Chronicles of Narnia

Rating:
Summary: Lengthy, Yet Lovely
Review: "The Chronicles of Narnia" is a series of seven short books that take place mostly in a mystic relm named "Narnia". Most books involve a small group of young children from our world traveling to Narnia and back. Narnia is a land with talking animals, kings and queens, fauns, an evil sorceress, swords and bows, sailing ships, giants, dragons, and other mystic creatures. There are mystic creatures everywhere but relatively little magic, all things considered. The books contain an occasional picture, at the beginning of each chapter, and are intended for independent readers of ages perhaps 9 to 15. Stories are fast paced adventure stores that contain very little violence. I read these books over & over again when I was young and enjoyed them all greatly.

The first book has decidedly Christian overtones -- not openly discussed or presented, but similarity to the story of Jesus is pretty obvious. The other six books don't have religous themes. All books gently encourage good behavior by examining the problems associated with fear, greed, jealousy, bullying, and so forth. Each book depicts children making mistakes and learning from those mistakes, in a gentle manner that is fun and inoffensive.

I warmly recommend "The Chronicles of Narnia" for any young reader.


Rating:
Summary: Take an Incredible Journey with "The Chronicles of Narnia"
Review: I read "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" as a child and was thrilled to see the adult edition hardcover in stores! I returned to the land of Narnia and found more enjoyment in the pages than when I had first read them so long ago. I had a better appreciation for the imagery and references to religion than when I was just a kid.

Lewis weaves such an intricately detailed web throughout all seven tales, which are all conveniently encased in this one edition. The stories are also organized into what is said to be Lewis' preferred order. 'The Chronicles of Narnia' are, in my opinion, among the best works of fiction of our time. Lewis' extraordinary talent is able enthrall both children and adults alike.

I would recommend 'The Chronicles of Narnia' to anyone -- child and adult -- who wishes to escape to a fantastic world where beasts talk, dwarves and mythical creatures run about, children can be great kings, queens and warriors, and the truly good ultimately prevail.

Rating:
Summary: my favorite series of books
Review: I read these books when I was a little girl, and they took me to another world like nothing I'd ever experienced before. Since then I've read them several times, and they still take me back to the same state of wonderment that is nearly impossible to achieve these days. I've read many fantasy novels since then, but none of them convey the magic and joy that these do for me.

That said, the glaring Christian symbolism can be a bit distracting for some. This book actually was one of the contributing factors to me becoming a very liberal Christian as an adult, though I sincerely doubt that was Lewis's original plan. :D It helped me to realize that the bible's stories were just that-- stories. Lovely myths meant to teach morals, but not to be taken any more literally than you can take Aslan and Narnia. All the same, I think atheists of any other sort of religion could easily enjoy this series, and I'd recommend it to absolutely anyone. If I ever have children, these are books I will make sure they read.

Rating:
Summary: Chronicling the Chronicles
Review: In the first half of the twentieth century, two drinking buddies wrote vastly different fantasy series -- one was the classic "Lord of the Rings," and the other was the "Narnia" series. A close pal of J.R.R. Tolkien's and a fellow "Inkling," C.S. Lewis was one of the first widely-read fantasy writers, and his books are still widely read and enjoyed by children and adults alike.

"The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" opens as four children (Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter) are being shipped to the English countryside at the beginning of World War II. While exploring the vast house where they are staying, Lucy accidently ventures into a winter-locked world called Narnia, which is ruled over by the evil White Witch. The king Aslan is about to return -- but the Witch quickly gets a hold on Edmund's soul.

"Prince Caspian" takes place long after the events of "Lion" (though in our world, only a short time has passed). Young Prince Caspian escapes his uncle's castle when his life is threatened, and he finds refuge with the hidden races of Narnia -- dwarves, talking animals, dryads, centaurs and many others. And to help Caspian regain the throne, the two kings and two queens of Narnia are called back...

"Voyage of the Dawn Treader" begins when Edmund, Lucy and their obnoxious cousin Eustace are sucked through a painting into Narnia, where their pal Caspian is now king of Narnia (and an adult to boot). Caspian is heading toward the end of the world to find several knights who were banished, and vanished into the perilous islands along the sea.

"The Silver Chair" heads into slightly darker territory when Eustace returns to boarding school. He and outcast girl Jill Pole are drawn into Narnia, where Jill must perform a task to redeem herself for a stupid act. She must find the dying Caspian's son Rilian, who vanished many years before. The search will send the two children across Narnia with the pessimistic Puddleglum, to carnivorous Giants, creepy underground creatures, and an enemy worse than they could have imagined...

