The Chronicles of Narnia: Including an Essay on Writing by C.S. Lewis

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The Chronicles of Narnia: Including an Essay on Writing by C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia Publication Order #1-7)

by C.S. Lewis, Pauline Baynes (Illustrations)

4.22 of 5 stars 4.22 · rating details · 209,190 ratings · 6,277 reviews

Journeys to the end of the world, fantastic creatures, and epic battle between good and evil - what more could any reader ask for in one book? The book that has it all is THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, written in 1919 by C.S. Lewis. But Lewis did not stop there. Six more books followed and together they became known as The Chronicles of Narnia.

For the past fifty yea...more

Hardcover, Omnibus, 778 pages

Published October 26th 2004 by HarperCollins (first published 1948)

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Jun 07, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: leaves-awesomeness-behind, kat-s-book-reviews

I discovered The Chronicles of Narnia when I was six years old halfway through my first year of school. I had discovered the joys of our school library and I still remember the day and the exact shelf where I found The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. It was the lowest shelf, the one that rested on the ground and I had to crouch down to wiggle the book out from amongst its peers. By the time I'd finished first grade I'd read them all and searched high and low for any book series that could be a...more

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May 04, 2007 Mansoor rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Magician's Nephew is easily the best story of the Chronicles. First of all, it's the least overtly religious. There is a creation-of-the-world element, but it's not our world so it seems more fantastic than religious. Not only is there a veil over the religiosity, there's so much creativity in this story: the magical rings, the in-between place, the Deplorable Word, the founding of Narnia.

Starting with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, the religiosity becomes noticeable, with the Witch...more

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Apr 19, 2007 Mer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childhood

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi...

(Click the above link to read professor Carol Zaleski's interesting take of the seething religious/political furor surrounding these classics.)

I pined for Narnia in the most broken, sad way when I was a little girl.

Obviously, I had no knowledge of any Christian subtext when I first read "Da Chroni *WHUT* cles". I remember devouring them in much the same way that children are now tearing through the Harry Potter series. Lewis's lavish descriptions of fauns...more

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Jul 03, 2007 AJ Griffin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: christians, people who love lions

When the Lion/Witch/Wardrobe movie came out a while ago, some dude accosted me and said "Dude, the fucking right wing media is trying to say that the Narnia books are all about fucking Christianity!!!"

No shit. I figured that out when I was 9.

But who cares? If you can't enjoy these books at all, there is no child alive inside of you. And if you've got no child inside you, you're not very much fun at all, are you?

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Mar 17, 2010 Daniel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

I read "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" when I was very young, and barely remember it. I never read the other books in the series. So now, as an adult, I'm reading the entire "Chronicles of Narnia." After a bit of Internet research, I decided to read them in order of publication, rather than the overall story's chronological order. I'll post individual reviews for each book, and slightly shorter opinions here.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: The first in "The Chronicles of Narnia" is...more

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Apr 10, 2008 Julie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s, fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I finally got around to reading these all the way through. I'm pretty sure I read through book 4 when I was much younger, but really, it was a different experience reading them as a twenty-something. I vividly remember the moment several years ago when my mother and I were watching a televised version of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe... and suddenly made the connection that the whole thing was a giant allegory with Aslan as Jesus. We just looked at each other going, gee, this is sounding...more I finally got around to reading these all the way through. I'm pretty sure I read through book 4 when I was much younger, but really, it was a different experience reading them as a twenty-something. I vividly remember the moment several years ago when my mother and I were watching a televised version of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe... and suddenly made the connection that the whole thing was a giant allegory with Aslan as Jesus. We just looked at each other going, gee, this is sounding very familiar all of a sudden. Well, if you think that particular book smacks you across the face with Christian metaphors (and obviously as a small child I didn't pick up on this at all), wait til you hit some of the later books (especially The Last Battle).

The end of the series completely shocked me. I understand the whole thing was a Christian allegory to begin with, but HOLY COW. I will try not to spoil it here, but... it's vaguely creepy to see how enthusiastic they are, and also horrible to think that Susan is now left behind. I did read that Susan's fate is meant to be an example, that rather than showing that she is now damned/unable to someday go to New Narnia, her fate is left open—if she repents and returns to believing in Aslan, and asks him for forgiveness, she will be able to join her family. Still creepy and shocking though.

