What do you think?
Rate this book
The Soul Of The Lion,the Witch, And The Wardrobe
Book coincides with the theatrical release of the Chronicles of Narnia
Audio CD
First published August 19, 2005
7 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
Gene Edward Veith Jr.
45 books185 followersGene Edward Veith Jr., is the Culture Editor of WORLD MAGAZINE. He was formerly Professor of English at Concordia University Wisconsin, where he has also served as Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences. He is the author of numerous books, including Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture, The Spirituality of the Cross: The Way of the First Evangelicals, and God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life.
Postmodern Times received a Christianity Today Book Award as one of the top 25 religious books of 1994. He was named Concordia's Adult Learning Teacher of the Year in 1993 and received the Faculty Laureate Award as outstanding faculty member in 1994. He was a Salvatori Fellow with the Heritage Foundation in 1994-1995 and is a Senior Fellow with the Capital Research Center. He was given the layman’s 2002 Robert D. Preus Award by the Association of Confessional Lutherans as “Confessional Lutheran of the Year.”
Dr. Veith was born in Oklahoma in 1951. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1973 and received a Ph.D. in English from the University of Kansas in 1979. He has taught at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College and was a Visiting Professor at Wheaton College in Illinois. He was also a Visiting Lecturer at the Estonian Institute of Humanities in Tallinn, Estonia. He and his wife Jackquelyn have three grown children and live in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.
Postmodern Times received a Christianity Today Book Award as one of the top 25 religious books of 1994. He was named Concordia's Adult Learning Teacher of the Year in 1993 and received the Faculty Laureate Award as outstanding faculty member in 1994. He was a Salvatori Fellow with the Heritage Foundation in 1994-1995 and is a Senior Fellow with the Capital Research Center. He was given the layman’s 2002 Robert D. Preus Award by the Association of Confessional Lutherans as “Confessional Lutheran of the Year.”
Dr. Veith was born in Oklahoma in 1951. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1973 and received a Ph.D. in English from the University of Kansas in 1979. He has taught at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College and was a Visiting Professor at Wheaton College in Illinois. He was also a Visiting Lecturer at the Estonian Institute of Humanities in Tallinn, Estonia. He and his wife Jackquelyn have three grown children and live in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 17, 2018
The first half of this book is basically just an analysis of The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe, explaining how it mirrors the gospel message. Though not poorly done, it isn't exactly groundbreaking, either. Veith's tone is somewhat exclusive, leading me to believe this was not written for the benefit of those outside the Christian faith. And yet most Christians are already familiar with the allegorical themes in the Chronicles of Narnia, so I'm not entirely sure what the point was.
The second half of the book draws comparisons between Narnia and the more modern fantasy worlds created by JK Rowling and Phillip Pullman. The former struck me as equal parts ridiculous and unnecessary. Veith's summary of the Harry Potter books was so off base, I question whether he has even read them. In his own words, HP is ultimately about "the struggle for popularity", and readers have fallen in love with Rowling's wizarding world because it enables their "fantasizing about being popular and successful". Those are exact quotes. Whether you like HP or not, it is beyond me that ANYONE could actually read the books and come away with that conclusion.
Having never cared to visit the His Dark Materials series, I can't really comment on that bit. It did at least contain actual quotes from Pullman and passages from the books (more than can be said of the HP section).
Bottom line: This one's skippable, folks. There are better books on similar subjects out there. Read one of those instead.
The second half of the book draws comparisons between Narnia and the more modern fantasy worlds created by JK Rowling and Phillip Pullman. The former struck me as equal parts ridiculous and unnecessary. Veith's summary of the Harry Potter books was so off base, I question whether he has even read them. In his own words, HP is ultimately about "the struggle for popularity", and readers have fallen in love with Rowling's wizarding world because it enables their "fantasizing about being popular and successful". Those are exact quotes. Whether you like HP or not, it is beyond me that ANYONE could actually read the books and come away with that conclusion.
Having never cared to visit the His Dark Materials series, I can't really comment on that bit. It did at least contain actual quotes from Pullman and passages from the books (more than can be said of the HP section).
Bottom line: This one's skippable, folks. There are better books on similar subjects out there. Read one of those instead.
