I originally read and intended to review this one back in 2019, but I ended up being so demotivated and not caring about the book so much that I just didn't even really bother to. I didn't hate it or anything, it just didn't live up to my expectations based on the movie adaptation, which I'm a huge fan of.
But now, a few years down the line, I'm ready to give reading and reviewing this book another shot. Maybe I'll still feel the same way, but maybe I'll like it better now. Spoilers ahead.
Four children end up in a magical realm called Narnia, which is filled to the brim with mythical creatures and talking animals. It is being ruled by the villainous White Witch, Jadis, who manipulates one of the siblings, Edmund, against the others. The children turn out to be the chosen ones of a prophecy, and now must make the journey to the legendary lion called Aslan in order to get their missing brother back and defeat Jadis for good.
Overall I'd say it's a good book, having re-read it. It's not my favorite and this is a rare case where I really do prefer the movie adaptation over the book, but it's still a solid read. While I've already read The Magician's Nephew (chronologically the first book in the series, not based on publication date), this definitely also makes for a good first installment should you choose to skip the that other book.
What I liked the most about the book is the world-building, it's all things considered not even that unique (just a bunch of mythological creatures and talking animals tossed into a fantasy world) but it works. The world has its own rules and lore and it still feels really inventive despite not being all that unique all things considered (though it does have to be said that this was one of the first books to fall into the modern fantasy genre, so it might've felt a lot more "new" back when first published). There's some leaps of logic the world makes (like why is Santa Claus here and do they celebrate Christmas? I know that Aslan is basically Jesus as a lion, but wouldn't it be more logical if they would then instead celebrate a holiday around Aslan instead of Jesus as we know him on Earth) but it's also a children's book and I think it's supposed to convey a lot of childlike wonder. Which it succeeds in by a long shot. While not the most unique or logical, the world feels lively and colorful and just fun.
The characters is where I'm a bit mixed, however. Don't get me wrong, I don't think there's really any awfully-written characters in this, it's actually quite good. Especially Edmund goes through a neat arc. My problem more so lies with the writing voice, which makes the reader feel very disconnected from the characters. It doesn't feel like we're directly reading a POV from one of the Pevensie siblings, instead the book reads as though it is being told to us by an omniscient narrator. Which is fine and all and I guess for reading it as a bedtime story for children it works, but it also really kills my ability to relate to the characters or heck even experience Edmund's arc through the fullest. It always feels like there's this large distance between the reader and the characters, instead of it feeling like we're experiencing the adventure alongside the Pevensies. Which is a shame. Maybe this is just Lewis' writing voice, but I was not a huge fan of it. This is also one of the reasons why I like the movie better: I felt much more of a connection with all of the characters there than I ever did here in the book.
Overall this is definitely a good book and I do recommend it. I'm glad I gave it another try after being so disappointed in 2019, it's definitely worth a read. It's just the writing voice that really drags it down for me. I guess the christian allegories and whatnot might also bother some people, but for me it doesn't. It's definitely on-the-nose but at the same time it's not too egregious or anything. Heck, if anything The Magician's Nephew had the more clearly christian story going on, though it's definitely also present and quite obvious here. But for me, despite considering myself mostly agnostic, I can still really enjoy this book so that's a win-win.
Rating: 3.5/5
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