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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia)

Questions About The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia)

by C.S. Lewis

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Answered Questions (70)

Should I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or The Magician's Nephew first?
Peter Yoder LION FIRST! As someone who has read The Chronicles of Narnia at least eleven times, I know the books inside and out and can state categorically that r…m´Ç°ù±ðLION FIRST! As someone who has read The Chronicles of Narnia at least eleven times, I know the books inside and out and can state categorically that reading the books in their original published order is the best way to experience them. Here are the reasons:

1. Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe through Silver Chair follow the childhoods of the Pevensies and company, and thematically flow best when not interrupted by Horse and His Boy. They also reveal the world at the best pace for new readers.
2. There is a powerful nostalgia factor that you get when reading the Horse and His Boy that is diminished if you read it right after Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe. Magician and Last Battle also play off that nostalgia.
3. The Magician's Nephew has allusions to another book that would not make sense if you had read Magician first. It is also experienced much better when you already have a picture of Narnia from the other books. You kind of spoil the surprises if you read it first.

If C.S. Lewis was reorganizing the books to be in chronological order, it was an effort that never made its way into the books. I was flabbergasted when publishers started printing editions differently. Reordering the books in my mind is like recutting Memento. Will it still tell a story? yes. Will the story be as good? no. At least not without serious rework.

The published order is:
1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
2. Prince Caspian
3. Voyage of the Dawn Treader
4. The Silver Chair
5. The Horse and His Boy
6. The Magician's Nephew
7. The Last Battle(less)
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Should I try this Narnia series? (FYI: I have not watched the movies, as I found them not-so-interesting..) So I want to know whether I can try the books. Would I like it? If yes, whether I can finish off the entire series over a period of 1 month?
Cher Depends on how fast you read. I found The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in the city library as an elementary student and fell in love with it. Not …m´Ç°ù±ðDepends on how fast you read. I found The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in the city library as an elementary student and fell in love with it. Not until I was in my late 20s did I find out that there were more in a series! I found them, bought the paperback series and enjoyed them as a treasure found. I loved Harry Potter series and own it too. I enjoy reading teen and young adult fiction. I enjoy fantasy, sci fi and time travel books. I did not have a clue about the religious overtones. BTW I"m 70years young.(less)
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Is this book for children ?? Like, till what age can one read it ?? Cause I find it very interesting but I'm afraid if it will be a bore book ??
Aaron Toponce C.S. Lewis did intend it to be written for a younger audience. With that said, I'm 38 years old, and I think it's a great story, and enjoyed it immens…m´Ç°ù±ðC.S. Lewis did intend it to be written for a younger audience. With that said, I'm 38 years old, and I think it's a great story, and enjoyed it immensely.(less)
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What impacted you most about this book; your greatest takeaway?
ally what impacted me the most was the representation of Christian beliefs throughout this book. It's not a heavily religious book whatsoever, but C.S. Lew…m´Ç°ù±ðwhat impacted me the most was the representation of Christian beliefs throughout this book. It's not a heavily religious book whatsoever, but C.S. Lewis did intend to make Aslan a representation of Christ.(less)
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Is this a good series for an adult non-christian or atheist? Is it too preachy, biased or juvenile? I loved Lord of The Rings and love Fantasy. I love delving into new worlds. Mystery, suspense, thrills, etc...
Isa Rivera In my opinion, anyone who likes fantasy will enjoy it (as long as you are not the type to get irked by Lewis's word building (it's nothing at all like…m´Ç°ù±ðIn my opinion, anyone who likes fantasy will enjoy it (as long as you are not the type to get irked by Lewis's word building (it's nothing at all like Tolkien's. Quite the opposite, actually, but it is no less magical, and the atmosphere is incredibly enchanting)). And no, I don't believe it's preachy. Neither is it biased or juvenile. Lewis said himself, “I thought I saw how stories of this kind could steal past a certain inhibition which had paralysed much of my own religion in childhoodâ€� supposing that by casting all these things into an imaginary world, stripping them of their stained-glass and Sunday School associations, one could make them for the first time appear in their real potency? Could one not thus steal past those watchful dragons? I thought one could.â€� So no, not preachy. But I WILL say that it will hit a lot differently for Atheists compared to Christians. For example, I am a Christian, and I found that this book impacted my spiritual life immensely.

But no, you do not need to be a Christian to enjoy this series. It's just that the experience will be different, since it won't impact you the way it has impacted me.

As for biased, I would say that it is very clear that Lewis is a firm believer in Christianity, so I think he's simply writing about what he believes to be true, not in a biased way but more in a "facts" way, if you get what I mean? And as for juvenile, it depends on what kind of person you are, I suppose? I wouldn't recommend this to a person who finds fantasy and fairytale-like stories childish. It was Lewis's firm belief that "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest". Yes, these books are very good for children and targeted towards them, but it is also very powerful and thought-provoking and entertaining to adults, as well.
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