It’s amazing to me how quickly we zip through these books of a mere 15-chapters! After reading the Little House on the Prairie series aloud to my family—books with like 42 chapters each!—The Chronicles of Narnia series has been totally zooming by.

We finished the second installment in the Narnia series, Prince Caspian, this evening, and the first things I asked me kids was, “Which was better, Wardrobe or Caspian?” Bot my kids answered that they preferred The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, yet my 8yo daughter added, “But I still liked Prince Caspian, just not as much.” They couldn’t put their finger on why, but I assume it has to do with the dream-like quality of the first book, compared with the “back at it” feel of the second.

These classic tales certainly need no review from a bum like me, but I do want to add my two cents. So, two things.

First, having never read the books before myself, I’m as fascinated as anyone else in my family with the twists and turns that these stories take. I was completely flummoxed by the fact that the children returned to the same Narnia as before, only like a thousand years later. And I was shocked to find out where the Telmarines had originally come from, and how Aslan proposed to send them back.

Second—and more as a critique—I am not a big fan of Lewis’ style of writing for one particular reason: it can be very difficult at times to read aloud! Lewis might write two whole sentences of dialogue before he references for the reader who is in fact speaking, and when you’re a dad trying to voice a host of characters— little girls, old men, dwarves, badgers, mice, and giants, not to mention everyone else!—you’ve got to know who’s talking, so you can know which voice to use! Way too often, poor sweet Lucy’s dialogue came out as sounding like Trumpkin the Dwarf, and I was as confused as my kids who were listening!

If anyone ever dares rewrite (or update) C.S. Lewis, please add some textual cues to the dialogue, or else tell us who’s speaking far earlier on. Many a parent in the world reading these stories aloud to their kids will thank you.

We can’t wait for the third book in the Narnia series, Voyage of the Dawn Treader. As I mentioned above, I’ve never read these books before, so I think I’m aloud a quick surmise: I think perhaps he two younger children will return to Narnia and take a trip across the waters where Aslan dwells. If so, it might have some flavors or Perelandra, which was the wildest Lewis’ book I’ve ever read. I sort of hope so!

©2021 E.T.

See More by C.S. Lewis:

• Nonfiction:
  The Screwtape Letters (1942)
  Reflections on the Psalms (1958)
• Space Trilogy:
  Out of the Silent Planet (1938)
  Perelandra (1943)
  That Hideous Strength (1945)
• The Chronicles of Narnia: 
  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 Magician’s Nephew (1955)
  The Last Battle (1956)
• Other:
  Till We Have Faces (1956)