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Summary: Really, really, really, really, really, great books.
Review: These books are my favorite books ever!The Magician's Nephew
Polly, Digory, Jadis, Uncle Andrew, the cabby man, and Strawberry the horse go to the creation of Narnia. This book tells how it all began. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie go through a wardrobe to Narnia, which is spellbound by a White Witch who makes it always winter and never Christmas. Edmund betrays his brother and sisters to the White Witch. Meanwhile, the other three Pevensies, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, travel to meet Aslan. The 1st Narnia book written and also probably the most powerful. The Horse and His Boy
Shasta, a boy, and Bree, a Narnian talking horse, both kidnapped young and taken to Calormene, run away and are joined by Hwin, another talking horse with the same story as Bree, and Aravis, a young rich girl running away to avoid marriage.
Might be my favorite of the Narnia books. Prince Caspian
The true king of Narnia calls for help and Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, and Aslan come to his aid.
Another very good book. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
King Caspian sails on a voyage and is joined by Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace.
Eustace is hilarious; this is the funniest of the Narnian books. The Silver Chair
Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum go on a quest to find Prince Rilian, King Caspian's long lost son.
A magnificent book, and Puddleglum (who's name fits him very well) is very funny. The Last Battle
Tells how Narnia ended, with Jill and Eustace coming to help Tirian, the last king of Narnia.
A good ending for a VERY good series. Almost everybody will like these books. If you are a Christian, you will recognize many biblical allusions. If you are not a Christian, just enjoy these great books.
Oh, and one thing more. The question of order. I think if you are reading these books for the very first time you should read them in the order of publication, but PUBLISHING ORDER WAS NOT C.S LEWIS'S INTENDED ORDER, HE PREFERRED CHRONOLOGICAL. So it bothers me a little bit when people say the order is wrong, they might not like it that way and that's fine, but these books are published how the author liked them. The British version and chronological order.
So in conclusion (sorry, I didn't mean to make this review so long), whichever order you read them in, just take pleasure in reading these extremely fine books.
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Summary: Beautiful fantasy that could change your life
Review: I first read the Chronicles of Narnia as a child, and despite living in a church-going household was not conciously aware of the religious parallels and symbolism that everyone talks about these books having, though I could feel the spirituality in these stories. I think, looking back now, that the Chronicles of Narnia made me a more spiritual person, a deeper thinker than most children, with a sense of right and wrong. That's no bad thing to be brought out in a child. Religious-themed bashing of the Chronicles of Narnia is overboard and unwarranted. Anything that was overtly trying to shove religion down your throat would not have white witches and fauns. The most "religious" thing about the world of Narnia is its pervasive sense of spirituality. With new talk of movie adaptations lately, I happened to seek out the books in my university library, and to my great surprise found them. I can't describe what it was like opening "The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe" after all those years... It was like opening a doorway to my own childhood. It all came flooding back -- Lucy's first steps into snow-covered Narnia, the White Witch, the Stone Table. For this student, reading these books in a university library at the age of 22 was a profoundly spiritual experience. Without hesitating I ordered the books, but not these particular editions. It took me great pains to track down the same editions that I read as a child (pub. Fontana 1986), way back before this chronological ordering by publishers. "The Magician's Mephew" may be first in the chronology of Narnia but it is not the first book in the series. "The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe" reads like the beginning of a series and rightly makes a beautiful introduction for anybody into the world of Narnia. The books should be read in their proper order that has been detailed ad nauseam in other reviews. I don't want an edition like this that numbers the spines and tells me that "The Magician's Nephew" is book one. If you don't care quite that much, at least read them in the right order. C.S. Lewis creates something so memorable and powerful, weaves such vivid images, out of the most simple language that could be read by a very young child. I think that whatever age you are, these spellbinding stories may stay with you forever.
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Summary: Who would be so arrogant as to second-guess C.S. Lewis?
Review: There are some fine reviews elsewhere on this site about "The Chronicles of Narnia", one of the best children's series ever. I'll briefly discuss the books, but my point is this: Don't buy this re-numbered set! This edition is all out of order for some reason, and very confusing! Find an older set that's in the correct order.
For children age approximately 8 and older, the books are a great mix of fantasy and truths; they actually parallel the Bible in many respects. The seven-book series features four siblings who at first find their way through a wardrobe into the magical land of Narnia, where they assist the magnificent lion Aslan in breaking the icy spell of a treacherous witch. Each volume is about a different aspect of Narnia.
Lewis, a former atheist, had amazing insight into many subjects, and this great way of making the complex more simple. He was a respected friend and colleague of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Lewis has remained one of my favorite authors since I was a child. His works are pure down-to-earth genius. I find it smug and arrogant that some trifling editor would think he (or she) knows better than the books' own author and re-number them. But that's why eBay's around, to provide an easy way to find editions that today's editors aren't bright enough to market to the masses.
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Summary: Great books, BAD ORDER!