December 7, 2022
This is rather a short book, but filled with many good insights into the fantasy-fiction of C. S. Lewis. The author also has some good observations regarding the difference between Christian fantasy- fiction and that of fantasy-fiction that is not of a Christian nature and especially that which is antagonistic to the Christian faith (specifically the writings of Philip Pullman). An excellent book to have on one's bookshelves.
December 20, 2024
Includes the usual info about Lewis and the Narnia Chronicles which you would find in any basic book on Lewis. Much of the page time is taken up re-describing the plot of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which feels like wasted space. Many of his general explanations about Christian allusions in the book seem so simplistic, dumbed down, and pedantic that all the magic and wonder gets squashed to death. The tone feels condescending at first, and it took me a moment to realize that Veith is just writing to a very, very young audience--perhaps junior-highers and early high-schoolers. I'd recommend it to those ages, or perhaps a very early, inexperienced reader.
Veith seems very in favor of allegory, and while he states the Chronicles aren't allegory, he seems to think that fantasy can't hold meaning for our world unless it lapses into allegory? But he does generally praise fantasy as a valuable framework in which one can re-enchant and "train the imagination."
Feels like a two-star read to me, but I'm giving it three stars with the logic that I'm just not the right audience for the book.
Veith seems very in favor of allegory, and while he states the Chronicles aren't allegory, he seems to think that fantasy can't hold meaning for our world unless it lapses into allegory? But he does generally praise fantasy as a valuable framework in which one can re-enchant and "train the imagination."
Feels like a two-star read to me, but I'm giving it three stars with the logic that I'm just not the right audience for the book.
November 2, 2025
I love the Narnia series, and enjoyed reading this in-depth take on it!
For my purposes- getting some ideas to share with students while we do a novel study- it was helpful in some ways.
I did feel all the Harry Potter & Pullman references & comparisons were perhaps unnecessary or just a bit too much.
For my purposes- getting some ideas to share with students while we do a novel study- it was helpful in some ways.
I did feel all the Harry Potter & Pullman references & comparisons were perhaps unnecessary or just a bit too much.
August 11, 2015
Like other reviewers have said, this is a pretty basic guide to Narnia. I am a huge CS Lewis fan and also appreciate Veith, so I thought this book would be a good fit. I really did not learn anything new about Narnia, did not care about Pullman's books, and thought Veith was off base on Potter. Sometimes I wondered if he had read the same Potter books I had read! There were some good nuggets here though. For example, I enjoyed the discussion on how there is still a battle to be fought and won after you come to faith. And it did make me want to read my Narnia books....again....for the fourth time!
December 6, 2024
This book explores how Lewis’s Christian faith permeates the Chronicles of Narnia series and the appeal of fantasy literature’s ability to awaken a longing for Heaven: “all stories are part of the one story.”
The book also addresses the varied perspectives on fantasy. “Some embrace works like The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and The Lord of the Rings but reject others, such as Harry Potter. Others go so far as to oppose all fantasy, believing that stories involving magic or the supernatural could open doors to the occult.”
Veith counters these views by affirming the role of imagination in grasping spiritual truths, a concept Lewis clearly embodied. If you’ve been here long enough, you know I would tend to agree with Veith and Lewis, but I am selective of the content I choose to consume, fantasy or otherwise.
However, Veith’s criticism of Harry Potter was unnecessary and boring. It reminded me of other vague criticisms of the series, most frequently shared by people who haven’t read the books.
Overall, I can applaud this book for its exploration of Lewis’ work and the significance of the fantasy literature genre.
The book also addresses the varied perspectives on fantasy. “Some embrace works like The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and The Lord of the Rings but reject others, such as Harry Potter. Others go so far as to oppose all fantasy, believing that stories involving magic or the supernatural could open doors to the occult.”
Veith counters these views by affirming the role of imagination in grasping spiritual truths, a concept Lewis clearly embodied. If you’ve been here long enough, you know I would tend to agree with Veith and Lewis, but I am selective of the content I choose to consume, fantasy or otherwise.
However, Veith’s criticism of Harry Potter was unnecessary and boring. It reminded me of other vague criticisms of the series, most frequently shared by people who haven’t read the books.
Overall, I can applaud this book for its exploration of Lewis’ work and the significance of the fantasy literature genre.
December 23, 2019
Dr. Veith is an incisive thinker and literary scholar. For the sake of his insights, there is value in this book. However, the book itself is rather flimsy--long on summaries, short on revelations, and perpetually cautious in its assertions. And the way Harry Potter and His Dark Materials are referenced unfortunately makes the book feel dated.
