The Narnia Covers, book 4: The Silver Chair

Book 4: The Silver Chair

This was a really cool cover. It was intriguing--why is that guy attacking a chair? Is the chair indestructible?! The chair attacker was a mystery, androgynous, long hair, slightly royal looking outfit, you can't see the face. What an exciting and mysterious cover! It almost looks more like a classic rock album cover than a kid's book cover--like a Led Zepplin album or something. I'm fairly confident I remembered it right (no missing sea monsters here.)

What I remember from the story: (this feels like I'm writing a school book report, 25 years after reading the book...)

Just two kids, a boy and a girl (girl's named Pole?) go on a quest with a weird swamp man, Puddleglum (who lived in a wigwam?) At some point they are walking in some deep canyons, and they find out that the canyons spell out a word (zero memory of what the word was.) They go underground where there is a race of people (or dwarves or something) being used as slaves by some baddies. I want to say giants. The whole thing takes place underground. The kids are trying to free the slaves, and also escape themselves. I feel like I remember this one pretty well.

I can't remember what the chair was. Was it a magic chair? I got nothing about the chair.

I also, very specifically, remember that this book was where I first learned the term "stop being a wet blanket." But I can't remember who was being the wet blanket.

Thinking back, this one should have been my favorite book in the series. If I remember correctly, it was the only Narnia book where you worried about the outcome--the only one that made you think, "How are they getting out of this?" Compelling! Of all the books in the series, I feel like this one is best suited for a movie. Self-contained with a spooky, tense plot.

Silver Chair--from here on we move into strange territory (I won't lie to you, I've got a yawning black hole in my memory bank where The Horse and His Boy should be.)

By the way, I have a big run tomorrow, the Utah Valley Marathon. I'm going for a personal record: Slowest Time Ever. It'll be my 8th marathon, but my training hasn't been the greatest. Here's hoping it doesn't rain like it did last year. I'd better go buy a plastic poncho. My poncho saved my bacon last year! Wish me luck!