Narnia Readalong #3

So I'm a little slow on the uptake, and I missed the first two posts but I did read both The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. However, now I'm caught up with the Narnia Readalong, having finished The Horse and His Boy the other day.

When I was a kid I loved The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, but I never read any of the other series until about 6 years ago. So while I've read tLtWatW dozens of times, I've only read The Horse and His Boy once before.  Which is a shame, since it's a great story.

So here's my muddled thoughts on The Horse and His Boy:

Aslan is my favorite part of the story, and the different roles he plays to get the children and the horses to their destines.  Someday, when you read about a woman who got mauled to death after climbing into a lion's cage, please know that it was me and I just wanted a little cuddle with the Lion.  Maybe I should just settle for finding a really cute stuffed lion toy...

My other favorite character was Hwin, I loved her patience and cool head.  While Bree, Shasta/Cor, and Aravis were flawed characters, I liked that Hwin was herself.  I envy her calmness.  Since it's much safer to try to find a talking horse than climbing into cages looking for Aslan, I will continue trying to make small talk with the ponies at the fair.

The book started off a little slow for me, but by the time the horses and the kids are being chased by the lions, the pace picks up.  I liked the peek into the life that Aravis was leaving behind, it would have been a very comfortable one, but it's shallow and loveless.  The friendship that four find makes them all the better for it.


The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis gets a Midnight Book Rating of 11:00 pm, as I enjoyed it on several levels.  The series can be magical and good no matter if your religious or not, but being a Christian adds to a level of emotion for me.


Briefly I'll give my thoughts on the first two books.

The Magician's Nephew: Uncle Andrew is a tool.  Digory behaves a bit badly, but comes round in the end.  Polly and the Cabby are wonderful.  I really felt like I was there while Aslan created the world Narnia inhabits.  It was truly beautiful.  It's a good introduction to the series, although I'm fine with those who choose to start with tLtWatW and finish with TMN... and that's probably the order I prefer.

But I do love that is the boy, Digory, who brought evil into the land, and not yet another Eve. :)


The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis gets a Midnight Book Rating of 10:30pm. 

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe: One of my all time favorite books, from childhood up until now.  There's something about that first trip through the wardrobe and Lucy meeting Mr. Tumnus in the snowy wood.  I have always clearly been able to see scenes from this book in my head.  Each time, despite knowing that he'll soon be bounding around like a kitten, the book breaks my heart when Aslan goes to the Stone Table.  And the book really makes me want some Turkish Delight, but I've never had it since I only think of eating it when I'm reading the book.  Seriously, I really need to try it!  I wonder if it's good enough to betray my brothers... okay, I'd probably give them up for some raw cookie dough.


The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe gets a Midnight Book Rating of Midnight, because it's a favorite of mine and that's all the reason I need.