The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Title: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
Author: C.S. Lewis
ISBN: 0-06-447104-7
206 pages
HarperTrophy, 1994 edition


My memories of 'The Chronicles of Narnia' will always be influenced by the BBC versions that we watched when I was a kid. I have read this book before as well as a couple of the other books in the series, but the BBC television movies (I think that is what they were) will always affect my memories of series and this book in particular.


Description:

'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' follows the story of four brothers and sisters as they find a magical world hidden within a massive, old wardrobe. After being sent away from London to the home of an old professor due to the air raids of WWII, Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy find an entire world deep inside a wardrobe (a big closet-like cabinet for clothes). Lucy, the youngest of the group is the one that first finds that this is no ordinary Wardrobe. On the other side of the mysterious door at the back of the wardrobe the children find a snowy world with a light-post where the meet a faun, who begins to explain to them the world of Narnia in which they have now begun their travels.

In Narnia, the White Witch has cast a spell on all the land, causing a perpetual winter. Once all of the four children cross over into the world of Narnia, they are caught up in the war between Aslan, a mighty lion who is lord of the whole woood, and the wicked White Witch. The children, on the side of Alsan, are victorious and are named the Kings and Queens of Narnia.

Review:

Undoubtedly a classic of childen's literature, 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' has been made into a successful group of recent motion pictures (of which I have seen none). The book is a classic tale, which sort of took away from the rereading as I knew what to expect. The scene where Edmund enters the Witch's castle and finds the various creatures encased in stone is still powerful and the initial scene with Mr. Tumnus the faun remains vivid to this day. C.S. Lewis' style has a lot of religious overtones (being a very religious man himself) which may make certain readers (if they are aware of them) uneasy. A classic tale, told in brilliant fashion and a book that many a kid will cherish for years to come.