The Land of Narnia: Brian Sibley Explores the World of C. S. Lewis

by Brian Sibley

"Narnia fans of all ages will enjoy this introduction and companion to the magical world created by C.S. Lewis. Sibley introduces Lewis, describes how he came to write [The Chronicles], imparts interesting insights about [their] deeper meaning, and summarizes each of the seven stories and their characters. Marvelously illustrated with maps, drawings and colorplates by [the illustrator] for the original Narnia books." BL.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Reference, Gnosticism, Childrens, Young Adult, Books About Books

96 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1989

About the author

Brian Sibley is an English writer, broadcaster, and award-winning dramatist.

The author of over 100 hours of radio drama and hundreds of documentaries and features for the BBC, he is best known for his acclaimed 1981 radio adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, co-written with Michael Bakewell, as well as dramatizations of C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast novels, and Richard Adams’s Watership Down.

Sibley has also written numerous original plays for radio, presented popular BBC programmes including Kaleidoscope and Talking Pictures, and produced documentaries on figures ranging from Lewis Carroll and Ray Bradbury to Julie Andrews and Walt Disney.

His contributions to broadcasting have earned him accolades such as the Sony Radio Award and the BBC Audio Drama Award for Best Adaptation.

In print, Sibley is the author of many acclaimed film “making of” books, including Harry Potter: Film Wizardry, The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy, and Peter Jackson: A Filmmaker’s Journey, as well as companion volumes for The Hobbit films, The Golden Compass, and Disney classics. His literary works range from Shadowlands to children’s books like The Frightful Food Feud and Osric the Extraordinary Owl, with stories appearing in official Winnie-the-Pooh collections.

A noted Disney historian, Sibley has contributed essays to The Walt Disney Film Archives and recorded DVD commentaries for classic films. He is the editor of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Fall of Númenor, winner of the Tolkien Society’s Best Book award in 2023.

Sibley has served as President and Chair of The Lewis Carroll Society and is an honorary member of The Magic Circle, the Tolkien Society, and The Children’s Books History Society.

Reviews

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biographical detail about C S Lewis, known as Jack, and his conversion to Christianity, which inspired his Narnia books and religious writings. I liked the summaries for each of the Chronicles, the illustrations, particularly the coloured ones, were fabulous. Slightly disappointed that the religious comparisons weren't expanded more, but overall, a really well written book.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a good introduction for all those who are interested in the land of Narnia and C.S.Lewis, the man who wrote the Chronicles. Although the book is aimed at children the many pictures it includes contributes to the image of C.S.Lewis and gives you a flavour of what it was like to live in the era immediately surrounding the war. The text is easy to read and there's enough information to satisfy the questions of an enquirer but it also manages to whett your appetite to read more about the man, his friends and his sub-creation of Narnia. Well worth the read.

[Apokripos]

I was surprised to find this among my unread book pile right after reading the last book in the Chronicles of Narnia series (talk about divine coincidence!).

If you happen to find a copy at the used book shop do buy this gem of informative and heart felt look into C. S. Lewis's beloved classic.

And of course, Pauline Baynes's impressive illustration that grace its pages along with her stunning map of the land of Narnia in the frontispiece is the icing in the cake.

More on this later after I'm done reviewing the individual books in the series. ^^,

[Ada Tarcau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for children (some sections are lovely for adults as well), I though the tone of writing was really precious (in keeping with the tone Lewis himself had when addressing his younger audience in the Chronicles - of endearment and recognisant of children's potential and value).

The book is full of pictures: beautifully illustrated by Pauline Baynes, the illustrator chosen by Lewis to do the whole Narnia series (there are some new illustrations made specially for this book) and there are also photos relevant to Lewis's life and pictures done by C.S. Lewis himself when he was a boy.

There is a biographical section adapted for children, a section on what inspired Narnia with glimpses in the writing process (I was hooked), a summary section with timelines and maps, a section on geography, one on characters, a little section about its hidden meaning (I was disappointed of the shortness of this section as I have expected that most of the meat of the book will be here) and a last short section on the appeal of Narnia which touches a little on the end of Lewis's life, on the impact in the books (its adaptations for example), and - I really loved this part - it encourages children to try their hand at writing, too.

[Claire Geraghty · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful and informative read. I love the Chronicles of Narnia and when I saw this I couldn’t resist picking it up to find out more about C.S Lewis and his World of Narnia.

I found it fascinating that he was friends with Tolkien and they would often chat and compare notes with regards to the books they were writing. As well as where his inspiration for Narnia came from. Looking at his life you can certainly see the similarities. For example he used to own a huge oak wardrobe and when he was younger he would talk about times he would play in there with his brother. Also during the War he had 4 children come to stay with him which sparked more of his imagination.

