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Summary: Theres no place like Narnia
Review: I read the Chronicles of Narnia for the first time when I was in the sixth grade. I loved them. They were simple, had very nice endings, the characters were not only children my age, but in most books girls, and, above all, they made me feel both happy and safe.Now, many years later, I ordered this edition, which has beautiful colour pictures, and contains the seven books (in a different order) and decided to read them again. This time around I think I grasped how DEEP the meaning of these books really is, and understood why they make me feel so good!... Reading them again was like eating my favourite ice cream flavour... These are books for any age, beautifully written, with extraordinary characters, interesting sotries, and with a fantasy world that comes to life immediatly in your mind, and specially in your heart.
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Summary: great book for young and old.
Review: This book was read to me when I was a child. I couldn't wait until the next day to find out what happened next. I was intrigued by the magic of the book, and thought about it through the years. I was later given a copy of this book for a gift, and I can't wait to read it to my kids. Melissa
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Summary: Wonderful edition!
Review: I love this compilation of the Narnia books...though I must warn folks that this is not the book for a casual reader--this thing's HEAVY. If you want a complete edition of the Chronicles of Narnia though, I don't think there's a better one than this. The artwork, from the cover to the glossy heavyweight pages (and in color too!) is wonderful, and is from the (I think) original illustrator of the Narnia books, Pauline Baynes. The only complaint I have is that the books are in the "new" order (with the Magician's Nephew first, etc) rather than the original chronology (which placed Lion first and Nephew right before Last Battle). Maybe it's just cause I was raised on them in the "old" chronology, but I still think the old ordering of the books was the best. Oh well, to each their own. If you've worn your paperbacks to their imminent demise and need a copy that can stand up to use, this is the one to have. Or, if you just want a beautifully done single volume that is of enough quality to be passed on to the next generation, this is still the one to have.
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Summary: It's all in Plato
Review: It wasn't until I reread these books that I fully appreciated them, as well as, the sophistication of the author's religious views. All through my rereading I thought that I detected references to platonism and the Greek mysteries. Then, in the next to the last chapter in the last book of the series was my proof, when Lord Digory says, "It's all in Plato." I don't know why I was surprised, afterall, Lewis was educated at Oxford and taught at Cambridge- of course he was familiar with the classics. He no doubt was familiar with Clement of Alexandria and his comments that Christianity is in reality "perfected Platonism." I wouldn't be surprised if he knew of Celsius' comment, "Many of the ideas of the Christians have been expressed better- and earlier- by the Greeks. Behind these views is an ancient doctrine that has existed from the beginning." Indeed, scholars have discovered that upon close analysis just about every statement and teaching attributed to Jesus is a paraphase of Plato. I do not say this disparagingly, for it is the point, and the worth, of these books. Lewis is pointing to the underlying truths of all true religion, whether one is talking of Narnia or the ancient mystery religions. This is the cosmic Christ, Christos, or Logos principle of which Aslan is a perfect example.
Don't misunderstand me, he isn't stating that all "gods" are the same. He makes that very clear concerning "Tash." What he is saying is that whenever men do honor and worship the true GOOD, they are in fact worshiping the same thing, though they use different names. Indeed, in a sense, there has always been but one true faith in the hearts of all good men, down thru all the ages, throughout all the lands and all the worlds....
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Summary: The best book series for anybody
Review: These are the best books I have ever read. Well, that includes Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I liked The lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe best, and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It shows religiousness, depicting Aslan as Jesus, Digory and Polly as Adam and Eve, etc. Readers are drawn to the illustrations and the way of C.S. Lewis telling it.
When anyone asks me what book they want to read, and they like fantasy books, I recommend them Chronicles of Narnia. They can take them anywhere they want, because of the size, and they apply to anybody of any age.
These are one of my favorite series. I recommend you to read after this The Lord of the Rings, Keeper Martin's Tales, Redwall series, and the Wizard's First Rule.
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Summary: Great to read to your kids.....of any age.
Review: One of my fondest memories is hearing my wife read these to our three kids as they grew up. Fascinating tale with a moral.
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Summary: racist, bigoted, prejudiced
Review: I first read these books in childhood. and loved them.
A few years ago i tried to buy them in the (relatively) liberal city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I couldn't find a single Narnia book anywhere, and there were some pretty good bookstores to shop in.
Back in the UK, i bought the boxed set and reread them., and realised why they were unavailable in a Moslem country.
This book is really a crusade under another guise, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy being the holy warriors.
The Calormen are the Moslems, and what an insulting portrayal is made of them.
Having lived in the Middle East, and seen firthand the dignity and decency of devout Moslems, i wouldn't be surprised to learn that these books are actually banned there, and for good reason. I wouldn't want my child to read these dismal, dated, bigoted and racist writings.
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Summary: Spectacular books
Review: These books are incredibly moving they are 2nd best books ever.The 1st would be The Hobbit And The Lord Of The Rings.
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Summary: The Fairy Tale version of the Bible
Review: It's hard to read these stories without doing comparisons to every fairy tale you've ever read or heard. I'm not sure if inspiration was drawn from these novels, or whether others I'm familiar with were the inspiration for these. Regardless of which came first, these were wonderful. I highly recommend them for children and I've started reading them to my daughter who's five and she's enjoyed them thoroughly. I've found comparisons in them to Harry Potter, The planet of the Apes, Gulliver's Travels, The Wizard of Oz, The Lord of the Rings, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, and Arthur and the Round Table. The closest comparison however is to the Old Testament of the Bible. (Which to be honest I haven't read in an awfully long time), Adam and Eve, Noah's Arc, Jesus being born in a stable to dying on the Cross for our sins. Finally the book of Revelations. It's all in here only written into a story line which makes it more entertaining, and easier for children to understand. The moral of the stories still come through. After reading this it makes it hard not to consider the old testament as a fairly tale as well. I'm sure this wasn't the authors intent, since I'd say the author is definitely pro Catholicism, but the religious overtones are too many to be overlooked. Even as a fairy tale they show right from wrong, and are a good example of the kind of morals you would like to instill in your children.
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Summary: Magical for a kid, less so for a grownup
Review: When I was a kid, this was a truly magical series. It's lost some of its luster, but I think I can see the appeal. They are still delightful adventure stories and real page turners. Where it loses its luster is in the Christian allegories. In my younger days, these went right over my head. Now, the rivets are showing a little more than I'm comfortable with, but it's still easy enough to gloss over those bits and focus on the storytelling parts. The characters are strong, and the fantasy aura still entrancing. I noticed this time how much natural history Lewis throws in: he's always referring to constellations, trees, flowers, and other elements of the Narnian natural world. It definitely adds to the realism of the stories. I was somewhat surprised at my revised opinions of the individual books. If you'd asked me a week ago what my favorites were, I would have said Lion, Dawn Treader, and Horse, with The Magician's Nephew, The Last Battle, and The Silver Chair as the weakest. Now, I would put Prince Caspian and Horse at the top, possibly still with Dawn Treader, but move Lion down a notch and Magician's Nephew and The Silver Chair each up a notch.
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