Title: The Magician's Nephew
Author: C.S. Lewis
Series: Chronicles of Narnia #6
Genre: Classic, Fantasy, Middle Grade
Format: Paperback
Pages: 221
Reason Read: Buddy Read
Rating: Also in this series: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,
The Horse and His Boy,
Prince Caspian,
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,
The Silver Chair,
The Last Battle
My Thoughts
While I enjoyed reading THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW once the characters arrived in Narnia, I thought it was a bit boring and slow. I did enjoy reading about Aslan for the first time and I thought it was neat to read about the birth of Narnia and learn where the wardrobe came from.
2022 Reread
I didn’t remember much from my previous read 14 years ago, but I knew THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW followed the Professor as a young boy during the creation of Narnia. As I started rereading it, I realized that I’d forgotten or missed a lot of the story that first time through.
When I first read this story back in 2007, I didn’t know there was a published order and a chronological one. I made the mistake of reading this book first and I thought it was slow and boring. I also didn’t really get much out of it other than the origin of Narnia, the White Witch, and the wardrobe.
I wasn’t sure if reading the books in published order would make that much of a difference or not. However, I’m now a believer that everyone should read this series in published order. I enjoyed THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW so much more with the background of all that had already happened in the previous books. I also got more out of the allegory this time around.
The allegory’s my favorite part of the overarching story. I love trying to find meaning and connections with Christianity while reading each book. The allegory in this story aligns so much with my own beliefs that it made it a joy to read and it’s now one of my favorite books in the series.
The obvious connection to Christianity in this story is the creation, the Garden of Eden, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. I also thought it was interesting that Lewis alluded to the worlds without number that God has created in the Wood Between the Worlds.
I think this quote from this book sums up my reading experience quite nicely:
What you see and what you hear depends on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.
Anyway, after reading this story, I find myself looking forward to reading THE LAST BATTLE for the first time since I started the Narniathon.
My rating has changed from 2 stars to 4 stars after this reread.
The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe
Author: C.S. Lewis
Series: Chronicles of Narnia #1
Genre: Classic, Fantasy, Middle Grade
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 189
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
Also in this series: The Magician's Nephew, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Last Battle
My Thoughts
I’ve known the story of THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE since I was young. I’ve always liked the story and I really enjoyed actually reading it. I’ve always thought the ending was kind of abrupt. One moment the Pevensies are in Narnia, the next moment they’re not and the story’s over. I’ve always thought the abruptness might be a symptom of the adaptation not being able to fit more of the story into the required amount of time. However, as I read the book, I realized how faithful it was to the book. I guess my only complaint about this story is that the ending’s way too abrupt. It didn’t feel like there was much closure to the story.
My two favorite characters were Lucy and Aslan. I think it’s obvious why Aslan’s one of them. Lucy’s one of them because I relate to her the most. She and I are both the youngest in our families, seen as small (her in stature, me in manner) but fierce, wear our hearts on our sleeves, think of others, and are especially fond of animals.
I’m quite happy that I’ve actually taken the time to read (or start reading) the series. I’m probably the only person that didn’t read the books as a child.
2022 Reread
During this read, certain parts of the allegory made more of an impact on me. Of course I understood Aslan’s sacrifice the first time I read THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. This time, I noticed the wording surrounding the Deep Magic regarding Edmund’s treachery. Lewis termed the Deep Magic as “law” and when the White Witch and Aslan discussed what to do about Edmund, the White Witch said the law stated that anyone treacherous belonged to her. It immediately brought to mind an image of Satan and Christ bargaining over a wayward soul.
I’m also much more well-read this time around and I noticed that Lilith, Adam’s first wife in Jewish lore, was mentioned as part of the White Witch’s heritage. I actually really like the Lilith lore and I love reading stories that include her in them.
My rating has changed from 3 stars to 3.5 stars after this reread.
The Magician’s Nephew
Author: C.S. Lewis
Series: Chronicles of Narnia #6
Genre: Classic, Fantasy, Middle Grade
Format: Paperback
Pages: 221
Reason Read: Buddy Read
Rating:
Also in this series: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Last Battle
My Thoughts
While I enjoyed reading THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW once the characters arrived in Narnia, I thought it was a bit boring and slow. I did enjoy reading about Aslan for the first time and I thought it was neat to read about the birth of Narnia and learn where the wardrobe came from.
2022 Reread
I didn’t remember much from my previous read 14 years ago, but I knew THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW followed the Professor as a young boy during the creation of Narnia. As I started rereading it, I realized that I’d forgotten or missed a lot of the story that first time through.
When I first read this story back in 2007, I didn’t know there was a published order and a chronological one. I made the mistake of reading this book first and I thought it was slow and boring. I also didn’t really get much out of it other than the origin of Narnia, the White Witch, and the wardrobe.
I wasn’t sure if reading the books in published order would make that much of a difference or not. However, I’m now a believer that everyone should read this series in published order. I enjoyed THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW so much more with the background of all that had already happened in the previous books. I also got more out of the allegory this time around.
The allegory’s my favorite part of the overarching story. I love trying to find meaning and connections with Christianity while reading each book. The allegory in this story aligns so much with my own beliefs that it made it a joy to read and it’s now one of my favorite books in the series.
The obvious connection to Christianity in this story is the creation, the Garden of Eden, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. I also thought it was interesting that Lewis alluded to the worlds without number that God has created in the Wood Between the Worlds.
I think this quote from this book sums up my reading experience quite nicely:
Anyway, after reading this story, I find myself looking forward to reading THE LAST BATTLE for the first time since I started the Narniathon.
My rating has changed from 2 stars to 4 stars after this reread.
The Subtle Knife
Author: Philip Pullman
Series: His Dark Materials #2
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Pages: 368
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
Also in this series: The Golden Compass, The Amber Spyglass
My Thoughts
I enjoyed reading THE SUBTLE KNIFE just as much as I enjoyed reading THE GOLDEN COMPASS. I loved continuing Lyra’s story and seeing the different worlds in this trilogy. I especially loved meeting Will and all the other new characters. The political and religious intrigue just keeps getting more fierce and interesting. I enjoyed learning more about Dust and what it has to do with anything.
Sunshine
Author: Robin McKinley
Genre: Fantasy, Thriller
Format: Paperback
Pages: 405
Reason Read: Buddy Read
Rating:
My Thoughts
I enjoyed reading SUNSHINE. I enjoyed the story very much, but I’ve always been fascinated by vampires, so enjoying the story was no surprise to me. At times, I was very frustrated with Sunshine’s unwillingness to explore different aspects of the story. And, because the book was solely in her POV, I didn’t feel like all my questions were answered by the time the story ended. I feel like this should be the middle of a trilogy instead of a stand-alone novel due to lack of backstory and getting my questions answered. I enjoyed the tension between Sunshine and Constantine and kept hoping their relationship would develop passed its “symbiotic” nature.
Red Prophet
Author: Orson Scott Card
Series: Tales of Alvin Maker #2
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Format: Paperback
Pages: 311
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
Also in this series: Seventh Son
My Thoughts
RED PROPHET was a great sequel and it was just as intriguing as SEVENTH SON. I enjoyed it very much. The first part of the story took place during the same time frame as the previous novel. However, most of it dealt with characters that didn’t interact with Alvin or his family until the middle to end of the story. One scene was the exact same, but from another character’s POV, which I really enjoyed because it added more depth to the story.