May 01, 2003 04:10 PM
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(Updated May 01, 2003 04:23 PM)
Long before J.K.Rowling thought about a boy named Harry Potter there was a person called C.S.Lewis who wrote a few fantasy books which take place in the magical land of Narnia, where animals speak. In a style that seems to be a blend between JRR Tolkien and Enid Blyton, Lewis has written some of the best children's book I have read. Lewis was a great friend of Tolkien and many similarities can be seen in their works although Tolkien has a much more mature style of writing. Even The Hobbit isn't as childish as the Chronicles of Narnia, and therein lies the secret to its success. Lewis was a Christian writer and has many Biblical references in his books, or so most people say. The Chronicles is a collection of seven books. The seven books have a time span from the creation of Narnia to the destruction of this beautiful land. The book follows the age old formula of Good vs Evil, with Aslan, the Lion being the essence of Good and the White Witch as evil. The seven books are...
The Magician's Nephew - This book introduces us to Narnia when Digory and Polly find a way to leave our own World and enter pools of new Worlds. Trying to elude the Evil Witch whom they accidently rescued from a dying land, they reach a vast emptiness, where Aslan, the Lion is singing life into the land. Unfortunately, the Witch also enters Narnia.
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe - By entering a magic wardrobe in the house of Professor Digory, 4 children are taken to Narnia where the White Witch has created endless winter with no Christmas. The four kids try to defeat the Witch and Aslan comes to their aid. The kids, Peter, Susan, Edward and Lucy are made kings and queens of Narnia under High King Peter.
The Horse and his Boy - In the land of the wicked Calormen, a Narnian talking horse and a boy are enslaved. They decide to escape together to Narnia where they will be free and meet others also trying to reach there. Encountering all sorts of adventures, they finally succeed in foiling a Calormen invasion of Narnia and The Lion makes another appearance.
Prince Caspian - Queen Susan had been given a magic horn which would bring aid to the blower. When the kids leave Narnia they leave their gifts behind them. Prince Caspian, trying to Save Narnia from his evil Uncle who usurped his throne blows it to bring the 4 children of the previous book. Although hundreds of years have passed in Narnia, a few weeks have passed in our world. The children must aid Prince Caspian in his quest to save the inhabitants of Narnia.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - The four kids along with their irritating cousin Eustace are brought to Narnia just in the nick of time as Prince Caspian is setting sail to reach the end of the world (their world is flat) where they would reach Aslan's country. Reepicheek, the adorable talking mouse has decided to live there. Truly amazing adventures follow them. Perhaps the best of the series.
The Silver Chair - Prince Caspian is old and about to die and his son has been held prisoner for a long time and is given up for being dead. Two children from our world, Eustace and Jill are sent by Aslan to find and rescue him before it is too late, so that he could succeed to the thrown of Narnia. They are given certain rules and directions by Aslan to follow. When they already miss four of these directions/rules, their quest seems even more hopeless.
The Last Battle - A donkey wearing a dead Lion's skin poses as Aslan (he is forced to do so by a monkey), leading to chaos as animals are enslaved and the Calormen are held in high esteem and given slaves as gifts. Things get out of hand and every single person from our world from the earlier books make an appearance and finally the doors of Narnia are shut forever by High King Peter.
Personally, I didn't like the first and the last parts as much as the others. I would recommend you to first read the second part and then follow whatever order you wish to. I had received these books as a Birthday gift a long time ago. Now I have read each book at least 2 times. Maybe I didn't like them as much as I liked Lord of The Rings or even The Hobbit, but considering the fact that I like nothing better than LOTR, I wouldn't pay much attention to this comparison. Anyway, fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter will like these books, I'm sure. These books are great due to their mixed bag of emotions - they make you smile, laugh and cry all at once in the same book.
