The Horse and His Boy
C.S. Lewis, 1954
Fantasy Young adultContemporary fictionLiterary fiction
A boy and a talking horse flee slavery in the south and ride north through desert cities and mountain passes, toward a lion they cannot outrun. A brisk, sunlit escape story with a plain, old-fashioned voice, full of desert dust, talkative animals and a sense of being watched over.
Feels like wonder, hope and serenity. About freedom, identity and death.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you enjoy children's fantasy with talking beasts, long rides and a moral edge, especially as a read-aloud. The narration is dated in places, and its asides about courage and pride can slow the adventure for readers who want a smoother modern style.
Why read it
It offers a clean, hopeful adventure about escaping cruelty and choosing who you are, with a lion-haunted landscape that stays in the mind.
A page from the book
The strange peace in walking toward what could destroy you.
Then Hwin, though shaking all over, gave a strange little neigh and trotted across to the Lion."Please," she said, "you’re so beautiful. You may eat me if you like. I’d sooner be eaten by you than fed by anyone else. C.S. Lewis.Lewis set The Horse and His Boy during the reign of the Pevensies, the Golden Age that follows The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Books that feel like this
More by C.S. Lewis
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
C.S. Lewis, 1950
Four children walk through the back of a wardrobe into a country locked in endless winter, where the animals talk and a lion is expected.
The Silver Chair
C.S. Lewis, 1953
Two children descend into an underground kingdom to rescue a prince, armed with four signs and very little courage.
The Last Battle
C.S. Lewis, 1956
Narnia's last days: an ape, a donkey, a false Aslan, and a handful of creatures deciding what they still believe.
Where to get it
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Questions readers ask
- Is The Horse and His Boy for me?
- You may like it if you enjoy children's fantasy with talking beasts, long rides and a moral edge, especially as a read-aloud. The narration is dated in places, and its asides about courage and pride can slow the adventure for readers who want a smoother modern style.
- What is The Horse and His Boy like?
- A brisk, sunlit escape story with a plain, old-fashioned voice, full of desert dust, talkative animals and a sense of being watched over. Feels like wonder, hope and serenity. About freedom, identity and death.
- What should I read after The Horse and His Boy?
- If you liked The Horse and His Boy, try Throne of Glass (Sarah J. Maas), The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) and The City of Ember (Jeanne DuPrau).
A taste of the feed
A dare that lands because it names the fear, not the dream.
You could rattle the stars,“ she whispered. ”You could do anything, if only you dared. And deep down, you know it, too. That’s what scares you most.
Throne of Glass · Sarah J. Maas
The nothing-to-lose freedom of being robbed in a foreign country.
He looked around at the empty plaza again, feeling less desperate than before. This wasn’t a strange place; it was a new one…he had already traveled farther than any shepherd he knew. Oh, if they only knew how different things are just two hours by ship from where they are, he thought….As he mused about these things, he realized that he had to choose between thinking of himself as the poor victim of a thief and as an adventurer in quest of his treasure. “I’m an adventurer, looking for treasure,” he said to himself.
The Alchemist · Paulo Coelho
A city lit entirely by lamps, and the dark it can't explain.
In the city of Ember, the sky was always dark. The only light came from great floodlamps mounted on the buildings and at the tops of poles in the middle of the larger squares. When the lights were on, they cast a yellowish glow over the streets; people walking by threw long shadows that shortened and then stretched out again. When the lights were off, as they were between nine at night and six in the morning, the city was so dark that people might as well have been wearing blindfolds.
The City of Ember · Jeanne DuPrau
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