You can also see in A Horse and His Boy how harshly Lewis contrasts the Calormenes with the Narnians. The Calormenes are repeatedly referred to as "dark," "smelling of garlic and onions," with "curved swords..." he even says their poetry is far inferior to the Narnians'. The picture he is trying to paint here is painfully obvious, as all the Calormenes' culture reflects that of the Middle East (whereas the Narnians are obviously very similar to medieval England). It's a seriously bigoted world view, one that I'm sure was more acceptable at the time the books were written, but now is rather jarring to read.

I did enjoy reading these books. I'd thought them awfully dry the first time through—stuffy English children in a fairly entertaining magical land, etc... The difference this time was, I watched the 2005 movie first. The movie completely blew me away, and while reading the first book (and even the succeeding books which involve the Pevensie children) I was able to imagine those warm, courageous and yet flawed children in place of the stuffy English ones, and it added a wonderful new dimension to the story. It was enough to carry me through the boks I didn't like as much, and made me enjoy my favorites even more (those would be The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Horse and His Boy).

Overall, I'd recommend them (they're a super-quick read too, you could probably finish one in a single day if you tried), but only after viewing the 2005 film first. :D Can't wait til movie #2!(less)

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Mar 28, 2008 whalesister rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-grade

I read the entire series, one right after another, eight times in a row when I got them for Christmas in fourth grade. Obviously I loved them then. Just finished reading them again to Eric, my 8-year-old, and loved them maybe just as must as I did as a 10-year-old. Eric couldn't stop giggling through the last pages of Horse and His Boy, which we had to reread when we finished the rest, since it was his favorite. We're starting Prince Caspian again, too--another favorite. I realized this go aroun...more

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Aug 16, 2007 Jarod rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A mostly well-written, very imaginative, thoroughly enjoyable read. The narration is warm and witty, the protagonists are well developed and likable but not perfect (written perfectly, but with flaws that give the stories depth), and the settings are vivid and fantastic (remember those loony one-footed invisible things that hop around? and the ending, when the boat sails over that undersea city and then into the clouds at the edge of the world?).

I'm always annoyed when people confound the qualit...more

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May 02, 2008 Jaclyn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: absolutely EVERYONE!

I can't even begin to count how many times I've read "The Chronicles of Narnia." The truly amazing thing about these books is that each time you read them, they magically become more complex, more meaningful and more beautiful. I first read "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" when I was about seven or eight years old and I did not get it at all. Sure, I followed the story, but the deeper meaning was completely lost on me. Someone later told me that it was a Christian story and when I read the...more I can't even begin to count how many times I've read "The Chronicles of Narnia." The truly amazing thing about these books is that each time you read them, they magically become more complex, more meaningful and more beautiful. I first read "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" when I was about seven or eight years old and I did not get it at all. Sure, I followed the story, but the deeper meaning was completely lost on me. Someone later told me that it was a Christian story and when I read the book again as a young teenager, I picked up on that element of it. In the many times I've read the books as an adult, I've come to find that the underlying meaning - not just of "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe," but of the other books as well - becomes gradually clearer until you can't believe you didn't see it all along. The books are like Narnia itself, unfolding like an onion, layer upon layer, Narnia upon Narnia, but each layer is bigger and better than the one above it.

In order of the events that unfold in the story (but not in the order that the books were published), the Chronicles of Narnia include:

"The Magician's Nephew" - the Narnian creation story. Two children living in London are magically transported to other worlds and witness the dawn of Narnia. The story incorporates such familiar elements as a Tree of Knowledge and the fall of man.

"The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" - Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, four children living in England during World War II, stumble through a magic wardrobe and discover the land of Narnia, which has been ruled for hundreds of years by an evil White Witch who has cast a spell over the land so that it is always winter but never Christmas. With the help of Aslan, the great Lion, they seek to free Narnia. This is the most obvious Christian parable, as Aslan represents Jesus and the story parallels the Resurrection story.

"The Horse and His Boy" - Takes place during the Golden Age of Narnia, although most of the events unfold elsewhere, in the southern lands of Calormen and Archenland. Shasta, a Calormene fisherman's son, runs away when he hears his father negotiating to sell him into slavery. Together with two talking horses and a noble Calormene girl running away from an arranged marriage, he tries to get to Narnia. The book is a meditation on faith and the concept that God helps those who help themselves. It's also my favorite of the seven books.

"Prince Caspian" - Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia to help young Prince Caspian recapture the throne of Narnia from his evil uncle Miraz. Not the most overtly religious of the stories.

"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" - Edmund, Lucy, and their obnoxious cousin Eustace, join Caspian, now King of Narnia, on a quest to find seven banished lords who had served his father. It doesn't seem all that religious until the end of the book, which encourages people to seek God in their own lives.

"The Silver Chair" - Eustace, whose personality has dramatically improved thanks to his time in Narnia, returns with his school friend Jill to search for Prince Rilian, Caspian's son who went missing ten (Narnian) years earlier.

"The Last Battle" - Eustace and Jill return again to Narnia to assist King Tirian, the last King of Narnia, in his final stand. The book is a parable of the End of Days, with chaos, confusion, war, unbelief and the worship of false gods. Tirian, Eustace, Jill and their friends can only hope that Aslan returns to Narnia to deliver them.

Read them, then read them again and again and again. You won't be sorry.
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Nov 02, 2007 Timothy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I went back and actually read the Chronicles of Narnia for the first time last year. (My parents read them to me when I was a kid). This is an amazing story, from one of the best English minds of the twentieth century. As a whole, this story was every bit as good as I had remembered.

That being said, however, I ran into some real problems reading this story as an adult in the 21st century. Starting with The Horse and His Boy, and culminating in The Last Battle, the issue of "Calormen" as obviousl...more I went back and actually read the Chronicles of Narnia for the first time last year. (My parents read them to me when I was a kid). This is an amazing story, from one of the best English minds of the twentieth century. As a whole, this story was every bit as good as I had remembered.

That being said, however, I ran into some real problems reading this story as an adult in the 21st century. Starting with The Horse and His Boy, and culminating in The Last Battle, the issue of "Calormen" as obviously modeled on the Arab world, and their belief in the vengeful god "Tosh" as obviously modeled on the Muslim faith, is very serious indeed. I've read defenses of this--for instance, the fact that C.S. Lewis was a scholar of Medieval literature, which steeped him in a time dominated by fear of the Ottoman Empire and the ever-present threat of its overrunning Europe. Frankly, this just doesn't do it for me. At the end of the day, this story has to be read as imperfect fiction, but still with an unparalelled scope of imagination.

The other issue, of course is gender. There's the word of Father Christmas to Lucy in the first novel--"Battles are nasty afffairs when women fight"--which was totally glossed over in the recent film. And then there's the issue of Susan not being deemed worthy of living in the New Narnia, in effect, because she has become enamored with the trappings of being a mature female. This is also problematic, and there's no way around it. C.S. Lewis, like many other celebrated authors of the 20th century (Take Hemingway, for crying out loud!) seems to have some issues with integrating feminine power into his worldview, let alone his fiction.

Again, however, I think that for children, Lewis' power of storytelling and imagination far outweighs his dated (even for his own time) perspective on NonWestern cultures and femininity. The important thing is not to "censor" his work for our children, or deprive them of this wonderful story, but rather to add it to their mental tapestry, knowing its flaws, and the need for fantasy springing from other worldviews to supplement it.

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Jul 05, 2007 Carl rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of Fantasy, Tolkien, and MacDonald

