The Chronicles of Narnia: Book one; The Magician's Nephew (original 1955; edition 1955)

I am using this book for my book group of eight year olds. They love it and I love it. The suspense is such that the kids want to go to the next chapter to see what happens. The girls identify with Polly and none of them like the witch who abuses her power when she has it. They like that the story takes them in to new, different and imagined worlds. ( )

"The Magician's Nephew" is a wonderful, mysterious beginning to the Chronicles of Narnia series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Though it's not quite as amazing as "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," it's still pretty great! ( )

One of the better Narnia books. The first half is excellent. Later, when Aslan shows up, the excitement comes to a grinding halt. Having an omnipotent character will do that... ( )

The Narnia books have always been some of my favourites. There's always been a magic in it for me, even now I'm twenty -- I never got to the age where I was too old for fairytales. That, or I passed through it so quickly I'm already out the other side.

I know that for a lot of people, the magic is spoiled when they find out that Aslan is really Jesus, that this first book is an allegory for Genesis, that the whole thing is full of Christian themes. I nearly always knew, though, and figured it out when I was about seven years old, and it didn't spoil it at all -- just added to the levels of possible meaning, for me. I was a Christian then, though, and I've always found Christian ideals interesting and relevant and close to my heart. So it's not very surprising.

I don't think the allegory detracts from the magic at all. It's wrapped around by wonderful fantasy, and the voice of the narrator is fun -- a storyteller's voice, really: I think I can almost hear the book being read to me, in every line. There are some parts that I think are just beautiful, because they're perfect. The writing is always clear and easy to read (and tastes quite nice, if you're that kind of synaesthete -- in my experience, anyway). The characters feel quite real, imperfect but trying hard -- they're not completely likeable, sometimes, especially Diggory, but in a quite human way.

I'm not very good at criticising this book because it's so full of warmth and nostalgia for me. My children's lit course does make me think about how much this book is really for children, given the references to very adult concerns -- mostly surrounding Uncle Andrew -- but I think it works on that level, and if I have children, I'll give them these books. ( )

Mmm, nostalgia trip. I've finished my essays, so this is what I turn to. Very quick read, now, actually. Even though I'm less enthused about the Christian allegory stuff now -- particularly after writing a whole essay on the Christian elements in Tolkien's work, which are more subtle and done with more of a sense of wonder, to my mind -- it's like the mental equivalent of a warm bath or something. It's just... cosy.

The allegory and moralising is so very blatant that I can understand why it turns people off. I still like the warm, personal, chatty tone of the narrating voice, but I can understand how it feels condescending to others.

In other words, this is one that's best when you can be nostalgic about it. Though there is still magic in it, for me, and not just from nostalgia: the Wood Between The Worlds, the silent deadness of Charn, Aslan singing Narnia into being (and isn't it interesting that both Tolkien and Lewis chose singing as their metaphor for creating the world?), Digory giving the apple to his mother... ( )