As I mentioned in the last forum post, I'd never read this book before, but I loved the way it ended. Although it did feel very neat and tidy with everyone alive and where they were meant to be, instead of finding it strange, it was actually very refreshing to read a book that had such a nice ending. I kinda needed that in the midst of what's happening. I distinctly remember predicting Shasta's lineage the moment the king thought it was Corin when he came to warn him. I did particularly enjoy Rabadash's ending, though. I fully expected him to die, but I thought his curse was much more satisfying. The thought of being forced to marry someone I didn't love is awful, and Rabadash's willingness to wage war over a woman who didn't love him is horrendous. One of the things I liked best about the book was the politics. We have Calormen, who wants to conquer any land it can find, and we have Archenland and Narnia, which are free nations allied to fight against the will of the Calormen. This fight could've just as easily been between solely Narnia and Calormen, but adding Archenland to the story adds not only another layer of detail with Shasta, but it also reflects a United Nations-like relationship between itself and Narnia. This story is about two nations banding together to fight a central evil, which would've been a very familiar concept to Lewis's audience.
I agree, I liked that this ending was different than what we normally get in stories similar to these. Of course, it did seem to end a little too conveniently due to the "neat" way Lewis wrapped up the novel. I also predicted Shasta's lineage early on. I thought it was too convenient that Shasta had someone who looked exactly like him who was the prince. This seemed to give it away. I agree with your point about politics. I think it was really interesting to see someone who was raised a commoner come to power and hear his insights on the Calormen.
I agree, I was very satisfied with the ending and enjoyed the lack of tragedy. I was really worried Bree was going to lose his voice or have to sacrifice himself for some lesson. I also enjoyed Archenland because its existence proves that you don't have to be a Narnian to be on the right side of things. It opens up more opportunities to be a "good guy."
So glad you liked the end! As I think I mentioned last week, this was my favorite of the Narnia books as a kid and a lot of it has to do with what you just described about what was satisfying about the end.
I love your point about politics because it is so unusual to have a geopolitical conflict in a Narnian novel (in some ways--this makes it closer to the Game of Thrones verse!). And it sounds like you're connecting this too to the global wars that Lewis would have lived through, which is an interesting idea as it suggests that one of the things this particular novel is concerned with is a celebration of allyship.
I love your point about politics because it is so unusual to have a geopolitical conflict in a Narnian novel (in some ways--this makes it closer to the Game of Thrones verse!). And it sounds like you're connecting this too to the global wars that Lewis would have lived through, which is an interesting idea as it suggests that one of the things this particular novel is concerned with is a celebration of allyship.