Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Chronicles of Narnia (Chronicles of Narnia, #1-7)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

more photos (2)

The Chronicles of Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia (Chronological Order) #1–7)

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

4.24 · Rating Details · 400,540 Ratings · 8,841 Reviews

Journeys to the end of the world, fantastic creatures, and epic battles 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 1949 by Clive Stables Lewis. But Lewis did not stop there. Six more books followed, and together they became known as The Chronicles of Narnia.

For the past ...more

Paperback, Reissue Edition, 767 pages

Published September 16th 2002 by HarperCollins (first published 1956)

More Details... edit details

Get a copy:

Or buy for

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Chronicles of Narnia, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Best Books Ever

48,103 books — 175,253 voters

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Books That Everyone Should Read At Least Once

17,573 books — 83,675 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-45)

filter | sort: default (?) | Rating Details

Jul 02, 2007 AJ Griffin rated it really liked it

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?

flag 271 likes · Like · see review

Feb 14, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it it was amazing

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

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

flag 114 likes · Like · see review

Mar 17, 2016 Nandakishore Varma rated it liked it · review of another edition

Quick review

Terrific fantasy setting and storyline spoilt by extremely unsubtle allegory and (as the story progresses) excessive Christian preachiness. Warning: Racial stereotypes abound and may offend.

Recommended for adults who thrive in a Christian religious environment or those who can overlook these aspects totally and enjoy the story. Not for gullible children, unless accompanied by a discerning adult.

Detailed review

I won't insult the intelligence of respected GoodReaders by giving a sy ...more

flag 62 likes · Like · see review

Mar 30, 2016 Christian Guzman rated it liked it

Overall I would give this book 3 stars. Below I have provided specific ratings/reviews for each story. At first I was skeptical about reading the book in chronological order as opposed to publication order. Now that I look back at it, it works well both ways. I also had some trouble at first with the way the style of writing was presented, but I got used to it pretty quickly. The world of Narnia is well written and detailed thanks to C.S Lewis. I can safely say that I liked the introduction of e Overall I would give this book 3 stars. Below I have provided specific ratings/reviews for each story. At first I was skeptical about reading the book in chronological order as opposed to publication order. Now that I look back at it, it works well both ways. I also had some trouble at first with the way the style of writing was presented, but I got used to it pretty quickly. The world of Narnia is well written and detailed thanks to C.S Lewis. I can safely say that I liked the introduction of every story. But, I just personally didn’t find it to be extremely appealing as a whole. This book nonetheless will be someone else's treasure, not mine. I liked it, but I just wasn’t too crazy about it.

The Magician’s Nephew: 5 stars
I would surely want to reread this story again in the near future. Such an original plot! I enjoyed every minute of it. Getting to know the backstory and how Narnia was created was interesting to me. Many people didn’t like how there were connections with Christianity, but I found it to be quite creative. There were a few metaphors between Adam, Eve, and the tree of wisdom. Digory and Uncle Andrew were my favorite characters, even though at times the uncle seemed quite cynical. My favorite moment would have to the fight at the lamp post and how they escaped. One quote that stood out to me was: “What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.”

The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe: 4 stars
I liked these characters, they engaged me throughout the whole story. My favorite character were the two youngest ones: Lucy and Edmund. They seemed to always have something going on with them. There was also more human and animal interaction in this story than in the previous one, but it’s interesting to read about. Again, there are several religious metaphors present in this story too. It was pleasurable reading and seeing all the symbolism. We also get to see more of the magical world of Narnia in this story so that is exciting. I had fun with this story!

The Horse and His Boy: 2 stars
This story started of interesting, but I just wasn’t so captivated by the 4 main characters. The concept is good, but it just isn’t appealing to me. The desert scene felt eternal to me and unexciting. I did not hate it, but I can’t say I liked it. It was ok. Compared to how great the previous two were this wasn’t on that level.

Prince Caspian: 3 stars
In this story we are introduced to Prince Caspian and I must say he was a well written character. The backstory about him and finding out how he commences his journey is interesting. I seem to enjoy the introductions of each story quite immensely, this one being one of my favorites.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: 3 stars
My favorite part of this story was the involvement of the new character Eustace. Even though he was portrayed negatively at first it was interesting viewing how he slowly changed. The dragon scene was enjoyable to me. I am not a big fan of all the other scenes, they weren’t bad, but just not mind blowing.

