The Chronicles of Narnia (in case you’ve been living under a rock) is a children’s fantasy series, the most famous of which is the second book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I have had the full colour series for over fifteen years and for some reason never picked them up; I really wish I’d read them sooner! The books are fabulous. Every child should read them. The stories just get better and better, and it really surprises me now that the second book became so famous, when the later ones have much more character depth and thrilling adventures.
The first story The Magician’s Nephew begins in London. Polly and her neighbour Digory decide to go tunnelling through the attics of their adjoining houses and end up in the forbidden study of Digory’s mysterious Uncle. The tall, frightening man tricks them into putting on magic rings, and they emerge in an in-between worlds wood with pools to different lands. Adventures ensue, and the origins of the famous Snow Queen and the wardrobe portal to Narnia are explained. It’s full of sensorial imagery and fabulous old english sayings, like “what rot!”. The inception of Narnia as a magical land, and the introduction of Aslan is very clearly an allegorical interpretation of the creation story in Genesis - the quest Polly and Digory “son and daughter of Adam and Eve” must go on to retrieve a silver apple makes that clear. Theres this fantastical expansive landscape, wonderful for sparking children’s imaginations, as well as a heightened theme of morality that young kids can understand (ie. Stealing is wrong, stand up for your friends, etc).
“For the sun sank lower and lower till the Western sky was all like one great furnace full of melted gold; and it set at last behind a jagged peak which stood up against the brightness as sharp and flat as if it were cut out of cardboard.”
The second book needs no description, and really acts as an anchor for character development for the rest of the stories. The third book The Horse and His Boy introduces the neighbouring land of Calormen (next to Narnia), and themes of slavery, class and varying human cultures with different religions, food and pleasures are introduced. Prince Caspian is the fourth tale, and lays out a marvellous story of wit and bravery, as the four children return to Narnia to help him reclaim his throne. Of course, time spins differently in every land, and this is the last tale where Peter and Susan are able to visit before they become too old for such trifle journeys. The fifth book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader therefore sees the two youngest siblings Lucy and Edmund, and their rather annoying cousin Eustace sucked once again into the magical realm for a top adventure aboard a ship on a journey to the end of the world. This is by far my favourite of the seven books, and really exemplifies C.S.Lewis’ incredible vision and creative ability to thread mythology and biblical tales into a truly captivating tale.
“While I can, I sail east in the Dawn Treader. When she fails me, I paddle east in my coracle. When she sinks, I shall swim east with my four paws. And when I can swim no longer, if I have not reached Aslan’s country, or shot over the edge of the world into some vast cataract, I shall sink with my nose to the sunrise.”
The final two books - The Silver Chair and The Last Battle centre around Eustace and his schoolfriend Jill. These are equally gripping and travel right into the far corners of Narnia and it’s surrounding lands in search of high fun and great danger. The grand finale is satisfyingly structured to bring the whole seven books and their unique characters together; with the final twist (no spoilers here) throwing everything into a different - though not altogether unexpected - light.
I absolutely loved the whole series, and the full escapism from adulting it brought me these past two weeks!