Rating: 
Summary: Very Pleased
Review: I enjoyed this series. After reading the Harry Potter series and The Lord of the Rings series, I did a little more research into like-fiction. When I found Narnia, I bought it, and I haven't regretted the decision.
Rating: 
Summary: Order?
Review: Many reviewers have complained about the order of the books. There really is no correct order to read them in. There certainly are things to say for reading them in the order first published, but does it really matter? After all, the publishing order isn't the order in which they were written. Although Horse and His Boy was written before Silver Chair, it was published later. C.S. Lewis actually preferred chronological order. When a boy named Laurence wrote Lewis asking which order he should read them in, Lewis replied saying that the series was not planned beforehand as most people think, and that they should be read in chronological order (see C.S. Lewis: Letters to Children).
In conclusion, I think that the order doesn't really matter and that the important things are the books themselves, which I consider to be the best books ever written for children (but adults can read them too!).
Rating:
Summary: 5 stars for the series, 3 for the editions
Review: This is a nice-looking edition, but it annoys me that they're not sequenced in the order they were published but rather in the story's chronological order, which is inane, imo. Why not number them in the order C.S. Lewis chose to write them?
Rating:
Summary: Don't change history
Review: The series is a masterpiece of children's literature that invites every adult to return to a simpler time, when the joy of wonder was real. Given their importance, these books should be read in the original order, period. By changing the order, the current copyright owner spoils the charm of discovering the origins of key plot elements and arrogantly presumes to meddle with this great author's delightful work. Ownership of a copyright does not imply the right to change history or alter in any way a major work that has found a sacred place in the hearts of millions and will continue to speak to readers young and old for generations to come. In this case, because the author is no longer alive to protect his work, copyright should be stewardship, protection and trust...values found in Narnia, and here with us, so long as we remember our own journey into the warddrobe.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful edition.
Review: This edition of the Chronicles of Narnia is beautifully illustrated and presented in a wonderful layout. A lot easier to read than the paperback sets.
Rating: 
Summary: beautiful, but yeah - the order's wrong!
Review: I love this collector's edition box set for the quality paper, the charming, but homey, and now colored! original illustrations, and of course, the well-remembered stories. But I am disturbed by the numbering of the books in Narnia-chronological order instead of publication order - or whatever the order was that I knew as a kid. How can "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" not be first?! The mind boggles. It is on such small landmarks that we steer our little ships of faith, and ... I regret this shakeup. I'll never know whether it makes any difference to the first-time Narnia reader, but I feel like it must - the author's increasing sophistication and changing priorities must come through. Argh! I hate this theft of history!
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy for All Ages
Review: I was in third grade when I first found my way into Narnia. It was via a wardrobe in a spare room with Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. I was immediately hooked, bought the set, read all the books, and got some of my friends to read them as well. A few years later, I reread them, enjoying them just as much the second time. This year, I set out to reread the series for the first time in 15 years. Guess what. I enjoyed them just as much this year as I have previously. The basic premise of the series is that kids from our world are called into a magical world. Trees are alive, and mythical creatures are common place. Even the animals can talk. The kids are called in a time of crisis to help the inhabitants of Narnia overcome the forces of evil. Each book stands alone, although some of the kids appear in subsequent books. Actually, there is a debate on what order the series should be read in. Personally, I prefer the order they were written in because that's the order I read them in. Arguments can be made for reading them in chorological order (THE HORSE AND HIS BOY and THE MAGICIAN'S NEWPHEW were written fifth and sixth even though they take place third and first). Ultimate, very little from one book carries over to the next, so it doesn't matter. You really could read them in random order and enjoy them just as much. Since C.S. Lewis was a Christian, these books read on different levels. There is the simple fantasy adventure, which is pure fun. And that can be all you get out of the stories. But just below the surface is a deeper meaning. They worked equally well as allegories, and I usually miss symbolism, so this is fairly easy to get. The stories are not strict allegories, but there is at least one truth from each book that you can take with you into our world. These are some classics of kid's literature to be treasured by each generation. But don't let the fact that they were meant for kids stop you. Anyone can enjoy these timeless tales of fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: Life changing books for adults as well as children
Review: I was 6 when I first read these and I have been reading them for the past 42 years since then - these are truly life enhancing friends for life that every child should read at least once a year and that their parents ought to read with them. For those of us who share CS Lewis's deep Christian faith they are also the most wonderful modern allegory possible of the many ups and downs of the Christian life. So everyone should read these and enjoy them, whether on the level of breathtaking story skill or for the glorious picture of the Christian life that they give. Christopher Catherwood, Evangelical writer (author of CHRISTIANS MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE, Zondervan, 2003) and childhood correspondent with CS Lewis
Rating:
Summary: Perennially wonderful
Review: These are wonderful books. They should NOT, as suggested above, be read three times in life, however! I have read them dozens of times and they get better each time. The chronicles of Narnia combines profoundly Christian values and implications with beautiful, witty and exciting stories by a great thinker, writer, scholar, teacher and man. Children's books don't get much, or any, better than this. Those who love these works, by the way, may find them discussed in detail (and may join the discussion) at the website "Into the Wardrobe", dedicated to CS Lewis. For those interested in the same general area of literature I would also recommend the recent "Return of the Heroes,@ by hal GP Colebatch.
Rating:
Summary: The Order Question
Review: There is no doubt (at least to me) that the Chronicles of Narnia are the best books ever. However there is the order question. Some people read them in the order that they were published and some people read them in chronological order. Myself, I read them in chronological order, C.S. Lewis's preferred order
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