Moreover, it needs some hefty editing. In some of the front matter, Veith mentioned the tight timeline to turn it out. This is likely the cause, but whole chunks of argument are repeated unnecessarily in different portions of the book, and other sections do not flow well. In the second half, one chapter is a verbatim reproduction of an essay that was apparently the inspiration for the book. Alas, like too many popular nonfiction books, perhaps this one would have been best left as an article rather than being expanded into its own volume.
Moreover, it needs some hefty editing. In some of the front matter, Veith mentioned the tight timeline to turn it out. This is likely the cause, but whole chunks of argument are repeated unnecessarily in different portions of the book, and other sections do not flow well. In the second half, one chapter is a verbatim reproduction of an essay that was apparently the inspiration for the book. Alas, like too many popular nonfiction books, perhaps this one would have been best left as an article rather than being expanded into its own volume.
June 2, 2018
Veith is a great writer, and - of course - Narnian air is glorious...
...however, the structure of this book doesn't quite work. The first half is a great explication of TLTWATW, but the second half veers into an out-of-place discourse on Harry Potter and His Dark Materials. I'm not even sure if I mind that; it's just that the title would need to change to defend such a structural choice for the book.
I'd love to see Veith give a longer and deeper look at Narnia and save the comments on HP and HDM for selected articles.
...however, the structure of this book doesn't quite work. The first half is a great explication of TLTWATW, but the second half veers into an out-of-place discourse on Harry Potter and His Dark Materials. I'm not even sure if I mind that; it's just that the title would need to change to defend such a structural choice for the book.
I'd love to see Veith give a longer and deeper look at Narnia and save the comments on HP and HDM for selected articles.
March 7, 2018
This book took me on an adventure into understanding fantasy and some of what lay behind it. A fascinating book about fantasy itself, how it affects us, and about Narnia in particular. If you enjoy the scenes behind the scenes, you'll love this read. A thoughtful, exciting adventure into fantasy.
February 11, 2019
The book got a little too broad in covering other books. I’m not sure this book provided me with any new insights.
August 7, 2023
I loved this book. Very informative - a more indepth look at Narnia.
January 17, 2016
This book has two main sections. The first section discusses the storyline of C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and the allegory and symbols that Lewis weaves into this book (and others in the series). I found that interesting, but already had identified most of the ones discussed.
The second main section discusses the role of fantasy fiction in a Christian's live and compares and contrasts Lewis's Narnia series with two other popular fantasy serieses contemporary to the publication time: Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. I was familiar with the former but not the latter. I enjoyed Vieth's take on why there are objections to all 3 serieses and what the similarities and differences between them are. I also enjoyed his discussion of whether fantasy fiction has a place and why.
The second main section discusses the role of fantasy fiction in a Christian's live and compares and contrasts Lewis's Narnia series with two other popular fantasy serieses contemporary to the publication time: Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. I was familiar with the former but not the latter. I enjoyed Vieth's take on why there are objections to all 3 serieses and what the similarities and differences between them are. I also enjoyed his discussion of whether fantasy fiction has a place and why.
March 2, 2010
If you recognize Gene Veith's name, it's likely for his work for World Magazine or his association with Patrick Henry College. I picked this up because I'm always interested to see what Christians have to say about fantasy books (I often don't agree), and the second half of this one compares and contrasts Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia. This was fairly light-weight and didn't tell me anything I hadn't heard before.
May 24, 2010
An overall good book on LWW. The only problem was the author's total inability to get Harry Potter right. He should have educated himself better on the subject of Potter & comparisons to Lewis or said nothing at all.
February 10, 2012
A good overview, very basic. If you are already familiar with and love Narnia, there is nothing new here. His discussion of good fantasy/ bad fantasy is good for a quick read, and his critique of Pullman is good, but also brief.
Currently reading
January 11, 2008not as good as you might think i am half way in
October 5, 2008
Pretty straightforward book. Lots I already knew. Occasional nuggets that make it worth reading.
January 16, 2018
Read probably sometime around 2007.
November 25, 2014
It's full of clichés, but I learned a few things, especially at the end of the book.
May 20, 2016
This was a solid, though basic, analysis of Lewis' novel.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews