I opted for some light reading over the holiday weekend, so I read a few books from The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. The series may be classified as juvenile fiction, but it has much to teach adults, as well. The Magician’s Nephew is the first book, chronologically, in the series, but it was actually the sixth book published (older editions list the books in the series in publishing order, while newer editions opt for the chronological order). This isn’t a big problem for a reader new to The Chronicles— for the most part, this book stands on its own— but there are a few references to The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (published before The Magician’s Nephew) that someone unfamiliar with the former book wouldn’t understand.
Whether you read this book first or sixth in order, it’s a quick read (as you would expect from a juvenile book) and a very engaging prequel to the series. Lewis tells the fascinating story of how the land of Narnia was created, and how humans in our world discovered and began to rule over it. Humans also corrupt it by introducing the evil witch that also appears in The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe; indeed, much of the book is about morality, as one might expect in a fairy tale. What might be surprising for those unfamiliar with Narnia is that a talking lion, Aslan, is a central character. Aslan is the creator of Narnia and the Christ-figure in the story— and indeed, in the whole series. I’ve classified it as Christian literature, but no doubt non-Christians will also enjoy it, as its spirituality does not make it inaccessible to unbelievers. There is a lot of action— in fact, the accidental adventures of Digory and Polly remind me a lot of similar ones in Star Wars: A New Hope and The Phantom Menace.
As this is one of my favorite books of all time, this classic work of fiction gets two thumbs way up from me!
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