Chronicles of Narnia

[Elanor]

Originally Posted by Curubethion

I like Lewis' original order, because then all of the information falls into place the right way. He wrote LWW first, and then went back and wrote all of the background to fit it. That should be the order it's read in.

I agree with this. This is the order in which the books were written:

1: THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE
2: PRINCE CASPIAN
3: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER
4: THE SILVER CHAIR
5: THE HORSE AND HIS BOY
6: THE MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW
7: THE LAST BATTLE

I think kids will be drawn in more if they follow Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy's journey, then find out the backstory, and finally get the resolution for all the characters. Plus, if you already know the history of Professor Kirke and Jadis, it takes some of the mystery away from the experience of reading LWW.

I also agree that the 'novelisations' and silly little 'chapter' books are ridiculous. My 15-year-old sister has Down's Syndrome (she reads on the level of an 8-year-old or lower), and she's read all the original Narnia books and understood them perfectly!

[Varnafindë]

Godd for both of you!
So, do you both like what you've been reading?
I guess he must have liked The Hobbit, at least ...

[Valandil]

Yes - I DID forget to mention that, and YES - we have both liked what we're reading very much!

[Coffeehouse]

Father I have a confession to make.

Father have I sinned?
I have not read the Chronicles of Narnia.
Although I did watch some British dramatization of it
at the age of 7, I have, besides knowing that there is
a talking lion named Aslan or something in it, no clue what
the story is about. Wait, Father, there are beavers too. I think.
I know there's a movie made
recently, but I don't know if it's any good.
Although my twin sister read the books when we were
younger, from what I saw on the front cover, I judged
the books to look boring and uneventful.

In the name of Books, Reading and Holy Literature

Amen

[inked]

Then do thou make penance and write one hundred times, neatly,

I shall not pretend to know books from movies.

Preferably on the back of your hand with Umbridge's special quill.

Or you could read them in proper order. Op cit.

[Coffeehouse]

Umbridge's Special Quill.. Oh no, I will be marked for eternity

I could read the books though.. I will have to think it through.

[Varnafindë]

Originally Posted by Coffeehouse

Father I have a confession to make.

Father have I sinned?
I have not read the Chronicles of Narnia.
Although I did watch some British dramatization of it
at the age of 7, I have, besides knowing that there is
a talking lion named Aslan or something in it, no clue what
the story is about. Wait, Father, there are beavers too. I think.
I know there's a movie made
recently, but I don't know if it's any good.
Although my twin sister read the books when we were
younger, from what I saw on the front cover, I judged
the books to look boring and uneventful.

In the name of Books, Reading and Holy Literature

Amen

Which front covers were those, Coffeehouse? They have had different covers in the different editions - I've saved lots of the graphics from internet bookshops

It would be sad if the covers (or movies) kept you from reading good books. I hope you'll like them.

I would definitely read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe first. I've come to the conclusion that this is the best introduction to Narnia for someone who doesn't know it. The beginning of its history can come later.

As you've already been given your penance, I won't go into that

And when you've finished the books, you can become a member of "Vennskapsforeningen Norge-Narnia" (visit my homepage)

[Jonathan]

Never having read any of the books before, I got a whim in December and started reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I finished it the same day. Now, not even a month later, I've also read (in order) The Magician's Nephew, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair, which I finished this morning.

Did I get hooked on Narnia or what?

[Midge]

In my personal opinion, it's nearly impossible not to get hooked. I read those books even more than I do Tolkien (is that blasphemous?). There are so many good little pieces within the stories, like how Aslan follows the rules he created when Lucy turns the duffers visible again, or how he has to "undress" Eustace before he can be "undragoned". They are SO very good.

[Varnafindë]

I had been hooked on LWW for years before I knew that it was indeed the beginning of a series (none of the others had been translated into Norwegian at the time - only into Swedish, but I wasn't anywhere near any Swedish bookshops).

When I finally found the series (in English, on my first visit to England), I doubted that they could all be as good as the first one, so I only bought one of them, and took it for my bedside reading that evening.

I finished it something like 2 a.m. and went back to the bookshop the next day and bought the rest of the series