C. S. Louis’ ‘The Magician’s Nephew’

Recently I had a friend ask for some classic fantasy novels or series that I could recommend reading. The two that almost always spring to people’s mind are The Lord of the Rings, and The Chronicles of Narnia. Then it hit me: I’ve never properly reviewed the Narnia series. So, for my review to be as accurate as possible, I have been rereading the series. This brings us to book…six, C. S. Louis’ The Magician’s Nephew. While it was published sixth, this particular book takes place roughly 40 years prior to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. So, what exactly is this book all about?

This book takes place in the summer of 1900, when young Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer meet after playing in the garden between their two houses in London. Deciding to explore the attic, the two take a wrong turn and surprise Digory’s uncle in his study. Uncle Andrew enjoys dabbling in magic, and has successfully crafted two sets of rings. One, transports a person. The other returns them to their original world. In their amazing exploration, Digory and Polly stumble across a dying world and, of course, unleash a great evil. This novel’s story is positively epic in scale, with events ranging from the creation of worlds, the origin of sin, and the unbelievable influence that people can have when they face adversity. I can’t say too much more without spoiling some great scenes, since this book doesn’t really wrap anything up. In fact, it introduces all of the problems that the world of Narnia will face in the coming eon.

So how is it? Honestly, this book has to be in my top five favorite fantasy novels. In terms of imagery and the theme of the book, it probably makes it to the top three. The Wood in the novel is a marvelous concept (that has some surprising similarities to modern quantum physics) that has impressed me for well over a decade now. The religious and philosophical themes present are masterfully addressed, especially those considering temptation and responsibility. From a technical standpoint, this book cements itself as a classic within the first fifteen pages. Louis’ words leap off the page into the reader’s mind, and, if you are like me, you will find yourself constructing the events and landscapes in your head with zero difficulty and a childlike sense of wonder. If you ever read one of the Narnia novels for school or because you thought it was one of those “must read” classics and you didn’t start with The Magician’s Nephew, assuming you didn’t like the experience, then you owe it to yourself to give the series a mulligan starting here. This novel can even work as a standalone story. If you have read this book, you probably know where I am coming from. If not, then I urge you to try just once more: you may find much of the “fantasy shock” that the other books hold has dissipated after reading The Magician’s Nephew first.