Well, we’re up to book 6 of the Narniathon, and I’m quite pleased with myself for sticking to this particular event. Of course, it does help that the books are quite short, but it’s been such an enjoyable experience! Anyway, this month’s episode in C.S. Lewis‘s Narnian adventures, “The Magician’s Nephew” contains what you might call the creation myth of that land, and it was always one of my favourite stories; so I was keen to see how I found it nowadays!
Of course, as we are reading in publication order, some might protest that we should have read this book first. However, the opening paragraph convinces me again (if I needed it) that reading in publication order is the way.
This is a story about something that happened long ago when your grandfather was a child. It is a very important story because it shows all the comings and going between our own world and the land of Narnia first began.
Now for me, that opening presupposes a knowledge of Narnia and all that had gone before in the previous books. If I’d read this first, I would have been most puzzled indeed. I expect there are plenty of opposing arguments which could be flung at me, but I shall stick to my guns and am happy to have re-read in what I think is the correct order!
Anyway, to return to “Magician’s…” Lewis goes on to set his scene quite wonderfully, stating:
In those days Mr Sherlock Holmes was still living in Baker Street and the Bastables were looking for treasure in the Lewisham Road. In those days, if you were a boy you had to wear a stiff Eton collar every day, and schools were usually nastier than now. But meals were nice; and as for sweets, I won’t tell you how cheap and good they were, because it would only make your mouth water in vain. And in those days there lived in London a girl called Polly Plummer.
Polly will be one of the main protagonists of this story, along with her next door neighbour, Digory Kirke; the latter is staying with his aunt and uncle, the brother and sister Andrew and Letty Ketterly, and things are not going well. Digory’s mother is also staying and she’s very poorly. If that wasn’t bad enough, Uncle Andrew is a strange and unpleasant man, and frankly Digory is having an awful time. Polly proves to be a good friend, and the children decide to explore the attic of their houses; as they live in a row of terraces, these are all joined and so the children in theory can walk from one end of the terrace to the other. However, they miscalculate and leave the attic into Uncle Andrew’s study.
Here, the real adventures begin, as this most peculiar man has been meddling with magic he really doesn’t understand and has made some magic rings. Having tested them on disappearing guinea pigs, he now wants a more communicative subject to try them out and tricks Polly into putting one on and vanishing. Digory is forced to go after her to try to rescue her, and they find themselves in The Wood Between the Worlds, a tranquil place full of ponds. Using the magic rings, the children can jump into those ponds and be transported away to new worlds. From here they explore other lands, encounter a sinister witch and then witness a world being born. However, evil and temptation are threatening them and the new land of Narnia; will the children have the strength to do the right thing, can they get back to their own world, and will Digory’s mother survive?
As I thought back over the plot of this book, I realised just how much Lewis had incorporated into his story, how engrossing it was and how the pace never flags for a moment!! The sheer richness of the book is mightly impressive, and there are so many wonderful elements – the rampages of the witch, Jadis, round Victorian London; the treatment of Uncle Andrew by the talking animals of Narnia; the darkness and bleakness of Charn; and all of these are enhanced by Pauline Baynes’ marvellous illustrations. The book succeeds in mingling elements of classic Victorian children’s fiction with its adventures, and the magical world of Narnia, and it’s a marvellous read from start to finish.
I found the religious elements quite noticeable in this story, but again this wasn’t a problem; the ‘Adam and Eve’ figures of the new world, the temptation of the apple, the opposing evil figure are all familiar from biblical stories. Yet Narnia has an identity of its own, and some of the writing is so beautiful; the sequence where Aslan literally sings the world into being is stunning and moving. The story ends with happy resolution and what is perhaps a warning from Lewis about the way our world is developing into a dead land like Charn:
… you are growing more like it. It is not certain that some wicked one of your race will not find out a secret as evil as the Deplorable Word and use it to destroy all living things. And soon, very soon, before you are an old man and an old woman, great nations in your world will be ruled by tyrants who care no more for joy and justice and mercy than the Empress Jadis. Let your world beware.
“The Magician’s Nephew” is a wonderful, powerful piece of storytelling, and as you can probably tell I absolutely loved revisiting it after all these years. I don’t know about Aslan, but Lewis’s world-building skills are just marvellous – Charn, The Wood Between the Worlds, London in the past and Narnia itself are brilliantly realised and it was a wrench to leave this story. The last few pages link the story back to “Lion…” in a way that would only make sense if you’d already read the book; and I suspect I may end up after the next instalment wanting to go back to the beginning of the Narnia stories and read them all over again, just like I always feel with the “Lord of the Rings” books. The Narniathon really is a most wonderful experience!
Janette
May 27, 2022 @ 07:41:11
I meant to join with Narniathon but didn’t get round to it. Reading your review has certainly made me want to read the books again
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 27, 2022 @ 14:53:03
I’ve really enjoyed my experience – such wonderful books, and it was so long since I’d re-read them!
mallikabooks15
May 27, 2022 @ 09:50:02
I’m still only part of the way into this, and enjoying it. I had completely forgotten that the Bastables are mentioned. I love the scene with Aslan creating Narnia as well.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 27, 2022 @ 14:52:39
It’s beautiful, isn’t it? The language really hit me this time round.
mallikabooks15
May 29, 2022 @ 05:17:34
Me too. There were many details I’d forgotten as well and it was delight reading again
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 29, 2022 @ 12:36:44
It was – this was always one of my favourites from the series.
Simon T (StuckinaBook)
May 27, 2022 @ 10:10:50
Lovely review! I haven’t read these for almost 20 years, I think, and you’re convincing me to revisit.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 27, 2022 @ 14:50:42
Thanks Simon! I really encourage a revisit – I do love these books. 😀
Margot Kinberg
May 27, 2022 @ 12:07:34
That’s the thing about really well-done classic stories, isn’t it? They have richness and texture, so they stand the test of time. There are a lot of layers, so as you go back, there’s always more to discover, if that makes any sense.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 27, 2022 @ 14:32:39
They do – and that richness makes every re-read such a pleasure. I’ve really enjoyed revisiting these.
Calmgrove
May 27, 2022 @ 13:06:33
The further I get along in my own reread of the Narniad the richer the experience, not just with the writing but also Lewis’s sheer storytelling – it’s all really wiping out the disappointment I had from my first experience as an adult of going through the sequence. You’ve really captured that enjoyment in your review, Karen, hats off to you!
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 27, 2022 @ 14:31:54
Thanks Chris! This really has been a wonderful experience – his storytelling is marvellous and I’ve loved the re-read. A little nervous about The Last Battle, I confess…
Deb Nance at Readerbuzz
May 27, 2022 @ 18:43:05
The Narniathon has motivated me to read this series for the first time. I liked this book much (perhaps third-best of the list?) I agree with you about the scene where the lion sang the world into being…beautiful.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 27, 2022 @ 19:07:24
Oh that’s wonderful – I’m so glad you’re enjoying the books. And yes, some of the scenes are just so beautifully written – Lewis was a wonderful author in my view.
Lory
May 27, 2022 @ 19:18:10
Yay, it has been wonderful hasn’t it! On my next reread I am going to test my new theory and read in the order of writing. But I am glad we have one more book before saying goodbye to Narnia this time.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 27, 2022 @ 19:24:21
It’s been a real joy to revisit these, yes. I’m not sure how I’ll feel about The Last Battle but the whole series has been a blast!
Helen
May 27, 2022 @ 19:36:56
I haven’t read this for a very long time, but it was always one of my favourites in the series. I still have my old copy, the same as the one in your picture! I can’t remember which order I originally read the books in, but I agree that it makes more sense to read this one once you already have a knowledge of Narnia.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 27, 2022 @ 20:58:14
Yes, I definitely think this works best rest in writing order – it assumes you’ve read the other books and wouldn’t work otherwise for me. Always a favourite for me!
Julé Cunningham
May 28, 2022 @ 00:59:03
The quotes here are especially wonderful, particularly the second and third. It almost sounds as though he’s channeling a bit of George Orwell in the third.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 28, 2022 @ 13:23:48
Well, he has that clear, deceptively simple English writing that Orwell shares so that’s a good comparison; and I did wonder if he was hinting at the atom bomb here. It’s a really thought-provoking read!
heavenali
May 28, 2022 @ 13:23:26
I think I missed a treat having only read ..Wardrobe. This sounds great, always nerve wracking coming back to an old favourite. Sounds like reading the series in publication order is the way to go. After all it’s the way original readers would have had to read them.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 28, 2022 @ 13:24:55
It’s a lovely series, Ali – maybe one day you’ll be able to read further. And yes, that’s exactly what I feel – the books were issued in that order, and that’s how readers encountered them. It just feels right to me.
Annabel (AnnaBookBel)
May 28, 2022 @ 18:53:24
I had such high expectations of this one – I could barely remember a thing about it before re-reading, but the second half with the heavy imagery got to me a bit. The first half was superb though. (I did love the lovely ending re TLTW&TW).
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 28, 2022 @ 19:28:38
I was keen for a re-read too, and although I get what you say about the imagery it didn’t bother me too much. And the first half is wonderful – plus the way Lewis ties everything together at the end is just brilliant!! It would spoil everything if you read that before TLTW&TW!
piningforthewest
May 28, 2022 @ 21:22:39
I had to read all of these books to my youngest at bedtime – when he was well able to read them himself! So I’ll not be re-reading them.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 29, 2022 @ 12:36:57
LOL, no I can imagine not!
madamebibilophile
May 29, 2022 @ 09:25:50
The quotes you pulled made me really nostalgic for my childhood reading! I’m so enjoying your Narniathon posts and very tempted towards a Narnia re-read 🙂
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 29, 2022 @ 12:36:21
I think there’s definitely a lot of nostalgia from my point of view, but also a lot of appreciation of what a wonderful storyteller Lewis was. I do recommend a re-read of the books!
Liz Dexter
May 29, 2022 @ 18:47:03
Well done for keeping going with this challenge! This was always a favourite of mine, and I particularly love Jadis on the rampage through London!
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 29, 2022 @ 20:05:49
Me too – this is such an entertaining story!
Elle
May 30, 2022 @ 10:02:47
The Magician’s Nephew is definitely the one that’s grown on me the most – those beautiful creation sequences!
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 30, 2022 @ 11:22:44
Yes, those particularly stood out for me this time, alongside all the wonderful adventures and high jinks – the language is just glorious.
“The dream is ended: this is the morning.” #Narniathon #TheLastBattle | Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
Jun 29, 2022 @ 07:00:49