I read this entire series multiple times when I was younger, I think near the end of elementary school or during Jr Hi, and actually got sick of it after too many reads and had to wait to rediscover it later on-- several times, in fact. The books are nice and short, yet each is a quality fantasy story, loaded, of course, with Lewis' exploration-in-fiction of man's relationship to diety and the world. Tolkien was always my favorite, but Lewis has his own particular approach to the fantastic which...more I read this entire series multiple times when I was younger, I think near the end of elementary school or during Jr Hi, and actually got sick of it after too many reads and had to wait to rediscover it later on-- several times, in fact. The books are nice and short, yet each is a quality fantasy story, loaded, of course, with Lewis' exploration-in-fiction of man's relationship to diety and the world. Tolkien was always my favorite, but Lewis has his own particular approach to the fantastic which is just a beautiful-- it's a shame that Tolkien didn't go for the Narnia books, though I can understand why he didn't. For two such close friends, and with such similar tastes in material, they ended up speaking very different fictional languages. Lewis, of course, was a big fan of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Silmarillion, but Tolkien was so much more militantly purist that it is no suprise that Lewis would find in Tolkien's work that "joy" which he found in the Norse myths. Lewis' Narnia, however, was more in the service of the fantastic as percieved by moderns, blending and borrowing to create a whole of the present moment, rather than pursuing the more reconstructionsist cohesion of Tolkien. Lewis, of course, remained more faithful to George MacDonald than Tolkien, and that shows: Narnia is a fantasy of the Victorians pulled into the Modern period. If I were to try to recover Tolkien's own perspective on the contrast, I would perhaps say that Narnia and MacDonald's creations were fantasies of a more effeminate, decadent age in which the "horns of Elfland" are a bit more shrill and prettified, in contrast to Middle Earth's masculine hardness and depth-- but typically my own perception of Narnia is much more positive, and I enjoyed these books very much. Maybe not really allegory, though I've heard them described as such (I think by Tolkien), but I can see how one would get that impression-- the world feels much more unabashedly fictional, in comparison to Middle Earth or most "gritty" fantasy that is out there today. This is not necessarily a bad thing, I think-- sometimes the more fictional the context, the brighter the human truths within that fiction.
Out of the series, I would have to say that my favorites are The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (how can you not love such a straightforward title! It spoils nothing, and yet is as pertinent as you can get), the Magician's nephew, and the Last Battle-- the last two because I like beginnings and ends, I think. The structure of the series itself is nice-- first you are pulled in by the plight and plot of children and world in the first book, then this is developed into a love affair with that world in the next few books, with the world itself becoming a character, then, having fallen in love, you behold the birth of your beloved in the Magician's Nephew, and finally, experience her death and redemption in the final book.

Okay, I had at least two or three other paragraphs, but apparently there is a 4000 character limit on these reviews-- which sucks! I'll try and spread out my CS Lewis comments over a few other reviews.(less)

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May 11, 2007 Kecia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: children of all ages

Shelves: times_100_best, kiddie_lit, topshelf

After reading the reviews here I'm glad to know I wasn't the only kid searching for a way into Narnia.

I first read and fell in love with the series in the fourth grade. I read them over and over and over. Sometimes in series order, sometimes in chronological order. At some point I started saving them for Christmas break. I would read them every year at Christmas break. My family, all non-readers, thought this was a bizarre quirk of mine but they tolerated it.

When the movie came out I took my f...more

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Aug 28, 2008 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: children and adults with imagination and patience for juvenile fiction

I read this entire series on my lunch breaks while I was working as a framer at Hobby Lobby. I don't know that I would've read them at any other time in my adult life simply because they are a bit slow and too juvenile in parts, but altogether these are definately worth the read. They are very easy to read and very creatively done. It's easy to see the author's genius throughout the series. And I wish badly that I had read these as a child when my mind was more open. I know I would have loved th...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Katherine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: christian-themes, christian-fiction, all-time-faves

As a pre-teen/young teen I decided not to read these because they had to0 much magic. Yes, people-who-know-me, reel in shock! These weren't Christian enough for me! But now I love them... cue the quotes...

"But it is not, as some people think, an allegory" (“Letter to Sophia Storr,” in The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, vol 3, 1113).

