What is your favorite Narnia book?

Lief Erikson · 12-11-2005, 12:32 AM

The book I enjoyed most from the Chronicles was "The Horse and his Boy". What about the rest of you?

***RÃan*** · 12-11-2005, 12:44 AM

It was "Dawn Treader" for a LONG time; I could smell the sea and feel the movement of the ship ... and I loved the un-dragoning!

Horse & Boy is definitely one of my favorites - I love the part where Hwin meets Aslan.

Curubethion · 12-11-2005, 01:10 AM

HAHB was definitely a good story...but I also rather liked the feel of Caspian...just the idea of the underground Narnia was really neat.

cee2lee2 · 12-11-2005, 01:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RÃ*an

It was "Dawn Treader" for a LONG time; I could smell the sea and feel the movement of the ship ... and I loved the un-dragoning!.....

I loved the un-dragoning, too

, but I think The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will always be my favorite because it was my introduction to Narnia and there is the sense of despair (1. always winter but never Christmas, 2. Aslan's sacrifice) overcome by great joy.

me9996 · 12-11-2005, 05:45 PM

Hmm... my faveorite one would be, I guess, The magisions nefue (I can't spell)
The start of naria and all that.

Lief Erikson · 12-11-2005, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by me9996

Hmm... my faveorite one would be, I guess, The magisions nefue (I can't spell)
The start of naria and all that.

I love that one

.

Mercutio · 12-11-2005, 06:51 PM

I haven't read all of them in years. In the past few days I've read LWW and Caspian, though, and so far I like Caspian better.

I don't think I liked the Magician's Nephew so much, but I can't recall why

. Was that the one with the creation of something and the people getting lost in the attic and an Adam/Eve theme?

Elanor · 12-11-2005, 07:29 PM

I remember answering this question in another thread... but I guess I could do it again. My favorites are A Horse and His Boy and Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I love the moment when Shasta is walking alone in the mist through the night, and Aslan walks beside him. When morning comes he sees the lion footprint and realizes he was on a ledge with a steep dropoff and Aslan was walking between him and the edge. He realizes that Aslan had been there all during his journey but he'd never recognized him. After that my favorite moments are the "undragoning" of Eustace, as Rian called it, the Stone Table, and of course, Radagast getting turned into a donkey. When I first read his assurance that anyone can learn to wiggle their ears I was determined to learn how, and I have!

brownjenkins · 12-12-2005, 11:55 AM

the magician's nephew... i always love the background-type stories

***RÃan*** · 12-12-2005, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elanor

After that my favorite moments are the "undragoning" of Eustace, as Rian called it ...

IIRC, I think Lewis called it that, too, in the book, didn't he?

Quote:

When I first read his assurance that anyone can learn to wiggle their ears I was determined to learn how, and I have!

Good for you! I can, too, and so can my daughter! And I can move my eyebrows independently, which cracks up my kids. Every once in awhile when we're all together, like after prayers, we have our talented family body parts show

***azalea*** · 12-12-2005, 01:45 PM

It's SOOOO hard to pick a favorite, but I suppose my vote goes to The Magician's Nephew. It was fun to see where Prof. Kirke, the witch, the lamp-post, and the wardrobe came from, and also I love Aslan "singing" Narnia into existance. I thought there was a lot of good humor in this one, with the animals, etc. Also, I loved the images of the Wood between the Worlds and of the dying world they visited. The descriptions were creepy there. Also, I felt that the dynamic relationship between the main characters, as well as the character arch of each, were interesting and well-written.

Elanor · 12-12-2005, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RÃ*an

IIRC, I think Lewis called it that, too, in the book, didn't he?

I don't remember that, but it's been a while, so you're probably right.

sun-star · 12-12-2005, 06:16 PM

I think I give a different answer every time I reply to this question... but today I'm going to say The Silver Chair. I like the interaction between Jill and Eustace (and Puddleglum!) and the juxtaposition between their school and Narnia at the beginning and end. The quest structure means it has a more focused plot than some of the other books, and the repeated contrasts between warmth and cold and darkness and light give it a really powerful texture... I especially love the scene where Puddleglum defies the witch's magic ("I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia"), the dance the children see when they break out of the cave and Caspian's death and subsequent healing by Aslan's blood.

Eustace drew back with a somewhat startled expression. "Look here, I say," he stammered. "It's all very well. But aren't you - I mean didn't you -?"
"Oh, don't be such an ass," said Caspian.
"But," said Eustace, looking at Aslan. "Hasn't he - er - died?"
"Yes," said the Lion in a very quiet voice, almost (Jill thought) as if he were laughing. "He has died. Most people have, you know. Even I have. They are very few who haven't."

and

***azalea*** · 12-14-2005, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sun-star

... where Puddleglum defies the witch's magic ("I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia")

I absolutely love that part and his little speech!