The Silver Chair: 2 stars
The beginning of the novel was fun, which is when Eustace and Jill embark on their new adventure. They are sent on a mission and we read about their journey. I found many parts dull. This story didn’t have much of an impact on me.

The Last Battle: 2 stars
This story ends the series of The Chronicles of Narnia. There were several parallels to heaven and at first these religious metaphors didn’t bother me much in the previous strories, but I just didn’t like how they were used here. It felt like one part of the novel dealt with adventure while the other part dealt with religion/god/creation themes. ...more

flag 57 likes · Like · see review

Mar 20, 2017 Michael Finocchiaro rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, kids, fantasy, classics, english-20th-c

Read this as a kid and re-read later on, these 7 books were a great form of escapism despite the somewhat overbearing Christian symbolism that is pervasive throughout. The movies did NOT to the books justice but the animated film about Lion, Witch and Wardrobe was actually OK. A must for kids.

flag 56 likes · Like · see review

Apr 20, 2007 Mansoor rated it liked it

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 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 as Satan, Aslan as Jesus, and the Emperor as God. And because of the talking, fighting animals, the fantasy seems aimed at children. I might have enjoyed it more at age 12.

The next story in the series, The Horse and His Boy, takes a dark, ethnocentric turn with its unfavorable depiction of the Arab-like "Calormen" (shoes turned up at the toe, scimitars, suffixed phrases of praise, "son of" lineage declarations). In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, we get a not-quite-positive summary of the Calormen:

"...they are a wise, wealthy, courteous, cruel and ancient people. They bowed most politely to Caspian and paid him long compliments...but of course what they wanted was the money they had paid."

Given that this book was published in 1954, it's possible to forgive the cultural insensitivity, but it's sad that children around the world still uncritically read such racist material.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader demonstrates the problem with using God (or Jesus) in a story: there are no real conflicts. When the Dawn Treader stops at Dragon Island, the boy passenger Eustace wanders off, encounters a magical spell, and is turned into a dragon. This raises all kinds of serious issues about how to keep Eustace the Dragon with them, but none of these problems matter because, within 24 hours, Aslan just changes Eustace back to a boy.

There was a similar deus ex machina (the term being used most appropriately) in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. To save Edmund's soul, Aslan sacrifices his life. But it wasn't Aslan's only life, he had another one ready.

One thing I found especially creative about The Chronicles is how a story involving talking animals justifies eating animals. ...more

flag 50 likes · Like · see review

Apr 19, 2008 Jaclyn rated it it was amazing

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 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.
...more

flag 39 likes · Like · see review

Apr 03, 2016 Joshua Gabriel (Forever Bookish Josh) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone on Earth

Shelves: favorites, physically-owned, middle-grade, adult, fantasy

The 2005 film adaptation of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was what made me want to read this thick, heavenly book. Little yet valiant Lucy was very close to my heart, as well as her siblings who occasionally thought she was crazy. I was so enthralled by the movie, and I asked my parents if they could buy me the series for my birthday.

My uncle in the US was the one who granted my wish. Tee-hee. After buying this collection from Barnes & Noble, he immediately had it shipped all the way ...more

flag 36 likes · Like · see review

Apr 18, 2007 Mer rated it liked it · 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 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 and dragons and giants have burned themselves permanently into my memory.

Ten year old Mer's desire to live in that world and shoot arrows and eat Turkish Delight and befriend those magical talking beasts was all-consuming. Most of all, I wanted to know Aslan. To be cuddled and loved by that big, fierce, lovable lion. But in the end, I had to let go of him and his realm. (I remember being so disconsolate, in fact, that my parents let me stay home from school for a day! And they NEVER let me play hookey! So weird, remembering that.)

There were just so many aspects of that world that made me feel, well, BAD, somehow. Guilty, or ashamed, or just plain uncomfortable.

Remember when Susan didn't come back, basically because she discovered her sexuality?

Remember the Calormenes? Those dark-skinned people with really intense garlic breath who wore turbans and worshiped a Satanic "false god" who demanded blood sacrifices from his followers?

There was SO much blame being laid out in that world. A lot of finger-pointing and shaming going on, a lot of damning and excluding. It was all very black and white, us or them, good or evil.

