Rating: 
Summary: An Inkling of Greatness
Review: C.S. Lewis is one of the greatest writers of all time, as far as I am concerned, and Narnia is a place you will never forget. You can't help but get lost in the colorful but deeply symbolic stories of talking animals and mythic creatures of every kind. Tell Reepicheep hi for me.
Rating: 
Summary: RENUMBERING: BAD IDEA
Review: This is, of course, a timeless collection of classic tales, beautiful, deep, meaningful, uplifting. We're in agreement on that. As originally published they rate 5 stars easily. However, HarperCollins and the Lewis estate have done us all a bad turn by renumbering the books, and my 3-star rating points an accusing finger. I know the author mentioned the possibility of writing some revisions and reordering the books; nonetheless, he didn't live long enough to do so, and I believe he probably would have thought better of it upon further reflection. As the books stand, there's no chance that the careful Lewis would have approved the renumbering now forced upon us. It's a travesty, to my way of thinking, to alter the NARRATIVE CONTINUITY of an author's work. In this case it's an especially onerous offense, as it destroys many of the salient components of Lewis's favorite literary devices (i.e., flashback) and completely undermines the natural inspirational process through which he wrote the interconnecting stories. The 'Chronicles' as they are currently presented and sold to us by the publishers are an insult to a great philosopher, reader and teacher of classic literature, author. I'm quite fortunate in that I purchased the complete Macmillan hardcover set in 1979. That printing included all, or nearly all, of the original Baynes black and white line drawings in high quality reproductions. As a bonus the dust jackets featured the whimsical oil-on-canvas paintings of Roger Hane which had been used for the first paperback slipcover printing. The jackets thus numbered the books in their original order. It's a beautiful set, and it's the one I'll pass on to my children. HarperCollins and those who are in charge of the Lewis estate should be embarrassed for allowing these wonderful books to be so badly mishandled. However honorable their intentions might be, they have bungled the job. I have much more to say on this subject, but I'm going to write a complete essay and publish it elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: INCREDIBLE books, but THIS boxed set is poor in quality.
Review: I've LOVED the Chronicles of Narnia since I was a very young child. Now, at age 32 (and counting), I still go back and read the Chronicles every year or two, just to re-experience the enchantment of Narnia. There's always something new to discover. My rating of this product, however, is based on the quality of this particular boxed set because when I purchased this set for my sister, I was rather disappointed. Although I love the Chris Van Alsburg cover illustrations, and I was pleased to see so many of Pauline Baynes's illustrations in the pages of the books, the reproductions are poor. Basically, the typeface and the illustrations in the text look like they've been photocopied a few too many times, so the quality of the lines is not smooth and clean. Moreover, the bindings are rather cheap and flimsy. Caveat emptor.
Rating:
Summary: The most entertaining story of all times!
Review: The Chronicles of Narnia is a great book that tells the story of the children that explore the paralell universe they've got in their closet. They enter into this unfamiliar world and meet all the fantastic creatures of Narnia, both good and evil. Lewis, who is a christian himself, uses a lot of comparisons from the bibel, which makes the book easier to relate to. Aslan, the lion, is the king and ruler of this world, and he fights evil with his followers. For you parents that want your children to read good literature that actually has a good point, this is definately the book you should choose...
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book from the Best Author
Review: Without a doubt, I would have to say that C.S. Lewis has got to be one of the most brilliant Christian Writers on Earth. The Chronicles of Narnia are a reflection of his childhood. His experiences and fantasies. And if you have a problem letting your kids read Harry Potter because of witchcraft, let them read this, this book has everything from Harry Potter and more, plus it teaches them biblical lessons you won't find anywhere else. I have read them and love them. If you like fantasy and good bedtime stories for your kids, get them this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than the bible.
