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A review by quietkristina
The Magician's Nephew / The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe / The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
4.0
There's something very comforting about The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. It's a straightforward fantasy tale, complete with talking animals, mythical creatures, kings and queens, courageous battles and an evil witch. Everything is familiar and fantastic all at once, which makes for a very pleasant reading experience. I'd read this novel several times as a child, and I was pleased to find that upon reading it as an adult, its charms held up.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the first of the Narnia series in publication order, but the second in chronological order. I own one of the chronological editions of the series, so I read this one second, after The Magician's Nephew. The events of this novel take place about a thousand years after the events of Nephew. The plot concerns four young children- Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, who were sent to live with Professor Digory Kirke (yes, that Digory) out in the English countryside for protection during the air raids of WWII. The children stumble into the magical land of Narnia through a very curious wardrobe and find themselves at the center of a battle to defeat the evil White Witch. The White Witch has placed a deep enchantment over Narnia which makes it perpetually winter, but never Christmas- which, when you think about it, is pretty diabolical. With the help of Aslan, the lion-creator of Narnia, the children attempt to break the spell over the country and defeat the evil sorceress once and for all.
As I noted in my review for The Magician's Nephew, C.S. Lewis's narration style is wonderful. Again, this book is told from the third person perspective. This gives it the feeling of being a classic fairy tale. The sentences and paragraphs are simple, but are still imbued with a sense of wonder that makes each chapter a pleasure to read.
The four main protagonists of the story are fairly flat. For the most part they are proper little English children who have a strong sense of how they ought to behave. The exception to this is Edmund, who is rather immature at first. He undergoes some actual character development while in Narnia, which was nice to see. As I have said before, the Narnia books are more plot-driven than character driven. It was a welcome change to have a character show growth.
The White Witch is the new and extra evil version of Jadis from The Magician's Nephew. She has become even more powerful in this novel. She has a foreboding castle in the mountains, a legion of evil minions and a habit of turning her enemies to stone statues, which she decorates her courtyard with. She's my favorite character of the novel because she is so outrageously bad- a true villain and a very fun character to read.
Strong Christian imagery is again present in this novel, with allegories of the crucifixion, sacrificing oneself for the sins of another, and resurrection taking center stage. Again, the biblical allusions are mixed in with elements of fairy tales and myths, making this novel a tapestry of different influences. It's very interesting to see all of these different ideas come together.
According to polls, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is most readers' favorite book of the Narnia series. My heart belongs to The Magician's Nephew, but I agree that it is a very strong contender. This is one of the great classics of children's literature and I heartily recommend it to everyone who yearns for a bit of magic in their lives.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the first of the Narnia series in publication order, but the second in chronological order. I own one of the chronological editions of the series, so I read this one second, after The Magician's Nephew. The events of this novel take place about a thousand years after the events of Nephew. The plot concerns four young children- Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, who were sent to live with Professor Digory Kirke (yes, that Digory) out in the English countryside for protection during the air raids of WWII. The children stumble into the magical land of Narnia through a very curious wardrobe and find themselves at the center of a battle to defeat the evil White Witch. The White Witch has placed a deep enchantment over Narnia which makes it perpetually winter, but never Christmas- which, when you think about it, is pretty diabolical. With the help of Aslan, the lion-creator of Narnia, the children attempt to break the spell over the country and defeat the evil sorceress once and for all.
As I noted in my review for The Magician's Nephew, C.S. Lewis's narration style is wonderful. Again, this book is told from the third person perspective. This gives it the feeling of being a classic fairy tale. The sentences and paragraphs are simple, but are still imbued with a sense of wonder that makes each chapter a pleasure to read.
The four main protagonists of the story are fairly flat. For the most part they are proper little English children who have a strong sense of how they ought to behave. The exception to this is Edmund, who is rather immature at first. He undergoes some actual character development while in Narnia, which was nice to see. As I have said before, the Narnia books are more plot-driven than character driven. It was a welcome change to have a character show growth.
The White Witch is the new and extra evil version of Jadis from The Magician's Nephew. She has become even more powerful in this novel. She has a foreboding castle in the mountains, a legion of evil minions and a habit of turning her enemies to stone statues, which she decorates her courtyard with. She's my favorite character of the novel because she is so outrageously bad- a true villain and a very fun character to read.
Strong Christian imagery is again present in this novel, with allegories of the crucifixion, sacrificing oneself for the sins of another, and resurrection taking center stage. Again, the biblical allusions are mixed in with elements of fairy tales and myths, making this novel a tapestry of different influences. It's very interesting to see all of these different ideas come together.
According to polls, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is most readers' favorite book of the Narnia series. My heart belongs to The Magician's Nephew, but I agree that it is a very strong contender. This is one of the great classics of children's literature and I heartily recommend it to everyone who yearns for a bit of magic in their lives.