Books - Narnia

Dear T,

I have heard about Great Expectations, as my mom gave me the book. I never read it though, because it sounded boring. Now that I know a bit about it, I'll probably try to read it and then watch the movie.

I think your choice of theme is great, and it absolutely fits your character. I can't wait to see what you have to say. I'm glad you didn't choose maths, because you're right, it would be very hard to write about.

So here's my third book review.

Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Seven books in the Narnia series. Seven books each different from one another. Many know the ones come out as movies, like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Some might also know The Silver Chair from the set of old movies. But what of the others? Sure they're all good, and each one of them can stand on it's on. The true beauty of the experience is reading them all in order. If you have watched The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, so much is explained in the very first novel, The magician's nephew. My personal favorite is The Horse and his Boy, third in the series. It takes place all in Narnia, with a new main cast of characters, although the hero does meet the stars of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The Last Battle is an epic ending to the series, assembling all the characters from all the books for one final adventure. I do not quite understand the filmmakers' choice of which books to produce, but I can assure that even the books made into movies hold secrets and details that bring the series alive as a whole.

Narnia is an imaginary world in which time goes by about a hundred times faster than in the real world. Narnia can be accessed through different portals. The Magician's Nephew introduces the creation of Narnia and it's first King and Queen. This book explains many of the old legends met in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, as well as the presence of the old man and the magic wardrobe in the old house. In the first book made into a movie, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, four British children are sent to the countryside for safety during the Second World War. There they find a wise and mysterious old man, and a wardrobe that brings them to the magical world of Narnia. The children must save Narnia from the curse of the White Witch, who has cast the world into an eternal winter. Towards the end of the book there is a leap forward of several years in the story. The Horse and his Boy takes place during that time. The reader learns a lot about what happened to the children from the previous book. The protagonist, an orphan boy, must cross the desert with a talking horse to warn the Narnias of an imminent invasion. He will discover much more about himself than he expected. Prince Caspian brings back the four children from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, now a year older. A century has passed in Narnia, and they return only to find the Narnians hiding in the woods for fear of a new line of human rulers. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader finds the two youngest of the original four, along with their cousin Eustice, on a Narnian ship. An older King Caspian, now a man in his prime, has set out to find his father's seven most loyal friends who fled into the outer islands when King Caspian's uncle took over. The Silver Chair happens several years later, with a much matured Eustice and a girl friend who's not his girlfriend. They set out on a quest to find Narnia's lost Prince before the old King Caspian passes away. The Last Battle is the least memorable of them all, but I personally love the feeling of meeting all the characters of an entire series assembled for one last adventure. The most I can say apart from that is it's interesting.

So some if the books may be a bit dull while others are page-turners, but the final result is wonderful. I you wish to read only one, The Magician's Nephew is the best stand-alone, while The Horse and his Boy is just the best. The other really good ones are movies, although I must emphasize that reading this classic tale is much better than just watching some of the films, plus you can brag about having read C.S. Lewis. A bit long, but well worth it. 

Thank you!