The Chronicles of Narnia Boxed Set

The Chronicles of Narnia (Chronological Order) #1–7

by C.S. Lewis, Pauline Baynes

Complete seven volume set

Genres: Fantasy, Classics, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Christian, Adventure

Paperback

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.

Lewis was married to poet Joy Davidman.
W.H. Lewis was his elder brother]

Reviews

[AJ Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the Lion/Witch/Wardrobe movie came out a while ago, some dude accosted me and said "Dude, the fucking right wing media is trying to say that the Narnia books are all about fucking Christianity!!!"

No shit. I figured that out when I was 9.

But who cares? If you can't enjoy these books at all, there is no child alive inside of you. And if you've got no child inside you, you're not very much fun at all, are you?

[Charlotte May · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Narnia! Of course it's not perfect, but they are such wonderful stories, paving the way for so many other fantasy worlds that followed. Sure they've got the allegorical Christian background, and some of Lewis' wording and phrases wouldn't pass as politically correct now. But if you can look past these small details, Narnia is a truly magical place, the stories iconic, I will never forget them.

The Magicians Nephew

"By gum," said Digory, "don't I just wish I was big enough to punch your head!"

The creation story of Narnia. Young Polly and Diggory are swept up in the experiments of a magician attempting to find other worlds. In doing so they discover the beginning of Narnia, and so start off the tales.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

"Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the king, I tell you."

The most well known of the Narnian chronicles. Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy discover Narnia through the back of a wardrobe. Their battles with the white witch are legendary.

The Horse and his Boy

"Do not by any means destroy yourself, for if you live you may yet have good fortune but all the dead are dead alike."

This one though based when the Pevensie children are still in Narnia the focus is on two young Calormene children, Shasta and Aravis. Having both run away - they seek a better life in Narnia, becoming involved in a battle between the Narnians and the Calormenes.

Prince Caspian

"But things never happen the same way twice. It has been hard for us all in Narnia before now."

The Pevensie children return to Narnia after a gap of several hundred years (though to the children only 1 year of our time has passed.) They aid the rightful heir to the throne in his attempts to stop his evil uncle from destroying Narnia.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

A swashbuckling tale full of adventures! Only Edmund and Lucy return this time, taking with them their dreadful cousin Eustace. They land on the deck of a ship with Prince Caspian - on a journey to find 7 missing dukes.

The Silver Chair

"He was not a perfectly enormous giant; that is to say, he was rather taller than an apple tree but nothing like so tall as a telegraph pole."

Eustace returns with a school friend Jill. To find the missing Prince whose disappearance has led to numerous others going missing in search of him. Their journey takes them to the land of giants and to the world underground. Also the best character - Puddleglum the Marsh Wiggle is in this one. I love him!

The Last Battle

"All worlds draw to an end and that noble death is a treasure which no one is too poor to buy."

A fantastic conclusion! An evil ape is using trickery and deceit to cause the Narnians to live in fear. This is the battle to end all battles and none will be the same again!

5 stars! Narnia is a wonderful place with the most incredible cast of characters. Like I said it certainly has flaws but its achievements overcome those big time!

"All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on Earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."

[Kat Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered The Chronicles of Narnia when I was six years old halfway through my first year of school. I had discovered the joys of our school library and I still remember the day and the exact shelf where I found The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. It was the lowest shelf, the one that rested on the ground and I had to crouch down to wiggle the book out from amongst its peers. By the time I'd finished first grade I'd read them all and searched high and low for any book series that could be as wonderful and magical as this one had been.

Now I could dismiss my love of these books as some quaint, childhood memory that I was unwilling to let go of. Certainly that is a factor. However, the magic has never faded. I've read them all so many times that I've memorized them. I've memorized them so thoroughly that I've told them as bed time stories to children that I've done baby sitting for. Children who have loved the stories and begged to go to bed early so that they could hear MORE about Diggory and Polly or Lucy, Peter, Edmund and Susan or more about Shasta and Avaris and so on and so forth.

It's not just children, either. My husband and I read a book, a proper book for half an hour for our son every night. For the past month that has been The Chronicles of Narnia. It's gotten to the point where he doesn't want to stop. Our son's bedtime comes and goes and my husband insists on reading just a little bit more. He says things like, "I wish I'd read these as a child! They're fantastic!"

Are they perfect? No. The Last Battle is a hard and frustrating read. The Magician's Nephew is a little awkward. The Horse and His Boy is just a TAD controversial for some of its content. But they're so, so worth the read.

To me, there's a magic to these books that time and life has never managed to dim.

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick review

Terrific fantasy setting and storyline spoilt by extremely unsubtle allegory and (as the story progresses) excessive Christian preachiness. Warning: Racial stereotypes abound and may offend.

Recommended for adults who thrive in a Christian religious environment or those who can overlook these aspects totally and enjoy the story. Not for gullible children, unless accompanied by a discerning adult.

Detailed review

I won't insult the intelligence of respected GoodReaders by giving a synopsis of the Narnia stories - I don't think there will be many here who do not know this story, even if you have not actually read the books. The stories of the four Pevensie children who discover the magical land of Narnia through the back of a wardrobe is the stuff of legend in literary circles - a land which they rule over as kings and queens after freeing it from the enchantment of the White Witch, under the benign yet firm supervision of Aslan the lion.

As fantasies for children go, this is a terrific universe filled with possibilities. There are talking animals, magical creatures from Greek mythology and English fairy-lore, and suitably satisfying and mysterious landscape worthy of exploration again and again. So one feels that if only the author in C. S. Lewis had let himself go he could have produced something similar to the The Lord of the Rings.

Unfortunately, he does not do that. The author sublimates himself to the Christian, so that the story becomes allegory - and mostly allegory. The spirit of gung-ho adventure is coated over with sickly-sweet preachiness which becomes so cloying towards the end that one almost feels like throwing up.

***

This book contains the novels in the chronological order as regards the story:

1. The Magician's Nephew
2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
3. The Horse and His Boy
4. Prince Caspian
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
6. The Silver Chair
7. The Last Battle

However, the actual order in which the books were published is:

1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
2. Prince Caspian
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
4. The Silver Chair
5. The Magician's Nephew
6. The Horse and His Boy
7. The Last Battle

It seems that there is a hot dispute going on about the order in which the books should be read. After reading them in the chronological sequence, I would advise reading them in the sequence of publication. IMO, the last two - The Horse and His Boy, and The Last Battle - are better left unread, especially the last one. More about that later.

Aslan the Lion is Christ - this becomes evident in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe itself (he sacrifices himself to save Edmund Pevensie, and is immediately resurrected). The White Witch (and later, the Queen of the Underworld) are embodiments of Evil with a capital E.

(I was a bit surprised that there was no sign of the gentleman with the horns and the forked tail. Evil is entirely feminine - that too, with a perverse sort of sexual attractiveness. It seems Lewis was genuinely frightened of woman's sexuality: Susan becomes a "non-friend of Narnia" the moment she becomes a nubile young woman. Lewis's protagonists, like that of Lewis Carroll, are prepubescent girls.)

The Christian world view is evident from the word go - for example, the animals and birds can all be killed and eaten, provided that they are not "talking animals"! (They have been specially blessed as such by Aslan, we are told, in the story of the creation of Narnia in The Magician's Nephew.) This evidently comes from the Bible where Man is given dominion over every living thing on earth. In case we don't get it, Aslan continuously addresses the boys as "Sons of Adam" and the girls as "Daughters of Eve" and says that only they can rule over Narnia. As the story progresses, it becomes more prevalent - and now racism and intolerance of the heathens also come into play.

The Calormenes - dark-skinned foreigners who worship a savage god Tash, wear turbans and carry scimitar-like swords - are an Englishman's fantasy of the bloodthirsty and lecherous Turk. In their country, young girls are routinely married off to old codgers, and they wage war on the free countries like Narnia to rape and pillage. Their God Tash, however, is a pagan deity who is loosely associated with the gentleman I mentioned earlier - the guy with horns.

The unlikeable brat Eustace Scrubb is the son of liberal parents who are pacifists and vegetarians. He studies in a school which does not have corporal punishment and which does not teach the Bible - and is therefore full of bullies who are encouraged by the Principal! However, Eustace reforms after a visit to Narnia, and returns back to the school and hammers the living daylights out of the bullies. The Principal is removed from the school and ultimately becomes a Member of Parliament, where she lives happily ever after (note the point: M. P. 's are failed schoolteachers who fail to put the fear of God into children).

It is in the last book that Lewis outdoes himself. There is an ape who presents a donkey as Aslan. The ape is part of a conspiracy with the Caloremenes who present their God Tash and Aslan as the same, but don't believe in either. In an Armageddon of sorts, Narnia is destroyed, Tash eats up his worshippers, and the dwarves who believe in neither are confined in a dark stable of their own creation (the fate of atheists?). Also, the ending is patently silly (all the friends of Narnia being killed in a train accident so that they can inhabit Aslan's timeless paradise) and for me, it was disgusting.

Then why the three stars?

Well, if you can ignore the allegory and the preachiness, there are some pretty interesting adventures here. The first three books are rather well-written (although a bit simplistic) and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is your classic sea adventure. The Magician's Nephew is extremely funny in parts. One advise to prospective readers though - please give the last book a miss.

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as a kid and re-read later on, these 7 books were a great form of escapism despite the somewhat overbearing Christian symbolism that is pervasive throughout. The movies did NOT to the books justice but the animated film about Lion, Witch and Wardrobe was actually OK. A must for kids.

[Jaclyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't even begin to count how many times I've read "The Chronicles of Narnia." The truly amazing thing about these books is that each time you read them, they magically become more complex, more meaningful and more beautiful. I first read "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" when I was about seven or eight years old and I did not get it at all. Sure, I followed the story, but the deeper meaning was completely lost on me. Someone later told me that it was a Christian story and when I read the book again as a young teenager, I picked up on that element of it. In the many times I've read the books as an adult, I've come to find that the underlying meaning - not just of "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe," but of the other books as well - becomes gradually clearer until you can't believe you didn't see it all along. The books are like Narnia itself, unfolding like an onion, layer upon layer, Narnia upon Narnia, but each layer is bigger and better than the one above it.

In order of the events that unfold in the story (but not in the order that the books were published), the Chronicles of Narnia include:

"The Magician's Nephew" - the Narnian creation story. Two children living in London are magically transported to other worlds and witness the dawn of Narnia. The story incorporates such familiar elements as a Tree of Knowledge and the fall of man.

"The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" - Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, four children living in England during World War II, stumble through a magic wardrobe and discover the land of Narnia, which has been ruled for hundreds of years by an evil White Witch who has cast a spell over the land so that it is always winter but never Christmas. With the help of Aslan, the great Lion, they seek to free Narnia. This is the most obvious Christian parable, as Aslan represents Jesus and the story parallels the Resurrection story.

"The Horse and His Boy" - Takes place during the Golden Age of Narnia, although most of the events unfold elsewhere, in the southern lands of Calormen and Archenland. Shasta, a Calormene fisherman's son, runs away when he hears his father negotiating to sell him into slavery. Together with two talking horses and a noble Calormene girl running away from an arranged marriage, he tries to get to Narnia. The book is a meditation on faith and the concept that God helps those who help themselves. It's also my favorite of the seven books.

"Prince Caspian" - Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia to help young Prince Caspian recapture the throne of Narnia from his evil uncle Miraz. Not the most overtly religious of the stories.

"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" - Edmund, Lucy, and their obnoxious cousin Eustace, join Caspian, now King of Narnia, on a quest to find seven banished lords who had served his father. It doesn't seem all that religious until the end of the book, which encourages people to seek God in their own lives.

"The Silver Chair" - Eustace, whose personality has dramatically improved thanks to his time in Narnia, returns with his school friend Jill to search for Prince Rilian, Caspian's son who went missing ten (Narnian) years earlier.

"The Last Battle" - Eustace and Jill return again to Narnia to assist King Tirian, the last King of Narnia, in his final stand. The book is a parable of the End of Days, with chaos, confusion, war, unbelief and the worship of false gods. Tirian, Eustace, Jill and their friends can only hope that Aslan returns to Narnia to deliver them.

Read them, then read them again and again and again. You won't be sorry.

