Favorite Narnia book

I voted for Dawn Treader. This may seem a little out of place here but I have to discuss this somewhere and there doesn't seem to be a general Narnia board. (There should be). I found one continuity problem between the books and it bothers me. It's not like "Edmund's hair parts on a different side" or something very trivial like that. It's a direct conflict in something Aslan says to Lucy and Diggory. In Prince Caspian Aslan says to Lucy "To know what would have happened?" "Nobody is ever told that". He again reminds her of this rule in Dawn Treader when he chides her for spying on her friends back on Earth. Yet in Magician's Nephew he clearly and thoroughly explains to Diggory (later the Professor) what would have happened if he had given in to Jadis' temptation with the apple. "And that is what would have happened". Now this bothers me because in these stories Aslan is not like Christ he is Christ. A third of the holy trinity and according to some points of view God Himself. He can not be proven wrong, contradicted or speak untruth. I also don't think Lewis would make this mistake so he must have done it on purpose. Help me understand why.

I also voted for Dawn Treader. That is by far my favourite (my second favourite being the lion, witch, and wardrobe). The first chapter of Dawn Treader is magnificent, absolutly fantastic.

I also prefer HHB. I suppose it is because the primary character isn't someone natively from our world. I also like the idea of humans and talking horses being fleeing refugees from an oppressive society. The hidden spiritual impressions seem to me to be the most subtle in this book (the way I like it)... "'Who are you?' 'One who has waited long for you.'"

It is for that reason that I like TLB least. All the embedded Christian meanings are too flagrant in this book. It bears too obvious a resemblance to Christian eschatology. I do not fault Lewis for this, for such a book about death and the end of the world, if it is going to parallel the Christian ideology, must be this obvious. If I were Lewis, I would have called TLB, "The Narnia Story for Christians", since it is essentially a story about what we Christians refer to as "The Blessed Hope".

I didn't care as much for the plot of TSC, although one of my favorite Narnia characters (Puddleglum) is found in TSC.

On your first reading, I recommend Narnia's publication order, with all subsequent readings being in the order you choose. There are benefits to reading in the chrono order, but the books were written to be read in their order of publication.

For example, Lewis assumes the reader has never heard of Aslan when he says in LWW...

"And now a very curious thing happened. None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do; but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different."

...but quite naturally, if you've read TMN, you have indeed heard of Aslan, and the statement in LWW loses some of its dynamic.

I also like VDT. It awakens a sense of adventure in the reader quite unlike the rest of the Narnia Series.

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Originally Posted by Reepicheep

I found one continuity problem between the books and it bothers me. It's not like "Edmund's hair parts on a different side" or something very trivial like that. It's a direct conflict in something Aslan says to Lucy and Diggory. In Prince Caspian Aslan says to Lucy "To know what would have happened?" "Nobody is ever told that". He again reminds her of this rule in Dawn Treader when he chides her for spying on her friends back on Earth. Yet in Magician's Nephew he clearly and thoroughly explains to Diggory (later the Professor) what would have happened if he had given in to Jadis' temptation with the apple. "And that is what would have happened". Now this bothers me because in these stories Aslan is not like Christ he is Christ. A third of the holy trinity and according to some points of view God Himself. He can not be proven wrong, contradicted or speak untruth. I also don't think Lewis would make this mistake so he must have done it on purpose. Help me understand why.

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I think all Aslan is revealing to Digory is the consequences of sin, that obtaining good things in ways, or in degrees, which is otherwise forbidden will destroy the pleasure in an otherwise pleasurable experience. In both cases, Digory's mother would have recovered, but the details would have varied, destroying the pleasure had Digory's mother recovered due to eating the forbidden apple.

Think of it like this. In the Scripture, God tells man the consequence of sin, and the consequence of righteousness. Both can give pleasure, for the moment, and righteousness can give lasting pleasure, where the indulgence of sin will soon destroy the pleasure. So in this sense, it is same as Aslan telling Digory the consequence of his actions had he sinned by taking a stolen apple back to his mother.

But in the Scripture, God never tells a doctor how his life might have been different had he become a lawyer. God never tells a husband what would have been different if he'd married a different woman. One thing, the thing in TMN, is dealing with sin, taking a benefit unlawfully, and the other thing, the thing with what Aslan tells Lucy, is only talking about choices regarding life's scenarios.

Of course, one could argue that it was for sin when Aslan scolded Lucy for eavesdropping on her friend's conversation. But if one sins, I suppose it is a little easier to speculate on what might have happened if the sin had never happened. Just ask any cheating husband whose wife is now gone.

But when one has done all the right things regarding one of life's choices, it is mostly difficult to speculate on what might have happened if one implemented shady tactics in resolving life's issues.

It also pay to keep in mind that Lucy was favored by Aslan, and just like in the Scriptures, those favored by God often had tougher rows to hoe. ;)

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Originally Posted by Shannanigan

"No"? You don't know what you're talking about, "No, not appropriate for this site" all the way!!! :P

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I'm confused. How is this thread/the Narnia books "not appropriate for this site"?

Anywho. My favorite is The Last Battle.

Ok...apparently this thread has been dead for sometime now but I am going to post on it anyways. I enjoyed all of the Narnia books, and own all of them on CD. But if i had to pick a favorite....oh it would have to be Voyage of the Dawn Treader, because of Reepicheep. But i have good things to say about all of the books. Although the first time through, i did not like Prince Caspian @ all and i found the beginning of TLB very tedious....but after i got to the part when Jill and Eustace come into the picture...it all started to make sense. but i also must comment on The Magician's Nephew, simply because i find that story fascinating, even though the general opinion i've gotten says that they find it boring. But anywho...hopefully more people will post on this thread because i really enjoy the Narnia books!
Always,

the last battle.

Man, I don't know if I could pick one. They all go so well together. Anytime in the past that I've re-read them it's always been the whole series. Next time I go through them I'll have to think about which one I like the best.

yeah, i've read them over so many times...

It was my favorite. by far.