The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, Pauline Baynes (2001, Paperback, Reprint)

I have read the whole series about 6 times and every time have thoroughly enjoyed the books. With the movie recently released (an absolutely smashing film that stays true to CS Lewis' vision) the books are getting more attention and rightfully so! The series includes the following books and rumor has it Disney plans on making films for all of them (i am keeping my fingers crossed that this is more than just a rumor).

The Magician's Nephew
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle

The main book that most people start with is "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". The series officially starts with "The Magician's Nephew" although it is more of a prequel to the series much like "The Hobbit" is a prequel to "Lord of the Rings".

The Chronicles of Narnia is considered a classic of children's literature and is perhaps C.S. Lewis' best known work. More than 65 million copies of the books have been sold in 30 languages. Written by Lewis between 1950-1956, The Chronicles of Narnia contain Christian themes and borrow from Greek and Roman mythology as well as traditional English and Irish fairy tales. The books have been adapted for radio, television and cinema. Pauline Baynes illustrated the original books in the series.

The Chronicles present the adventures of children who play central roles in the unfolding history of the realm of Narnia, a place where animals talk, magic is common, and good is fighting evil.

I would highly recommend this series (and movie) to anyone to enjoy!

This set is hands down both my favorite fantasy series and my favorite children's book series. I've read them to myself, for my own enjoyment, and I've read all seven books out loud to my kids. Reading them out loud is a great experience. At the end of a chapter, when I had intended to quit, the kids would beg me to keep reading! Every one of the kids, from 5 to 15, were spellbound.

I strongly feel, however, that the books should be read in the order they were written, and as Lewis intended them to be read. That is: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; The Horse and His Boy; The Magician's Nephew; The Last Battle.

Many people are only familiar with the first book because of the just-released movie (which was very good). I also found The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader", The Horse and His Boy, and others to be equally delightful, with equally enchanting characters. There are excerpts from several of the books that I find simply and profoundly unforgettable. And last, but not least, the Christian symbolism is refreshing, and at times deeply moving.

Fantastic set. If you haven't read it, hesitate no longer!

Lewis’ faith in God is embedded into the Narnia books and the film.

Many parents may question the presence of evil, witches, potions, violence and magic, so what's the difference between C.S. Lewis' fantasies and those of say, Harry Potter? Firstly, Lewis does not present evil as attractive. Furthermore, the magic is not to be understood as an occult power but rather as a type of enchantment that brings to light the issue of law and grace.

The Harry Potter series have overt occult practices and praise evil deeds.

Evil magic in Lewis’ books are never praised and never victorious. In other words, good is always victorious over evil.

There are many biblical parallels in the stories, but as they are deeply embedded into the stories, the children benefit from the spiritual lessons without hearing literal bible quotes, and yet they abound through the book without even the readers’ knowledge. Lewis called it “suffusing Christianity” into his stories as metaphors (or thought objects).

There are so many biblical references in the story Lewis was the most written about author of his time. In fact there are many more books written about Lewis by others, than he wrote in his lifetime. He remains one of the top selling authors of all time even though he died in the 1960s.

The main character is named Aslan, but is referred to as the Lion of Judah in the story. Aslan is resurrected from the dead because he is blameless and without sin, just as Jesus Christ was.


Get your children the entire book series—they will cherish them and enjoy them for years to come. The Chronicles of Narnia, without giving away the story, was Lewis's way of taking ordinary children and presenting them with extraordinary challenges. In this case the children had to put aside their petty squabbling and were transformed from a war-torn London being ripped apart by nightly air raids during World War II. But alas, these children entered the magical world of Narnia, and fulfill the prophecy to defeat an evil dominated world populated by talking animals and strange mythical creatures. But in order to save the land of Narnia they had some serious growing up to do. But through adversity and will to survive all of the children find their own strengths and work together in a colossal military battle against the powers of darkness bringing out their noble and brave qualities, and eventually gain the victory for all in Narnia.

The story is very inspiring for children and adults alike, and teaches valuable moral and ethical lessons in the form of a fantasy film. The film is also a lot of fun; it also teaches children there is a definite divide between the real world and entering a fantasy world with mythical creatures.

I highly recommend The Chronicles of Narnia

This is "The Chronicles of Narnia" like you've never read or seen them before--all in one hardbound set, in the chronological order Lewis preferred that they be read. To top it off, it's beautifully illustrated.

"The Chronicles" are C. S. Lewis' beloved children's fantasy series loved also by adults. In them, Lewis chronicles the battle between good and evil, God and the Devil, Aslan the Lion (the Christ Figure) and the White Witch (the Satan Figure).

Lewis' turn of a phrase is worth the price of the book with gems describing evil's hold on Narnia as "always Winter but never Christmas" and Aslan's description of his "resurrection" as "magic from before the dawn of time."

The stories are beautifully told and captivating in and of themselves. Add to that the subtle allegories, images, and parables of good versus evil, and you have a book that will capture your children's imagination and perhaps change their lives forever--for the better.

Buy it now, before everyone else does, because come December 2005, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" will be released as a big screen Hollywood epic with the same mass marketing, incredible story telling, and awesome special effects of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Reviewer: Dr. Robert W. Kellemen is the author of "Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction," "Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction," and the forthcoming "Sacred Companions: A History of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction."

I received this book for Christmas (the entire compilation). Up to this point, I had only read one book of the whole series....The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. I read that in 7th grade and did a book report about it. All these years later, I still find these stories fascinating. I would highly recommend these books to anyone and everyone. Just for reference, the order of publishing these books, go like this: (1) The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe - 1950; (2) Prince Caspian - 1951; (3) The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - 1952; (4) The Silver Cahir - 1953; (5) The Horse and His Boy - 1954; (6) The Magicians Nephew - 1955; and (7) The Last Battle - 1956. I found this information on the first page of the 'Chronicles' book.