For me, it is easy: The Horse and His Boy. I love the plotting and the dualities.
I also think I love it because it is a fantasy story rather than an other-world story, if that makes sense. People in a magic land have adventures. That seems purer to me than such a story in which getting to the magic land is part of the adventure.
But I wonder if part of my love for that book is due to my love for the series as a whole. Maybe the appeal of The Horse and His Boy is that it provides a glimpse of “normal” life away from the usual protagonists, world traversing children. No one can fail to want to go off on their own and explore the Narnian universes. Maybe following the story of Shasta scratches that itch.
What is your favorite Narnia book?
I’ve always loved Voyage of the Dawn Treader. That’s probably much to do with scratching the itch to explore the larger world in which Narnia’s located, even though it does feature the usual protagonists to a large degree. Still, Eustace brings a fresh enough perspective to keep it from being another Pevensie chronicle.
It’s also the only one with dragons.
The Last Battle…
I love it for the idea of “Further up and further in.” The same idea is conveyed in the Great Divorce where things become more real the closer one gets to the City.
I think Lewis’ idea of glorification as reality can be seen in his other Narnia books as well. For example before Aslan comes to be sacrificed in LWaW, it is always winter, but never Christmas. Christmas arrives and things begin to bloom.
al sends
LWW, by far.
I’ve always liked “The Magician’s Nephew” for the way it reveals the half-understood things you’ve already been exposed to. Of course that only works when you read in original order.
I see what you mean about the Horse and His Boy. I do like how it’s a journey within that other world, finding out how that world really “works” and not just how people from another world are surprised by various things that happen to them. It’s like LotR, and the opposite of Harry Potter — no significant time spent “wowing” you with all the “cool” aspects of it — it’s all just normal to the characters and you see how life goes on in that world. Instead of being amazed by a beaver talking, you have a little boy amazed by his first trip to a big, exotic city — but what a city!
Our class just finished “The Horse and His Boy.” The indirect intervention of Aslan jumped out at me as never before. He was there, behind and before all of the seeming “setbacks” to Shasta and Aravis on the flight for their lives. The unveiling of the presence and providence of a purposive God is written in such a way that kids and adults “get it.”
Symbolism on steroids. Lewis writes richly as usual, but one of my students made an interesting comparison of Shasta and Moses. Lots of fun. Oh, plus we baked “meat pasties.” Mmm good!
The Silver Chair. The scent of burnt Marshwiggle is the cure for many ills.
Six people; six different books. I love it!
For the sake of completion, I’ll go with Prince Caspian. The scene at the end where all the talking mice stand at the ready to cut off their own tails in honor of Reepicheep is one of my favorite anywhere.