Wonderful books, unforgettable stories

The recent Harry Potter phenomenon has had parents and children alike searching for something else to read while J.K. Rowling pens her next delightful tome. Many readers have re-discovered the classic stories about the magical land of Narnia, authored by C. S. Lewis. This large and beautiful volume collects all of the books in the series: The Magician's Nephew, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle. The books appear in the order for which C. S. Lewis himself expressed a slight preference, although he was later quoted as saying that it didn't really matter which order the books were read. The books can be read on several levels. On a surface level which children will see, they are tales of English children who get to visit a fantastic land known as Narnia. Narnia is full of talking animals, villains, heroes, witches and adventures, and is ruled over by the high king, Aslan, who appears as a giant lion.

Adults will see the Christian theology which underlies the books, although the Christian ideals form only an underpinning of the stories rather than an "in your face" religious treatise; this is certainly not what most would call a straight "Christian" series -- far from it. For one thing, there is far too much magic, astrology and the like to satisfy the extremists who seem to have so many problems with the Harry Potter series. You'll see as much of the Christian theology as you bring with you to your reading experience, and those with no religious background will likely miss the symbolism entirely -- with no detraction from the story whatsoever. Certainly, good triumphing over evil is a common theme which appears in most fantasy novels in one form or another. And to focus on this debate misses the point of the books entirely: they are meant to entertain. And entertain they do, amazingly so, considering the fact that they were written nearly 50 years ago.

The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis

Well, first I was in the ballet of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Then I thought "Well scince I'm in it, I'll need to study my characters." so I went and bought the book. I relly liked it. So after I was done with the preformances, I went and bought the whole set. It includes all seven books consisting: "The Magician's nephew", "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", "The horse and his boy", "Prince Caspian", "The voyage of the dawn Treader", " The Silver Chair" and "The Last Battle." The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is my favorite out of all the books. They may get boring for some people, for "The Horse and His Boy" did for me, But I still recomend these books for everyone. They are coming out with "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" in theaters on December 9th and I am very excited for it!

The Classic Chronicles

This is "The Chronicles of Narnia" like you've never read or seen them before--all in one hardbound set, in the chronological order Lewis preferred that they be read. To top it off, it's beautifully illustrated.

"The Chronicles" are C. S. Lewis' beloved children's fantasy series loved also by adults. In them, Lewis chronicles the battle between good and evil, God and the Devil, Aslan the Lion (the Christ Figure) and the White Witch (the Satan Figure).

Lewis' turn of a phrase is worth the price of the book with gems describing evil's hold on Narnia as "always Winter but never Christmas" and Aslan's description of his "resurrection" as "magic from before the dawn of time."

The stories are beautifully told and captivating in and of themselves. Add to that the subtle allegories, images, and parables of good versus evil, and you have a book that will capture your children's imagination and perhaps change their lives forever--for the better.

Buy it now, before everyone else does, because come December 2005, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" will be released as a big screen Hollywood epic with the same mass marketing, incredible story telling, and awesome special effects of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Reviewer: Dr. Robert W. Kellemen is the author of "Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction," "Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction," and the forthcoming "Sacred Companions: A History of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction."