I read "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" when I was very young, and could 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 some Internet research, I decided to read them in the 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 series is not a bad book. However, its characters, especially the humans, are a bit bland and don't stick with the reader once the book is closed. The exception is Edmund Pevensie, who is memorable because Lewis makes him so unrelentingly obnoxious for almost the entire book.

Lewis also draws on many old myths, fables, and legends to create the hodgepodge that is Narnia, creating little from scratch. The plot is a bit creaky, with some machinations making little sense on their own and needed solely to keep the story moving forward.

But some of the touches in Lewis's writing remain fresh almost 60 years after the book was written. He never lets you forget he's telling you a story, occasionally interjecting his own opinions of the characters' doings and more than once reminding the reader of something that happened in "the last chapter."

What else makes "Lion" interesting to the adult reader? Well, there is, late in the book, some hot girl-on-girl-on-lion action. Sure, C.S. Lewis mostly was writing a religious parable for children, but he threw in some thinly veiled steaminess for his adult readers too. Don't think I don't know what you were doing, Jack. I do. Also, spoiler alert: Aslan is totally Jesus Christ.

Full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....

"Prince Caspian": Why does C.S. Lewis feel the need, in each "Chronicles of Narnia" book, to make one of the Pevensie children, seemingly at random, completely loathsome? In "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," it was Edmund, and now, in "Prince Caspian," it's Susan.

I think I know why C.S. Lewis does this: He's not very good at making characters memorable unless he makes them totally good, totally bad, or start out totally bad and have them turn totally good partway through the story. I know these are children's books, but even children's books can have a little bit of complexity in their characterization, no?

Just as in "Lion," none of the characters in "Caspian" much deserve to remain in the reader's mind after the book is closed. The possible exception is Trumpkin, and he stands out mostly by using such exclamations as "lobsters and lollipops" and "giants and junipers."

Caspian himself starts out with the potential to become interesting too, but largely fades into the background once the Pevensie children return to Narnia. Getting back to Susan, I do get what C.S. Lewis is trying to do with her character in "Caspian." This is still a religious parable, after all, and in this book Susan is the one designated to stop trusting in Aslan, just as someone straying from the Christian faith will stop following Jesus. I get it, but Lewis never bothers telling us why Susan has strayed.

That all being said, the story in "Caspian" is fast-moving and entertaining, and, just as in "Lion," the writing is lively and engaging.

Full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....

"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader": The strongest of the three books I've read so far, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" opens with a wonderful first line: "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."

Eustace, a cousin to the four Pevensie children, is the designated asshole in this entry. I've complained about this trope in my other reviews, but I don't have as much of a problem with it this time around because Eustace is so wonderfully bitchy.

Most of "Voyage" is comprised of a series of set pieces that demonstrate what a lively imagination C.S. Lewis had: the kidnapping by slave traders, Eustace's transformation into a dragon and back into a boy, the pool that turns whatever touches it to gold, the sea people, and the edge of the world.

This is both "Voyage"'s strength and its weakness: the scenes are inventive, but the overall story is not terribly cohesive. The writing remains strong, and is even a bit better than in the first two books.

Full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....

"The Silver Chair": “The Silver Chair” is in some ways a more mature book than its three predecessors. For one thing, C.S. Lewis finally loses the designated-asshole character I've complained about in my reviews of the preceding books.

However, it also has a less compelling story than the other books. I did find Eustace Scrubb's school, Experiment House, interesting, and wish we had spent a bit more time there before being whisked away to Narnia once again.

I also liked the new characters Jill Pole and, especially, Puddleglum, the wonderfully curmudgeonly Marshwiggle who, when pressed, proves himself a hero. The dialog in "Silver Chair" isn't quite as witty as in the preceding book in the series, though, and after the entertaining “Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” its follow-up can't help but be a bit of a letdown.

Full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....

"The Horse and His Boy": I get the sense that other readers of the Narnia books liked "The Horse and His Boy" a lot more than I did. I found its main characters less interesting than those in the preceding books, and found the biblical allusions a bit overbearing.

C.S. Lewis's writing is as strong as ever, but the clever quips and asides are fewer in this volume than I'd come to expect.

Full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....

"The Magician's Nephew": I had a lot more fun with "The Magician's Nephew" than I had with its immediate predecessor. Partly because its inclusion of people from this world made it easier to relate to, and partly because the villains, Jadis and Uncle Andrew, have great personalities.

The recapitulation of Genesis toward the end of the book is pretty heavy-handed, even for C.S. Lewis, but this still was one of the better Narnia books.

Full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....

"The Last Battle": It's been a long, long trip, and I'm glad to finally reach the end. While I enjoyed some of the early installments in the Narnia saga, and several of the characters were compelling, the series overstayed its welcome for me.

"The Last Battle" started off OK, but suffered mightily as soon as Jesu-- er, Aslan, that is, made his usual appearance. The themes of God vs. Satan, heaven and earth, good vs. evil, and divine perfection vs. earthly imperfection that dominated the latter half of the book are hard to take, even for a reader like me who knew what he was getting into with C.S. Lewis.

I can't imagine how children reading this book would react. In the end, I'm glad I finally read the entire series, but I never, ever want to read the Narnia books again.

Full review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....

I read this entire series multiple times when I was younger. It was probably near the end of elementary school or during Jr Hi. At first, I loved it, but after too many reads, I actually got sick of it. I had to wait a while before I could rediscover its charm again, and in fact, I did so several times. The books are nice and short, yet each one is a quality fantasy story. They are, of course, loaded with Lewis' exploration-in-fiction of man's relationship to deity and the world.

Tolkien was always my favorite, but Lewis has his own particular approach to the fantastic which is just as 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 with such similar tastes in material, they ended up speaking very different fictional languages. Lewis was a big fan of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Silmarillion, but Tolkien was much more militantly purist. It's no surprise that Lewis would find in Tolkien's work that "joy" which he also found in the Norse myths.

Lewis' Narnia, however, was more in the service of the fantastic as perceived by moderns. It blended and borrowed to create a whole of the present moment, rather than pursuing the more reconstructionsist cohesion of Tolkien. Lewis 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 might say that Narnia and MacDonald's creations were fantasies of a more effeminate, decadent age. In contrast to Middle Earth's masculine hardness and depth, the "horns of Elfland" in Narnia are a bit more shrill and prettified. But typically, my own perception of Narnia is much more positive, and I enjoyed these books very much.

Maybe Narnia isn't really allegory, though I've heard it described as such (I think by Tolkien). But I can see how one would get that impression. The world feels much more unabashedly fictional compared to Middle Earth or most "gritty" fantasy out there today. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, the more fictional the context, the brighter the human truths within that fiction.

Out of the series, my favorites are The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (with such a straightforward title that spoils nothing and yet is as pertinent as can be), the Magician's Nephew, and the Last Battle. I like the last two because I think I like beginnings and ends. The structure of the series itself is nice. First, you're pulled in by the plight and plot of the children and the 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. After falling 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.

This book is truly a remarkable addition to any home library.

It encompasses all seven of the novels, making it an essential item, particularly if you have children.

Most individuals have only delved into The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. However, upon reading the entire collection, you gain a more profound understanding of what Lewis was attempting to convey.

Personally, I had preferences among the books, but as a whole, they offer a comprehensive and enriching experience.

The final book, The Last Battle, ties everything together flawlessly, bringing a sense of closure and completeness to the series.

It is a masterpiece that leaves a lasting impression and invites readers to explore the depths of Lewis's imagination and the underlying themes within the stories.

Whether you are a fan of fantasy or simply looking for a captivating read, this collection is sure to satisfy.

It is a literary treasure that should be cherished and passed down through generations.

I vividly remember that Christmas in fourth grade when I received the entire series. I devoured them one after another, reading through the whole set an astonishing eight times in a row. Clearly, I had an intense love for them back then. Just recently, I had the pleasure of reading them again to Eric, my 8-year-old son. To my delight, I found that I loved them perhaps just as much as I did when I was a 10-year-old. Eric was completely charmed and couldn't stop giggling through the last pages of Horse and His Boy. In fact, it was his favorite, so much so that we had to reread it after finishing the rest of the series. Now, we're starting Prince Caspian again, which is another favorite of ours. This time around, I realized just how significantly these books have shaped my entire world view, especially my perspective on religion, something I was completely unaware of as a child.

One curious little detail that caught my attention while reading Voyage of the Dawn Treader this time was that awful cousin Eustace and his parents are Mormons. Although Lewis never explicitly states it, in addition to being snooty and holier-than-thou individuals that nobody can stand, the parents have certain characteristics that suggest their Mormon faith. They don't drink, don't smoke, and wear a peculiar kind of underwear. It seems like a bit of a sly dig at a faith that often loves to quote him in General Conference.

Despite this observation, I'll still continue to quote from these wonderful books. I truly love C.S. Lewis's writing. His words have the power to transport readers to magical worlds and make them think deeply about life, faith, and everything in between.

The problem of arrested development is a significant concern.

As the quote from I Corinthians 13:11 states, we should put away childish things as we grow into adulthood. However, this is not always the case.

Michael Moorcock's critique of C.S. Lewis's Narnia series is quite thought-provoking. He argues that Lewis's works were deliberate Christian propaganda, with awful syntax and a tendency to write down to children.

Moorcock also suggests that as Britain declines, the middle-classes turn increasingly to fantasies like rural life and talking animals. He believes that Lewis and Richard Adams are guilty of producing corrupted romanticism and sentimentalized pleas for moderation of aspiration.

This kind of conservatism can be seen in Lewis's non-fiction as well, such as his influential but dreadful Experiment in Criticism.

