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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Audiobook Listener
It was really fun to revisit Narnia, I read some but not all of the stories as a child and my memory is mostly from the movies to be honest. Some books were better than others and some were better off forgotten as anything involving the Calormen doesn't age well at all. I think only adapting 3 of the 7 stories to film was the right move as The Last Battle and The Horse & His Boy are filled with xenophobia and racist stereotypes of Islamic cultures.
The best stories are the ones that include the Pevensies, they are the characters we first get to really see Narnia though and spend a great deal of time with as their books are clustered together. I also think their stories capture the wonder and adventure of discovering a hidden world, something we all fantasize about as children.
The Magician's Nephew suffers from 1st book syndrome even though it was published 6th. Its short and really only serves as additional context for the real first story which is The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe.
The Silver Chair is missing the anchoring characters of Narnia, whom are the Pevensies and Caspian. Caspian is a old man by the time Eustace returns with Jill. We spend this adventure searching for Caspian's lost son Rilian and don't get any time with Caspian until the very end. Since the book is mostly full of new characters we don't have the same investment for the plot. The kid's traveling companion should've at least been a familiar character to us as the reader. That's the issue with Narnia, by the time you return everyone you once knew is long dead and gone. Which is something the characters themselves directly acknowledge.
My personal ranking would be;
It was really fun to revisit Narnia, I read some but not all of the stories as a child and my memory is mostly from the movies to be honest. Some books were better than others and some were better off forgotten as anything involving the Calormen doesn't age well at all. I think only adapting 3 of the 7 stories to film was the right move as The Last Battle and The Horse & His Boy are filled with xenophobia and racist stereotypes of Islamic cultures.
The best stories are the ones that include the Pevensies, they are the characters we first get to really see Narnia though and spend a great deal of time with as their books are clustered together. I also think their stories capture the wonder and adventure of discovering a hidden world, something we all fantasize about as children.
The Magician's Nephew suffers from 1st book syndrome even though it was published 6th. Its short and really only serves as additional context for the real first story which is The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe.
The Silver Chair is missing the anchoring characters of Narnia, whom are the Pevensies and Caspian. Caspian is a old man by the time Eustace returns with Jill. We spend this adventure searching for Caspian's lost son Rilian and don't get any time with Caspian until the very end. Since the book is mostly full of new characters we don't have the same investment for the plot. The kid's traveling companion should've at least been a familiar character to us as the reader. That's the issue with Narnia, by the time you return everyone you once knew is long dead and gone. Which is something the characters themselves directly acknowledge.
My personal ranking would be;
- The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe 4.25
- Prince Caspian 4.5
- Voyage of The Dawn Treader 4
- The Magician's Nephew 3.75
- The Silver Chair 3
- The Horse & His Boy 1.5
- The Last Battle 1
I think if you really like Narnia, the 1st 4 books in my ranking are worth the read but 5-7 are completely skippable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Grief, War
Emily's Rankings:
Magician's Nephew is my favorite & the best of the series in my opinion.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The rest of the series kind of stinks (again, my opinion). It's like C.S. Lewis lost interest in his own allegory.
Magician's Nephew is my favorite & the best of the series in my opinion.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The rest of the series kind of stinks (again, my opinion). It's like C.S. Lewis lost interest in his own allegory.
Read through these so fast in middle school. Great series!
I first watched this on IPTV when I was a kid & then my aunt bought me the whole book collection when I was older. Great stories if you enjoy adventure & fantasy. It's a great series for children
The series is amazing and I'm so glad I read it again. I agree with the description, it should be read three times in life. Two down, one to go.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Just as magical as I remember. This will always be a Beloved Book for me. I can’t even begin to expound on how much these books shaped my childhood and my understanding of magic. It evoked such imaginations within me; it felt as if I could be whisked away to Narnia at a moments notice.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated