An all-time classic series in one volume
Written: Feb 17 '05 (Updated Jul 09 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Some books are brilliant and as a collection it's wonderful
Cons: Not all of the books are brilliant
The Bottom Line: Children's fantasy fiction has rarely been better than in the Narnia series, and it has plenty for adults to enjoy too.
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| captaind's Full Review: Chronicles of Narnia Books |
This collection brings together CS Lewis’ classic children’s fantasy series in one marvellous book. For those that don’t know, the land of Narnia is a world not totally unlike our own, except that it has magical creatures, talking animals, and other bits and bobs borrowed mainly from Greek mythology. This world was created by the Great Lion, Aslan, who made the world perfect. Unfortunately evil was brought into Narnia on the very dawn of its creation – by humans, although unwittingly. Thus humans were decreed to help rid Narnia of evil, but this happens at a time of Aslan’s choosing, not their own, and not always in obvious ways.
Debate rages as to whether the Chronicles of Narnia were written to be intentionally allegorical, and my stance on this matter is: I don’t know. Some passages are so closely parallel to certain biblical events that it’s hard to believe it could have been by chance, whereas after reading other sections I too to be symbolic I wondered if it was only in my head that the connection existed. Either way, the symbolism is definitely there, though to what extent (and perhaps the meaning) will appear different to each reader. Still, it adds an extra dimension to the stories and makes them far more than children’s books. The symbolism definitely added to my enjoyment of reading the books (which I never had as a youngster).
Lewis’ writing is always readable, often witty, and sometimes exhilarating. (The latter characteristic is probably best exemplified in Voyage of the Dawn Treader.) It is a style that is accessible to children while having an extra layer of meaning to adults. Actually there is a third layer of meaning for people familiar with the scriptural accounts it refers to at times. (You don’t have to share Lewis’ religious beliefs to enjoy the books though.)
Without giving away too much of the plots, here is a brief summary of each book. (If you want more information about a particular book just click on the hyperlinked title, it will open in a new window so don’t worry about having to find this review again!) The books are discussed in the order in which I read them, which is the suggested reading order according to CS Lewis himself –opinion varies as to whether they should be read in this order in the order they were written in.
The Magicians Nephew
Two children are granted a way of entering other worlds. Unfortunately, they bring the evil from one of these other worlds back with them.. an evil that then follows them when they stumble upon the world of Narnia, which has only just been created.
My rating: 4 stars
Year published: 1955 (6th in chronological reading sequence)
4th in order of my favourite books of the series
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Four children sent to live in the country during the war find a whole new world (Narnia) waiting for them inside an old wardrobe. The most mysterious thing is, when they tell the elderly professor who owns the house, he actually believes them (which is not like a grown-up at all, they all think…) On going to Narnia again they find themselves embroiled in a desperate fight between good and evil. Prophecies are about to come true…
My rating: 3 stars
Year published: 1950 (1st in chronological reading sequence)
6th in order of my favourite books of the series
The Horse and His Boy
The first novel set entirely in Narnia (without our own world being involved), this book is about one of the noble Talking Horses of Narnia, who has been captured and brought to the lands where beasts cannot talk. A young boy (little more than a slave) who has no idea who his real parents were teams up with the horse, who finally stops pretending to be a dumb beast, and they set off to escape… but freedom is far from the biggest adventure they’re about to have…
My rating: 5 stars
Year published: 1954 (5th in chronological reading sequence)
3rd in order of my favourite books of the series
Prince Caspian
The same four children who first entered Narnia through a wardrobe are pulled into that land again, but for a long time do not understand the reason they have been summoned. When they do find out what the reason is, it seems they can do nothing to help…
My rating: 3 stars
Year published: 1951 (2nd in chronological reading sequence)
7th in order of my favourite books of the series
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The two youngest children from the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian are called to Narnia again, along with a truly horrible little brat called Eustace. The little brat becomes nicer by the end of the book, of course, but not before they’ve encountered wizards, dragons, and the end of the world…
My rating: 5 stars
Year published: 1952 (3rd in chronological reading sequence)
2nd in order of my favourite books of the series
The Silver Chair
Eustace, by now a nice boy (officially), ends up in Narnia again with a girl called Jill, who is extremely foolish and makes their job much harder before it’s even begun. Given signs to watch for by Aslan, her remembering them is the key to their success… but will she manage to do so? Will she ever make amends to Eustace? And what’s all this about a Prince and an Enchantress? And Marsh-Wiggles?!?!
My rating: 5 stars
Year published: 1953 (4th in chronological reading sequence)
1st in order of my favourite books of the series
The Last Battle
All the characters return in one way or another in the final book, which starts off brightly but loses narrative drive somewhat nearer the end. This is the only instance where Lewis lets making his point override the storyline – to the storyline’s detriment, unfortunately. But it’s still a good book, just not quite the ending I was expecting after the marvellous Dawn Treader and Silver Chair.
My rating: 4 stars
Year published: 1956 (7th in chronological reading sequence)
6th in order of my favourite books of the series
Other details about this book
Binding: Perfect-bound.
Illustrations: The book is illustrated at the beginning of each chapter by Pauline Baynes. The illustrations that are here are of good quality, detailed line drawings.
Length: 767 pages.
RRP (Recommended Retail Price): £14.99 (UK)
ISBN: 0-00-711730-2
Averages of my ratings for the individual books:
Mean: 4.14 (29/7)
Median: 4 (rating in the middle if all ratings written consecutively – i.e. 3,3,44,5,5,5)
Mode: 5 (rating which appears most often in the sequence)
I think I’ve got my types of average right… I’m sure I’ll be told quickly enough if not!!
Overall
My rating: 5 stars
A collection such as this is always going to be greater than the sum of its parts, though it would be worth getting for the best three books alone (3 stars). Given the fact that the other four are readable and (particularly in the case of The Magician’s Nephew) enjoyable in their own right and it’s worth an extra star (4 stars). With the overall quality of the book’s presentation and that fact that the individual books, although independent, are complimentary, and the final star is added (5 stars). An absolute must for children but for adults it’s a great (and generally very undemanding) read too. For readers who want a bit more of a challenge, if you want to go a bit further into the symbolism there’s plenty of scope to do so, and a few books to guide you. (I hear that the Narnia Companion is very good, though I haven’t read it.)
**-SEE ALSO-**
CHILDREN'S FANTASY NOVELS
Harry Potter by J K Rowling
The Hobbit J R R Tolkein
ADULT'S FANTASY NOVELS
The Silmarillion by J R R Tolkien
Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien
Recommended:
Yes
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