C.S Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia" is an extraodinary series, no question about it. This seven book set of fantasy novels is full of adventure, wonder, depth and allegory, and is a great read again and again, no matter what your age.

There are many countries to explore within these books. There's the england-like Narnia with it's talking animals and creatures of Greek mythology, the Arabia-like Calormen with its verbose warriors and horrible gods, the bleak Ettinsmoor with its bumbling giants, the eastern seas with its breathtaking wonders, the western wilds and its enchanted garden, the high, balmy Archenland, and the fantastic Aslan's country. There are lots of characters to meet too. The fauns, the centaurs, unicorns, pegasus, dragons, werewolves, witches, many a talking beast and of course Aslan himself, the great wild Lion, Narnia's savior. There are kings to be crowned, feasts to be eaten, battles to be fought and lessons to be learned. A marvellous place to read about, absolutely.

Throughout the stories are these beautiful, evocative illustrations and maps by Pauline Baynes, which enchance Lewis' description of Narnia, making it come even more alive.

Lewis was a devoted Christian, and his faith shines through in all his written works, particularly within Narnia. Both the wonders and temptation of the Garden of Eden is captured perfectly in "The Magician's Nephew". In "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe", we see the joys, sorrows and purpose of the savior, Aslan the Lion (who is similar to our savior Jesus Christ). "A Horse And His Boy", by way of Shasta's adventures in Calormen, plays out Proverbs 16v9: "In his heart man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps". As he heads towards Narnia, the great Lion guides him to his destination, even if he doesn't know it. In "Prince Caspian" we see people who refuse to believe in Aslan, dismissing it as myths just because his appearance was so long ago, in the same way that many people dismiss Jesus and his miracles because all we have 2000 years on are his stories and teachings. In "Voyage of the Dawn Treader", among other things, we see the ever critical Eustace turned into a dragon, and only then does he see how horrid he has been. With Aslan's help, he is stripped of his scales and bathed in water, very similar to the Christian baptism and the cleansing of sins through Christ. In "The Silver Chair", we follow as the temptations and tribulations of Jill and Eustace looking for Prince Rillian, uncannily similar to the doubts and troubles of Christians struggling agaist the world. And in "The Last Battle", we see the apocalypse, the end of the world, based roughly around the Biblical book of Revelation. It's always nice to read book that work on a couple of levels.

If you're going to get all the Chronicles in one go, I'd recommend this boxset over the paperback ominbus alternative. For one, the books are seperate so more than one person can be reading the series at the same time, and the thinner books are far easier to handle than a great big thick one, particularly if you're reading on the train, like I often do. Plus, a boxset always looks nicer than an unnaturally-thick paperback on the shelf, I think. The boxset is arranged and numbered in chronological order, as a real history would be. It's not my personal preference (I prefer the order they were written in), but you can always switch the books around in the box to whatever order you like (unlike the paperback, which is set in chronological order pretty much permanently unless you start ripping pages out!).

A great fantasy series, a great allegory, great illustrations and great writing, all in one box. Highly, highly recommended.
C. S Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia" is an extraodinary series, no question about it. This seven book set of fantasy novels is full of adventure, wonder, depth and allegory, and is a great read again and again, no matter what your age. There are many countries to explore within these books. There's the england-like Narnia with it's talking animals and creatures of Greek mythology, the Arabia-like Calormen with its verbose warriors and horrible gods, the bleak Ettinsmoor with its bumbling giants, the eastern seas with its breathtaking wonders, the western wilds and its enchanted garden, the high, balmy Archenland, and the fantastic Aslan's country. There are lots of characters to meet too. The fauns, the centaurs, unicorns, pegasus, dragons, werewolves, witches, many a talking beast and of course Aslan himself, the great wild Lion, Narnia's savior. There are kings to be crowned, feasts to be eaten, battles to be fought and lessons to be learned. A marvellous place to read about, absolutely. Throughout the stories are these beautiful, evocative illustrations and maps by Pauline Baynes, which enchance Lewis' description of Narnia, making it come even more alive. Lewis was a devoted Christian, and his faith shines through in all his written works, particularly within Narnia. Both the wonders and temptation of the Garden of Eden is captured perfectly in "The Magician's Nephew". In "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe", we see the joys, sorrows and purpose of the savior, Aslan the Lion (who is similar to our savior Jesus Christ). "A Horse And His Boy", by way of Shasta's adventures in Calormen, plays out Proverbs 16v9: "In his heart man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps". As he heads towards Narnia, the great Lion guides him to his destination, even if he doesn't know it. In "Prince Caspian" we see people who refuse to believe in Aslan, dismissing it as myths just because his appearance was so long ago, in the same way that many people dismiss Jesus and his miracles because all we have 2000 years on are his stories and teachings. In "Voyage of the Dawn Treader", among other things, we see the ever critical Eustace turned into a dragon, and only then does he see how horrid he has been. With Aslan's help, he is stripped of his scales and bathed in water, very similar to the Christian baptism and the cleansing of sins through Christ. In "The Silver Chair", we follow as the temptations and tribulations of Jill and Eustace looking for Prince Rillian, uncannily similar to the doubts and troubles of Christians struggling agaist the world. And in "The Last Battle", we see the apocalypse, the end of the world, based roughly around the Biblical book of Revelation. It's always nice to read book that work on a couple of levels. If you're going to get all the Chronicles in one go, I'd recommend this boxset over the paperback ominbus alternative. For one, the books are seperate so more than one person can be reading the series at the same time, and the thinner books are far easier to handle than a great big thick one, particularly if you're reading on the train, like I often do. Plus, a boxset always looks nicer than an unnaturally-thick paperback on the shelf, I think. The boxset is arranged and numbered in chronological order, as a real history would be. It's not my personal preference (I prefer the order they were written in), but you can always switch the books around in the box to whatever order you like (unlike the paperback, which is set in chronological order pretty much permanently unless you start ripping pages out! ). A great fantasy series, a great allegory, great illustrations and great writing, all in one box. Highly, highly recommended.