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Summary: Fantasy Narrative at its BEST
Review: In this classic collection Christian theological allegory is happily married to exciting story-telling. Reviewers are simply incorrect when they refer to the religious notions found in Narnia as "profound". Lewis was a scholar of medieval literature, and he faithfully writes true allegory, the strength of which lies in the emotional appeal, not the profundity of the matter. From Aslan's dieing in the traitor Edmund's place, to his reception of devotion sincerely given to the idol Tash, this is blunt Christianity as Lewis saw it. There is no entering into deep mysteries, but a beautiful clothing of dogmas in the robes of adventure. I suspect this is why these blatantly sectarian stories have been so popular with secular and heathen English teachers. It is not Lewis the divine, but Lewis the bard who charms the mob. One is enthralled by the tale before he can run from the doctrine. Narnia will not make Christians out of infidels. At most, it will ambush them with Christian perspectives that they might otherwise reject without consideration. But for the believer, who comes to Narnia with Aslan already in his heart, these stories can bring tears of sorrow and joy. Evangelicals should beware, however: Lewis was no Bible fundamentalist. His simple principles are sometimes simply wrong. From his non-fiction essays it is clear that he really believed in salvation for the "sincere" heathen, apart from the knowledge of Christ. The tempest about the "change" in the order of the stories is over-blown. As a child, I read them in the original order; now re-reading them chronologically I find them no less enjoyable or edifying. It is simply not true that the atonement in the Wardrobe is a simple thing as opposed to the "deep" creation in Magician's Nephew. All such topics are, perhaps, as profound as one has time to explore them. But if such trivialities as reading-order are to be debated, certainly creation predates and forms the framework for an understanding of redemption. If you seek profound insights, read Augustine or John Calvin. Narnia should be visited for the pure enjoyment of the trip.
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Summary: Who changed time???
Review: Whether you are looking for a fascinating story to intrege a reluctant reader, a marvoulous family read-aloud, or a thought provoking parable, you cannot make a better choice than Narnia. I just bought my almost 9 year old his own set for his birthday, and was absolutely horrified that the publisher changed the order!! I showed my picky child the order the are *supposed* to be in by showing him the copyright dates, and he is reading them in the right order, but for those of you who do not know, C.S. Lewis published them in the order from simplist *story* to the story with the most profound philosophy. There is a reason the Magicians Nephew is near the end, and why the Horse and his Boy are 5th. The new illustrations are wonderful, and it is truely a treat to have a set that isn't dog-eared from years of abuse, but *please*, when you print the next run, *please* put them back in order!!!
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Summary: awesome books-lovely and charming
Review: These are books that I have read and enjoyed for eight years-from second grade. The description is awesome-you can totally picture the scenes and Narnia. Although the books were not supposed to be specifically allegorical, one can find many instances. Lewis wrote them as if Jesus, as Aslan the lion came into a world to see what would happen. The books cover creation, resurection, and then are destroyed by the antichrist in the Last Battle. Lewis was a talented writer, and had a unique style so that Narnia can be read, enjoyed, and understood by children and grownups alike. my sister and I have a puppet lion named Aslan, and love these books-like so many others.
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Summary: The Cronicles of Narnia : The Lion the Witch and the Wardrob
Review: This book is about 4 childern who are perfectly normal until something strange happens to them when they're visiting a rather odd professor. Lucy(the youngest of the 4 childern)was exploring and found an old wardrobe. She went inside and escaped into a magical world called Narnia. Lucy walked through and thinking it was just a huge wardrobe and kept walking till she found she was cold. She there finds a fawn named Mr.Tumnus (he is really emphasised later)and she is worried that her brothers and sisters would miss her and be worried about her. So she said she would be back and then left. This book from here on CAN NOT BE PUT DOWN. Edmund meets the white witch and she bribes him into being her friend and the trouble starts when the White Witch uses him to try to get his brothers and sisters killed so she could be the Queen of Narnia as foreseen in the Narnian Prophecy. Aslan is by far the good guy in this book, is forgiving and ends up sacraficing himself for Edmund. But it's not so sad because he comes back from the dead. The conflict between the two sides is so intense. The sides battle but I can't tell you who wins and what happens or it would spoil the ending. This book is for anyone who likes adventure. I recommend this book to all ages but for best appreciation it is for ages 10 and up. Teachers should use it to teach thier kids because it has great moral values.
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Summary: I love these stories...
Review: We are reading through the Chronicles in the 6th Grade. They are full of suspense, and waiting to read the next chapter the next day can make you pull your hair out! All the characters are real and I've seen some of them in my class. "Reep" is my favorite - he's a better mouse than "Mickey". "Get 'em and read 'em", that's what I say.
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Summary: A Joy For Children and Adults
Review: I first read THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA when I was seven years old. The stories of Aslan, Peter, Lucy, Eustace, Caspian, and Reepicheep captivated and enchanted my little mind. I loved these books, and I read and re-read each of them until the spines began to crumble.I put the books away in my early teen years, perhaps because I viewed them as childish but mainly because I had too many other things to occupy my time with. I am now 26 years old, and have a fairly decent library. Luckily for me, that library still contains THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA. I dug them out again last month for the first time in years and was thrilled to see that they were just as fantastic and beautiful as when I first loved them so many years ago. C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors, for his non-fiction work alone. But the man had a knack for storytelling as well. NARNIA brims with incredible stories, settings, and characters. These books are truly fantasy, but non-fans of that genre won't even blink. Lewis writes in a way that will captivate the wide-eyed child (e.g. Aslan's relationship with the children, and in particular Lucy) and bring back the wonder for an older reader too. There is meaning behind these stories. Simply moral at times, it often contains a deeper spiritual significance; particularly in THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE and THE LAST BATTLE, which are true allegories. TLTWATW is probably my favorite of the seven, but I love the Caspian story line almost as much, with THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER running a close number two. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA is classic literature. If you haven't read them in awhile, set aside an evening and pull them out. These will be one of the first, and best, gifts that I give to my children. FIVE STARS.
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Summary: Classic...And That Might Be The Problem
Review: Narnia was once like Lord Of The Rings; obscure and wonderful. Its become a mass market fave now and that probably is going to kill it. This series is really for children who will absolutely love it, but for the young adult Lewis' props show their seams. Its not, as has been alledged, a Christian Allegory but does contain some of the trappings. Its hugely fun and the Magician's Nephew is probably the deepest and most interesting of the series, with alternate worlds, powerful witches and Victorian professors mixing it up with street urchins straight out of Dickens. Don't miss it but don't be disapointed if its not the world shaking extravaganza you were led to believe...
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Summary: Books you will want to read again as an adult...so keep them
Review: "People won't write the books I want, so I have to do it for myself." --C.S. Lewis I was very young, when one of my favorite teachers started reading "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe," which is the first book I read in the series. I was so dissapointed when the teacher read right up to the part about getting through the wardrobe and then stopped. She never got around to finishing the story...but later I did. This is a story of four children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, who are sent into the country to live with Professor Kirke because of the air-raids on wartime London. On their first morning, the weather is awful, so they play indoors. "What's that noise?" said Lucy suddenly. It was a far larger house than she had ever been in before and the thought of all those long passages and rows of doors leading into empty rooms was beginning to make her feel a little creepy. --The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Lucy finds a "wardrobe" with a door hidden in the back. Because The wardrobe is actually a magical door to Narnia and she enters a snowy magical world filled with talking animals. I was just fascinated when the teacher read this: ... And then she saw that there was a light ahead of her; not a few inches away from where the back of the wardrobe ought to have been, but a long way off. Something cold and soft was falling on her. A moment later she found that she was standing in the middle of a wood at night-time with snow under her feet and snowflakes falling through the air ... The Magician's Nephew is my second favorite book. Voyage of the Dawn Treader is perhaps the most memorable because of all delicious imagery and talk of the sea. I loved Reepicheep the Valiant Mouse, he was so cute but so brave. There are tales of magic books, sea adventures and someone naughty turns into a scary dragon (great lesson). To find out if they stay a dragon you have to read the books and I won't spoil the ending for you. All I can tell you is that when you start reading these books time won't stand still as it does when these children jump into a picture and start an adventure aboard the Dawn Treader. These books are nothing short of magical. The imagination of Lewis is so powerful that the numerous images become a part of you and you remember them forever. Through the books, C.S. Lewis weaves the morals and beliefs children need to learn. Aslan, the Lion, has great significance. I will always thank the teacher who introduced these books to me, wherever she may be! This set is of high quality and the pictures are now in color! I could not imagine not reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe first. That just makes the stories so magical from the very start.
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Summary: Why these books are special
Review: Whether you are a young person or an adult, CS Lewis' stories transport your soul to other worlds and return you a changed person. The Chronicles of Narnia series remains the capstone of his fictional triumphs. How much more empty childhood would be without these books! The Narnia series is built around the interaction of humans (both in our world and in the "other worlds of a Narnian universe," animals (talking & non-talking), and other assorted fantasy characters (dwarfs, giants, witches, and other Lewis creations. Lewis began with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and built the remaining six stories around this book. It later became the third in the chronological story line. Interestingly, he showed the story to JR Tolkein who did not much care for the story. Fortunately, millions of readers have disagreed with him. Narnia is a Christian allegory. This is one of the primary reasons people of all ages are able to enjoy the series. As a well-read adult, these stories challenge me intellectually with their worlds of possibilities and the completely unique views of the Christian existence. The imagination is not a tool only available to the young. Through Aslan (the main character in all the books) you experience Christ. Through the animals, you see the challenges we all face living with one another. Through the nature, you are able to see the world as it once was and will be again. Through the human characters, you see yourself. Various ages will pick up on the symbolism. My four-year-old daughter first understood Easter through Aslan's resurrection. ("Jesus rose from the dead just like Aslan did, didn't he?") My adult friends better understood the return of Christ from the story of the Last Battle, the final book in the series. The creation of the world is also brought to life through the series in a vivid and inspiring tale. For the non-Christian, the stories are just a magical and inspiring. You will not fold the books in disgust at the overt Christianity. Yet these stories are special because of the truth contained within them. It is no wonder that the Chronicles of Narnia have consistently been referred to as one of the greatest children's stories ever told and the sales of the series have remained at the top since Lewis created them. Before Harry Potter, there was Aslan, and long from now, children will still eagerly read one of them - the story of Narnia found in these Chronicles.
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Summary: Narnia Chronicals( What I think)
Review: I have only read the first 2 books of The Chronicals of Narnia but I think they are exellent! I can't wait to read the other ones. If you are looking for a good, adventures book that will keep you reading till the end, then you have to read these books. You'll love them too! I'm only 12 and I do! They are filled with adventure, suprise, and you will never be able to guess what is going to happen next. It doesn't really matter what you prefer, you will find it in these books. I like the talking animals but maybe you will like the adventure at sea or all the battles or the different things that they get or the talking trees or the time travel or anything else that you can think of. It is in one of these books. But I have to warn you that once you start a chapter, you won't be able to stop for another 6 chapters!! Read the books. You'll see what I mean.
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