[Christian Guzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I would give this book 3 stars. Below I have provided specific ratings/reviews for each story. At first I was skeptical about reading the book in chronological order as opposed to publication order. Now that I look back at it, it works well both ways. I also had some trouble at first with the way the style of writing was presented, but I got used to it pretty quickly. The world of Narnia is well written and detailed thanks to C.S Lewis. I can safely say that I liked the introduction of every story. But, I just personally didn’t find it to be extremely appealing as a whole. This book nonetheless will be someone else's treasure, not mine. I liked it, but I just wasn’t too crazy about it.

The Magician’s Nephew: 5 stars
I would surely want to reread this story again in the near future. Such an original plot! I enjoyed every minute of it. Getting to know the backstory and how Narnia was created was interesting to me. Many people didn’t like how there were connections with Christianity, but I found it to be quite creative. There were a few metaphors between Adam, Eve, and the tree of wisdom. Digory and Uncle Andrew were my favorite characters, even though at times the uncle seemed quite cynical. My favorite moment would have to the fight at the lamp post and how they escaped. One quote that stood out to me was: “What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.”

The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe: 4 stars
I liked these characters, they engaged me throughout the whole story. My favorite character were the two youngest ones: Lucy and Edmund. They seemed to always have something going on with them. There was also more human and animal interaction in this story than in the previous one, but it’s interesting to read about. Again, there are several religious metaphors present in this story too. It was pleasurable reading and seeing all the symbolism. We also get to see more of the magical world of Narnia in this story so that is exciting. I had fun with this story!

The Horse and His Boy: 2 stars
This story started of interesting, but I just wasn’t so captivated by the 4 main characters. The concept is good, but it just isn’t appealing to me. The desert scene felt eternal to me and unexciting. I did not hate it, but I can’t say I liked it. It was ok. Compared to how great the previous two were this wasn’t on that level.

Prince Caspian: 3 stars
In this story we are introduced to Prince Caspian and I must say he was a well written character. The backstory about him and finding out how he commences his journey is interesting. I seem to enjoy the introductions of each story quite immensely, this one being one of my favorites.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: 3 stars
My favorite part of this story was the involvement of the new character Eustace. Even though he was portrayed negatively at first it was interesting viewing how he slowly changed. The dragon scene was enjoyable to me. I am not a big fan of all the other scenes, they weren’t bad, but just not mind blowing.

The Silver Chair: 2 stars
The beginning of the novel was fun, which is when Eustace and Jill embark on their new adventure. They are sent on a mission and we read about their journey. I found many parts dull. This story didn’t have much of an impact on me.

The Last Battle: 2 stars
This story ends the series of The Chronicles of Narnia. There were several parallels to heaven and at first these religious metaphors didn’t bother me much in the previous strories, but I just didn’t like how they were used here. It felt like one part of the novel dealt with adventure while the other part dealt with religion/god/creation themes.

[Mansoor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Magician's Nephew is easily the best story of the Chronicles. First of all, it's the least overtly religious. There is a creation-of-the-world element, but it's not our world so it seems more fantastic than religious. Not only is there a veil over the religiosity, there's so much creativity in this story: the magical rings, the in-between place, the Deplorable Word, the founding of Narnia.

Starting with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, the religiosity becomes noticeable, with the Witch as Satan, Aslan as Jesus, and the Emperor as God. And because of the talking, fighting animals, the fantasy seems aimed at children. I might have enjoyed it more at age 12.

The next story in the series, The Horse and His Boy, takes a dark, ethnocentric turn with its unfavorable depiction of the Arab-like "Calormen" (shoes turned up at the toe, scimitars, suffixed phrases of praise, "son of" lineage declarations). In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, we get a not-quite-positive summary of the Calormen:

"...they are a wise, wealthy, courteous, cruel and ancient people. They bowed most politely to Caspian and paid him long compliments...but of course what they wanted was the money they had paid."

Given that this book was published in 1954, it's possible to forgive the cultural insensitivity, but it's sad that children around the world still uncritically read such racist material.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader demonstrates the problem with using God (or Jesus) in a story: there are no real conflicts. When the Dawn Treader stops at Dragon Island, the boy passenger Eustace wanders off, encounters a magical spell, and is turned into a dragon. This raises all kinds of serious issues about how to keep Eustace the Dragon with them, but none of these problems matter because, within 24 hours, Aslan just changes Eustace back to a boy.

There was a similar deus ex machina (the term being used most appropriately) in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. To save Edmund's soul, Aslan sacrifices his life. But it wasn't Aslan's only life, he had another one ready.

One thing I found especially creative about The Chronicles is how a story involving talking animals justifies eating animals.

[Joshua Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 2005 film adaptation of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was what made me want to read this thick, heavenly book. Little yet valiant Lucy was very close to my heart, as well as her siblings who occasionally thought she was crazy. I was so enthralled by the movie, and I asked my parents if they could buy me the series for my birthday.

My uncle in the US was the one who granted my wish. Tee-hee. After buying this collection from Barnes & Noble, he immediately had it shipped all the way to the Philippines. Hence, this book literally traveled to my hands. I was overwhelmed with happiness when it finally arrived. After all, it was the first series I had ever owned. After caressing it for a long time, I tucked myself into bed and got down to business.

Little did I know that this would be the series that would transform me into a devoted booknerd. At the age of 12, I managed to fly through each novel because they were just so beautiful and fantastic. The perfect mix of magic, adventure, and biblical allusions captivated me from start to finish. By the time I read The Last Battle, I was already a hardcore fanboy.

In totality, The Chronicles of Narnia will always have a special place in my heart (and library). Just looking at Aslan's face on the cover fills me with much happiness and nostalgia. If I were the Ruler of Books, I would require everyone in the planet to read this timeless series.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best series of books ever. I read them all as a preteen and several again as an adult. Highly recommended. I am Caspian!

[Lee (the Book Butcher) · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite series growing up. Very formative to me as it combined a love of fantasy with my religious upbringing. wanted to check out it's affects on me since I'm not Christian anymore.

