spoken for

Rating: 10

This particular book has all seven Chronicles of Narnia books in it, in the order that is chronological to the story (not as to when C.S. Lewis wrote the books).

I always thought these books were intended for children, but I think they have a lot to offer adults as well. In their own right they are quite complex and riveting. We read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was in 5th grade but that’s the only one I’ve read until now and I honestly didn’t remember it from then, I just remember not liking it. Now, of course, I love it! I’m going to try and write a little about each book here, as I go.

The Magician’s Nephew
Having read the second book in 5th grade and not remembering a thing about it whatsoever, this book was a good place to start with. This book talks of all the beginnings of Narnia and really explains a few questions one might have when reading the second or further books. It’s also quite amusing, I found myself laughing more than once. The magician is such a seedy little character, he’s quite funny, and you’ve got to be happy about how he gets what’s coming to him. It also shows that every person is a person, all equals and that “the meek shall inherit the earth.”
But I really was glad I read this book first as I was quite happy to find out where the light post came from, how the queen got in power, where the wardrobe came from, etc.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Many people have seen the movie that is based on the second book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I was quite impressed with the movie as it followed the book nearly 100%. (In other words, if you enjoyed the movie: read the book!) Again, I was glad that I had read the first book first, as otherwise I would have been quite confused as to the whole lamp post in the middle of the wilderness thing.
In terms of entertaining, this book was more so than the last. This book has everything from humor to drama and the underlying moral truths of forgiveness and mercy.

The Horse and His Boy
This book is the ultimate child’s fantasy – escape this world and head off into a land of adventure where I can be someone! Heck, it may be everyone’s fantasy!
This book takes place in the time between the end of the second book and the very end of the second book, when the four children are grown and rule as kings and queens of Narnia.
A young boy sets off with his horse, a Narnian talking horse, and they encounter many adventures and meet many new and interesting people. Of course, in the end, the boy learns of his true identity and all is well. Everyone is truly happy.
I enjoyed this book, ok, though not nearly as much as the last two. It lost my interest for a while and I did not read for a couple of months. But when I came back to it, exactly where I’d left off, it was as if it had only been a few hours since I’d last read.

Prince Caspian
I just started this one, several months after finishing the last section. I’m only a couple of chapters in at the moment but this one is much more interesting and easy flowing than A Horse and His Boy. We are back with Lucy, Edmund, Peter, and Susan, and maybe that is why it flows better. It’s more in the spirit of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe than the other two books.
It’s very interesting to put it all in perspective, this whole magical (and fictional) land. The children return, completely without any effort on their part, to Narnia to discover the place where they once ruled as kings and queens is now in old ruins. Men have been ruling the area for some time now and the “talking beasts,” dwarves, and other creatures are all in hiding.
Prince Caspian has fled from those who would kill him and is standing up for the “old Narnians” as they are called. He needs the help of the four children, and yes, eventually Aslan, to get him on the throne.
This one is pretty adventurous, as well, and I’m looking forward to seeing the movie, since I just heard they’re making this one, too.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
This book pretty much just grabbed me and sucked me right in. It started with the adventure and it didn’t end until it had to.
In this story, Lucy and Edmund return to Narnia but with their cousin Eustace. Eustace is an absolute horrid kid and he was a very each character to start hating. But, of course, in classic C. S. Lewis style, he comes around. The kids meet back up with Caspian, who is now king and traveling towards the end of the world. He is on a mission, of course, and the three children end up helping him in this quest with many surprises and adventures along the way. Several new characters, both lovable and not so much, are introduced, too.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit and it flowed easily and quickly. I was disappointed that Peter and Susan were not along for the ride, but it all worked out just fine.

The Silver Chair
When I first started reading The Silver Chair, I knew that none of the original Narnia kids would be in it, and that was quite disappointing. However, the return of Eustace worked well with his schoolmate, Jill. A new character and creature introduced here was Puddlegrum, the Marsh-Wiggle. For the first couple of chapters after he appeared, I though, surely, they’re going to have to kill him off because he is SO annoying. Annoying he was, but by the end of the book I realized that at some point, he had ceased to be annoying so much and turned out to be quite a great character.
In The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, it’s said several times that you can’t find Narnia if you’re looking for it. This may be the first book where the kids find it while looking for it, calling out for Aslan. He brings them in and then sends them on a quest to find the missing prince Rilian who is the son of King Caspian (who is now old).
The only thing about this book that is really different from the others is that, at least to me, it is incredibly predictable. I don’t know what it was about this one but I knew each and every move the characters made before they made it. Some might say that about the other books, but they weren’t so much like this one. However, in spite of that, I enjoyed it immensely and finished it very quickly.

The Last Battle
The Last Battle, of course, is the end of Narnia. Eustace and Jill are back in this one and not a moment too soon. This time, an ape is tricking a donkey into posing as Aslan and together they are selling out Narnia to the Calormen nation. I had to laugh, at one point though, because the things that were going on seemed to parallel the Nazis and at one point the good guys don the helmets of the bad guys which are described as tighter fitting, round, with a spike on top.
I can’t really discuss this one much because it will give it all away but let’s just say that I really loved this and it turned out in a way that, well I couldn’t have chosen a better ending. I don’t know if it was me, or what, but it seemed that this book was shorter in length than the others, too. I finished this one in about 24 hours, but most of it in a sitting of 2 hours.

In Retrospect
This is a great series, but, of course, you already knew that. I’m just sad that I never read these as a kid. It’s a great world of fantasy and many lessons about how to be a decent human being, for one.
I definitely recommend these and I hope that when my boy is old enough, that he’s as interested in them as I am. I am also excited about the upcoming release of the Prince Caspian movie and I hope they continue to make the books into movies, though, they can do A Horse And His Boy last if they want to. ;-)