The Chronicles of Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia)

by C. S. Lewis

Pauline Baynes (Illustrator)

Journeys to the end of the world, fantastic creatures, and epic battles between good and evil—what more could any reader ask for in one book? The book that has it all is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, written in 1949 by Clive Staples Lewis. But Lewis did not stop there. Six more books followed, and together they became known as The Chronicles of Narnia.

For the past fifty years, The Chronicles of Narnia have transcended the fantasy genre to become part of the canon of classic literature. Each of the seven books is a masterpiece, drawing the reader into a land where magic meets reality, and the result is a fictional world whose scope has fascinated generations.

This edition presents all seven books—unabridged—in one impressive volume. The books are presented here in chronlogical order, each chapter graced with an illustration by the original artist, Pauline Baynes. Deceptively simple and direct, The Chronicles of Narnia continue to captivate fans with adventures, characters, and truths that speak to readers of all ages, even fifty years after they were first published.
--back cover

• ISBN10: 0066238501
• ISBN13: 9780066238500
• Publish Date: 2 October 2001 (first published 1 October 1970)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Imprint: ZonderKidz
• Edition: New edition
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 768
• Language: English

Reviews

[thepunktheory]

Well, it is a decent book. What annoyed me is that on several occasions the plot appears rather weird and shallow as you get hardly any explanation. For example, when the kids wake Jadis she briefly tells them the story of her world in a few sentences.
Lewis spent pages describing how someone walks through the woods so a bit more context on a part like really isn't asked too much.
However, there were also some instances where it all was too easy. There was no fight, no real trouble. Another example: The kids need to get the apple. Well, the go in and out, change a few words with Jadis and everybody lives happy ever after.
For some reason this gave me the impression that Lewis only had a few ideas in mind when he came up this book, ending with a half-done plot that feels rather thin all the way through.

It's nice to have a bit of info on how Narnia came to be and where Jadis came from, but if you start with something like this, you need to do it properly. I have to say, I wasn't too impressed with this book.