The chronicles of Narnia strikes me now as a unique series. its probably base on a old-school chronicles format i do not recognize because my lack of college education. Not only does C.S Lewis push Christian ideology over commercial appeal. Which oddly enough lead to lasting commercial success. But he has a rotating cast of human characters from our world in the four Pevensie children, their cousin Eustace his friend Jill Pole uncle Digory and his friend Polly Plummer. along with many Narnian native like prince Caspian, the white witch, Reepicheep and my favorite Puddleglum. The only constant character in the book is Aslan the lion. the Narnian world is also very well developed probably a side affect of Lewis being friend with J.R.R Tolkien. Lewis takes you to other kingdoms, across the eastern sea, and to the underworld. Also spans the whole expanse of time in narnia from creation to destruction. Which is a really neat concept for a series. There's so much good in here magic, honor, valor, and friendship lots of lessons taught in this series. Great for kids and adults alike. a lot to like here and the Christian symbolism is only overt in certain book. i never found it to be distracting. but can see how others would. this series hit some nostalgia points but i am surprised how much i did not remember. The sixth book in particular the silver chair i did not remember at all.

Recommend to everyone young and old, Christian or not, fantasy or non fiction reader. i have encountered few people who did not at least like the lion, witch, and the wardrobe. so if your interested in literary history or good worldbuilding enter the granddaddy of portal fantasy the chronicles of Narnia.

[Werner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in the early 70s, I encountered this wonderful series through the first of the books to be written, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. (Below, I quote most of my review of that book, insofar as it applies to the whole series). I subsequently discovered the whole series, and in the 90s read it to my wife, who loved it as much as I do. We didn't read it in this omnibus edition, but as individual books; and for a long time, I intended to eventually review each book separately. But since the series has so much commonality, I decided that reviewing it as a single entity is more practical.

Note: This omnibus volume lists the seven books of the series in their internal chronological order, starting with The Magician's Nephew, which describes Aslan's creation of Narnia; and this is the order in which Lewis himself recommended that they be read. Barb and I, however, read and experienced the series in the order in which the books were written. Lewis fans debate which order is preferable, and I can see both sides of that. Usually, my preference is to read a series in internal chronological order. But the way that we read this one probably provides for more of a feeling of resonance in the later ones, as certain things that were mysterious before fall into place later.

Most people know that C. S. Lewis was an effective Christian nonfiction apologist, using the tools of reason and logic to build the philosophical case for Christian faith. But he ultimately became convinced that an even more effective apologetic is available through the "truth of art," the instinctive and emotional appeal that stories exert -- especially the kinds of stories that draw on the deep, mythical archetypes of fantasy to illuminate the real universe. The Chronicles of Narnia, his classic fantasy series, was the fruit of that discovery, set in Narnia, a magical land whose world lies in another universe, in which magic works and time moves differently than it does here, and in which Christ is incarnate as the great talking lion Aslan. The first book of the series presents one of the most powerful symbolic literary presentations of the Christian gospel ever written. Although the intended audience, in Lewis' mind, was children (and his various direct addresses to the readers as author presuppose this), there is nothing invidiously "juvenile" about the quality of the writing; it can be enthusiastically appreciated by anyone who loves tales of imagination and adventure, fantasy and wonder; and the truths here, like those in Jesus' parables, are simple enough to speak to children but profound enough to challenge adults.

The Christian message is an essential part of all of the books in the Narnia series. We all react to fiction based partly on how we feel about the message(s) it conveys, and that's appropriate. So readers whose view of Christianity, or of religion in general, is highly negative could hardly be expected to give the Narnia series unqualified praise. (The converse applies, of course, to books like the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman, who avowedly seeks to be the "anti-Lewis;" it isn't surprising that his work is less appreciated by readers who hold a very negative view of militant atheism.) That's a subjective assessment, and fair enough as such. Some other criticisms of Lewis' series, though, are intended to be more objective, and can be debated objectively. (This discussion might contain some "spoilers.")

One reviewer states that the series "has no real conflicts" because Aslan can exercise miraculous power to resolve them. But if this is so, then the theistic view of real life is that it has no real conflicts either, since God has miraculous power to resolve them. But no theists that I'm aware of view real life in that way, least of all Lewis, as his other writings indicate (and insights from all of his writings are valuable in interpreting the Narnia books, since his thought was highly unified). As his writings on miracles make clear, he believed that God can intervene in the natural order miraculously --but doesn't do so very often, because intervening on a wholesale basis would negate the predictability of natural law (and leave us unable to recognize a miracle when one did happen!) And, very importantly, God doesn't make people's choices for them; they exercise free will, which requires that their choices have meaningful consequences --good or bad. So in Narnia, as in the real world, Aslan doesn't intervene very often; and most readers observe quite a bit of conflict. Bad things happen, and they aren't always deserved; evil isn't automatically and instantly punished; and good characters suffer and inevitably die, some well before their time. And characters experience a good deal of conflict in struggling to decide on the right course of action --or on whether or not to do what they think is right, when all the rewards would appear to gained by doing wrong. In one of the books, Eustace is indeed changed back from dragon to boy --but only after he learns a lesson about the value of human friendship; and that doesn't come easily to him. And in the first book, yes, Aslan will be resurrected after giving his life for Edmund --but his death is still an awful experience that he undergoes for someone whose welfare, viewed from a coldly objective standpoint, is nothing to him; most of us wouldn't undergo it, even with the guarantee of resurrection.

Like most non-vegetarians, Lewis views eating of meat as appropriate when the meat is that of a non- rational, nonthinking creature; eating a being who can speak is cannibalism, no matter what that being looks like. Whether or not one regards that as a significant distinction, or how significant it's seen as being, is a matter of opinion; but it is a genuine distinction between humans and, for instance, cattle.

Probably the most significant criticism here is the accusation of ethnocentrism and racism in the portrayal of the Calormen. Calormen are darker in color than Narnians; their culture differs from the Narnian one; and their government is a despotic empire that would like to add Narnia to its domains. (Neither Narnian nor Calormen culture are identical with any culture in our world, though like all fantasy writers Lewis uses this world's cultures as a grab-bag from which he can pull various features. Calormen is mostly desert, but its polity is much more Turkish than "Arab-like," and the idolatrous cult of Tash doesn't resemble Islam.) Some readers assume that any mention of dark skin means that the people so depicted have to be racially inferior; that race and culture are the same thing, with the former dictating the features of the latter, and that the character of a government mirrors the character of a people; and that if Narnia and Calormen's governments tend to be hostile and suspicious toward each other, that must mean that everything Narnian is good and everything Calormen is evil. But there are good reasons to think that Lewis didn't share these assumptions, nor want to convey them.

