The Chronicles of Narnia Complete Audio Collection

In my new book, PASSPORT TO NARNIA: A NEWCOMER'S GUIDE, I try to put to rest the controversy about the order in which the books should be read, and for good reason: Lewis himself did not write these books as an interlocking whole, as did Tolkien (THE LORD OF THE RINGS) and J.K. Rowling (the Harry Potter novels). Lewis wrote that he wrote the books as they occurred to him, which is why he himself had no preference in which the books SHOULD be read. My contention is that the important thing is to READ these novels, not worry about the reading order. Besides, HarperCollins, his publisher, has made a decision to publish the books with THE MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW first, followed by THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE because, as is stated on the copyright page of the one volume hardback & paperback editions, "Although THE MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW was written several years after C.S. Lewis first began THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, he wanted it to be read as the first book in the series. HarperCollins is happy to present these books in the order in which Professor Lewis preferred. Regarding the seven novels themselves and their readability: Great books come from great writers who can not only are outstanding storytellers but also offer more than mere diversion: Lewis, a celebrated scholar, teacher, writer, and popularizer of the Christian faith, was a literary giant; and when we read the Chronicles of Narnia, we see the world filtered through his worldview. The books and the writer are in this case inseparable; the books come from the writer and are deep expressions of his humanity, his views on courage and sacrifice and honor, which are at the heart of these seven novels. Having sold 85 million copies since 1950 (when the first book in the series was published), you can rest assured that the books have stood the test of time, entertaining and illuminating five generations of readers. The only complaint I have about this boxed set is that the production values are mismatched: the covers are gorgeously printed, but the interiors use very cheap pulp paper, with blotty ink printing that obscures not only the text but the wonderful Pauline Baynes artwork. Since mass market paperbacks are routinely printed on pulp paper, the problem here seems to be the presswork: The over-inking of these pages obscures the printing of the text and obliterates the artwork. Since the one volume editions are issued from the same publisher, with readable text and no glaring deficiencies in the presswork, I hope that the publisher takes the time to correct what is otherwise a handsome, affordable, boxed edition. A few comments about the forthcoming movie: the trailer looks wonderful and captures the sense of wonder that is Narnia. Early reviews are positive and, from all indications, Disney Pictures has a winner of a film and the beginnings of a major, new franchise. To my mind, the best thing about the movie is that it will prompt a certain number of people to go into the bookstores and look for the principal texts; I came to the Narnia books late in life, but reading them did what good fiction is supposed to do: Those books took me out of this world and into C.S. Lewis's wonderful and enchanting world of Narnia, and isn't THAT what superb storytelling is all about? Bottom line: Despite my reservations about the printing of the interiors of these books, this is the edition of choice because of its price and portability. If you haven't read these books, now is the time to start: After December 9, when the film is released, everyone will be rushing to the bookstore to see what is next. I look forward to the film release and also look forward to re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia again, just as soon as I finish re-reading Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS from cover to cover (including the appendices).

(Written by my 9 year old daughter) I like the books because they have adventure. I have read all of the books except for 2/3 of the Horse and His Boy and all of the Last Battle. I like reading the stories. My favorite is the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The series is about this place called Narnia. Children from England go to Narnia and they all meet Aslan, the lion King of Narnia. ***BOOK 1 SPOILER ALERT -- THE LION THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE*** In the first book, he actually gets killed, but then he comes back to life and turns a whole bunch of stone statues that a witch made from real creatures back into creatures. They all go fight and defeat the witch.

This is a prized possession of mine. I love anything to do with C S Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia, and since I have many hobbies that take my visual concentration, yet leave me wishing for some audio interest, I find myself returning to these stories and this series time and time again. I have several different versions of the audio books, and each are individual and unique... The Focus on the family series paints such a lively picture in your mind with exceptional quality and audio clarity. The BBC collection is also excellently performed, complete with music and sound effects, and it was such a pleasant surprise when I stumbled upon that production....I had no idea it was ever made until about a year ago. This, however, is the quintessential Narnia audio collection, direct from the pages of C.S. Lewis, word for word, unabridged, and so respectfully compiled. I love the actors' renditions of the stories, each beautifully read, and the English accents add such an authentic flare. My 2 favorite stories...(though I love them all!)...are "The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe" (narrated by Michael York), and "The Last Battle" (narrated by Patrick Stewart). These actors truly show off the full range of vocal talents. It is such a joy to live in a day and time where so many versions of these beloved stories are available to us to relive, enjoy, and share with the next generations. My children will be introduced to the stories at a young age and will cherish them as much as I do, I have no doubt. It is a classic series, and the stories will live on forever in literature. I only wish I had been alive and able to meet CS Lewis. On a side note: Coloring in adult coloring books is one of my newest craft hobbies, and these stories are still in my list of favorites to listen to while relaxing with my artwork. I find that the combination of craft and listening to stories is exceedingly calming and inspiring. It's like having a friend who sits in your room reading to you.