***RÃan*** · 12-14-2005, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sun-star

I think I give a different answer every time I reply to this question... but today I'm going to say The Silver Chair. I like the interaction between Jill and Eustace (and Puddleglum!) and the juxtaposition between their school and Narnia at the beginning and end. The quest structure means it has a more focused plot than some of the other books, and the repeated contrasts between warmth and cold and darkness and light give it a really powerful texture... I especially love the scene where Puddleglum defies the witch's magic ("I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia"), the dance the children see when they break out of the cave and Caspian's death and subsequent healing by Aslan's blood.

Eustace drew back with a somewhat startled expression. "Look here, I say," he stammered. "It's all very well. But aren't you - I mean didn't you -?"
"Oh, don't be such an ass," said Caspian.
"But," said Eustace, looking at Aslan. "Hasn't he - er - died?"
"Yes," said the Lion in a very quiet voice, almost (Jill thought) as if he were laughing. "He has died. Most people have, you know. Even I have. They are very few who haven't."

and

*is in total agreement!*

Yeah, I love Puddleglum's line, esp.

***Earniel*** · 12-14-2005, 11:37 AM

Oddly enough The Horse and his Boy was one book I just couldn't get into. I even stopped reading it at some point because it was a bit boring to my taste, only to pick it up years later and find out the story got interesting the chapter after the moment I stopped reading the first time. If only I had persisted a few more pages on my first read.

My favourite is Prince Caspian. I loved the moment where the four children walk through the ruins of their old castle. I could really picture that scene.

***RÃan*** · 12-14-2005, 12:59 PM

I didn't like Horse for a long time, but years later, I loved it! Funny how we change ...

My least favorites now are Magician's Nephew and Prince Caspian (altho I do like the scene you described, Earniel), but that might change, too...

hectorberlioz · 12-14-2005, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RÃ*an

It was "Dawn Treader" for a LONG time; I could smell the sea and feel the movement of the ship ... and I loved the un-dragoning!

Horse & Boy is definitely one of my favorites - I love the part where Hwin meets Aslan.

Dawn Treader and Silver Chair by far. Eustace's redemption is among the most powerful things that I've read in Lewis.

hectorberlioz · 12-14-2005, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EÃ¤rniel

Oddly enough The Horse and his Boy was one book I just couldn't get into. I even stopped reading it at some point because it was a bit boring to my taste, only to pick it up years later and find out the story got interesting the chapter after the moment I stopped reading the first time. If only I had persisted a few more pages on my first read.

My favourite is Prince Caspian. I loved the moment where the four children walk through the ruins of their old castle. I could really picture that scene.

Exactly how it was with me and The Horse and His Boy. It just wouldnt click with me back then....

Mercutio · 12-14-2005, 09:59 PM

Now I'm reading Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and I like it as much as Caspian so far. We will see by the end, though.

12-11-2005, 12:32 AM	#1
Lief Erikson Elf Lord Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Fountain Valley, CA Posts: 6,343	What is your favorite Narnia book? The book I enjoyed most from the Chronicles was "The Horse and his Boy". What about the rest of you? __________________ If the world has indeed, as I have said, been built of sorrow, it has been built by the hands of love, because in no other way could the soul of man, for whom the world was made, reach the full stature of its perfection. ~Oscar Wilde, written from prison Oscar Wilde's last words: "Either the wallpaper goes, or I do."

12-11-2005, 12:44 AM	#2
*RÃan* Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!) Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Not where I want to be ... Posts: 15,254	It was "Dawn Treader" for a LONG time; I could smell the sea and feel the movement of the ship ... and I loved the un-dragoning! Horse & Boy is definitely one of my favorites - I love the part where Hwin meets Aslan. __________________ . I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ã‘Ã¡ Ã«?* Ã³Ãº Ã©Ã¤ Ã¯Ã¶Ã¼ Ã–Ã± Ã‰ Ãž Ã° ÃŸ Â® Ã§ Ã¥ â„¢ Ã¦ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lÃ³mÃ«! AurÃ« entuluva!

12-11-2005, 01:10 AM	#3
Curubethion Fenway Ranger, Lord of Red Sox Nation Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: College! Posts: 1,976	HAHB was definitely a good story...but I also rather liked the feel of Caspian...just the idea of the underground Narnia was really neat. __________________ Adventure...betrayal...heroism... Atharon: where heroes are born. My wife once said to meâ€”when I'd been writing for ten or fifteen yearsâ€”that I could always go back to being a nuclear engineer. And I said to her, 'Harriet, would you let someone who quit his job to go write fantasy anywhere near your nuclear reactor? I wouldn't!' (Robert Jordan)

12-11-2005, 06:51 PM	#7
Mercutio Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Narnia Posts: 1,656	I haven't read all of them in years. In the past few days I've read LWW and Caspian, though, and so far I like Caspian better. I don't think I liked the Magician's Nephew so much, but I can't recall why . Was that the one with the creation of something and the people getting lost in the attic and an Adam/Eve theme? __________________ Mike nodded. A sombre nod. The nod Napoleon might have given if somebody had met him in 1812 and said, "So, you're back from Moscow, eh?". Interested in C.S. Lewis? Visit the forum dedicated to one of Tolkien's greatest contemporaries.

