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5.0 out of 5 stars
A grand story!, December 16, 2005
One of the miracles of C.S. Lewis is that he is able to incorporate a sense of the mystical and magical with the form of the world in a Christian framework without either aspect becoming forced or stilted. The stories that Lewis has crafted in the Chronicles of Narnia stand on their own as good storytelling even without the underpinning of Christian imagery - they are strong tales, kin in many ways to the Lord of the Rings cycle, which makes sense, given the friendship and professional relationship of Lewis with Tolkein.
This particular text, 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', is the second installment in the overall Narnia series, but each story is able to stand on its own. This is a story that almost begins with 'once upon a time...' It is a good story for children of all ages (including 40-year-old children like me). The story begins in the dark days of the London blitz, with the children being sent away for their protection. This was common for people in all social classes, from the royal family on down, to send the children out to the countryside for the duration of the war - when Lewis was writing and publishing the Narnia books, this experience would have been fresh in the minds of the readers. Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are the family children sent to stay with old Professor and his less-than-amiable housekeeper; it comes as no surprise that the children hope to escape from this as much as from the bombs in London, and escape they did.
Lucy found it first - the portal to Narnia, in the back of the wardrobe in the special room. Then Edmund (though he would lie about it), and then all four make the journey into Narnia, where they discover themselves to be the likely heirs of a prophetic chain of events freeing the land from the evil of the wintery White Witch, who was then styling herself as the Queen of Narnia. In fact, the real king of Narnia was Aslan, a majestic lion full of power and grace, whose soul was as pure as any child's hope for the future.
The Christian images would seem familiar to any liturgical churchgoer, but the there are also other symbols that fit beyond the religious that tap into deeper longings - evil here is not a hot place, but a frozen place, where the emotions are cold and sharp. The lesser creatures are the virtuous ones, and the children lead the way to the redemption of all. The battle of good and evil takes place in epic form, fitting many forms of heroic tales. The lion Aslan stands for the Christ figure, but can also conjure images of the lion of England - Peter's shield with a red lion makes him both the stand-in for the first of the apostles as well as a perfect casting for St. George. Other parallels abound.
The children themselves live a good life in Narnia, but eventually return to their English countryside encampment, with spirits and hopefulness renewed.
This is a tale of extraordinary power, and one that stays with the reader for a long time. Long before Harry Potter, there was Narnia - a tale that is not only fun and riveting, but also one with a strong moral lens that includes not only power, but the giving up of power; not only victory, but also forgiveness and sacrifice. Revenge is an emotion that is defeated here, and good triumphs at the last.
A grand story!
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4.0 out of 5 stars
C.S. Lewis' most famous work of fiction., December 6, 2005
If you are familiar with Lewis' non-fiction writings (Mere Christianity, etc.) were all that Lewis had written he would have left a wonderful legacy. However, Lewis has a large library of fictional works as well.
'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' is my only my second piece of Lewis fiction (the other being 'The Screwtape Letters') and I found it to be a quick, enjoyable read. The characters are likeable but sketchy, but that is understandable considering that he intended it to be a fairy tale. How much character development is there in a fairy tale?
Christian themes are very strong throughout the book, but the story can be read without any previous study into Christianity. If you are unsure of the themes or want to make sure that you are not missing any, I would recommend that you pick up any of the half-dozen or more companion study guides that Amazon offers.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe, November 17, 2005
A Kid's Review
The Lion the Witch and the wardrobe is a book about four kids in the 1940's. The youngest sibling, Lucy, finds a wardrobe that houses a magical land that was cast under a spell by the Evil White Witch. With the help of Aslan the lion and Lucy's 3 brothers and sisters, Peter, Mary, and Edmund they must return the magical land of Narnia to the way it originally was.
The most exciting part of the book was during the climax. During the climax there are fights and celebrations. During the fighting Aslan leads his magical army into battle with the four children by his side. Mary and Peter are able to fight with their gifts from St. Nick, Peter had recieved a sword and sheild while Mary had a bow and quiver. Lucy acted as a nurse for all the wounded soldiers. Towards the end of the book Aslan prevails and the four children are crowned Kings and Queens. Finally, after many years later they find the wardrobe and return to their house they were at in the 1940's a few seconds from which the originally left that house to go to Narnia.
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is an amasing book, that is why I recommend it. The action through the climax is enough to get any action lover to read it. Even people who like fairy tales will love the ending. The book will also help younger children know that not everyone is as good as they think they are. It can also help other people think that their might be other livible worlds out there
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