I feel a bit bad only giving this two stars as, with one glaring exception, I have fond experiences of Narnia. But the sad fact is, every time I read this book - and I've read it several times, as a child and as an adult - I'm struck anew by just how dull I find it. I know! I'm sorry. It doesn't leave me in an active rage, as The Last Battle does, it's just... forgettable. Every time I think about reading Narnia, I always seem to forget about The Silver Chair, because when push comes to shove I just don't care that much about it. It could disappear from Narnian canon tomorrow and while I wouldn't rejoice I wouldn't miss it either. I probably wouldn't remember it enough to miss it, to be honest.

And I'm not saying that it doesn't have its good points. I certainly enjoy Jill more than Eustace, for instance. And I always found the giant interlude entertaining.

But the fact remains, even as a kid, I had mixed feelings. Puddleglum and his "I'm going to believe in Narnia whether it exists or not!" scene... it's meant to be triumphant and hopeful and I get that. Child-me was affected by it - but there was always an undercurrent that made even child-me uncomfortable and suspicious. Wishful thinking, the blind refusal to engage with reality... it's not actually a virtue. And when seeded into dullness... eh. Just eh.