“The Magician’s Nephew” is by all accounts, the sixth book in “The Chronicles of Narnia” series. However, the anthology I am lucky enough to own of the Great Lewis’ works, has this novel as the first story, with a description that it is “the order the author would want the books to be in.” It makes sense too really, as “Nephew” tells the story of how Narnia originated, and how it was first discovered.
I picked up this novel and re-read it after having a challenging (to say the least) few weeks. Lewis and his works always bring me back to the happy places in my childhood that brought joy (usually with a book or two) and this novel certainly did that. A cute little story (merely 106 pages), “Nephew” tells the story of Digory and Polly, two children who wind up in Narnia as the result of manipulative magic used by Andrew, Digory’s Uncle,
Anyone who knows of CS Lewis (known to his friends as “Jack”) knows that his faith played a strong role in his life, and was the foundation for which all of his books are based. This novel in particular, had a lot of parallels with well-known, religious texts of today. For example- Aslan gathers to him groups of animals, two at a time, blessing certain ones with the gift of Speech. The “tree that bears tempting fruit” is present as well, and the “Queen” (who we know as the “White Witch”) falls prey to its sweet fruit and is banished out of Narnia forever. Although I was aware of the religious contexts in “Wardrobe”, the similarities are far more striking after reading this prequel novel.
All that aside, this story is delightful, as all of Lewis’ works are. Magical, absorbing, enchanting- this story draws readers of all ages in to a Magical Land with Magical Creatures. It brings back memories of childhood and the imaginings of youth, and for nostalgia alone, it earns bonus points. This story definitely did the job of cheering up my week! Thanks C.S Lewis for the continued enjoyment your novels bring us, at any age.