Once you start it, you won't be able to switch it off!
How does it compare to similar audio books?
Excellent
How does it compare to audio works by the same author?
Excellent
Advantages:
See review
Disadvantages:
See review
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Christmas again, is it? Well, no, but it's snowing... er, ok, raining, so I thought I'd review one of my favourite Christmas presents of 2001.
The Chronicles Of Narnia. A gift off my sister, who claimed that Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without at least one book like this... so she got me seven. Well, thanks, Gem!
Yup, seven books make up the C'o'N.
The Magician's Nephew, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, The Horse and his boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the 'Dawn Treader', The Silver Chair, The final battle.
I read them at once, finding them valuable reads. Ie, they make you sound clever if you can name them all, the characters, and so on.
Now, they were written in the early fifties by a chap by the name of Clive Lewis. If you're wondering, his middle name was Staples. He was mates with Tolkien, the man who wrote The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, The Return of the King and The Hobbit. The two loved to diss and discuss each others' work.
Lewis taught at Merton college, Oxford. There's a small stone table in the garden at Merton, actually...(How do I know these things???? *Remembers nighttime dancing on said table*... oh yeah!)
But the books! Ah yes, The lion, the witch and the wardrobe (LWW) is regarded as the first book, and it is indeed the most famous, but it comes second in the series. Yes, it was written first, but Clive later wrote The Magician's Nephew (MN) as a prequel to LWW to explain a few things-- where the wardrobe came from, how Narnia was first created, what was before Narnia, and so on.
MN is a dark book, though the beautiful descriptions and drawings capture the reader, drawing them through all seven books, and into the realms of Narnia forever. Magic is explored in this and most of the books, though MN explores the creation of Narnia in a very biblical style(I was going to say "biblical sense" there, but I thought there'd be sniggers at the back, and this is a serious discussion ;-)). It is clear it was written after the others, as the series as a whole appears to get more and more closely linked with Christianity as it progresses, and MN is one of the most religious of them all.
The spiritual aspect does not, however, distract from the story. It does not make Christians feel uncomfortable. Neither does it make non-Christians feel uncomfortable: no actual reference to God is made ever, and the whole thing is dealt with so beautifully that it's hard not to feel touched by the description and feeling no matter what religion you choose or choose not to follow.
LWW brings the most famous characters: Peter, Lucy, Edmund and Susan into play, and they play heavy roles throughout the series as the High Kings and Queens, so it is clear that this book was initially the original. After having read MN, it can be questioned why the children of that book weren't truly mentioned again until the last book: answer-- it wasn't written first.
The Horse and His Boy (HHB) does not mention Peter and his siblings. It is a separate adventure through Narnia by an Orphan who discovers his destiny once there.
Prince Caspian, the fourth book, involves an endangered young Prince -- reminiscent of English history-- except that Caspian luckily has the aid of Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy. Hurrah!
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader sees a grown up Caspian (time works differently in narnia) meet a cousin of Peter's: Eustace. Initially a bit of a brat, he grows on you, and he soon becomes a nice chap. Also in this story are Edmund and Lucy, (Peter and Susan are too old to come to Narnia) and they all sail off in search of seven missing lords. The lead up to the discovery of each lord is wrapped in excitement, and this book scared me in places-- read it in the dark with a book light. It's FUN! *shudders*. The description brings each island the ship encounters to life to such an extent that I seriously was afraid. The suspense is marvellous-- perfect for young and old alike.
The Silver Chair is only briefly mentioned in its book, but it's worth it. Intruiging and thought proviking, this book sees Eustace and his friend Jill (who I really think should get together!) searching for a lost King in order to save Narnia. Annoyingly in this book, the pair call each other by their surnames, which frustrated me as their Christian names are much nicer than "Scrubb" and "Pole".
The Last Battle had me in tears. It starts out religious-- with a false Aslan (who is the creator of Narnia)-- and gets more so, with a beautiful land at the end of the story which seems... heavenly. A lovely, lovely book though.
Please please read the books. The television series just did not do them justice. (Incidentally, much of the really beautiful stuff was taken out of the tv series as it was deemed too religious. What a pity.) Other children's books come nowhere close to these: I was a fan of R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series in my early teens, but found them simple kid-fodder. (no offence to them :-))The suspense wasn't properly built up, and I was never truly afraid or surprised. The comparison is like a microwave meal to Christmas dinner.
Take my advice, buy Narnia books for your children: they'll learn to appreciate fear, suspence, fine storylines, and beautiful description. They'll learn to savour a good read, and will be hungry for other good books. I am truly inspired.
Get a nice set, they often come with beautiful matching illustrations on the cover, and as far as I can tell, the internal illustrations are the same in all the editions.
Well, this is the end of my review, so I'll sign off, though I do still have to tell you the price. Naturally it varies, but each book can be picked up for around £2.99
Yours, Sugarlily. x
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the 1950s when the seven books that make up The Chronicles of Narnia were first published. Now, as new generations look to that magical and fantastical land for pl...
the 1950s when the seven books that make up The Chronicles of Narnia were first published. Now, as new generations look to that magical and fantastical land for pl...
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