"Horse and His Boy" shoots back in time to the middle of "Lion." Shasta lives with the man he thinks to be his father in a hovel by the sea, but when a Calormene warrior purchases him, he escapes with the man's talking horse, Bree. He meets the escaping noblewoman Aravis (who also has a talking horse), and the two are planning to escape to Narnia and freedom. But in the capital city, there is a conspiracy brewing against the visiting Narnian kings and queens...

"Magician's Nephew" clears up many of the questions about Narnia, Aslan and the White Witch. Digory and Polly end up in very serious trouble when they encounter Digory's weird, slightly nutty uncle, a magician who has created magical rings that send the user to other worlds. The two kids end up in the "wood between the worlds," and venture into a dying land where they set loose the evil Queen Jadis -- who follows them to the newborn world of Narnia.

"The Last Battle" is definitely the end of the series, where Narnia decays slowly into the final battle between good and evil. Humans are destroying the trees and killing the dryads, and a false Aslan is appearing to mislead the inhabitants of Narnia. Old and new friends will band together as the true Aslan prepares to lead them to a new land.

If you don't like allegory (religious or otherwise), then steer clear of the Chronicles. While Lewis's beliefs are presented in a more complicated and subtle manner in his other fictional works, here the parallels to basic Christian beliefs are very obvious. Reportedly even Tolkien, one of Lewis's best pals, found the allegory annoying.

But if you can get past the slightly ham-handed treatment, it's a fantastic read. Lewis reshapes typical mythical elements like dwarves, nymphs, talking animals, centaurs and wicked witches into shape in his invented world. And Narnia is an inviting place -- it isn't always fun or pleasant, but there is always the feeling that the good guys will ultimately -- if not immediately -- come out on top.

Lewis's writing can become a bit precious at times, in the tradition of many British authors writing for children. But he puts plenty of detail and mystery in his stories, sprinkling them with little mysteries and questions that are explained as the story goes on. Where did the lamppost come from, for example?

While not quite as well known as his pal Tolkien's work, C.S. Lewis's Narnia series still a fun and dramatic fantasy story. For a bit more insight into the origins of fantasy as we know it, check out "The Chronicles of Narnia."

Rating:
Summary: Amazing.
Review: The Chronicles are truly great literary accomplishments, rivaling Tolkien's Lord of the Ring. There is something in here for everyone. For religious, there is the wealth of religious imagery and links, while for non-religious, there is a whole new world to explore, full of adventure, honor, and imagination.

Rating:
Summary: A quite safe place
Review: The Chronicles of Narnia were the first stories read to me as a child. Read faithfully of ther course of many bedtimes by my patient older brother. To date I cannot even count how many times I have read them through. They still transport me to a quite, wonderful, magical world that is nearly impossible to find these days. The analogies are obvious, but I think can be interpreted in other ways than Christian- that is what makes these books so simple and profound- ageless and relevant.

Now that I have a son of my own, 7 years old, I am getting him the boxed set for Christmas. I hope he loves it as much as I have. Even at my age, I still read the whoe set at least once a year. When I think back to my childhood- Narnia plays a significant role. I still believe :)

Rating:
Summary: The complete set hard bound, in order, excellent
Review: This complete collection of the Chronicles of Narnia includes all the stories put together in the order in which C. S. Lewis meant them to be read instead of the order in which they were published. For example The Magician's Nephew was written several years after The Chronicles of Narnia was started but was meant to be read first. In this collection it is placed first as Mr. Lewis meant it to be read. In addition it includes a short essay from C. S. Lewis on the subject of Writing for Children. This is a massive work of almost 800 pages.

Most readers will be at least somewhat familiar with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as it has been in several smaller children's books and even some television specials, but it is only the beginning of the Chronicles of Narnia. The complete chronicles include The Magician's Nephew, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle.

This is a high quality hardbound book that will survive the typical abuse of children when reading it. If you liked The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe you will love the complete collection. The Chronicles of Narnia, one of the all-time classics of children literature, is a highly recommended read and this publication of it should be considered for all public libraries and private collections.

Rating:
Summary: Is it Christian in nature?
Review: Well, yes, it is, but you wouldn't necessarily know it unless you'd had prior exposure to Christian principles. In fact, I would have to say this is one of the best sets of stories with a Christian slant of all time, and no wonder... C.S. Lewis is one of the great Christian writers of all time. In these books, he creates an imaginary world that is absorbing for adults, as well as children. Simply put, he creates an imaginary world called Narnia that children in the stories have adventures in. There are moral decisions to be made, and they are made without shoving religion down your throat. It is very tastefully done.

Five stars for CS Lewis.