simbotheking 's review for:

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

2.0

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Spoiler

This is probably one of the most divisive books I have ever read. There is no doubt that this is well-written with many of the strengths that have made the chronicles of Narnia so popular. However, it is impossible not to judge it by modern standards and the book is undoubtedly sexist and racist beyond belief. I struggled to get through multiple parts of this book from the characters literally dressing in blackface to apparently the word girl being so heinous it cannot be said in heaven.

It's unfortunate but this poor ageing is constantly seen throughout the entire series and, when I have children, I will not read this to them until they are old enough to critically think about CS Lewis' writing. This series is so pro-christian and white English it's a joke - the enemies (especially in this book) are extremely negative stereotypes of Muslims and Arabs. This frustrates me as Lewis is clearly a smart man but his viewpoints as expressed in this series are just so outdated in this modern world.

There's no discussion on the literary importance of the Chronicles of Narnia but it is equally important to understand that they aren't just escapist fiction but very harmful propaganda. It reminds of certain films such as Triumph of the Will which are innovative in terms of scale but deliver a very awful message.