Books : The Chronicles of Narnia

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by: C.S. Lewis

: The Chronicles of Narnia

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Binding: Hardcover
EAN: 9780060598242
ISBN: 0060598247
Label: HarperCollins
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 784
Publication Date: November 01, 2004
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: October 26, 2004
Sales Rank: 4842
Studio: HarperCollins



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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
All seven books in the Chronicles of Narnia are now available together in a hardcover volume which includes an essay by C. S. Lewis, "On Three Ways of Writing for Children," where he explains precisely how the magic of Narnia first came to life.



Customer Reviews
Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Looking forward to a good read!
My youngest son and his wife recommended I read The Chronicles of Narnia. I'd hoped to receive it as a Christmas gift. I didn't, so I bought it for myself. I got a great deal from Amazon.com. The hardcover book arrived quickly and in perfect condition. I am just finishing another series of books and am so looking forward to reading this book. I much prefer all 7 books combined in one.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - The Chronicles of Narnia is an excellent series.
The Chronicles of Narnia is an excellent series.
That being said, it is quite unfortunate that some religious groups have taken it up as a banner for further attempts to force their views onto people who have no interest in them and impose beliefs places where they were not originally intended. If you ignore the supposed 'christian theological concepts' and supposed 'christian allegories' some want to hammer in as the only reason for this series existence, then you can freely enjoy the series. Bear in mind that all reputable retailers keep this series in the 'Fantasy' or 'Science Fiction' section, not the 'religion' or 'religious fiction' section. If you want a good christian thematic series with strong christian overtones and message, look elsewhere. This is a good Fantasy and Science Fiction series-and nothing more. Fiction should be read or watched as enjoyment, not used as a teaching tool or religion tool or political tool.

From C.S Lewis's own written words come his opinion on the imposition of christian theological concepts and allegories:

"Although he did not set out to do so, in the process of writing his fantasy works, Lewis (an adult convert to Christianity) found himself incorporating Christian theological concepts into his stories. As he wrote in Of Other Worlds:

'Some people seem to think that I began by asking myself how I could say something about Christianity to children; then fixed on the fairy tale as an instrument, then collected information about child psychology and decided what age group I'd write for; then drew up a list of basic Christian truths and hammered out 'allegories' to embody them. This is all pure moonshine. I couldn't write in that way. It all began with images; a faun carrying an umbrella, a queen on a sledge, a magnificent lion. At first there wasn't anything Christian about them; that element pushed itself in of its own accord.'

Lewis, an expert on the subject of allegory and the author of The Allegory of Love, maintained that the books were not allegory, and preferred to call the Christian aspects of them "suppositional". This indicates Lewis' view of Narnia as a fictional parallel universe. As Lewis wrote in a letter to a Mrs Hook in December 1958:

'If Aslan represented the immaterial Deity in the same way in which Giant Despair [a character in The Pilgrim's Progress] represents despair, he would be an allegorical figure. In reality, however, he is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question, 'What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia, and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours?' This is not allegory at all.' "



The Chronicles of Narnia is an excellent Science Fiction or Fantasy series.
If you want a good christian thematic series with strong christian overtones and message, look elsewhere.
This is a good Fantasy and Science Fiction series-and nothing more.
Fiction should be read or watched as enjoyment, not used as a teaching tool or religion tool or political tool.



Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Convenient, yet lacking
Having completely worn out three sets of the Narnia books, I saw this one and thought "Hmmmm...Hardbound, all together...what could be bad?"

It's missing many of the wonderful Pauline Baynes illustrations that are inextricably part of my own Narnia experience, and it's too big to be purse-stickable. Other than those factors, the prose is the same, and it's a good Narnia collection to keep on the shelf.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Great book for children and adults alike
It's a classic, and now that they are making movies off the book it is even more popular. I won't go into detail, many readers already have. You won't regret buying this book.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Fantasy Adventure or Christian Allegory?
The Narnia series as a whole is difficult to review, even as an adult who was raised on the books. One might think that the years would grant clarity, but the ambiguity of Lewis' children's series only expands. There's no question that Lewis intended the books to have a religious purpose, despite Andrew Adamson's attempt to downplay this aspect. In fact, the series as a whole falls apart without the religiosity, without the recognition of Aslan as, not a Christ-figure, but Christ himself. But even apart from this dimension of the series, their entertainment value simply as fairy tales or adventures often fluctuates between sublime and dull.

"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is probably as close to a perfect fairy tale as Lewis ever got. The world of Narnia as introduced in the first book is mysterious and dangerous, with an ever-increasing sense of wonder. The book is especially useful for Christian parents trying to instill a proper understanding of Christ without overtly catechizing, and it must be remembered that this was Lewis' intent. Any parent who's worried about his children learning Christianity would probably want to avoid it. That being said, it's a fun story even apart from the religious aspects.

"Prince Caspian" is Lewis' sophomore slump. Narnia lies in ruins, religious skepticism abounds, most of the story is told in flashback, and Aslan makes his turn from sacrificial Christ to proverb-dispensing deus ex machina, a change that would be retained for the rest of the series. In its favor, "Prince Caspian" introduces the chivalrous and courageous mouse Reepicheep, who may be the best character Lewis ever invented; it also includes a pantheon of pagan nature gods that may make some sensitive parents wince, but which I think actually provides a nice commentary on Lewis' belief that there was something good in paganism, though only after it had been subjected to Christ.

"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" is the best of the whole series, and was originally meant to be the final chapter of the Narnian chronicles. It is a tour de force of Lewis' imaginary world, and climaxes with a brief vision of Heaven (the Utter East). His Christological symbolism is in full swing here, even including an appearance of a lamb that turns into a lion (Aslan) at the end. One cannot avoid noticing a few echoes of Dante's "Paradiso" throughout the book. King Caspian finally has something to do, after playing fifth fiddle to the Pevensies in the previous book.

"The Silver Chair" is not a particularly great followup to the original trilogy. It is thematically darker than previous installments, and the characters spend a great deal of time in swamps, ruined castles, and underground kingdoms. The story works well as a stand-alone fairy tale, but less so as a Narnian tale. "Chair" was not a favorite of mine as a child, and upon rereading it as an adult, my opinion has not much changed.

"The Horse and His Boy" is an oddity in that most of the story takes place outside of Narnia, and also functions as an "untold story" sandwiched into the last chapter of the first book. Aside from the talking horses, the fairy-tale ambiance of the Chronicles is largely gone and replaced with political intrigue. Good luck keeping your kids interested in this one.

"The Magician's Nephew" is a totally unnecessary description of the creation and origin of Narnia. Attempts to interpret Aslan as anyone but God Almighty are blasted to smithereens as he creates Narnia solely by the power of his breath. Of course there is a garden with forbidden fruit, just to make sure everybody gets the point. The origin of the mysterious lamppost in the first book is explained as blandly as possible. In its favor, Lewis toys with some intriguing ideas about multiple worlds, but disappoints by only toying with them.

"The Last Battle" is the Revelation to "Magician's Nephew"'s Genesis. The inclusion of a Narnian apocalypse seems, again, largely unnecessary, and I'm unsure why Lewis felt compelled to tell this story. I can only suppose that he took the "Christian allegory" part of Narnia too seriously and decided that the whole scope of salvation history needed to be represented in his fantasy world. The Anti-Christ and False Prophet from Revelation make an appearance, and all of Narnia goes up in metaphorical flames as the redeemed march on to Aslan's Country, which is sort of a Platonic ideal of Narnia. There's a controversial bit about Susan's possible damnation, but it seems that Lewis only intended to comment on growing up and the subsequent loss of wonder that this often entails.

Overall this is a great series of books which should be read in the order of publication, not in the order presented in this volume. (Children are smart enough to figure out where events fit into the overall chronology.) Parents would be wise to supplement this with collections of more "secular" fairy tales, like Grimm's, Anderson's and Wilde's (Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde).

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