The Last Battle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The Last Battle

First edition dustjacket original
Author	C. S. Lewis
Illustrator	Pauline Baynes
Cover artist	Pauline Baynes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Series	The Chronicles of Narnia
Genre	Children's fantasy novel, Christian literature
Publisher	The Bodley Head
Publication date	4 September 1956
Media type	Print (hardcover)
Pages	184 pp (first edition) 42,854 words (US)
ISBN	978-0-00-671682-2 (full-colour; Collins, 1998)
OCLC	752428300
LC Class	PZ8.L48 Las
Preceded by	The Magician's Nephew

The Last Battle is an exciting fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. It was published in 1956 and is the seventh and final book in The Chronicles of Narnia series. Just like the other books, it features beautiful drawings by Pauline Baynes. Her artwork is still used in many newer versions of the book today.

This story mostly takes place in the magical world of Narnia. The English children who help in the adventure arrive partway through the story. The book is set about 200 Narnian years after The Silver Chair. It's also about 2500 years after Narnia was created, as told in The Magician's Nephew. In The Last Battle, a fake Aslan appears in Narnia. This causes a big conflict between true Narnians and those who believe the fake. This struggle also mixes with a war between Narnia and the Calormenes, who worship a different god named Tash. The story ends with Aslan bringing Narnia to its final end, after a "last battle" that the Narnians almost lose.

C. S. Lewis and The Last Battle won the Carnegie Medal. This award is given by the Library Association for the best children's book by a British author each year. Lewis even wrote to the illustrator, Pauline Baynes, saying he felt it was "our" medal. He believed her illustrations were just as important as the story itself.

Story Summary

In the northern part of Narnia, a clever and greedy ape named Shift tricks a kind donkey called Puzzle. Shift makes Puzzle wear a lion's skin, like in Aesop's fable "The Ass in the Lion's Skin". Shift then shows Puzzle to the other Narnians, pretending he is the great lion Aslan.

Shift's Deception

Shift acts as Aslan's spokesperson. He uses Aslan's name to convince the Narnians to cut down Talking Trees for wood. Shift secretly keeps the money from selling the wood. He also gets help from the Calormenes, led by Rishda Tarkaan. Shift tells everyone that Aslan and Tash (the Calormene god) are the same. Anyone who questions Shift is invited into a large stable. They are told "Tashlan" lives there. But inside, Rishda's men secretly kill them.

King Tirian's Discovery

Tirian, the last king of Narnia, is warned by Roonwit the Centaur. Roonwit tells him that bad things are happening in Narnia. The stars also show that trouble is coming. Tirian and his friend, Jewel the Unicorn, hear about the Talking Trees being cut down. They rush off to stop the danger. Tirian tells Roonwit to gather a small army to join them later.

They find two Calormenes hurting a Narnian Talking Horse. Tirian and Jewel get very angry and kill both Calormenes. Ashamed, they decide to surrender to "Aslan." While waiting for judgment, Tirian realizes that Shift has made up this whole lie with Rishda and a talking cat named Ginger. When Tirian accuses Shift of lying, he is tied to a tree for the night. The woodland creatures feel sorry for him, but they are too scared to go against "Aslan."

Help Arrives

Tirian calls out to Aslan for help. This summons Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb from London to Narnia. They free Tirian and rescue Jewel. Inside the stable, Jill finds Puzzle. Puzzle realizes he was tricked and joins Tirian's side. A group of Dwarfs are also rescued. However, they have lost their faith in Aslan and refuse to help. They say, "the Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs." Only one Dwarf, named Poggin, still believes in Aslan and joins Tirian's group.

Tirian learns that Shift and Rishda have accidentally brought the real Tash to Narnia. He and the others see Tash moving north. Farsight the Eagle arrives with terrible news. Roonwit and the Narnian army have all been killed in battle. The Calormenes have also taken Cair Paravel while Tirian was away.

The Final Battle

Tirian and his small group move towards the stable. They want to show everyone Shift's lies. Ginger the cat, who was helping with the trick, runs out in terror. He has lost his ability to speak. Emeth, one of Rishda's men and a true follower of Tash, insists on seeing his god. Rishda tries to stop him, but Emeth enters the empty stable. Angry at the lies made in Tash's name, Emeth kills another soldier who was inside. Then Emeth disappears.

Outside the stable, Tirian's group fights Shift and the Calormenes. But most of the remaining Narnians are killed or captured. They are thrown into the stable as sacrifices to Tash. Tirian throws Shift into the stable, and Tash eats Shift. Rishda, now terrified, offers the remaining Narnians as sacrifices to Tash to save himself.

Tirian is left alone, fighting for his life. He drags Rishda into the stable. Inside, Tirian finds himself in a huge, beautiful plain. Tash grabs Rishda and moves towards Tirian. But Tash is stopped by the "Friends of Narnia": Digory Kirke, Polly Plummer, Peter Pevensie, Edmund, and Lucy. Susan is not there because she no longer believes in Narnia. Peter tells Tash to go back to his own world. Tash disappears with Rishda.

The End of Narnia

The real Aslan appears and praises Tirian for fighting bravely for Narnia. The Dwarfs who lost faith are there, but they cannot see Aslan's country. They think they are still stuck in a stable. Aslan shows that without their faith, he cannot help them. The Friends ask Aslan to heal Narnia. But Aslan says he cannot undo the evil that has happened. He brings the world to an end. Dragons and giant lizards eat the plants. Father Time calls the stars down into the rising sea. The land freezes as Father Time puts out the sun and moon.

The people of Narnia gather outside the barn to be judged by Aslan. Those who were faithful enter Aslan's country. Those who fought against him or left him become ordinary animals and vanish. Aslan tells King Peter to close the door on Narnia. Aslan then leads the faithful to his country, telling them to go "further up and further in."

Soon, they meet Emeth. Aslan accepts Emeth's faithful service to Tash. This is because Emeth's service was good and true, which means it was truly done to Aslan. Tash, however, is only served by evil. Aslan takes the Friends to a "true" version of Narnia. The Narnia they knew before was just a less perfect copy. As they go deeper, the Friends meet characters from earlier adventures who had died centuries ago. Aslan reveals that the Friends can also stay. This is because they had died in a train accident on Earth. Aslan then changes from his lion form. The series ends with the idea that this was only the beginning of the true story, which "goes on for ever, and in which every chapter is better than the one before."

Main Characters

Here are some of the main characters you'll meet in The Last Battle:

• Tirian: The last king of Narnia. He leads the fight against the Calormenes.
• Eustace Scrubb: A friend of Narnia who helps fight for the Narnians.
• Jill Pole: Another friend of Narnia who joins the fight.
• Jewel the Unicorn: King Tirian's loyal friend and helper.
• Shift: A tricky ape who works with the Calormenes. He creates the "Tashlan" lie.
• Puzzle: A kind donkey who is tricked by Shift into wearing a lion's skin.
• Rishda Tarkaan: A Calormene captain who leads the battle against Narnia. He is taken away by Tash when Narnia is destroyed.
• Ginger: A talking cat who works with Rishda Tarkaan.
• Tash: The god worshipped by the Calormenes. He is the opposite of Aslan.
• Griffle: A black Dwarf who leads a group of Dwarfs. These Dwarfs have lost faith in both Aslan and Tash.
• Emeth: A good soldier from Calormene. He discovers his true loyalty is to Aslan, even though he worshipped Tash.
• Aslan: The powerful lion who is the true ruler and god of Narnia.

See also

In Spanish: La última batalla para niños