Two of the most sympathetic and positively treated characters in the series are the Calormenes Aravis and Emeth. Aravis is a strong, gutsy and capable heroine; she winds up marrying Prince Cor, and their son grows up to be Archenland's greatest king. And Emeth (whose name, not coincidentally, is the word for "truth" in Hebrew) is readily welcomed by Aslan into heaven, having amply demonstrated his moral worth. This certainly suggests that Lewis judges, and wants his readers to judge, Calormenes "not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." It's also instructive that a character in That Hideous Strength, Lord Feverstone, advocates "liquidation of the backward races" --but he's a spokesman for the anything-but-nice N.I.C.E., whose social program represents everything Lewis detested.

In the latter novel, closer to the end, Lewis lays out a theory of human cultures in which all of them, at their best and truest, are unique and distinct embodiments of moral and social truth, making a kind of truly multicultural mosaic in which the differences are respected and appreciated. This idea is reflected in The Last Battle, where Aslan's true country is made up of the Platonic ideal of every created country --including Calormen, where Lucy sees the towers of the true Tashbaan. So Calormen's cultural differences from Narnia can be viewed in this light --there is no reason to think Lewis' view of "shoes turned up at the toe, scimitars, suffixed phrases of praise, 'son-of' lineage declarations" was "unfavorable." The latter are found in the Bible (a book Lewis certainly viewed favorably!), and some of his writings suggest that he rather liked stately formal courtesy in social interactions. He contrasts the Calormen oral story-telling tradition favorably with English teaching practices; and if Calormen culture is called "cruel" in one place (which, Lewis would say, is a deformation caused by sin), it's also called "wise." Finally, King Miraz and his gang --who are all white-- aren't viewed as any more benevolent than the Calormen Tisroc and his toadies; the actions of both are due, not to race and nationality, but to the common experience of human fallenness.

This is far and away one of my favorite fantasy series. I'd highly recommend it for any readers who appreciate imaginative literature, and I believe most would find it both intensely entertaining and thought-provoking.

[Erth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This read could not be described any better than this:

Journeys to the end of the world, fantastic creatures, and epic battles between good and evil—what more could any reader ask for in one book? The book that has it all is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, written in 1949 by Clive Staples Lewis. But Lewis did not stop there. Six more books followed, and together they became known as The Chronicles of Narnia.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how you can see Aslan as Jesus giving up his life for us. And the greater power or deaper magic that brings him back to life

[Alexandra Elend Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight. At the sound of his roar, sorrow will be no more. When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death. And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again."

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Prince Caspian: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
The Silver Chair: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
The Horse and His Boy: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Magician's Nephew: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
The Last Battle: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Chronicles of Narnia will forever have an especial place in my heart. Narnia is a magical place that feels me with warmth and dreams, hope and wishes. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face.

"Once a King in Narnia, always a King in Narnia."

I haven't read these books in many years and, in a way, it felt like rediscovering and meeting the world for the first time. It was like coming back home after a long while traveling, comforting and comfortable. But it also brought a new sight to my eyes respecting them.

I love how the story-telling employed by Lewis how it was very simple, yet you could always picture everything perfectly. Though sometimes it became a little too specific in areas that would have done well with just a quick mention. This I especially found in Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader where descriptions could go on for forever. Still, most of the time, the narrative is engrossing and simple and fast.

Of course, we can't forget the beautiful characters! I love them so much, especially Edmund!!! I would get so excited whenever a mention of any of the Pevensies came out. I love them so much (except Susan) I can't even.

“It is very true,” said Edmund. “But even a traitor may mend. I have known one that did.”

What else can I say? Let me see... Oh, yeah! I can talk about my favorite book.

Surprisingly enough -at least for me- it turns out that that place is occupied by The Horse and His Boy, something I was NOT expecting at all. I think it has something to do with the fact that it fills, a little, that big, empty space where I wish there was a novel about the golden age of Narnia.

Of course, that's just a part of it. The book really captured me in its own right and can safely say I love it.

The Horse and His Boy is closely followed by The Last Battle and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, obviously.

"All get what they want; they do not always like it."

I may add that this collection also has a bit of extra information, right at the end, that added that perfect touch. And helped filled any voids or questions I had respecting the history, timeline, or creatures of Narnia. Really appreciated.
_________________________________

And I'm finally, finally, done with my first read of the year!!!

Let the music blast people, life is getting back on track.

RTC.
__________________________________

So a funny story with this one:

It appeared on my currently-reading shelf, though I was most certainly NOT reading it. Here is what happened.

My brother and I share the kindle account, which apparently is connected to my Goodreads account - who knew? - so when he opened it to check it out, it immediately updated. Ugh, so frustrating, especially since it's not the first time it happens.

I am planning to read it soon though!

[Chiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lewis con questo libro ha letteralmente creato un mondo, partendo dalla sua formazione e finendo con la sua distruzione. Trovo che sia un must have per gli amanti del genere fantasy, bambini o adulti che siano. Il libro ha una mole importante di pagine, ricche di avvenimenti, descrizioni allegorie e metafore che catturano il lettore.

[Syndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these series. It starts with a dreamy fairy tales and ending with a big bang. Behind that children story telling, it has a powerful message of God, bravery, siblings love and rivalry, love and becoming adult. Taking responsible. Punishment and forgiveness.

I love all of the siblings especially Lucy.

[Jarod · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mostly well-written, very imaginative, thoroughly enjoyable read. The narration is warm and witty, the protagonists are well developed and likable but not perfect (written perfectly, but with flaws that give the stories depth), and the settings are vivid and fantastic (remember those loony one-footed invisible things that hop around? and the ending, when the boat sails over that undersea city and then into the clouds at the edge of the world?).

I'm always annoyed when people confound the quality of this series as literature with the quality of the worldview it allegedly expounds, as if the literary world is some kind of neo-Stalinist monolith where the only legitimate art is that which edifies us by propounding a correct ethical system. It's just a story, and a good one at that. Furthermore, as an atheist, I think 1) the religious content of the novels is overstated, and 2) even if it isn't, oh fucking well, that doesn't detract from the novels one whit. The books really don't have any more to do with Christianity in particular than does any other story with a character who gives up his life to save others. See Harry Potter 7; see also, religious archetypes in general.

