he tells them he is confused. All his life he served Tash and did all the good he could, only to find that Aslan was the real person to be worshipped. But then he tells them that Aslan found him and said that all the good done in Tash's name is really service to Aslan, whereas all the evil done in Aslan's name is really service to Tash. The soldier joins the party until they reach a beautiful scene. They see a world that is Narnia and England. It is everything good about both places with none of the bad. It is Aslan's country. It is a perfect world. A unicorn puts it best: "I have come home at last. This is my real country! I belong here."

Then they meet Aslan. Lucy gets tears in her eyes and Aslan says, "You do not yet look so happy as I mean you to be." Lucy responds, "We're so afraid of being sent away, Aslan. And you have sent us back into our own world so often." Aslan replies, "No fear of that...The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning." What happens next can be said best only in the words of C. S. Lewis:

"And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."

What a description of Celestial glory! What a description of the joyful reunion with all those we love! What a paradise! "The dream is ended: this is the morning." I long for that day! Whenever I read this book I have tears in my eyes. It is just so beautiful to me. What a masterpiece! Thank you, C. S. Lewis, for sharing this treasure with the world!

The Silver Chair

The sixth book of C. S. Lewis's series is the first book since The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe that does not feature any of the Pevensie children. This time Eustace returns to Narnia with his new friend Jill. They are sent to Narnia and Jill is almost immediately given an assignment by Aslan. King Caspian's son and heir to the throne has been kidnapped. They are to find him. They go off on their quest, but they are easily distracted multiple times. Jill was given four signs by Aslan and did not obey three of them. One night Aslan has to appear to her to remind her of her quest. She feels awful and almost ruins their entire mission, risking their lives in the process. At the end of the story, Jill again meets up with Aslan and is almost ashamed to meet him. because of all the mistakes she made. But then Aslan says to her, "Think of that no more. I will not always be scolding. You have done the work for which I sent you into Narnia."

I love this imagery of the Savior. Throughout the book, Jill feels chastened for what she is doing wrong (or not doing what she should). But each time she was chastened, it wasn't to punish her. It was to put her on the right track. In the end, through the chastisement, Jill was able to do the work she was sent to do, and was lovingly received by Aslan. Each of us makes mistakes and we fall from the path. Fortunately God loves us and so He chastens us and helps us become better people. In the end, if we heed the chastisement and improve and learn to do His will, He will also welcome us into His warm embrace and say, "Well done. You have done the work for which I sent you to Earth."

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The fifth book of C. S. Lewis's series was one of my absolute favorites when I was younger. In this book, they travel to various islands, each with something magical and dangerous. They meet up again with King Caspian, who is leading this voyage. Only this time, it is only Lucy and Edmund who come, along with their obnoxious cousin Eustace. Eustace is a horrible brat and a jerk. Then, one day on an island, he becomes a dragon. He quickly becomes sorry for his behavior and he longs to be with the rest of the crew, but they cannot take a dragon aboard. Then, one night, a Lion comes into the camp and tells Eustace to follow him. The Lion leads him to a pool of water. Eustace knows that if he goes in he will feel much better. But before he is allowed to enter, the Lion (who you must guess is Aslan) tells him to shed his skin. Eustace tries a couple of times, but can never shed enough. Finally Aslan offers to help. He digs his claws deep into Eustace's back. It is painful, but he rips off the skin and throws Eustace into the lake, where he then emerges as a boy again. The lesson? No matter how much we try to do things for ourselves, only the Savior can make the final difference.

Later on, the sailors are sailing through a pitch-black sky with horrible screams and nightmarish voices echoing across the waters. They are all terrified and about to give into despair. Lucy, always the most faithful, prays to Aslan for help. Suddenly a beam of light falls upon the ship and from it descends an albatross, which whispers to Lucy, "Courage, dear heart." She knew the voice to be Aslan's. By following that light and the path set out by Aslan, they are able to escape from that horrible place.

At the end, Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace find themselves on the brink of Aslan's country. There they meet Aslan, who tells them that the way that they will enter in is from their world. Lucy asks if he will show them, and he responds, "I shall be telling you all the time." He then informs Lucy and Edmund that they will never return to Narnia. They are both heartbroken and cry out in despair. Lucy tells him that they won't miss Narnia so much as they will miss him. Aslan then says, "But you shall meet me there, child." Edmund asks if he is in our world too, and Aslan says, "I am. But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This is the reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me better here for a little, you may know me better there."

