Book Review - The Horse and His Boy

'The Horse and His Boy' is my favourite fictional novel of all time. It was the first story that introduced me to the 'Narnia' series. When I was 4 I watched play featuring this story, performed by primary schoolers, and I loved it so much I wanted to see it the next day. Since my mother said no, I listened to the audio tapes and then at five, read the book.

I have read this book too many times to count. I highly recommend it to anyone.

Author: C.S Lewis

Series: 3rd in the Narnia series

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

Rating: 

Plot: After Shasta leans that he is not the son of Arsheesh, and he is going to be sold as a slave, he sets out on a journey with a talking horse Bree, to travel to the free North.


Along the way he meets up with a Tarkina (a daughter of a great lord) named Arivis who is also running away with her talking mare Hwin.

Arivis learns of an evil plot to take over Narnia and the free North by a Prince named Rabbadash who is not interested in peace and freedom, but war and control. It is then their only hope to race this cunning Prince across the desert to warn the Kings and Queens of their unknown enemy.

But Shasta has another problem. Along the way her meets up with several lions that intend to chase him! Is it by coincidence, or not?

Notes: I love the wit and personalty combinations in this book. It kept me amused and hungry for more in the slightly boring bits (like across the desert) and at the end of the book. The talking horses are fantastic! Although they are not completely 'authentic' horses, I enjoyed them immensely.

Themes: As C.S Lewis once said, "We all feel as if we don't belong in this world, because we are made for something better, but it usually takes a journey to find it." This quote sums up 'The Horse and His Boy' beautifully. Other themes are, the foolishness of pride and the wisdom of humility, relationships (not boyfriend/girlfriend, relationships like the horse (Bree) and the boy (Shaster), twins, ect.) and redemption.

Favourite quotes: [Aslan to Shasta toward the end of the book] “There was only one lion … I was the lion … who forced you to join 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 receive you.” 


[to Shasta when he questions Aslan and asks for an explanation for Aravis' story] “Child,” said the Voice, “I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no one any story but his own.”


[After Bree claims that he has lost everything and should go back to Calormen]  “My good horse,” said the hermit, “you’ve lost nothing but your self-conceit….If you are really so humbled as you sounded a minute ago, you must learn to listen to sense. You’re not quite the great horse you had come to think… But as long as you know you’re nobody very special, you’ll be a very decent sort of Horse, on the whole.”

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I hope you have enjoyed this book review. Please feel free to comment and tell me what you think, and if you've read this book, did you think the review was accurate?

From Lauren