Everybody knows about the books, so this is about the AUDIOBOOK CD SET. The Audiobook CD set is a great idea, and it was well executed, too! The box set comes with 7 cd folders, all made of paper. each cd folder holds 3~5 CDs depending on the book. They are all packaged very nicely and the CD's are very nice too. The first CD of each book has EXTRA FEATURES! They are accessible with a computer, and include illustrations(drawings) from the original books. As far as I can tell, the audiobook leaves NOTHING OUT from C.S. Lewis's text. Every reader is excellent. There is no background music or any other form of dramaticism besides the actor/reader's performance. Of course, the reader will read the dialogues imitating the voices. This really helps keep track of who's speaking, and the acting is all very good. It's humorous to listen to Michael York speaking as Lucy, but they switch back and forth so well that I did NOT find it distracting. In fact I thought it was a great performance. The only problem I had is the volume since I listened to the whole set in my car - if you don't have a very nice car, you'll have to crank up the volume a LOT to hear the voices. That's not because my car audio sucks, but because the highway road noise drowns out the audiobook. On certain books (I think it was the Last Battle) the reader sometimes whispers and uses a booming voice at other times. This WILL hurt your ears if you're listening with headphones or have the volume way up. HOWEVER, I can't imagine a better audiobook version. As far as I know, this set is the best READING of the books. There are other audiobooks which are NOT READINGS, BUT THIS SET IS AN ACTUAL READING. Each CD is read by a different narrator. People like Patrick Stewart, so you ARE getting your money's worth in terms of acting caliber. My favorite was Michael York. One of the actors had an annoying voice, but I forget which... In all, the entire set is 31 CD's holding 31 HOURS of material. Enjoy them!

So I know I like the series. It's a great value for the price.its a must have for any book collector. I would highly recommend this product.

I read the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe as a child, but didn't remember much about it. I enjoyed the movie so much that I wanted to reread that book along with the other books in the set. I am reading them in 'published' order rather than chronological order and I am on the 3rd published book, which is Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I am very pleased with what I have read so far. C.S. Lewis is a great story teller and his narrative is descriptive enough to make you feel like you are right there in the middle of everything. His imagination is unbelievable, especially in Voyage of the Dawn Treader as they journey to new lands and meet new creatures and challenges. If you are looking for fantasy, you will not be disappointed with these books. If you are like me, and experienced a renewed interest in the Chronicles after seeing the movie, I believe you will enjoy reading all seven books in the Chronicles series. No movie follows the book exactly, but I did think that the movie stayed pretty close to the book and was a good representation of the events described in the book. Therefore, I believe if you enjoyed the movie, you will enjoy the book. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (book) was thoroughly entertaining. Prince Caspian, which was the second book I read, was also good, but I did not think it was as original and entertaining as The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Voyage of the Dawn Treader, however is completely different from the first two. There is definitely nothing unoriginal about this one as it introduces many new characters including the Pevensies' cousin who is a selfish and nagging little boy until he experiences a sort of epiphany and as a result sees the error of his ways. Their quest to find the seven lords of Narnia who were banished to lands farther east is thoroughly entertaining. I am looking forward to reading the remaining books. One thing that touched me about the movie was the religious overtone. Based on the three books I've read, this theme continues to be prevalent. I understand that Aslan appears in all seven books, and so far I have found this to be true. As I am reading these books I am enjoying the deeper meaning behind it. In a time when there is so much wrong with the world, I think the Chronicles are a great way to escape to another land. Narnia is a world that is very complex in that it is so imaginative and full of fantasy. On the other hand, the moral of the each story is so simple.