This is where we learn that Aslan really is a symbol for Jesus Christ. Everything he does teaches us about the Savior. That is why I love The Chronicles of Narnia so much. They ring with truth in every page.

Prince Caspian

The fourth book in C. S. Lewis's series has become better known since the movie came out. To me, this book teaches about faith in the Lord, even when you cannot see His plans for you. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are again called back to Narnia to save it from a race of men that is determined to destroy Old Narnia with all the beautiful creatures that Aslan created. The woods have become silent, the magical creatures have disappeared, and talking animals seem extinct. However, with the rise of Prince Caspian, Old Narnia has a chance to win the fight, but only if the great Kings and Queens of Narnia return. When Susan's ancient horn is blown, the four siblings are called back to the ancient castle at Cair Paravel.

During their journey to find Prince Caspian, Lucy sees Aslan and excitedly tells the others that they need to follow him. But since her siblings can't see Aslan, they don't believe her, with the exception of Edmund. They continue on their path, only to find it is a dead end. Having lost a lot of time, they must retrace their steps and follow the route Lucy originally suggested. That night, Aslan visits Lucy and chastizes her for not following him. When she protests that her siblings didn't believe her, Aslan growls and she humbly says, "You mean that it would have turned out all right-somehow?" But Aslan replies that nobody is ever told what would have happened. Then he tells her to wake the others. He tells her that the only way to find out what will happen is to do it and see. Her siblings grudgingly follow her. Then, slowly, one by one, they are all able to see Aslan.

This book teaches that the Lord has a way prepared for us. It may not seem like the most logical way, but it is the best way. We must have faith in Him and follow the course He has set before us. That is the only way that we can know what will happen; it is the only way to know what the Lord has planned for us. It requires faith, but just like the Pevensie children, we will eventually see that the Lord truly is leading us forward in our lives.

The Horse and His Boy

When I was younger, this book bored me. I thought it was the weakest of all the books in C. S. Lewis's series. When I read it shortly after I returned home from my mission, however, my attitude changed completely! The book is about a boy named Shasta. He was raised by a fisherman who always treated him poorly. Shasta discovers a horse named Bree from Narnia and decide to run away together to Narnia. On the way, they encounter terrible threats. He spends a night alone among tombs with only a cat for company, while he hears the howls of jackals and the roar of a lion. The threats seem to mount continuously and he and his friend are even attacked by a lion while they are hurrying to warn a king about an upcoming attack. At one point, Shasta finds himself alone, riding a horse that couldn't talk in the misty fog. He is feeling very somber when he suddenly realizes that somebody, or someTHING is walking by him.

'"Who are you?" he said, scarcely above a whisper.

"One who has waited long for you to speak."' replies the voice.

The THING then talks to Shasta, who exclaims, "I am the unluckiest person in the whole world!" and the THING instructs him to tell of his sorrows. "So he told how he had never known his real father or mother and had been brought up sternly by the fisherman. And then he told the story of his escape and how they were chased by lions and forced to swim for their lives; and of all their dangers in Tashbaan and about his night among the tombs and how the beasts howled at him out of the desert. And he told about the heat and thirst of their desert journey and how they were almost at their goal when another lion chased them...

"I do not call you unfortunate," said the Large Voice.

"Don't you think it was bad luck to meet so many lions?" said Shasta.

"There was only one lion," said the Voice.

"How do you know?"

"I was the lion." And as Shasta gaped with open mouth and said nothing, the Voice continued. "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 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 receive you."

I wish I could go on with the passage to the moment where Shasta has a sacred moment with the lion the reader must recognize as Aslan. I love how the many things that Shasta viewed as trials were actually blessings. The same is true for us. So many of our challenges are actually blessings. We just can't see the final result yet. But one day each of us will have a sacred moment with the Savior and He will show us everything. This reminds me of a Portuguese hymn called "Agora Não mas Logo Mais." Perhaps that will appear soon on my music blog. The point is, the Savior is watching over us and all of our experiences will work out for our good if we have faith in Him.