Review: Of the many C.S. Lewis books I have read, the Narnia Chronicles are his best. I should stress that I am not a christian. These books stand on their own quite well without the christian-myth overtones. Duty, honor, loyalty, courage, and the consequences of wrongdoing come through vividly. The stories are not simple morality tales, however. They present stories of similar scope and complexity to the Middle Earth series, but more accessible to younger readers. I read it when I was eight or nine, at the same time as I first read "The Hobbit" and (tried to read) its sequels. I finished the Narnia chronicles, but it took me a few years to mature enough to "get" the last two books of the Middle Earth series. Lewis targets youngsters who are far more prone to search their own attics for magical wardrobes and relics of times past than they are to get caught up in the minutia of Hobbit history. That kind of attention comes later. The christian angle never really hit me, despite being raised catholic, until I was twenty. The "Jesus figure" Aslan is hardly similar to the traditional christian conception of the "son of god" - the Aslan character is actually far more morally consistent and a better spiritual guide. The story is also broader in scope than the christian myth. Deliberately so - christianinty is based on "real" events, whereas Narnia was composed in the imagination. Lewis' imagination and grasp of moral principles and his ability to convey them in a compelling story elevate these books above even the beliefs (and intent) of their author. No mean feat. They are a great starting place for future book-lovers.
Rating:
Summary: Bound
Review: "The Complete Chronicles of Narnia" is an astounding read. C.S. Lewis creatively writes a series of stories, all bound into one magnificent tale, that have so many plots it is extremely hard to put the book down. As he writes, he puts you into the third-person perspective and allows you to focus in on the thoughts as well as the actions of the characters. An interesting fact is how C.S. Lewis can illustrate, through a fantastic word choice, a young child's life. The details are so complex that you feel closely related to the characters. So close in fact that you could almost predict a response or predict what kind of action that character would take in the next few pages. However, not all assumptions are correct, and C.S. Lewis is capable of using this series to cause you to think and relate some points and main ideas to your own life. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who finds imagination a key factor to reading.
Rating:
Summary: A classic book series that bears rereading!
Review: Lewis' work is deep and has many levels, but what makes it a masterpiece is the fact that the books only reveal the deeper levels when the reader is ready for them. Because of that, children find this just as enjoyable a read as adults. There is a story within a story. A deep philosophical treatise disguised as a children's story. I first read these books as a child, and enjoyed them as a fantasy story. As an adult I read them again, and saw so much more that I had completely missed as a child. Then I read an analysis of the books and went back to them a third time, finally getting the deep spiritual message of the story Lewis was telling. The story is ultimately an allegory of the christian experience, though so masterfully told that 99.9% of readers would never make the connection. Here is a book that young and old, christian and non-christian will find equally entertaining and engaging. It entertains you and gives you something to think about - isn't that what great literature is all about?
Rating:
Summary: Great Books
Review: The Chronicles of Narnia are fantastic books for all ages. I have read them all , and out of them my favorite one is The Lion , The Witch And The Wardrobe. C.S. Lewis is my second favorite Author who has written such fine books. You will find excitement fantasy , and adventure in The Chronicles of Narnia. And that is why I gave these books five stars. If you have read these books then it would be a marvel if you read the fantasy books The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien , who is my first favorite Author.
Rating:
Summary: Just one reservation
Review: I have loved these books since I was a child, and love them no less now. They are simply the best series of children's stories ever written. I could never give them less than five stars - I would give them, and C.S. Lewis, the Milky Way if I could. My only problem with this edition is the re-ordering of the books from the order in which Lewis wrote them. Two of the books were written at points which put them out of chronological order with the other stories. The original order was Lion, Caspian, Dawn Treader, Silver Chair, Horse, Nephew, Last Battle - that is, placing the Horse and His Boy and The Magician's Nephew after the first, chronological, stories, followed by climactic Last Battle. Horse deals with events during the time of Lion, and Nephew with events that took place before the first book. In my opinion, the complexity of the underlying concepts grew in the original order. I really think that, for example, Nephew is written for older children than Lion. And, as I recall, as I in my childhood waited for the publication of and then read The Magician's Nephew, I lost nothing by having read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe first (which has, in my opinion, a sort of "discovery" magic which leads to the rest of the series) - rather, I experienced "aha!" many times in recognizing references to the people and events in Lion. I recommend reading the books in their original order. But whatever order they are read, they are the utter best.
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