Complete Chronicles of Narnia

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Summary: "Further up and farther in! ..."
Review: These delightful "children's" books will charm any age! C.S. Lewis's beautiful storytelling and rich, creative characters are so wonderful you will want to read them again and again! Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy (and various other human relatives) find themselves in a fantasy renaissance world (with a sprinkling of cultural flavor) where they overcome fantastic obstacles to see good win out over evil. These great books stimulate imagination and moral thinking. I have read this series 7 times and each time I find something new. DO read them in the order they were written (it's like uncovering a mystery)and not in the order they have been reprinted in. You and your kids will LOVE this imaginative series as I and my kids do!

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Summary: Not just for ages 9 - 12
Review: I absolutely don't agree with the applied reading level to "The Narnia Chronicles". The correct reading level should read: ages 9 - 99. They are wonderful to read to children, they are wonderful to read as young adults and they are even wonderful to read when you've arrived in your middle ages, such as me. And, no, I am absolutely not ashamed to say this.

C.S. Lewis has put so much into these books, no matter how often you read them, you will always find more. They were important to me when I was a young Christian, still battling with the concepts of evolution and creation, they led me through sore trials and helped me in my struggle to a more mature Christianity.

Just think of how Lucy trusted Aslan to show her the correct path in "Prince Caspian", although all the others stood against her. What does that teach us regarding our own personal walk in faith and the temptations around us? Or what does Jill and Eustace' search for Prince Rilian in "The Silver Chair" teach us about obeying the Lord's commands, just as they were told to obey Aslan's instructions to the letter? Remember the consequences that ensued when they didn't, or when they forgot to repeat the signs?

I won't go into any further detail, allowing the readers to discover these wonderful stories for themselves. And I advise you to get the whole set. You won't be able to stop reading after you've begun the first one, anyway.

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Summary: The Chronicles of Narnia
Review: Narnia is the land where animals talk, children become heroes, and the unexpected always happens. It is a world where there are fauns, dragons, magic, and dwarfs. It is a land that is ruled by a good lion and the various kings and queens that the lion has placed in his jurisdiction. Narnia is also a place where everything will come out right in the end and where you you will never lack for something to do. C. S. Lewis has the remarkable ability to make these allegories seem very realistic. He has taken these charaacters and made them a part of my life. Lewis has an amazing talent for creating believable word pictures. When he describes tha forests and meadows of Narnia, it maked me feel as though I am right there with the characters in his stories. When he described the meals that the inhabitants of Narnia eat, I can almost smell and taste what they are eating. Throughout the Chronicles of Narnia there is a parallel that is at times almost undetectable, between the story line and the controversy between God and the Devil. C. S. Lewis has woven this theme into his stories amazingly well. In order to get the full effect of the story, I think it is a good idea to read the entire series.

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Summary: What can be said that hasn't already been said.
Review: All I can do is echo the other 269 people that have reviewed this wonderful collection of books by C.S. Lewis. The Chronicles of Narnia are an excellent way to get children interested in reading and helps them develop imagination. I read this collection over and over again as a child and young adult, and I hope my son gets the same enjoyment out of them as I did. This is a must read for any person's library especially if you love fantasy and Christian symbolism told in a fantasy/adventure sort of way.

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Summary: A great start into fantasy worlds
Review: These were the first books I ever read that were truly based in what could be termed a fantasy world. The books were so good I often finished each of the in a days time. It wasnt until years later that someone pointed out to me that there was major christian symbolism in these books. I know Lewis was primarily a religious author but I still cannot see the symbolism inside. I guess I will need to reread these again. I will gladly do it, for my children. They deserve to know such treasures stories.

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Summary: Amazing!
Review: This has to be one of the greatest series ever written. I read it for the first time during my sophomore year in college and it blew me away. C.S. Lewis is a master of illustrations and analogies of issues in real life. Don't let the simple childlike appearance fool you. There is a lot of great insight into Lewis' writing so I encourage older people to read it as well, and most definitely buy it for your kids. Long live Narnia! =)

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Summary: My favorite books of all time
Review: Everyone should own and read these books. They are absolutly wonderful and are what brought me into the fantasy world instead of the plain boring realistic fiction world. If you like sc-fi/fantasy, read these. If you liked fairy tales as a child, read these. If you enjoy the classics, read these. If you like the idea of a magical world where animals can talk and children can be Kings and Queens, read these. Beautiful stories, beautiful characters, you can read these books again and again and find new things every time.

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Summary: NOT Just For Children!
Review: Most of us who have read these books were introduced to them as children, but I'm willing to bet that the majority of fans of these books are fully grown adults. I love the way that Lewis explains Christianity so clearly without being obvious or preachy. And for young readers it's an exciting and adventurous way of learning right from wrong. I find that it reminds me of basic truths every time I read them. And I've lost count of how many times that is. Even though the main characters, the children, are from a time and place that few of us know or remember, they still are completely believable. I get frustrated with Edmund every time. I feel bad for Susan, and what she has lost, every time. And I thrill with Lucy and the others as they come to know Aslan and to understand His love for them. Especially in the final book, The Last Battle, when them come to know Him more fully. It is impossible for me to class these books as simply children's books, or as simple fantasies. When you are in the middle of them it's hard to remember that it is just a story. Also, the Narnians and other creatures in these books are so compelling. Whether they are good or bad, they are so well fleshed out and their motives are so believable that you can't help but cheer/mourn for them. I don't want to take away from your reading pleasure by telling any plot lines, but please take my advice and find out for yourself what a magical world C. S. Lewis created for us.

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Summary: A Question of Order: On the Reading of Naria
Review: With two publication orders of Narnia, many people question which to read. For several reasons, I recommend the first publication order to be read first, the internal chronology second..

If one reads the history of Narnia as strictly that, one is much more likely to lose the truths Lewis was trying to impart. When one reads The Lion, if they had not read Magician's Nephew, they will be unaware of where the Lamp-Post came. Lion is essential a story about Edmond coming into the salvation of God. It creates a real sense of wonder, a wonder that would be diluted with knowledge of its creation. It's a mystery, an account. You become less concerned with the book in context of the whole series, and more concerned with the book in context of the book. Some things you might miss or not pay much attention to because you have already taken into account in context of the story's chronology, and not examined what Lewis was trying to say through this. Also, you get to follow the characters throughout the books, which is lost in the new order. The four Pevensies are in Books I and II, then only the two younger are in III, along with a new character, a cousin named Eustace. Then They can no longer go on, and Eustace and Jill Pole is in Book IV. This is lost in the new order. Also, you can see Lewis's growth as a writer, getting more and more realistic in characterization as each book was written. Of course, when he was writing these he was already a phenomenal writer: but this provided room for more growth, and he developed his already great gift even more so.

Also, as Paul Ford points out in his excellent Companion to Narnia, the old order is reflective of Biblical history. God's people are in bondage to the Egyptians, and he frees them. But the wine and groan, and in the end many die in the wilderness. Then they go into Babylon, and hear all these creation stories. After this, they go and record their own history. Lewis, after trying to write a creation story, found he could not, and went on telling other stories of Narnia. Only after coming more and more into the spirit of the series, after a good deal of history had been written, could he go back and finish Magician. To quote the preface, Ford says the original order allows "the reader to experience something experience something truer than even Lewis intended: the primordial necessity of passing first thru redemption, then into a reinterpretation of one's own story, and finally allowing the future to take its providence course". And how true that is. How many times can one understand what God is doing in your life until you come to know him? When you come to the salvation and knowledge of Christ, after some time elapses you can go back and examine your life, and can see where God's hand was on you, guiding you to that place where you met Christ. And in so doing, you come to trust God in a deeper sense, and as he took care of your past, he will also take care of your future. Of course, this was not intentional on Lewis's part, but it shows when God gives someone a gift, that person can reach people in such a way as to be totally beyond the person, and directly pointing to God. This aspect truly points to Jesus Christ and the "great Emperor Beyond the Sea,".

Of course, there is a balance. They are stories, and should be enjoyed as such. Through these stories, Lewis gives children and adults alike truth. However, if you overanalyze them, you are losing the spirit of the series. One must first enjoy them as stories, and not go dissecting them without reading them simply for stories. That is why the chronological order also has its merits. Ironically, however, it is better balanced to read it in original order for reasons cited above, also because you can take each story on its own, appreciating both the story and the symbolism. Without the interconnecting theme of history behind it, you are forced to look more at what the story is and what it is saying as to what the Chronicles is saying as a whole. That is one side. That is not balanced. Then, go back and read the stories in chronological order. That makes you appreciate the series as a whole.

In conclusion, each has its merits, and without each it they are not balanced. But for first time readers, read it in the original order. You will get more out of it. That is the most balanced way to read and appreciate the stories. Afterward, go back and read in chronological order. Then you will have a balanced and complete view of Lewis's fabulous and God-given Chronicles of Narnia.

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Summary: Chronicles of Narnia Boxed set
Review: I first discovered Narnia when I saw the animated movie, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe as a child.Then I read the whole series around age 13. I loved every book and have read them several times. I am currently reading them to my 11 year old child and we are on the last book. I even went and bought my child a set of the older editions that are numbered in the order they were written.I am a little disappointed with the renumbering of the books. The first book, Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe, is essentially the main building block for the rest of the series and By reading them in chonilogical order instead of the order written, you don't get the same character base or even the same sense of Narnia. Especially in the case of Aslan. So much on Aslan's personallity and character was shown the The Lion,Witch,Wardrobe that you are left a little short until you get to that book with the new numbering. Anyway, children of all ages will enjoy this boxed set no matter what it's numbering order and I highly recommend it to any and all.