A nice box set of the Collectors paperback color edition of the Chronicles of Narnia. The imagery is not from the movie but from the original artist Pauline Baynes. If your looking for the classic looking version of the artistry in a paper back version this may be the set for you. It contains 7 story books. (See images and video to my review) It does NOT contain a trivia book like other sets. The books are 7 5/8 inches tall and 5 inches wide, making for a comfortable hold once in your hand. The pages are a semi-gloss look and feel without too much sheen for glare. This is not a gritty or textured paper but instead smooth almost like photo paper. They are an easy read under a book light. The text is a good size and crisp and clear with little error or smearing. For someone looking for a non-Disney movie version in paperback with the classic look, I think this set would make anyone happy. My only disappointment was the crease in the top corner of the box. This did not appear to happen in shipping as there was no damage to the oversized shipping box and there was some bubble wrap in the box, although not completely surrounding the books. It appeared it was put into the box in that condition. All in all a good deal for the price. I just wish they made this colored classic set in hard cover. I’m only giving it 4 stars due to the minor damage to the box as it was not a 5 star experience. The shipping was super fast though. I had it in a day and a half. Be careful which set you buy because Amazon does a TERRIBLE job of mixing up reviews for different products.

Quality books. Lovely illustrations. I accidentally ordered 2 sets so I gave one away!

Fue un regalo para mi mejor amiga y está muy contenta con las ediciones, principalmente por lo compactas que son.

Hasarsız geldi, kitaplar çok güzel

The book quality is good... Pictures inside the book made my children understand and follow the story. Great book for children to read.

My son, aged 10, enjoyed reading the series as he found the storyline interesting.

海外ドラマやYouTubeを英語字幕をつけて見れば，言ってること完璧にはわかんないけどメッセージはほぼ完全に汲み取れる程度の英語力です。 思春期〜大人向けのエッセイや小説（ハリーポッターなど）ではわからない単語がかなりの頻度で出てくるため，辞書を開きながらでないと読めません。かと言って子供の頃に誰もが聞いたおとぎ話（不思議の国のアリス）はあまりにも面白みがなさすぎて続きませんでした。この本は自分にとって丁度いい難しさだったと思います。 正直値段が値段なので，多読に興味ある人は『自分の英語力を計る』という目的も考えると買って損ないと思います。難しいなと感じたらもっと子供向けのやつ読むとか英語字幕付きの映画とかから再トライすればいいし，簡単だなと思ったら「ネイティブ小学生レベルのものは理解できるんだ」という自信を100円で買ったと思って大人向けのものを読めばよいのではないでしょうか。個人的には思いがけずいい買い物でした！ ○語彙 わからない単語ももちろん出てきますが，kindleではサッと引けるのでほとんどストレスになりません。１単語のものはぱっと分かる一方で，句動詞などに対してはほぼ役に立ちません。しかし，ある程度推測ができるのでストーリーを追いかけられなくなることはないでしょう。 また，普通の小説ではあまりにも単語の範囲が広すぎるというのが，学習面的にもストレスでした。どの単語を覚えるべきで，どの単語はそこまで重要でもないという判断が独力ではできないのです。しかし，この文章は小学校低学年の子向けのものなので，この本で出てきたほぼすべての言葉は覚えておいて損はないと思っています。個人的にはこの『出てきた単語は全部覚える』というのが，単純明快でかなりのモチベーションになっています。 ○長さ 普通の小説に比べ，各チャプターがかなり短いです（子供向けだからでしょうか）。これが寝る前，お風呂，電車などのちょっとした一時に読むのにとても役立っています。 ○ストーリー ファンタジーが嫌いでなければそれなりに楽しめると思います。しかし，普通に小説としての面白さを期待して読むと，説明があっさりしすぎていてがっかりします。ですが逆にこの「続きが気になる！」みたいな後味がないことが，やはり寝る前の時間的には結構いい感じです。 ✕文章構成 他の方のレビューにもありますが，説明がかなりくどいことがあります。補足がやたらカッコ書きで書かれていて冷めてしまったり，「その人は傘をさしていた。（中略）先程言ったように片方の手には傘を持っているわけだが，もう片方の手で小包を持っていた」みたいな表現が結構あったり。いやわかったよって気持ちにさせられることが多々あります。ここはもう割り切っています。