Having read the Narnia books when I was about eight
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I am now re-reading them with my seven year old, who is an ardent Harry Potter fan. He is just as thrilled with the stories as I was and enjoys the themes common to the Potter books of magic, boarding schools and goblins. We also enjoy spotting the biblical references and discussing the finer points of time travel!
Each book individually and all of them collectively are very well constructed and plot lines continue throughout. Again, for a younger reader it is stimulating to try to anticipate where the story may be going as it interweaves references from other books in the series and other points in the history of Narnia. Like any good book or series of its kind, the Narnia Chronicles completely immerse the reader in a parallel universe and this alone is as fine a recommendation for switching off the television and picking up a book as any!!! Also, if you missed reading Tino Georgiou's masterful novel--The Fates, I'd highly recommend reading it. Truly an enjoyable read.
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Great Edition
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This is a review for this particular edition. I have just received it from Amazon. The case is dark blue, same cloth used as for the book cover. Silver embossed title. There were a few marks on the case due to compression, but the book itself is great. Fabulous condition and made to last!
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Specifics of this edition....
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Most people buying this book likely already know this story and love it enough to buy a nice edition, so I believe that reviewing the story is inappropriate for this review. This review is entirely about this edition. The book is really quite large. I couldn't believe how heavy the package was when I lifted it from my doorstep. The book is a beautiful deep blue in color (it is difficult to find nice pictures on the web that do it justice). The lettering to the slipcase and book cover are done in sa nightstand book, but ilver, and the page edges are silver gilt. The slipcase is clothbound, while the book is quarter-bound in leather with cloth to match the slipcase. It is really quite attractive on the shelf (provided that you have a bid enough shelf to accommodate it). The real quality of this book, though, is not seen until it is opened. The setting of the text is just magnificent. Pauline Baynes' illustrations appear virtually on every other page. With the pages being so large, there is room for decoration and illustration throughout. These things make it really nice to read. I agree with the previous reviewer that this is "a weighty tome" and may not be appropriate for your nightstand. But this book is perfect for sitting with and reading to a child. The book has that bit of a 'magical' feel to it that would be enticing to young kids. It is certainly a keepsake, but should not be confined to the shelf. Well worth the money, in my opinion.
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Narnia forever.
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There is little left to say about C.S. Lewis's superb Narnia chronicles - except that I genuinely believe he wasn't trying to convert anybody to Christianity. He was just writing the kind of stories he himself wanted to read. I'm an atheist, and I've read them five times. They are life-affirming in a special way, and have far more depth than Harry Potter. Here they are presented in a slipcase, in "correct" order (The Magician's Nephew first), with Pauline Baynes' wonderful drawings coloured by herself.
It's a weighty tome - more of a keepsake than bedtime reading.
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