To top it off, Lewis's statement about preferring adult male laughter adds another layer to the discussion.

Overall, the issue of arrested development and the role of children's literature in promoting or hindering it is a complex one that requires further examination.

If I had the power, I would award these books every single star in the entire universe. :) They are absolute perfection. It has been a long time since I finished reading HP in high school that I have felt this emotional upon completing a series. I adored every single minute spent with Narnia and with Aslan.

The world of Narnia is truly magical. It takes you on an adventure like no other, filled with talking animals, epic battles, and valuable life lessons. Aslan, the great lion, is a symbol of strength, wisdom, and love. His presence throughout the series is both comforting and awe-inspiring.

Each book in the series is unique and captivating, drawing you deeper into the world of Narnia with every page turn. Whether it's Lucy's first discovery of the wardrobe or the final battle for the fate of Narnia, the story never fails to keep you on the edge of your seat.

In conclusion, I cannot recommend the Narnia series enough. It is a must-read for anyone who loves fantasy, adventure, and a good story. I will cherish these books for a lifetime and will undoubtedly return to Narnia again and again.

Davvero fantasy! It is truly a fantastical concept. Eccezionale l'idea di entrare in un altro mondo da un armadio antico. The idea of entering another world through an old wardrobe is truly exceptional.
Storie da raccontare ai bambini accanto al camino, davvero belle! These are stories to tell the children by the fireplace, truly beautiful!
Imagine the excitement and wonder in the eyes of the children as they listen to these tales. The old wardrobe becomes a magical portal, transporting them to a realm filled with adventure, mystery, and unforgettable characters.
It is a world where anything is possible, where dreams come true, and where the imagination can run wild.
These stories have the power to inspire, to spark creativity, and to create lasting memories.
So, gather the children around the fireplace, open the door of the old wardrobe, and let the magic begin!

The article is truly very well thought out and captivating.

It engages the reader from the very beginning, drawing them in with its interesting ideas and unique perspective.

The author has clearly put a great deal of effort into crafting a piece that is not only intellectually stimulating but also highly enjoyable to read.

The use of vivid language and engaging examples helps to bring the concepts to life, making it easy for the reader to understand and relate to.

Overall, this is a wonderful article that is sure to leave a lasting impression on anyone who reads it.

It is a testament to the power of good writing and the importance of taking the time to carefully consider and develop one's ideas.

Whether you are a casual reader or a serious scholar, this article is well worth your time and attention.

The book I'm going to talk about belongs to the fantasy and fairytale genre, suitable for both children and adults. The pace of the story is rather slow, which allows readers to fully immerse themselves in the enchanting world created by the author. The storyline is rated three and a half stars, not overly complex but still engaging. However, what really stands out are the characters. They are given a four-star rating, with their development being truly outstanding, earning a full five stars. The writing is also of the highest quality, receiving five stars. The author's attention to detail is remarkable, another five-star aspect. The ending, although a bit unexpected, is rated four and a half stars. And the originality of the book is simply superb, with a five-star rating. Overall, it's a wonderful read that I highly recommend.

book genre: fantasy, fairytales, for children & adults as well
pace: slow
storyline: ★★★✩✩
characters: ★★★★✩
character development: ★★★★★
writing: ★★★★★
attention to detail: ★★★★★
ending: ★★★★✩ (never saw it coming)
originality: ★★★★★



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This read could not be described any better than this:

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 Staples Lewis. This enchanting tale takes readers on a magical adventure through a wardrobe into the land of Narnia.

But Lewis did not stop there. Six more books followed, each adding another layer of depth and wonder to the Narnian universe. Together, they became known as The Chronicles of Narnia. These books have captivated generations of readers with their rich imagination, memorable characters, and profound themes.

From the noble lion Aslan to the mischievous Pevensie children, the characters in The Chronicles of Narnia come to life on the page. Readers are drawn into their world, sharing in their joys and sorrows, and rooting for them in their battles against evil.

The Chronicles of Narnia are not just a series of books; they are a literary masterpiece that has stood the test of time. They continue to inspire and delight readers of all ages, transporting them to a world of magic and adventure that will never be forgotten.

Reading these books in publication order, with one book per month starting from June 2017, has been an amazing journey.

On 27th June 2017, I read "The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe". It was like stepping into a magical world right from the start.

Then on 16th July 2017, "Prince Caspian" continued the adventure, bringing new challenges and excitement.

On 3rd September 2017, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" took me on a thrilling seafaring adventure.

After that, there are still "The Silver Chair", "The Horse & His Boy", "The Magician's Nephew", and "The Last Battle" to go.

I finally finished on 18th November 2017! I need some time to clean up this review with ratings. Overall, I have to give this series 5 stars. It's truly magic!

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.

We should introduce our children to the Chronicles of Narnia, but also make them aware of its limitations. By doing so, we can help them develop a more critical and open-minded approach to literature and the world around them.