In the end, I rejected the Narnia books for that reason. Later, finding out Lewis was a devout Christian and Aslan was basically supposed to be Jebus in a lion suit, I wasn't at all surprised.

Nowadays, I recommend Miyazaki movies (especially Kiki) to every tween girl I meet to cleanse their palate of some of the more despicable Disney depictions of femininity, and I happily gift kids (and adults!) with the Dark Materials trilogy to counteract their exposure to the Narnia dogma.

All that being said, these books are a memorable part of my childhood, and I still recall parts of them with fondness and longing.
...more

flag 24 likes · Like · see review

Mar 28, 2008 whalesister rated it it was amazing

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

flag 24 likes · Like · see review

Jun 09, 2015 Hasham Rasool rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, c-s-lewis, favourites, fiction, classic

I loved this book Alhamdulillah.

I have seen seen 'Chronicles of Narnia' movie trilogy. I think the first one was the best in movie trilogy.

flag 21 likes · Like · see review

Aug 16, 2007 Jarod rated it really liked it

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

flag 20 likes · Like · see review

Jul 20, 2017 R. Kitt rated it it was amazing

Shelves: absoulte-favorites, young-adult-fantasy

Childhood favorite!

flag 19 likes · Like · see review

Mar 28, 2008 Ruth rated it it was amazing

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

flag 19 likes · Like · see review

Apr 10, 2008 Julie rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, middle-grade

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 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! ...more

flag 18 likes · Like · see review

Feb 07, 2012 midnightfaerie rated it liked it

Shelves: classics

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis is one of the books in his series, the Chronicles of Narnia in which Christianity is portrayed through various fantasy creatures. God, for instance is portrayed as a talking Lion. What a wonderful series! What child hasn’t climbed into a closet and explored the back cracks in hope of finding an entrance to a new and exciting world after reading this book? I used to sit in a closet with the door closed and a flashlight reading my favorite books aft ...more

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

Jul 24, 2009 Daniel rated it liked it · 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

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Sep 06, 2008 Elizabeth rated it it was amazing

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

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Jun 17, 2011 Jan-Maat added it · review of another edition

Shelves: novel, 20th-century, british-isles, childrens-ya

I was wondering the other day(view spoiler) ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Nov 24, 2014 Chiara rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: saghe, gr-100-fiction, 2000boh-acquisti-e-regali, scaffale-traboccante

Via, io ci riprovo.
Strategia di lettura: ~~un romanzo al mese~~ che simpatica che sono
Durata della lettura: ~~sette mesi (giugno - dicembre)~~ dieci mesi con una pausa di cinque mesi
Aspettative: non addormentarmi con il tomo sui polmoni (già successo più e più volte)

Il nipote del mago (dal 01/06 al 05/06) 3/5 stelline
In fin dei conti mi è piaciuto più di quanto pensassi: si vede che è una storia per bambini, a tratti è noiosa, poco descrittiva, ma in fin dei conti carina.
Ho adorato il tipo di nar ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Jan 14, 2017 Anna [Floanne] rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens, fantasy, biblioteca, _uk-ire, randomly, sconosciuto, sf-biblio, 52-tasks, abc, generi, gilmore, xxl, mono, cittàdeilibri

Edizione in tre volumi.
1º volume (letto dal 13 al 26 Gennaio 2017)
• Il nipote del mago ★★★
In questo libro (sesto per ordine di pubblicazione, ma in realtà pensato come un prequel alle avventure di Peter, Susan, Edmund e Lucy) C.S. Lewis ci accompagna per la prima volta nel regno di Narnia, attraverso la magia di due anelli forgiati da un incauto mago. Scaraventati in un mondo parallelo, due bambini - Polly e Diggory - saranno i primi a fare la conoscenza del possente Aslan ma saranno anche res ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Nov 02, 2007 Timothy rated it really liked it

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 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.

...more

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Jul 11, 2008 Lindsay Stares rated it it was ok · review of another edition

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

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Jun 06, 2015 Bene rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2favorites

"Un giorno sarai grande abbastanza da ricominciare a leggere le favole."
C.S. Lewis.

Recensione completa qui nel mio nuovo blog libresco: http://benereadsbooksonclouds.blogspo...

Incredibile come questo libro mi catturi ogni volta, come se fosse la prima, come ogni volta mi commuova nei soliti punti, come non mi stanchi mai di rileggerlo
Il linguaggio è semplice e scorrevole ma tratteggiato con dettaglio.
La descrizione del paesaggio fiabesco è particolareggiata ma mai troppo lenta, poiché si altern ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Jul 05, 2007 Carl rated it it was amazing

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 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. ...more

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

Aug 29, 2016 La sala da tè di una lettrice rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Uno dei fantasy che mia ha sempre ispirato sin da piccina

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

May 11, 2007 Kecia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: children of all ages

Shelves: topshelf, kiddie_lit, times_100_best, england

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

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Aug 31, 2016 Tannaz rated it it was amazing

شیش سالم بود که لابلای کارتونای سوزناک و جورواجور تلویزیون یه سریال میداد به اسم ماجراهای نارنیا؛ شیر کمد و جادوگر. اینجوری شد که توی هرخونه ای اول از همه می رفتم سراغ کمد لباس ها، شاید اصلان و آقای تامنوس اون تو منتظرم بودن و من میتونستم برم کمکشون. چند سال بعد کتابخونه مدرسه برام در درجه اول جایی بود که توش در کمال مهربانی کتاب های نارنیا رو بهم قرض میدادن... هنوز هم انقدر بزرگ نشدم که کنار کتاب های عبوس و اخموی توی کتابخونه م جایی برای این کتاب ها نداشته باشم.

کاش میشد کنار این ستاره ها علامت ...more

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

Aug 18, 2008 Luann rated it it was amazing

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

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Jul 18, 2008 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classic, fantasy, childrens-young-readers, 20th-century

The Chronicles of Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia (Chronological Order) #1-7), C.S. Lewis, Pauline Baynes (Illustrator)
سرگذشت نارنیا مجموعه ای از هفت رمان خیالپردازانه اثر ماندگار سی.اس. لوئیس برای کودکان است
شیر، کمد و جادوگر (1950)؛ شاهزاده کاسپین (1951)؛ کشتی سپیده پیما (1952)؛ صندلی نقرهای (1953)؛ اسب و سوارش (1954)؛ خواهرزاده جادوگر (1955)؛ آخرین نبرد (1956)؛ ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

Mar 05, 2016 Angigames rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: ma-anche-no

Lo ammetto, mi sono avvicinata a questo libro solo per l’uscita del film (che poi, vista la delusione della lettura, mi sono rifiutata di vedere).
E mi sono pure vergognata perché C. S. Lewis è uno dei padri del fantasy e io l’avevo sempre ignorato! Che dire? Avrei fatto meglio a seguire il mio istinto!
Questo libro è banale, pesante, lento e no, non è riuscito a conquistarmi, per niente!
Protagonisti odiosi, narrazzione troppo semplice, invece di incantarmi mi ha solo irritato!
Adatto, forse (e ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Jan 31, 2016 Emily rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Oh my goodness. Y'all.

I just finished reading this series for the first time, and let me tell you, THESE BOOKS ARE BEAUTIFUL. I had read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe once before, and had seen the movies of both LWW and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, so I had a basic idea of what happened there, but other than that knew next to nothing of Narnia (other than that it was an epic analogy for Biblical Creation up until the End Times-- and I love analogies for Christianity).

Until now.

My thou ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Oct 24, 2010 Hamster rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens-books, fantasy, young-adult, inspirational, read-with-wife, 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

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Feb 13, 2013 Ashlee Willis rated it it was amazing

Shelves: my-favorites

Well ... what can I say? I feel ridiculous trying to write a review about a series of books that have been so close to my heart since I was a very young child. How can I truly express how great they are, and how personally life-changing they were to me? I can't. So I will just say ..

If you haven't read these - read them. No matter who you are, or what age, or what type/genre of book you usually read - no one should go through life without having read this amazing series by one of the best author ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Jul 26, 2016 Linda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, bbc-top-100

Ik heb dit boek gewonnen, en deze maand ook eindelijk helemaal uitgelezen. Hele leuke verhalen voor kinderen. Mijn favorieten: 'Het neefje van de tovenaar', 'de reis van het drakenschip' en 'de zilveren stoel'.

