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The Magician's Nephew (The Chronicles of Narnia) (Mass Market Paperback) (平装)
by C. S. Lewis
| Category:
Narnia, Adventure, Fiction, Ages 4-8, Children's book |
| Market price: ¥ 98.00
MSL price:
¥ 88.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Four children open a magic wardrobe door and fall into another world - A tale of awakening, hilarious, beautiful, frightening, and wise. |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 5 items |
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Amanda Richards (MSL quote), Georgetown, Guyana
<2006-12-30 00:00>
Whether you read these books chronologically (Narnian time):
The Magicians Nephew
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
or in the order they were published:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
Prince Caspian (1951)
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
The Silver Chair (1953)
The Horse and His Boy (1954)
The Magicians Nephew (1955)
The Last Battle (1956)
is entirely up to you.
Beginning at the beginning has always sounded like a good approach to me, hence this first review of the Narnia series.
Though written in simple style to be appreciated by young scholars, this book seems to echo with subtle and not so subtle references to the bible. A background check on the late great C. S. Lewis will reveal that he became a theist in 1929, a Christian in 1931, and later was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity by the University of St. Andrews in 1946.
His belief in the existence of one God, viewed as the creative source of man and the world, who transcends yet is immanent in the world, provides the foundation for the series, especially in this book and the magnificent classic "The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe." (Note: definition courtesy of Merriam-Webster)
The Magician's Nephew tells of the creation of Narnia by the great and powerful Aslan, and the temptation of a son of Adam, by a deceiver, with an apple from a forbidden tree.
This is the story of Digory and Polly, two friends who, upon an accidental meeting with Magician wanna-be Uncle Andrew, find themselves in a head spinning adventure involving other worlds, magical rings, an evil sorceress, a cabby and his horse, talking animals, and a collection of fauns, satyrs, dwarves and naiads.
We learn about the first King and Queen of Narnia, a heroic quest, a miraculous cure, and the planting of a tree and a lamp post, both of which we will need to move on with the series.
Even though a slim volume, The Magician's Nephew is deceptively deep and compelling.
WARNING: Reading this book leads to the compulsive reading of at least six other books.
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Bridgette Bailen (MSL quote), New York
<2006-12-30 00:00>
This is probably the one of the best books of the Chronicles of Narnia. Those of you who have a familiarity with the other books, such as The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and the book of Genesis in the Bible will find yourself saying "Oh, I get it" through most of the story. The book explains how Narina came about, who Jadis really is, the childhood of the Professor, and how the Wardrobe became a portal to Narnia. It also details the creation of Narnia, and goes into events with the characters that are incredibly similar to the bible stories in the book of Genesis. As C.S. Lewis was a Christian writer, it is easy to see the evidence of it in this book. Even for an adult, this is an excellent book that keeps you reading just to see what happens next. I would recommend this to both people who are familiar with the stories of Narnia and people who have not had any experience with the books at all. Before you go see the new movie of the second book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe which will be released on December 9, 2005, pick up this book and you will be able to enjoy the movie and the other books even more. |
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Jonathan Fesmire (MSL quote), Santa Cruz, CA USA
<2006-12-30 00:00>
While the Narnia books are based on Christian cosmology, whatever your religious beliefs, these books promote ethics that should be important to everyone: love, kindness, and doing the right thing. Also, there is a healthy dose of more ancient belief systems in them. For example, in The Magician's Nephew, Aslan brings into Narnia all sorts of Pagan creatures, including some called "gods," and these are all good beings who belong there!
The Magician's Nephew starts off this wonderful series. If you've only seen the new movie, start with this one. You'll learn who the professor is and what he has to do with Narnia. You'll get to see how Narnia was created by Aslan himself, and how the White Witch came into the picture. One of the coolest things was how the lamppost came to exist in Narnia, and how the wardrobe of the second book came to be built, and contained enough magic to send four children between worlds.
I am a young adult fantasy author myself, and I think this is a fantastic book. While written for children, it's an awesome experience for adults as well. It's easy to see why Lewis was one of the early masters of the fantasy genre.
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-30 00:00>
The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis is set in Victorian London, and concerns the adventures of two children - Digory and his neighbor Polly. Digory lives in a house that belongs to his peculiar, unkempt and reclusive Uncle Andrew and his aunt, Miss Ketterley. Digory's father is in India, and his mother is a bed-bound invalid.
Polly and Digory's adventures begin when they decide to explore an attic tunnel. Their curiosity leads them to Uncle Andrew's "forbidden study." To their surprise, Uncle Andrew isn't angry at the children's sudden intrusion-in fact he appears to welcome their visit. It seems that Uncle Andrew is dabbling in magic, and he needs two human children to conduct the last stage of his experiment. He possesses rings that allow the bearer to travel to worlds "that could be reached only be magic." The problem is that Uncle Andrew doesn't want to travel to those other worlds himself-he wants other people to do it for him-and that's where the children fit into his dastardly plan.
The children discover "the wood between the worlds," "the Deplorable Word", and an ancient kingdom full of proud kings and Queens whose war like tendencies finally succeeded in destroying civilization. The children learn that it is possible to travel by magic to one world and return with a very nasty souvenir. And it is in The Magician's Nephew that C.S. Lewis introduces the creation of Narnia, and the beginning of the battles between good and evil. When readers discover the Narnia series, many read The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe first. The Magician's Nephew (the 6th book published in the 7 book series) sets the stage and provides the early history of Narnia.
If you haven't read the Narnia books, and you love stories about magic, I highly recommend this series. C.S. Lewis was an extremely intelligent man who had a firm grounding in mythology, and his knowledge and talent is evident in the Narnia series-some of the best children's books ever written.
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R. Kirkham (MSL quote), Rushville, Illinois USA
<2006-12-30 00:00>
The reviews on this book do it justice. You now know most of what you need to know to decide whether to purchase this book. My only addition is the suggestion that adult readers purchase The Chronicles of Narnia to read to children a chapter at a time. I started doing this for my daughter's bedtime story. Now she shuts the TV off at 9:00 and hunts me down to read her a chapter. IF the thought of tackling 7 books seems daunting, begin with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It is easy to read and can easily stand alone. Oh, by the way, we started this practice of a chapter a night when she was a child and we still do it now that she is in high school. It certainly beats TV, and it sparks conversations that many parents only dream of. |
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1 Total 1 pages 5 items |
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