’’This is the land of Narnia, ’’ said the Faun, ’’where we are now. And you - you have come from the wild woods of the west!’’
’’I - I got in through the wardrobe in the spare room, ’’ said Lucy.
Name of Book: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe; The Chronicles of Narnia, part 2.
Name of Author: C.S. Lewis
Category: Fantasy
Once upon a time a child liked to let his mind wander into lands beyond earth. Lands in which he was either a warrior, a king or a wizard. His favourite realm was the land of Arda about which a very detailed account was provided by the late JRR Tolkien. He also used to live in Camelot at times, searching for the Holy Grail or pulling swords out of stones. Sometimes, when he wanted a change, he would step into Narnia, the magical land where animals talk and trees dance. Yes, that child is me. From The Wizard of Oz to Middle Earth; from hobbits to giants, reading fantasy books has always been one of favourite hobbies.
Many people hate fantasy stories since they feel that it lacks imagination. They seem to have a weird feeling that a fantasy writer doesn’t think about what he’s writing - he just begins with a line and lets the story go as it does without any limits in sight. But, in my opinion, it is these fantasy stories which require more thought as well as imagination. It is very easy to write about a fight between men in London or New Delhi or New York. But think about a fight between a talking Lion and an evil Witch in a land where it’s always winter but never christmas. Easy, is it? I don’t think so.
Narnia, if you don’t know, is one of the other worlds that exist along with our own earth. Created by Aslan, the Lion, Narnia was to be a peaceful and happy land but evil was brought in even before it was created, but the evil was silenced for the time being. Now that evil has again awakened and the Witch has proclaimed herself as the Queen of Narnia. She has made it so that Narnia will always have winter but never Christmas. This book follows the fates of four kids (sons of Adam and daughters of Eve ;) ) and their battle against the Witch.
TLTWATW (that’s the name of the book) is probably my second favourite book out of the Chronicles of Narnia -
The Magician’s 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 Final Battle
Out of these books, my favourites are the fifth, second and third parts. The rest are also very good but I prefer these ones.
The story begins with Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy (brothers and sisters) being sent to live with an old professor during the Second World War air raids over London. While trying to hide from the others, Lucy, the youngest, somehow got into an old wardrobe through which she entered the magical land of Narnia. She made friends with a Faun and soon the others also enter Narnia. There they try to put an end to the Witch’s rule by fulfilling the prophecy - when two kings and two queens sit on the thrones, then the witch’s rule will end. And news that Aslan is on the move has also reached them. But the plot isn’t as simple as it appears to be. I guess I won’t write more about what happens in the book. Instead I’ll just let you all enjoy it yourselves if you ever do read it.
C.S. Lewis is a very good author. His style is neither as deep as Tolkien’s (which I prefer) or as childish as say... Enid Blyton. The characters created by him can be identified by every child. There’s nothing spectacular about any character he creates, except for Aslan, but that’s understandable. I have mentioned in many reviews on fantasy books that the ’suspension of disbelief’ is the most important factor on the basis of which the book should be rated.
TLTWATW makes me feel as if the things happening in the book is not merely a figment of some person’s imaginations. This is a classic story of Good vs Evil filled with treacheries and betrayals and deeds of bravery, kindness, courage and the supreme sacrifice of Aslan. I don’t know whether most people will enjoy it as many people I know don’t like fantasy stories. But if you want my opinion, this is a must read. The story by itself is an extremely refreshing one. In a generation when children don’t usually like reading books, it is books like these which can easily be found on almost every book shelf. It truly is a timeless children’s story which even adults would enjoy reading.