As for the Calormen, I think it's highly possible that the garb was just supposed to convey the exotic, and this particular nation just happens to be bad in the world of the book. Everything is not a political statement. The good faun from LW&W is not a statement about how pagan nature religions are good; likewise, I just don't see that the bad Calormen are necessarily a statement about how the people who once wore curly-toed shoes in the real world are bad.

In sum, it's a good story, and even if all the criticisms of the book-- it's racist, it's Christian, etc.-- are true, it's still a good story, and if all I ever read were wholesome books explicitly conveying a wonderful worldview, I would be bored as hell.

[whalesister · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the entire series, one right after another, eight times in a row when I got them for Christmas in fourth grade. Obviously I loved them then. Just finished reading them again to Eric, my 8-year-old, and loved them maybe just as must as I did as a 10-year-old. Eric couldn't stop giggling through the last pages of Horse and His Boy, which we had to reread when we finished the rest, since it was his favorite. We're starting Prince Caspian again, too--another favorite. I realized this go around how much these books shaped my entire world view, and especially my perspective on religion, though I never knew it as a kid.

One odd little detail that I noticed this time reading Voyage of the Dawn Treader: awful cousin Eustace and his parents are Mormons. Lewis never comes right out and says it, but in addition to being snooty holier-than-thous that nobody can stand, the parents don't drink, don't smoke, and wear a funny kind of underwear. A nice little under-handed slam at a faith that loves to quote him in General Conference.

I'll still keep quoting. I love his writing.

[Dean Ryan Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Done reading THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA. This edition I own contains the seven unabridged books arranged in chronological order.

Author's Writing Style: 5 stars!!! It is ideally written for children in third-person POV in past tenses. The written narration is easy to read and understand (...except for its small font size which can be torturing to the eyes especially for the sleep-deprived). Pacing is fast, it's not wasting time for descriptions.

Character/s Development: 3 stars!!! Aslan is my number one favorite character. This is an ideal choice, I know, but I love the idea that everyone respects, and at the same time, fears him due to his reputation. Aslan receives more pagetime in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - the second book in the series. I get to see how he submits himself to vulnerability and how he bounces back after being bullied. Not a fan of him but Edmund makes a mark on me. In Books 4, 5 and 7, he proves to himself that he is someone special after betraying his siblings due to Turkish Delight.

Plot: 3 stars!!! I commend the series for having a different plot in every book. I mean, the main characters are children, yes, but it doesn't always follow a strict and predictable formula. For example, Book 2 - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Book 3 - The Horse & His Boy tell a different inspiring story without putting similar feels in the plot quality. Book 3 is my top favorite it terms of plot. It delivers, it connects, it finishes strong. I am a bit disappointed with the "travel for a rescue mission plot" in Book 5 - The Voyage of The Dawn Treader. This book heavily reminds me of the plot used in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & The Olympians. And the ending in Book 7 - The Last Battle gives me a real good punch, I need a moment to ponder about that.

[Mer · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi...

(Click the above link to read professor Carol Zaleski's interesting take of the seething religious/political furor surrounding these classics.)

I pined for Narnia in the most broken, sad way when I was a little girl.

Obviously, I had no knowledge of any Christian subtext when I first read "Da Chroni *WHUT* cles". I remember devouring them in much the same way that children are now tearing through the Harry Potter series. Lewis's lavish descriptions of fauns and dragons and giants have burned themselves permanently into my memory.

Ten year old Mer's desire to live in that world and shoot arrows and eat Turkish Delight and befriend those magical talking beasts was all-consuming. Most of all, I wanted to know Aslan. To be cuddled and loved by that big, fierce, lovable lion. But in the end, I had to let go of him and his realm. (I remember being so disconsolate, in fact, that my parents let me stay home from school for a day! And they NEVER let me play hookey! So weird, remembering that.)

There were just so many aspects of that world that made me feel, well, BAD, somehow. Guilty, or ashamed, or just plain uncomfortable.

Remember when Susan didn't come back, basically because she discovered her sexuality?

Remember the Calormenes? Those dark-skinned people with really intense garlic breath who wore turbans and worshiped a Satanic "false god" who demanded blood sacrifices from his followers?

There was SO much blame being laid out in that world. A lot of finger-pointing and shaming going on, a lot of damning and excluding. It was all very black and white, us or them, good or evil.

In the end, I rejected the Narnia books for that reason. Later, finding out Lewis was a devout Christian and Aslan was basically supposed to be Jebus in a lion suit, I wasn't at all surprised.

Nowadays, I recommend Miyazaki movies (especially Kiki) to every tween girl I meet to cleanse their palate of some of the more despicable Disney depictions of femininity, and I happily gift kids (and adults!) with the Dark Materials trilogy to counteract their exposure to the Narnia dogma.

All that being said, these books are a memorable part of my childhood, and I still recall parts of them with fondness and longing.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Chronicles of Narnia are 7 wonderful adventures experienced on two or three levels: children's adventure stories, adults' and children's adventures in the Christian life and their spiritual being, and an adventure into the future of planet Earth. Perfect for reading aloud to children from 8 upwards they're moving and inspiring for adults as well. There's humour, knotty problems we all face and positive ways to face them, a new and lovely way of perceiving and respecting animals and the environment, knightly battles and daily battles, and an open acceptance of the different and the little. These books retain their excitement and inspiration after many readings, especially because the more one reads them, the more one sees in them and can apply to one's life and aspirations. There is the battle between Good and Evil throughout and the most helpful, natural and comforting confrontation of weakness, failure, struggle, mutual responsibility. Evil and death are faced and gone through positively. Different beliefs are respected. Sound theology is well grounded in reality. An inspired man wrote these books.

[kezzie ʚ♡ɞ · Rating 5 out of 5]

when i tell u, i grew up listening to these nonstop, day & night, 24/7 i am not joking!! also the lion, the witch, & the wardrobe was my JAM & by far superior to the rest of the books! but when it comes to the radio theater part i also choose the voyage of the dawn treader, the sliver chair & the horse and his boy.

[Lily]

Found this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk6Dc...) and it's making me want to read Narnia soooo much!!! I can't believe I still haven't read it but I will soon!!!!

[Ella あいみ M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all time favorite book series. Seriously, TCoN (and LotR!) is what I grew up on. I never really attempted to review it (I'm not really going to try now) because I don't even know what I can say about it that will accurately express how much I love this series and how big of an impact it had/has on my life, both now and when I first read it when I was just a little kid.

Of course I do like some of the books more than others—I do have my favorites—but overall, this whole series is just so great.

This series will always hold a special place in my heart. I encourage you to read it, even if you think you're too old for it!

“A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.”
- C.S. Lewis

And this book is SO one of those books that can be enjoyed by all ages—over and over again. 😊

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finally got around to reading these all the way through. I'm pretty sure I read through book 4 when I was much younger, but really, it was a different experience reading them as a twenty-something. I vividly remember the moment several years ago when my mother and I were watching a televised version of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe... and suddenly made the connection that the whole thing was a giant allegory with Aslan as Jesus. We just looked at each other going, gee, this is sounding very familiar all of a sudden. Well, if you think that particular book smacks you across the face with Christian metaphors (and obviously as a small child I didn't pick up on this at all), wait til you hit some of the later books (especially The Last Battle).

The end of the series completely shocked me. I understand the whole thing was a Christian allegory to begin with, but HOLY COW. I will try not to spoil it here, but... it's vaguely creepy to see how enthusiastic they are, and also horrible to think that Susan is now left behind. I did read that Susan's fate is meant to be an example, that rather than showing that she is now damned/unable to someday go to New Narnia, her fate is left open—if she repents and returns to believing in Aslan, and asks him for forgiveness, she will be able to join her family. Still creepy and shocking though.

You can also see in A Horse and His Boy how harshly Lewis contrasts the Calormenes with the Narnians. The Calormenes are repeatedly referred to as "dark," "smelling of garlic and onions," with "curved swords..." he even says their poetry is far inferior to the Narnians'. The picture he is trying to paint here is painfully obvious, as all the Calormenes' culture reflects that of the Middle East (whereas the Narnians are obviously very similar to medieval England). It's a seriously bigoted world view, one that I'm sure was more acceptable at the time the books were written, but now is rather jarring to read.

I did enjoy reading these books. I'd thought them awfully dry the first time through—stuffy English children in a fairly entertaining magical land, etc... The difference this time was, I watched the 2005 movie first. The movie completely blew me away, and while reading the first book (and even the succeeding books which involve the Pevensie children) I was able to imagine those warm, courageous and yet flawed children in place of the stuffy English ones, and it added a wonderful new dimension to the story. It was enough to carry me through the boks I didn't like as much, and made me enjoy my favorites even more (those would be The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Horse and His Boy).

Overall, I'd recommend them (they're a super-quick read too, you could probably finish one in a single day if you tried), but only after viewing the 2005 film first. :D Can't wait til movie #2!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved these books my whole life. They are frequently misread, I think, by people who insist that everything in Narnia has to "equal" something in our world (Aslan=Jesus, Calormens=Muslims, Tash=Satan, etc.) While Lewis is clearly writing about God, as I read it, he is imagining how the Christian God might reveal himself in another world rather than allegorizing our own. Aslan is not "Jesus," but rather the earthly aspect of God as he reveals himself in Narnia. The Calormens are not Muslims, but rather another culture in the universe of Narnia that worships another god. Tash, I suppose should be read as Satan as he reveals himself in the universe of Narnia, but again, the point is how these forces function in this fictional universe, not what the characters "represent" from our own world. Anyway, these books are great, and I encourage adults as well as children to give them a shot. All due respect to the movies, but as usual the books are much better.

[Cat Carstairs]

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: 5/5 stars

See my review here!

Prince Caspian: 4/5 stars

See my review here!

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: 5/5 stars

See my review here!

The Silver Chair: 4/5 stars

See my review here!

The Horse and His Boy: 3/5 stars

See my review here!

The Magician's Nephew: 4/5 stars

See my review here!

The Last Battle: 3/5 stars

See my review here!

[midnightfaerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis is one of the books in his series, the Chronicles of Narnia in which Christianity is portrayed through various fantasy creatures. God, for instance is portrayed as a talking Lion. What a wonderful series! What child hasn’t climbed into a closet and explored the back cracks in hope of finding an entrance to a new and exciting world after reading this book? I used to sit in a closet with the door closed and a flashlight reading my favorite books after reading this series, in hopes that someday a door would open and take me to another realm. Of course, the white witch is my favorite character. I’m always attracted to the bad ones. The Lion, Aslan, is a wonderful character as well, but I have to admit, knowing that he was an analogy for God, changed my view of the story a bit and left me a bit disappointed. He was a bit cheesy. Or maybe typical is a better word. Which is why I almost wish I wouldn’t have known the true meaning of the books until after I read them. In any case, the stories were great, the first one being the best. (You always lose a little of the naiveté of the children as they get older) But the movies did them justice as well. Reading them again as an adult, found me a little bored, but still enchanted overall with the series. The next movie is due out soon and I can only hope they will continue to make the movies which were incredible. I highly recommend this series and consider it a classic as well.

ClassicsDefined.com

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024 review:

I’ve always considered The Chronicles of Narnia to be one of my favorite series of all time, and one of the most foundational stories in my spiritual life outside of the Bible itself. Considering this, it seems like a horrid oversight to have never reviewed it as a whole. I’ve reviewed my favorite of the series, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but I’ve never discussed the other six installments. Below you’ll find my brief thoughts on each book in the series, in publication order. While I love some books more than others, the entire series is a 5-star series for me. I can recognize some of its flaws, but those flaws don’t lessen its impact and importance for me.

One quick thing to add. We often call the Narnia books “Christian allegory,” but Lewis balked at this description. He himself described Narnia as an imaginative supposition. Suppose there was a world like Narnia, where talking animals and creatures of myth dwelled. Suppose Jesus decided to come into that world as He did into ours, and that the form of a Lion was the one He chose for this incarnation. But there is no one-to-one correspondence between the characters and events in these books, and figures and events in Christian doctrine. There are parallels, but not reflections. Thus, this is not a true allegory. Lewis never meant it to be.

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe: 5 stars

Is this a perfect story? No. The dialogue can be stiff. There’s a bit of an outdated view on gender roles., and what some have called passive sexism, as viewed in the 21st century. Santa Claus makes an appearance, and that throws some readers out of the story. But to me, Santa coming onto the scene is a powerful turning point in a world where it is “always winter, but never Christmas.” And the rest of the story, especially everything said about and done by Aslan, has been incredibly significant to me and my faith for decades. The way he takes Edmund’s place on the Stone Table, even after Edmund had betrayed Him, is one of my favorite ways to explain Christ’s crucifixion to kids. While a child might not relate to Judas Iscariot, they can all relate to Edmund, both in his betrayal and in his redemption. I love the breaking of the Stone Table, and the way Aslan breathes life back into those turned to stone by the Witch. I love Edmund’s development, and I especially love how, when the Witch is accusing him before Aslan, Edmund just keeps his eyes focused on Aslan and lets Aslan handle everything. It’s a tale that means so much to me. Is Aslan safe? No. But He is good. He’s not a tame Lion. Aslan is a fantastic portrayal of Christ.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

“He's wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.”

Prince Caspian: 4 stars

One of the slower books in the series, and one that I remembered the least about prior to rereading. But there are some very important scenes here. I think specifically about when Lucy sees Aslan and wants to follow Him, but the others doubt His presence. Not only do they fail to learn from their mistakes in the first installment, with the exception of Edmund, Lucy fails to take a stand and follow Him anyway, even if that meant following Him alone. It’s a powerful warning to follow Jesus, no matter what. But then Bacchus shows up, and that completely threw me out of the story. I know Lewis wove in these mythological beings for a purpose, but this particular inclusion was difficult for me to wrap my head around. I did appreciate the story more upon rereading, but it’s still not my favorite.

“You have listened to fears, Child,' said Aslan. 'Come, let me breathe on you. Forget them. Are you brave again?”

“You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve," said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth. Be content.”

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: 4.5 stars

Prince Caspian, now undisputed King of Narnia, is on a quest to find the seven missing Telmarine lords when Edmund, Lucy, and their horrid cousin Eustace join him aboard the Dawn Treader. This book has so much more spiritual depth than I remembered, but a lot of the key scenes were still fresh in my mind. The transformation of Eustace, both literal and figurative, is a stunning one. The journey to the End of the World in search of Aslan’s Country contains some of the loveliest, most spiritually profound descriptions I’ve read in fantasy. And I can’t neglect mentioning the unequivocal hero of the story in my opinion: Reepicheep, the bravest and most clear-sighted of all mouse kind. I adore him in this book, and I enjoyed the entire story so much more than I remembered or expected. In this book we also get what is essentially the spiritual thesis for the entire series.

"Are -are you there too, Sir?" said Edmund.
"I am," said Aslan. "But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”

“Oh, Aslan,' said Lucy. 'Will you tell us how to get into your country from our world?' 'I shall be telling you all the time,' said Aslan. 'But I will not tell you how long or short the way will be; only that it lies across a river. But do not fear that, for I am the great Bridge Builder.”

The Silver Chair: 4 stars

Ah, Puddleglum. This is one of the weirder stories in the series, in my opinion, but there’s, again, some wonderful spiritual depth here. The evil is more subtle and insidious than in prior books, the story a bit more muddled. But purposely so. If not for the the climax here, when Puddleglum the Marsh-wiggle takes a stand against the villain and proclaims some lines that resonate with bravery, it would be among my least favorites in the series. I honestly feel a bit conflicted about it. But as it stands, those lines speak so deeply to me that I can’t rate it any lower.

“Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things-trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones…That's why I'm going to stand by the play world. I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia.”

The Horse and His Boy: 4 stars

This story is so much richer and more powerful than I remembered. I actually recalled finding this installment boring, almost to the point of disliking it. That is absolutely not the case any longer. There was a ton of spiritual depth to be plumbed in regards to identity and pride. I’ve been listening to the C.S. Lewis Book Club Podcast alongside each book, and the second episode for The Horse and His Boy was packed with so many wonderful insights that I had to listen to it twice. I have never in my life re-listened to a podcast episode. I can’t recommend the show highly enough. They’ve been utilizing the Medieval cosmology presented in the book Planet Narnia (which is now on my TBR), and this book related to Mercury. Knowing that, and the characteristics that are demonstrated in response to Mercury as a theme, made this book make so much more sense to me on a profound, spiritual level. All of the characters here were interesting, but I related most to Bree.

“Child,' said the Lion, 'I am telling you your story, not hers. No one is told any story but their own.”

“Do not dare not to dare.”

“Please,' she said, 'You're so beautiful. You may eat me if you like. I'd rather be eaten by you than fed by anyone else.”

The Magician’s Nephew: 4.5 stars

I’ve always been a fan of The Magician’s Nephew. It’s tied with The Voyage of the Dawn Treader for my second favorite in the series. I think the creation of Narnia is one of the most beautiful scenes I’ve ever read in fiction. The idea of Aslan singing everything into existence is simply lovely. I have to say that reading the books in publication order made this prequel story even more meaningful. Diggory and Polly are both wonderful characters, and I’ve always loved the Cabby and Strawberry the horse, as well. We meet Jadis here, in all her malevolent glory, as well as Uncle Andrew, whose lesser evil is no less distasteful. It’s just a wonderful story, with the same powerful symbolism present in the rest of the series.

“Now the trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed.”

“Oh, Adam’s sons, how cleverly you defend yourselves against all that might do you good!”

“For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are.”

The Last Battle: 4 stars

This book is so hard to read. It’s tragic, and feels futile for much of the story. And yet, it’s also one of the most beautiful depictions of heaven and even death I’ve come across. There’s so much darkness, and so much encouragement. It feels like it gives you emotional whiplash. It’s one of the least enjoyable books for me, for that reason, and yet I know it’s also one of the most important. My biggest issue with this book is what has been titled by Neil Gaiman “The Problem of Susan,” and I wish Lewis had given us more to work with there. But in terms of finales, The Last Battle is hard. But it is good.

“In our world too, a stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world.”

“I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now...Come further up, come further in!”

“All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”

I got so much out of this reread. Every time I revisit Narnia, I love it more. It makes me hunger for a world more real than this one. I sometimes forget that we’re living in the Shadowlands, but Narnia never fails to remind me. Something that added to my reread experience tremendously were the podcast that prompted the reread in the first place: The C.S. Lewis Book Club Podcast. The hosts shared such a wonderful blend of literary commentary and spiritual insights. If you’re thinking of reading (or rereading) any of Lewis’s fictional works, I highly recommend this podcast. It’s just wonderful.

"Further up, and further in!"