"You are mistaken when you think that everything in the books ‘represents’ something in this world. Things do that in The Pilgrim’s Progress but I’m not writing in...more

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Mar 06, 2011 C.L. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got hooked on this series in junior high school and never got over it. The Narnia series has it all. Stories of good versus evil, adventure, betrayal and redemption that both children and adults will enjoy. Although placed in the order of chronological events, I still tend to read them in the published order, mostly because that was how I read them originally. However, that is a matter of personal preference, and having them all in one single collection allows that leeway. All the books are cl...more

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Jan 27, 2012 Christine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really loved this series. What I liked most about it was how CS Lewis describes each character and their personalities. At some point in the series, you see yourself as the character's friend and not just a reader. My favorite character was Lucy. Why I like Lucy so much is because she is so faithful to Narnia and Aslan, and she never gives up on them. The first few books of this series are just an introduction to Narnia and to the main characters. In each book, the main characters Peter, Susan...more

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May 22, 2011 Book Elf rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: borrowed-books

When I first grabbed the book, my thought was, "Oh my! There's a whole lot to read." As you can see, I have watched the Chronicles of Narnia movies 1 to 3 (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of The Dawn Treader) before reading the book itself, and it was so thick!. So when I came across the 1st book, I was puzzled. I thought, "oh, so The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was not the first book." Which made me felt silly. Then I read on.

The Magician's Nephew was a del...more

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Nov 06, 2008 Rena rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Every book a masterpiece--I enjoy them again and again...and the Christian symbols are part of what makes it great.

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Aug 28, 2007 Joy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: all ages

okay.... so I read this in high school but it remains my favorite all time books. CS Lewis is brillant in his symbolism regarding the characters.

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Mar 28, 2008 Ruth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love how you can see Aslan as Jesus giving up his life for us. And the greater power or deaper magic that brings him back to life

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Aug 18, 2008 Luann rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

These books are AMAZING! They are a beautiful metaphor for the biblical story of Jesus's sacrifice for us.

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Jan 05, 2012 Jonathan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, audio-book, c-s-lewis

Having just discovered this I thought I might as well review this separately from the actual novels. This being the audio book version that I own.

I enjoy this audio book and compared to others I have heard it is of a decent quality. The positive of it is that I can of course carry it with me on an mp3 player and listen to it in the car or outside the house, enjoying the story of Narnia without the necessity of delving into a book or watching a film.

The sound effects and voice acting are general...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Charlotte rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: didn-t-give-a-flying-meh

Reviews of individual Narnia books, with plot spoilers:

The Magician's Nephew

Whiny little boy meets bad-ass little girl. Whiny boy takes girl through his creepy uncle's magic pool, and ends up in a few magical worlds. Things happen, and the Lion Who Was Jesus creates some new world. Cue BOOMNARNIA!!!! Things happen, magical evil queen comes to Narnia, finds magical tree with magical gold/silver/titanium/something apples. Kids defeat her, and uncle walks around saying MUMPHLE PUMPHY SHUMPH because...more

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Apr 22, 2011 Veronica rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorites

Who must a person be, to create a world where children, adults and aged people can live in? When I finished reading these series, I realized I might as well keep the books always at hand on my shelf, because I would reach out and read them constantly throughout the rest of my life.
And I guess that the best thing these books have taught me is that it's so easy to outgrow faith like you outgrow clothes once you leave your childhood behind. These stories, more than anything, encouraged me to keep...more

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Feb 16, 2011 Tracey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites

I received this book as a gift several years ago, and I've always wanted to read it, so why did it taken me so long to pick it up? Well for a start, it's quite big, as it contains all 7 books in the Narnia series, including 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe' and 'Prince Caspian'. The second reason is that I assumed that being a children's classic, it would be difficult to read, in the same way that I found 'Lord of the Rings' difficult.
Well, I decided it was a perfect book to take on holiday...more I received this book as a gift several years ago, and I've always wanted to read it, so why did it taken me so long to pick it up? Well for a start, it's quite big, as it contains all 7 books in the Narnia series, including 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe' and 'Prince Caspian'. The second reason is that I assumed that being a children's classic, it would be difficult to read, in the same way that I found 'Lord of the Rings' difficult.
Well, I decided it was a perfect book to take on holiday, given I would have two weeks to get stuck into the story. Wow, what a shock!! I was hooked from the very first page, and enchanted by the author's writing style and the introduction of Narnia. It's very difficult not to compare it to the Harry Potter series, because the simple language and easy writing style is great for kids, and the imagination of the author is really sublime.
I was totally immersed in the story and enjoyed all the adventures. I realised after reading it that the religious undercurrent that this book is renowned for is there for the reader if they wish to delve deep, however they form part of the story and I very much doubt younger readers would even notice. In the same way that 'The Simpsons' contains jokes for adults that can often go right over the head of children, so it is with the religious references in this classic.
Each of the 7 adventures incorporates a battle of good (usually in the name of Aslan the Lion who created Narnia) and evil, and it is really only at the end of the series that the religious overtones become quite obvious. I was quite moved at the end of the last book when I realised that the characters weren't in a new world, they were in Heaven, and the process that got them there was fascinating. The message I gained from Lewis was that if you lead a good life then your actions are in the name of the 'Good God' you will be accepted in Heaven regardless of whether you have worshipped that God in life.
You really have to read it to understand, but ultimately I can see why this book is a classic, and I can definitely see why it has captivated so many readers, children and adults alike.
I loved this book and can't recommend it highly enough to any reader.(less)

