I had a profound longing for Narnia in the most heartrending and melancholy way when I was a little girl. At that time, I was completely oblivious to any Christian subtext when I first read "The Chronicles of Narnia". I vividly remember devouring those books just as children today are voraciously reading the Harry Potter series. Lewis's rich and vivid descriptions of fauns, dragons, and giants have left an indelible mark on my memory.

Ten-year-old me had an all-consuming desire to live in that world, shoot arrows, savor Turkish Delight, and befriend those enchanting talking beasts. Above all, I yearned to know Aslan, to be cuddled and loved by that magnificent, fierce, and endearing lion. However, in the end, I had to let go of him and his realm. I recall being so inconsolable that my parents allowed me to stay home from school for a day! This was truly unusual as they never let me play hookey. It's strange to remember that now.

There were numerous aspects of that world that made me feel, in some way, bad. I felt guilty, ashamed, or simply uncomfortable. Remember when Susan didn't return, essentially because she discovered her sexuality? And what about the Calormenes? Those dark-skinned people with extremely strong garlic breath who wore turbans and worshiped a Satanic "false god" who demanded blood sacrifices from his followers? There was so much blame and condemnation in that world. There was a lot of finger-pointing, shaming, damning, and excluding. It was all very black and white, us or them, good or evil.

For these reasons, I ultimately rejected the Narnia books. Later, when I learned that Lewis was a devout Christian and Aslan was essentially supposed to be Jesus in a lion suit, I wasn't the least bit surprised. Nowadays, I recommend Miyazaki movies, especially "Kiki's Delivery Service", to every tween girl I encounter to cleanse their palate of some of the more despicable Disney portrayals of femininity. I also happily give kids (and adults!) the Dark Materials trilogy to counteract their exposure to the Narnia dogma.

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

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

I have loved these books my whole life.

They are often misinterpreted, in my opinion. People tend to insist that everything in Narnia has to "equal" something in our world. For example, they might say Aslan = Jesus, Calormens = Muslims, Tash = Satan, and so on.

However, as I understand it, while Lewis is clearly writing about God, he is imagining how the Christian God might reveal Himself in another world, rather than simply allegorizing our own.

Aslan is not simply "Jesus." Instead, he represents the earthly aspect of God as He reveals Himself in Narnia. The Calormens are not Muslims. They are another culture in the universe of Narnia that worships a different god.

Tash, I guess, should be read as Satan as he reveals himself in the Narnian universe. But again, the important thing is how these forces operate in this fictional world, not what the characters "represent" in our own world.

Anyway, these books are wonderful. I encourage both adults and children to give them a try. With all due respect to the movies, the books are always much better.

This is one of my all-time favorite book series. Seriously, TCoN (and LotR!) is what I grew up on.

I never really attempted to review it (I'm not really going to try now) because I don't even know what I can say about it that will accurately express how much I love this series and how big of an impact it had/has on my life, both now and when I first read it when I was just a little kid.

Of course, I do like some of the books more than others—I do have my favorites—but overall, this whole series is just so great. Each book is filled with adventure, magic, and unforgettable characters that draw you in and keep you hooked from start to finish.

This series will always hold a special place in my heart. It has taught me valuable lessons about friendship, courage, and perseverance. I encourage you to read it, even if you think you're too old for it! As C.S. Lewis said, “A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.” And this book is SO one of those books that can be enjoyed by all ages—over and over again.

Check out my reviews on the main versions of each book.

I have carefully examined and analyzed the main versions of various books. Through in-depth reading and comparison, I can provide you with detailed and valuable insights.

For each book, I will explore the differences and similarities between different versions. This includes aspects such as the text, illustrations, and additional features.

My reviews will help you make an informed decision when choosing which version of a book to read or purchase. Whether you are a book lover, a student, or a collector, you will find my reviews useful.

Stay tuned for my upcoming reviews on the main versions of more books!

The 2005 film adaptation of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was truly the catalyst that made me eager to read this thick and heavenly book. Little yet valiant Lucy held a very special place in my heart, along with her siblings who sometimes thought she was crazy. I was completely enthralled by the movie, and I excitedly asked my parents if they could buy me the series for my birthday.

My uncle in the US was the kind soul who granted my wish. Tee-hee. After purchasing this collection from Barnes & Noble, he promptly had it shipped all the way to the Philippines. Thus, this book literally journeyed into my hands. I was overcome with happiness when it finally arrived. After all, it was the first series I had ever owned. After caressing it for a long time, I snuggled into bed and got down to the task of reading.

Little did I know that this would be the series that would transform me into a dedicated booknerd. At the age of 12, I managed to breeze through each novel with ease because they were simply so beautiful and fantastic. The perfect blend of magic, adventure, and biblical allusions captivated me from beginning to end. By the time I reached The Last Battle, I was already a die-hard fanboy.

In conclusion, The Chronicles of Narnia will always have a special place in my heart (and library). Just looking at Aslan's face on the cover fills me with an abundance of happiness and nostalgia. If I were the Ruler of Books, I would decree that everyone on the planet must read this timeless series.

Only left off one star because I didn't actually finish the series. I just read about halfway through all of the books. So, I guess I can't really do this review all the way through. However, from the books I did read, this series is truly excellent. The storylines are engaging and filled with excitement. The characters are well-developed and interesting. I really enjoyed the mix of fiction, religion, adventure, action, and somewhat romance. It's a unique combination that works really well. I'm excited to finish this series sometime in the future. If you have a penchant for reading books that offer a diverse range of elements, then I highly recommend this series. It's sure to keep you entertained and engaged from start to finish. Enjoy!

It has some truly remarkable writings that have left an indelible impression on me. These works have made me vividly recall what genuine Young Adult (YA) and Middle Grade (MG) books should truly be like. They possess a unique charm and essence that sets them apart. The stories are engaging, filled with relatable characters and exciting plotlines that draw the reader in from the very beginning. The language used is both accessible and rich, allowing for a seamless reading experience. It is as if these books have the power to transport you to another world, a world where the joys and challenges of youth are explored in a meaningful and profound way. They serve as a reminder of the importance of good storytelling and the impact it can have on the hearts and minds of young readers.

In the edition of The Chronicles of Narnia that I own, the first volume contains two novels: The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The Magician's Nephew was published after five other volumes of the saga had already been released, but in fact, it is the first volume in chronological order. Essentially, we can define it as a prequel. In the following book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, there are several references from The Magician's Nephew. For example, the protagonist Digory appears in the second novel as Professor Kirke. The origins of the wardrobe that not only serves as a closet but also as a passage from our world to Narnia are explained, and a certain lamp post in Narnia is also mentioned.

In The Magician's Nephew, we essentially read about how Narnia was founded and created, while in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, in addition to meeting some characters we had already encountered in the previous volume, such as the lion Aslan, the White Witch, and Digory (although with a different name), we also meet new ones: Lucy, Susan, Edmund, and Peter, who will become the new queens and kings of Narnia after facing dangers and battles.

It is evident that The Chronicles of Narnia is a saga intended for a young audience (both the style and the structure of the story itself are really very simple), but I must say that despite my venerable age (no, I'm not that old, but I've passed eighteen for a while), I really enjoyed reading these two books.

As a child, I would have fallen in love with this magical world and probably would have started looking for a passage to another world in every wardrobe in the house. As an adult woman, I read this story with a constant smile on my lips, and the reading itself made me feel like a child again, agreeing with Lewis's statement that a book is not worth reading at ten if it is not also worth reading at fifty. Now, I still have a little while to reach fifty, but I'm convinced that it would be a book that I would have appreciated even if I had read it at that age. And if I ever have the fortune to have children, this will be a book that I will very willingly read to them.

We cannot help but underline the allegorical meaning that lies behind some figures and events described in these two volumes, but we can also go further: for example, Digory's uncle embodies a purely materialistic vision of society, and the witch can only indicate dictators who always seek to emerge and control the people absolutely.

In the edition of The Chronicles of Narnia that I own, the second volume contains the novel titled The Horse and His Boy and the novel titled Prince Caspian.

The Horse and His Boy is set during the Golden Age, that is, the period when the sovereigns of Narnia were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, the four protagonists of the previous story: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

In this novel, however, the protagonist is Shasta, a young boy who decides to run away from his father's house, who is not his real father, since the man, in addition to never having given him affection and love and always treating him like a servant, now wants to sell him. Shasta then decides to go to Narnia, convinced by the talking horse, originally from Narnia, belonging to the Tarkaan who wanted to buy the young man. You can imagine that from the moment Shasta and the horse start their escape, the adventure for the two will also begin.

It is the typical "story within a story" that practically adds nothing to the main plot. The Chronicles of Narnia could stand on its own without this volume. But okay, it's there. It is still an enjoyable and light story, in line with the author's style (who often intervenes in the narration giving information and indications that remove the suspense of what could happen; a characteristic that, fortunately, does not bother me).

In Prince Caspian, the four children from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe return as protagonists. In this case, the story begins in London, one year after the events of the novel just mentioned. While they are at a train station waiting for the train that will take them to school, the four are teleported by a magical force that will take them back to Narnia. However, Narnia is very different from how they remembered it. After the end of the Golden Age, Narnia has indeed slowly declined, and its magic has weakened. And in this case, too, I stop to avoid spoiling it for you.

Here it is even more evident that Lewis, perhaps to avoid giving explanations (even to the detriment of world-building and what surrounds it), makes it so that the main characters lack or have at their disposal certain objects, just like that, out of nowhere. Obviously, every lack or presence is fundamental for the development of the story. This has made me wrinkle my nose because I understand that it is a book for boys (or for children in the previous cases), but it doesn't mean that boys (or children) are so stupid that they can't understand that a certain thing happens because that's the way the writer decided it, but it makes no sense.

Compared to the two previous volumes, in these, a slight progression in style can be noted, or rather, in what Lewis describes since there are scenes of war and some rather "intense" phrases, not to say macabre, but let's say a bit strong for a young target. They remain two novels for boys, there is no doubt about that, but while the first two could also be suitable for children, these, for me, are not.

Another aspect that seems to change decidedly concerns the older children, Peter and Susan. The two, in fact, seem to have more difficulty believing in magic, as well as more difficulty remembering their previous adventure in Narnia. They are growing up, they are moving towards adulthood, and it is as if C. S. Lewis is warning us. Both by warning us that we may not see all four of them together in Narnia again, and by warning us that as we grow up, we may also stop believing in magic and consequently stop seeing it even if it is right in front of our eyes.

Certainly, it is not a new theme, but it is something that always makes me a little sad. Growing up and losing that spark that illuminated us and allowed us to see things differently from adults is sad, there is not much to do about it.

Apart from this, both The Horse and His Boy and Prince Caspian were two novels that I appreciated. I must say, however, that I liked the second slightly more than the first; both I liked a little less than the two previous volumes (The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe).

"Wouldn't it be terrible if one day, in our world, men became furious inside, while still maintaining a human appearance? A bit like what happens to the animals here, to the point of not being able to recognize who is fierce?"

In the edition of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia that I have, the last volume contains the last three novels of the series: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle.

In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, we meet two of the protagonists of the previous novels: Lucy and Edmund, the two youngest siblings of the Pevensie family. The two have been sent on vacation by their uncle, who has a horrible boy named Eustace as a son. Here, the three are simultaneously attracted by a painting that depicts a ship in the middle of the sea, and suddenly they find themselves there, in the middle of unknown waters. Obviously, the painting is a portal that has catapulted the children into the magical world of Narnia. On the ship is Caspian (one of the protagonists of the novel Prince Caspian) with his fleet.

The king is on a mission to search for seven noblemen of Narnia who had been sent by the usurper Miraz to explore the eastern seas, with the aim of getting rid of them. So, for our friends, a whole series of adventures begin, in search of these seven noblemen, but also in the discovery of new lands to explore and know.

This story I really liked a lot. Lewis took advantage of it to insert a whole series of bizarre characters and mysterious lands with very particular characteristics, some even dangerous and potentially deadly. It was a complete adventure, from beginning to end, and I think this is also the reason why I liked it so much.

In The Silver Chair, none of the Pevensie siblings appear. The ones to return to the world of Narnia will be Eustachio and a new character, Jill Pole, a student in the same school as Eustachio. The two go to Narnia for a very important task: to find the missing son of Caspian, Prince Rilian. Finding him is doubly important considering that Caspian is at the end of his days and that Rilian is the only true heir of Narnia.

In this volume, more than in others, parallels with the Christian religion can be noted. Between the lines, references to the temptation that comes from Evil and to some guidelines to follow to have success can be grasped.

I must say that for a long time, The Silver Chair did not win me over, almost making me bored. Then, however, things started to get interesting, and at that point, I flew to the end of the story.

And so we come to the final novel of this saga for boys: The Last Battle. If we want, we can say that this volume represents the concepts exposed in the Apocalypse of John.

This time, the story takes a different start. At the beginning, the protagonists seem to be a monkey, Shift, with a decidedly mean spirit, and a naïve donkey, Puzzle. The latter is convinced to wear a lion's skin found by chance and to impersonate Aslan. In this way, the monkey, supported by Calormen, always at war with Narnia, begins to exploit and mistreat the animals of Narnia, causing numerous deaths.

The one who will fight against all this will be the last king of Narnia, Tirian, his faithful unicorn Jewel, and some of our old acquaintances: Eustachio and Jill. Subsequently, all the other previous children from our world who have met Narnia will also appear, with a single exception. It was sad to know that one of the previous protagonists did not return to Narnia because the light, the faith, had gone out in her. I imagine that Lewis gave us a religious twist, considering the references in his books (and especially all the references in this last volume), but I understood it in another way.

Our inner child, the one who believes in magic, in the alternative reality, in the Good that always triumphs over Evil, stops believing once he becomes an adult. Whether because of all the difficulties and evils that we find ourselves seeing or even living firsthand, or simply because of the prevalence of reasoning and logic, the fact is that we lose that light. That faith in magic, in the Good, in the Other, sometimes fades. Not always, not for everyone, but sometimes and for some, yes.

Although this was the story that I liked the least, simply because of a slower narration, I really appreciated the end of the saga, which, to be honest, was also surprising. I did not expect the fate that befell the various characters, nor that reserved for Narnia. And even if on the one hand, there is this sense of melancholy for the end and how things turned out, on the other hand, there is light, magic, serenity, and peace.

In short, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, despite its simplicity, is a saga for boys that I feel like recommending.

Everyone finds only what they truly seek.

I read a couple of the Narnia books when I was a kid, and wasn't impressed. But I thought that since they are so popular, and C.S. Lewis was friends with Tolkien, maybe I had missed something as a child, so I gave them another chance.

However, I found that I hadn't missed anything. The books are shallow and puerile. Unlike Tolkien's Middle Earth, Narnia doesn't seem to be well developed and fleshed out at all. The characters are very one-dimensional, and the stories are very linear and simple.

Much has been said about the Christian overtones and allusions in the Narnia books. These are very blatant and seem to be laid on with a trowel. Overall, I'm still not impressed with the Narnia books.

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. Suddenly, we made the connection that the whole thing was a giant allegory with Aslan as Jesus. We just looked at each other, thinking, 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 until 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 or 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, with 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 books I didn't like as much, and made me enjoy my favorites even more, those being 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!

I truly wish that I had come across this article when I was younger.

Looking back, I can't help but think about how much it could have influenced and inspired me during those formative years.

It's filled with valuable insights and wisdom that would have been extremely beneficial to me at that time.

Perhaps it would have shaped my perspective on various aspects of life, given me new ideas and goals, and helped me make better decisions.

Even though I didn't have the opportunity to read it earlier, I'm still grateful to have discovered it now.

It serves as a reminder that it's never too late to learn and grow, and that there's always something new and meaningful to be gained from reading and exploring different materials.

I will definitely make an effort to share this article with others, especially those who are younger, in the hope that it can have a positive impact on their lives as well.

I have an unwavering love for the enchanting world of Narnia. The very first book in this remarkable series is nothing short of pure magic.

As the series unfolds, unfortunately, the magic seems to gradually dissipate. However, that initial book has remained deeply ingrained in my memory throughout the years.

In the captivating realm of Narnia, one's imagination knows no bounds. When I was a child, I would let my mind run wild, imagining all kinds of wonderful and fantastical things.

But as I have grown older, that vivid imagination has slowly ebbed away, little by little. This is yet another reason why I cherish this world so dearly, as it serves as a precious reminder of those simpler and more carefree times.

I must also point out that I have noticed some rather concerning issues with the author in the later books. The way he portrays and treats the female characters is something that I find quite problematic.

Moreover, there are instances of racial slur in the later installments, which is truly disheartening.

Despite these flaws, I have still assigned ratings to each book. "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" earns a well-deserved 5 stars for its magical charm.

"Prince Caspian" receives 4 stars, while "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" gets 4.5 stars for its engaging story.

"The Silver Chair" also merits 4 stars. However, "The Horse and His Boy" only manages a 2-star rating, and "The Magician's Nephew" receives 3 stars.

Tragically, "The Last Battle" gets a disappointing 0 stars due to its many flaws.