The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Title: The Magicians Nephew
Author: C.S. Lewis
ISBN: 0-06-447110-1
221 pages
HarperTrophy, 1994 edition

This is the much less famous first book in 'The Chronicles of Narnia' which is set roughly 40 years before the oft-mentioned 'Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe'. While this is the first book in the series, it was one of the last of the series to be published (the initial copyright in my book dates to 1955) and thus is different than most series of books in that it is more of a prequel. It may be due to these facts that the story from this book does not hold as strongly in my mind as its more famous companion novel.

Description:

'The Magician's Nephew' tells the story of two English children living around the turn of the century in London. Polly Plummer lives in one of the homes in a row of tightly bunched houses began to dominate London after the industrial revolution. When a young boy is seen living in the house of the old, strange man Mr. Ketterley next door, Polly decides to investigate. Digory, the name of the boy which Polly tells him is quite odd, is the nephew of Mr. Ketterley who has been forced to live with his uncle while his father is away in India. The two become quick friends and begin to spend their time in a secret compartment that Polly knows of in her house. One day, through their secret compartment of tunnels and caves, they stumble upon the secret workshop of Digory's uncle. It turns out that Mr. Ketterley is in fact a magician and is working on a strange, bewildering experiment. When he gives Polly a magic ring, she disappears into the world of Narnia. Digory must take a magic ring himself, and bring two other magic rings for the return voyage, and go to Narnia to save Polly. And thus begins the first adventure in the land of Narnia.

Review:

While not as famous as 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' this book is nevertheless very entertaining. The book has a few illustrations per chapter and one really gets the old-timey feel of turn-of-the-century London through Lewis' writing. The story does not stick in one's head as strongly as the more famous novel in the Narnia series, but that may be a product of having the other story repeated to me and people my age through reading and the watching of movies. The book gives the reader a real sense of wonderment, especially in a scene where Digory and Polly find a series of pools each leading to an alternate universe (and hopefully one that leads back to London!). While not as awe-inspiring as its more famous counterpart, this novel is still quite a treasure and worthwhile for any reader seeking a little adventure.