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Feb 10, 2011 Ryan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, read-aloud-to-my-wife, fantasy, inspirational, childrens-books, first-reads, british-authors

I was in college the first time I read all the Chronicles of Narnia. Eight years later, I was ecstatic to get the whole set for free through the Goodreads first reader program. (Thanks to Harper Collins.) This time around I enjoyed them quite a bit more and understood the symbolism a little better. Rating on story alone I probably would give them three or four stars. But because all the stories are so deep in meaning and strike a chord with Christians everywhere, I've bumped the series up to AMA...more

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Aug 20, 2008 Lindsay Stares rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Fair Warning:
I am reading (in some cases, rereading) this as an adult, one who is most decidedly Not Christian, and somewhat against religious children's books. If that doesn't describe you, your mileage will obviously vary. The following is very very long, as I sum up each book. Spoilers aplenty.

After seeing the new Prince Caspian movie this summer, I decided that, as a fan of both classic children’s literature and fantasy literature, I should really take another look at The Chronicles of Narni...more

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Jun 16, 2009 Terence rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: YAs & nostalgic adults who aren't too cynical (yet)

Shelves: sf-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It's been over 10 years (at least, probably more) since the last time I read The Chronicles of Narnia. I've always felt a little bad about giving the entire series only 2 stars; I must have been in a particularly snarky mood the day I added it to my GR shelf. I think it definitely deserves at least 3 stars. They don't have the depth and complexity of his friend Tolkien's work but then Narnia was not quite the focus of Lewis' life as Middle Earth was Tolkien's. And, even if one can't accept the r...more

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John I've enjoyed reading about your re-readings of this. When the first movie came out I went back and read tLW&tW, but I felt like the Christian symb...more
Jun 17, 2009 11:59am

Terence John wrote: "I've enjoyed reading about your re-readings of this. When the first movie came out I went back and read tLW&tW, but I felt like the C...more
Jun 17, 2009 12:24pm

C. I don't agree with everything you've said here, but your comments about The Last Battle are spot on.
Jun 17, 2009 07:42pm

Jun 27, 2007 Tina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: all

Shelves: fantasy-books

CS Lewis' Chronicles are a God-send in my world. Although I have listed 1981 as having read them... I have to say that I am constantly re-reading them. Different books for different moods/issues I'm having. I have found they rejuvenate my spirit and my faith. The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle have been read the fewest amount of times-2 each; I think this is because I found no common link with either of them. Voyage of the Dawn Treader has been my favorite, however Puddleglum from The Sil...more

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Sep 06, 2008 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have loved these books my whole life. They are frequently misread, I think, by people who insist that everything in Narnia has to "equal" something in our world (Aslan=Jesus, Calormens=Muslims, Tash=Satan, etc.) While Lewis is clearly writing about God, as I read it, he is imagining how the Christian God might reveal himself in another world rather than allegorizing our own. Aslan is not "Jesus," but rather the earthly aspect of God as he reveals himself in Narnia. The Calormens are not Muslim...more

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About C.S. Lewis

CLIVE STAPLES LEWIS (1898–1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more th...more

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Books by C.S. Lewis

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia, #3)

The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)

Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia (Chronicles of Narnia, #2)

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Quotes from The Chronicles of Narnia

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” — 10,524 people liked it

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.” — 5,040 people liked it

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The Chronicles of Narnia: Including an Essay on Writing by C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia Publication Order #1-7)

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