12-11-2005, 07:29 PM	#8
Elanor Hobbit in the Music Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: Westmarch Posts: 1,111	I remember answering this question in another thread... but I guess I could do it again. My favorites are A Horse and His Boy and Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I love the moment when Shasta is walking alone in the mist through the night, and Aslan walks beside him. When morning comes he sees the lion footprint and realizes he was on a ledge with a steep dropoff and Aslan was walking between him and the edge. He realizes that Aslan had been there all during his journey but he'd never recognized him. After that my favorite moments are the "undragoning" of Eustace, as Rian called it, the Stone Table, and of course, Radagast getting turned into a donkey. When I first read his assurance that anyone can learn to wiggle their ears I was determined to learn how, and I have! __________________ Middle Earth Crossword Puzzle on the Tolkien Site of DOOM Segovia Mazes

12-12-2005, 11:55 AM	#9
brownjenkins Advocatus Diaboli Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Reality Posts: 3,767	the magician's nephew... i always love the background-type stories __________________ Your reality, sir, is lies and balderdash and I'm delighted to say that I have no grasp of it whatsoever.

12-12-2005, 01:45 PM	#11
*azalea* Long lost mooter Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 3,342	It's SOOOO hard to pick a favorite, but I suppose my vote goes to The Magician's Nephew. It was fun to see where Prof. Kirke, the witch, the lamp-post, and the wardrobe came from, and also I love Aslan "singing" Narnia into existance. I thought there was a lot of good humor in this one, with the animals, etc. Also, I loved the images of the Wood between the Worlds and of the dying world they visited. The descriptions were creepy there. Also, I felt that the dynamic relationship between the main characters, as well as the character arch of each, were interesting and well-written.

12-12-2005, 06:16 PM	#13
sun-star Lady of Letters Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Either Oxford or Kent, England Posts: 2,476	I think I give a different answer every time I reply to this question... but today I'm going to say The Silver Chair. I like the interaction between Jill and Eustace (and Puddleglum!) and the juxtaposition between their school and Narnia at the beginning and end. The quest structure means it has a more focused plot than some of the other books, and the repeated contrasts between warmth and cold and darkness and light give it a really powerful texture... I especially love the scene where Puddleglum defies the witch's magic ("I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia"), the dance the children see when they break out of the cave and Caspian's death and subsequent healing by Aslan's blood. Eustace drew back with a somewhat startled expression. "Look here, I say," he stammered. "It's all very well. But aren't you - I mean didn't you -?" "Oh, don't be such an ass," said Caspian. "But," said Eustace, looking at Aslan. "Hasn't he - er - died?" "Yes," said the Lion in a very quiet voice, almost (Jill thought) as if he were laughing. "He has died. Most people have, you know. Even I have. They are very few who haven't." and __________________ And all the time the waves, the waves, the waves Chase, intersect and flatten on the sand As they have done for centuries, as they will For centuries to come, when not a soul Is left to picnic on the blazing rocks, When England is not England, when mankind Has blown himself to pieces. Still the sea, Consolingly disastrous, will return While the strange starfish, hugely magnified, Waits in the jewelled basin of a pool.

12-14-2005, 11:37 AM	#16
*Earniel* The Chocoholic Sea Elf Administrator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: N?n in Eilph (Belgium) Posts: 14,363	Oddly enough The Horse and his Boy was one book I just couldn't get into. I even stopped reading it at some point because it was a bit boring to my taste, only to pick it up years later and find out the story got interesting the chapter after the moment I stopped reading the first time. If only I had persisted a few more pages on my first read. My favourite is Prince Caspian. I loved the moment where the four children walk through the ruins of their old castle. I could really picture that scene. __________________ We are not things.

12-14-2005, 12:59 PM	#17
*RÃan* Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!) Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Not where I want to be ... Posts: 15,254	I didn't like Horse for a long time, but years later, I loved it! Funny how we change ... My least favorites now are Magician's Nephew and Prince Caspian (altho I do like the scene you described, Earniel), but that might change, too... __________________ . I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ã‘Ã¡ Ã«?* Ã³Ãº Ã©Ã¤ Ã¯Ã¶Ã¼ Ã–Ã± Ã‰ Ãž Ã° ÃŸ Â® Ã§ Ã¥ â„¢ Ã¦ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lÃ³mÃ«! AurÃ« entuluva!

12-14-2005, 09:59 PM	#20
Mercutio Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Narnia Posts: 1,656	Now I'm reading Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and I like it as much as Caspian so far. We will see by the end, though. __________________ Mike nodded. A sombre nod. The nod Napoleon might have given if somebody had met him in 1812 and said, "So, you're back from Moscow, eh?". Interested in C.S. Lewis? Visit the forum dedicated to one of Tolkien's greatest contemporaries.

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