After reading this it’s given me the buzz to read all the Chronicles again haha. My favourites are The Magicians Nephew and The Horse and his Boy.

[Lynette · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning and end of the book is interesting and talks a bit about Lewis's life and inspiration for the Chronicles. However, I was disappointed that the majority of the book is a plain summary of each of the Chronicles. I was expecting a short summary, followed by a more in-depth look. So many authors who write about Lewis have quoted Brian Sibley's book, so I thought it would have more substance.

[Olivia Plasencia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish it had gone into more depth on the symbolism of books but still a good read for die hard fans. The drawings were amazing and the back ground information was interesting! I picked this up a my church library and now I hope to find a copy of my own!

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
I think if you're someone who is just getting into Narnia lore/CS Lewis's background then I would give this a read, as it's short and concise with some good points. However, if you are well versed in the above then I'd give this a miss as it doesn't offer much new to Narnians.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful introduction to the Chronicles of Narnia or review. A very good synopsis of each story is given with background information about C. S. Lewis and some about Pauline Baynes. As an avid reader of the Chronicles I enjoyed the review of the stories even though I have just finished re-reading them.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book you get to know how C.S Lewis came to write The Chronicles of Narnia, and what ispired him to do so. You also learn about C.S. Lewis's childhood, and how he bacame a Christian. There is also a review of each of the books in the Chronicles, the hidden meaning bethind them, and about the mythical creatures which appear there.
I really enjoyed this book, as you learn more about the author and details about the stories. It was really interesting, but I don't feel like giving it full five stars.

[AL · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is like a summary of the entire chronicles with a bunch of facts about C.S. Lewis and how he started Narnia. It was a good book to read especially for children because it's gonna give you a glimpse of 'hidden story' that Lewis is talking about.

[Heather Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful adventure. very original

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely to see some of Pauline Baynes's illustrations in colour.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read Aty 2021: but with a character in a pack of cards (various kings and queens)
nicely written and informative. Captures Narnia well

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a nice summary, with lots of "behind the scenes" info, including a lot of biographical info about "Jack" and inspirations for his locales and characters.

[Sophie Riggsby / allthingsequilateral · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love the world of Narnia as much as I do be sure to check out your local used bookstore or library for this little gem. It's available at most of the major online retailers.

This picture-book-sized volume contains gorgeously illustrated summaries of all seven books. But it also gives a great glimpse into C.S. Lewis and his inspiration for writing Narnia. Brian breaks the book up into logical chapters: the founding of Narnia, the stories of Narnia, the land of Narnia and the folk of Narnia. He also goes a little deeper by explaning the meaning of Narnia as well as its ongoing appeal.

I bought this volume to read the summaries and enjoy the pictures with my Kindergartener. But I have to admit to reading it myself rather late into the night. And being swept away by Lewis inspiration. Here's the letter he wrote to his goddaughter:

My Dear Lucy,
I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and to old to understand, a word you say, but I shall stil be your affectionate Godfather.

I am that Lucy every time I pick up these books. I was the little girl who loved them and now I'm the mom who dusts them off the top shelf and reads them with her children. If you're at all like me be sure to check out this wonderful exploration of C.S. Lewis' Narnia.

[Meredith Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. Half the book was spent sumarizing the individual books in the series. This didn't make any sense because if readers haven't read the Chronicles of Narnia they should just give it a try without any spoilers, but if(like me) they have, then why do they need to have it summarized?? All the same, the rest of the book was informative. Probably my favorite article of information was an excerpt from a letter C S Lewis wrote to a young fan who asked in what order the series should be read. C S Lewis affirmed my opinoin that one should read the books in chronological order(not in the order they were written).

[Matthew Hodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice guide to C.S. Lewis and the world of the Narnia books that's aimed at a younger audience (say, a young adult that might want to know a bit more about the Narnia books). It's beautifully illustrated and explained in such a way that it has the same sort of magical feel that you get from reading the books themselves.

[Ashlee Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who loves Narnia must read this book. Wonderful pictures and original illustrations from the first edition. Interesting history of Lewis, the things and people who inspired him, trivia, quotes, and excerpts from his books and letters.

[Fay · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a fun read to learn more about C. S. Lewis and some of his insights while writing The Chronicles of Narnia. I learned that he wrote about a lamppost because his friend, JRR Tolkien, said that fantasy books could not have lampposts in them. I also learned may other interesting facts.

[Rivkah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It really helped round out the series for me (which I love to death!)

[Karijean31 · Rating 3 out of 5]

synopsis of the chronicles of Narnia and some of info of its author Jack (c.s.) Lewis

[Chad]

I skimmed this and saw info I had already read in other books about Narnia, so I didn't read in more detail. I was hoping for a lot more more about the spiritual meaning in the Narnia stories.