Book Recommendation
The Chronicles of Narnia
Our new book discussion group had its first meeting last Friday, May 10, 2024. I hope you will be able to join in some of these discussions, either to revisit books you have loved reading before or to read and enjoy new books. For our first meeting, David Bashore led a discussion of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. That book is only the first in a whole series known as The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis. So I decided to re-post an old blog on why I love this series so much. If you are looking for some summer reading, why not try out this series? Even if you have read them before, you might be surprised how much you enjoy spending time with them again.
One of the book series I have quoted from or alluded to most often is The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis. This is one of my favorite book series, and I heartily recommend it to anyone. So I wanted to use a few blog posts to introduce these books, giving some great quotes, and hopefully whetting your appetite to read (or re-read) this wonderful series.
CS Lewis was a brilliant thinker, author, apologist, and professor from the 1920s until his death in 1963. But the books in The Chronicles of Narnia were unexpected because Lewis had never written children’s stories before. Furthermore, he did not have any children of his own! So it seemed highly unlikely that this Oxford don would write children’s stories that have become some of the most popular in the history of literature.
But that is exactly what The Chronicles of Narnia (and especially the book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) have become. The reason is simple – Lewis loved fairy tales, and that love shines through in these stories. Furthermore, his considerable skill with the English language enables him to write in a manner that is memorable, witty, and arresting.
The Chronicles consists of 7 books, which were originally published (and should be read in my opinion) in this order:
- 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
In these books, Lewis creates an entire world (Narnia), covering its history from its creation by Aslan the Lion (the Son of the Great Emperor Across the Sea), its corruption by an evil witch, its restoration by Aslan, key events in its history, and the end of its history as it is ushered into eternity.
In telling this grand story, Lewis not only tells a fantastic set of tales; he also teaches a great amount of theology. Every time I read the Chronicles I am amazed both by how much I enjoy the tales and by the deep truth they contain.
Through the years I have read these books on paper, on my Kindle, and via Audiobook. I recommend any of these. But I encourage you, especially if you have never read them, to pick them up today. Begin with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and enter into the wonderful world of Narnia. You will be glad you did – and once you have gone through the Wardrobe Door you will never be the same!
In Christ,
Bret