Review: This really ticks me off. The Chronicles of Narnia are one of the best series ever written, and these people just have to come and jack up the order. Both of my parents have boxed sets of them in the correct order, which is, 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, and finally, The Last Battle. Whoever the heck put The Magician's Nephew first is dead wrong! C.S. Lewis meant for them to be in the correct order I have listed above. It ruins all the mystery and the surprise by having The Magician's Nephew first. I loved reading The Magician's Nephew after the first five, because it explained everything after they had already been introduced. Don't by this set. Go to a book shop that has them in the correct order, not the incorrect order.
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Summary: very happy
Review: The books are oin perfect condition. I knw I enjoyed the books when I was a child and I can't wait to share the joys of Narnia with my little girl!
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Summary: Great book to share with older kids
Review: This is a wonderful book to share with your child. I love to read young adult books with my 8 year old son. We each will read a chapter to each other. My 12 year old daughter usually will read the same books as she did with this one. The Chronicles of Narnia is one that is easy to talk about with your kids afterwards. There is pretty of discuss points and the books are very empowering to children especially young women.
If you like these books I recommend a new author W. Thomas Richards. He has one book out the we just finished reading called The Calamity at the Devils Door. Dont let the title scare you. This is an excellent young lady empowering book as well.
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Summary: Are these classics now being censored?
Review: It has been some time since I have read The Chronicles of Narnia, and after re-reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I've been meaning to come back to the Narnia series, as both are stories I enjoyed when I was younger (and both are classic literature, some of the best ever written.) Lots of people have mentioned that the order of the books has been changed, and this does bother me some. However, what bothers me more is a rumor that I have heard from a few people. Now, I can't verify that this is the truth or not (as I have not yet obtained a new set of the books), but the rumor is that certain parts of these books are now being censored, due to the fact that they are considered racist by some. I was curious to see if anyone else had heard these rumors, and are able to confirm them. If so, I won't bother with buying a new set; rather, I will have my mother pack up my old set from when I was a kid and send those to me. I am by no means a racist; I simply believe in keeping a book in its original form. If an editor or publisher changes material in a book, then that book becomes not only the work of the author, but that of that particular editor or publisher. It is no longer what the author intended to write or publish. There are plenty of other classics that certainly contain what could be considered (from certain points of view) racist material, and they have yet to be censored. Of course, I could be completely mistaken, and if so, I apologize for this review!
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Summary: Review: The Chronicles of Narnia
Review: The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of books that leads and causes the readers to think and use their imagination which expands the reader's creativity. This series of books by C.S. Lewis consists of 7 entertaining books which are (in order) : The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and his Boy, The Magicians Nephew, The Last Battle. The four main characters throughout these books are Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy. In this series of stories, there are two worlds. One, is the normal word, and one is Narnia. There is rarely any action or adventure when in the real word, all the tension and adventure seeking from these fiction books occur when they are in the land of Narnia, a land of magic full of surprises. The land of Narnia is an amusing yet dangerous land full of adventures waiting for the kids to discover. There lies a quest in each book and a foe in each book. It all starts when they first enter Narnia, by accident, in the first book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. That is their first time in Narnia and they face upcoming situations brought by Aslam, the lion. In this book they have to defeat the white witch, an evil witch who tries to take over the land of Narnia. In this series of books there are plenty of upcoming events and surprises/conflicts which make us readers excited and the urge of reading on. These books are full of adventures and mysteries/quests waiting for the readers to discover. The Author C.S. Lewis has a huge sense of creativity. After reading this series of books, I realized it can be compared to the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. They both use magic in the stories, yet the plot and storyline are totally different. While reading this series of books by C.S. Lewist, my motivation to read on was incredible. I couldn't stop until the book was finished. This was special since I usually procrastinate while reading. This also shows how C.S. Lewis uses wonderful writing technique to lure the readers into desiring to know the results. Overall this is a great series of books, I strongly suggest or encourage ANY fiction fans/adventure lovers to read this series of books.
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Summary: A timeless masterpiece
Review: This delightful edition of the Chronicles of Narnia benefits from the seven tales being in their correct logical sequence, as well as from the most famous, enchanting illustrations of Pauline Baynes, who depicts everything from the Elysian magical presence of fauns and dryads to the ghastly apparition of Tash, with great skill and sensitivity. I first read this as a youngster, and it grabbed my imagination in a way that no other book (with the possible exception of Lord of the Rings) has done since. Now, revisiting the land of Narnia over a quarter of a century later, was like an unexpected joyous meeting with a long lost friend. Children will be captivated with the adventures and more mature readers will appreciate the hidden depths, as well as forgetting their troubles by being transported back to happier, more carefree days. A genuinely magnificent work that gets into your dreams and never truly leaves you.
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Summary: A Magical Reading Experience for All Ages
Review: I am partial to The Chronicles of Narnia as to no other books because they were my favorite books as a child. I read and re-read them to the point that I wore out a set of these books! Now that I have children of my own, I bought this beautiful, one-volume edition of the Narnia series as a gift to myself and my family. Quite apart from the literary value of theses masterpieces, the book itself is wonderful: it's printed on quality paper with the original artwork I remember from my old, worn-out set, but in beautiful colors. It looks as magical as the stories feel! Without any reservations, I recommend this edition to anyone who wants to share in the magic of Narnia and Aslan.
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