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

May 08, 2011 Book Elf rated it it was amazing

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

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Apr 26, 2012 Katherine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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

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

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Jul 05, 2017 Jenna (JenTheLibrarian) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, best-of-2017

I would give these books all the stars in the universe if I could. :) Absolute perfection. I haven't been this emotional over finishing a series since I finished reading HP in high school. Loved every minute of Narnia and spending some time with Aslan.

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Apr 23, 2016 Doaa Abdelazeem rated it it was amazing

ليتها لم تنتهي -_-

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Feb 24, 2016 Zachary Fletcher rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, children-and-ya, 1900s-fic, speculative-fic

I've been holding off on reviewing this series because there's so much that can be said, and maybe so little that needs to be. Even a month after completing it, I haven't been able to mold my thoughts into anything that might constitute a cohesive review. In lieu of that--a cohesive review--I'll settle on some scattered notes and observations; I'll deal with some of its parts in order to get at the whole.

First, a bit of autobiography. When I was a child, exploring the antiques-laden and somehow ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

May 19, 2015 Alex (TheLibraryOfAlex) rated it really liked it

RATING OVERVIEW:
The Magician's Nephew: 4.5 Stars
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe: 3.75 stars

CURRENT AVERAGE RATING: 4.1 Stars

The Magician's Nephew Review

RATING: 4.5 stars

I read this book for the Mid-year #CRAMATHON 2015!

This book was just what I needed. I've been feeling a bit of a slump coming on, and I was craving some fantasy, and this book was just perfect. So perfect that I almost read it in one sitting, then my mum told me to "go outside, for a change, get some air"

I have only seen ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Jul 26, 2015 Fabiola is currently reading it · review of another edition

1) Il nipote del mago: 3* (lettura 31/07/2016)
2) Il leone, la strega e l'armadio: 4=* (lettura 20/12/2016)
3) Il cavallo e il ragazzo
4) Il principe Caspian
5) Il viaggio del veliero
6) La sedia d'argento
7) L'ultima battaglia

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Apr 25, 2012 Caroline rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star-books

All the Narnia books are like old friends to me. If I feel ill and spend the day in bed - this is my comfort reading. Generally, I don't collect books at all, but even so I have the full set of Narnia books on my shelves. I couldn't be without them.

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Aug 28, 2007 Joy rated it it was amazing

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.

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Nov 06, 2008 Rena rated it it was amazing

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

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Never too Late to...: * 2017 August YA Read: The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis	8	12	53 minutes ago
UK Book Club: Chronicles Of Narnia	1	4	Jul 28, 2017 04:43PM
FOR NARNIA: Where have all the Narnians gone?	3	10	Jun 04, 2017 02:21AM
The Essay Writing Service Helps to support the Confidence of Writing	3	7	May 18, 2017 02:22AM
ice cream lovers	2	11	Mar 09, 2017 05:13PM

Readers Also Enjoyed

Genres

Childrens

601 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

342 users

Christian Fiction

330 users

Fantasy > Magic

257 users

Religion

218 users

Childrens > Middle Grade

212 users

Fiction

190 users

Literature

187 users

Young Adult

135 users

Religion > Christianity

130 users

See top shelves…

About C.S. Lewis

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

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. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature ...more

More about C.S. Lewis...

Other Books in the Series

The Chronicles of Narnia (Chronological Order) (7 books)

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, #6)

Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia, #2)

More…

Share This Book

+ Share on your website

Trivia About The Chronicles of...

102 trivia questions
11 quizzes

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Chronicles of...

“Peter did not feel very brave; indeed, he felt he was going to be sick. But that made no difference to what he had to do.” — 311 likes

“I am [in your world].’ said Aslan. ‘But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.” — 293 likes

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Chronicles of Narnia
avg rating	preview: The Chronicles of Narnia Goodreads rating: 4.24 (400540 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11127.The_Chronicles_of_Narnia?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449868701l/11127.jpg[/img][/url] [url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11127.The_Chronicles_of_Narnia?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis[/url]

See a Problem?

Preview — The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia (Chronological Order) #1–7)

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Popular Answered Questions

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers Also Enjoyed

Genres

About C.S. Lewis

Other Books in the Series

Books by C.S. Lewis

Share This Book

Share on your website

Trivia About The Chronicles of...

Quotes from The Chronicles of...