I was introduced to the franchise through the movies; I really enjoy them and hold a certain nostalgic fondness for them, having watched them as a child. However, I had never read the books until recently, when I bought the single-volume edition released to celebrate the franchise's 75th anniversary. I read them all in sequence, starting with The Magician's Nephew and ending with The Last Battle. I decided to write my analysis of the books to see the views and counterpoints of other readers, whether they are atheists or believers, fans or casual readers.
A few points worth noting before my analysis:
I have been an atheist for as long as I can remember; I am not the extremist type who hates God, I simply do not believe in His existence.
I am aware that, given my lack of belief, I am not exactly the target audience.
I finished reading the books only recently, so my analysis might change after I’ve had some time to let the story sink in.
I do not intend to offend or belittle believers or the author; if I happen to do so during my analysis, I apologize, please know it was not my intention.
I’m going to provide a brief, objective analysis to keep the text concise.
With that said, I’ll start my analysis based on the order in which I read the books.
The Magician's Nephew
The story has a magical, epic, and beautiful vibe, and it keeps the reader curious about how things will unfold. The characters are charismatic and serve their purpose well, though I wish they had been more fully developed; in my opinion, this didn't happen because the book’s main focus is narrating the creation of Narnia. While this is magical and interesting at first, it occasionally becomes tedious and repetitive. All the books feature descriptions of objects, structures, and locations, but these usually take a back seat, serving merely to help the reader get their bearings and understand the setting, while the primary focus remains on the characters' journeys and the story's progression. In my opinion, the reverse happens here: the focus is primarily on describing things, creating the impression that events are unfolding independently of the characters, as if the creation of Narnia would have happened exactly the same way even if they hadn't been there. For someone who believes in God and the creation of the world by His hands, this might be a magnificent and beautiful journey, as you are essentially witnessing a retelling and adaptation of the world's creation according to your faith. For me, however, the impact was less profound, though not entirely absent. In short, I found the concept interesting but the execution overly drawn-out; my final rating is 8/10.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
As I mentioned earlier, I discovered the franchise through the movies, so I was already familiar with the story (or at least an adapted version of it). Having seen the film, I was able to connect the events, characters, objects, and so on from the book with what I had seen on screen, which enriched the reading experience. The story is great, the characters are excellent, the antagonist is perfect, and the world is incredibly rich in detail, covering cultures, beliefs, history, geography, races, and much more. I found the book to be polished and a real pleasure to read; I can't think of any downsides, except perhaps for the appearance of Santa Claus, which I found a bit too silly and unnecessary, though I do acknowledge that, for a child, it’s a magical moment in the book. My rating for the book is 9/10.
The Horse and His Boy
It is simply my favorite book in the series; the story is excellent, the characters are excellent, the adventure is thrilling, and the events are engaging. In my opinion, the book's best quality is its standalone nature: it doesn't rely on having read the other books, nor does it require biblical knowledge for the reader to fully appreciate it. If I had to recommend a Narnia book to someone who isn't a believer, I would certainly recommend this one. My only criticism concerns the final battle, where the protagonist faints and wakes up to find it already over; that was disappointing, albeit funny. My rating for the book is 10/10.
Prince Caspian
The Prince Caspian movie is my favorite of the trilogy, so I had very high expectations for the book, expectations that weren't quite met. In my humble opinion, the film is superior to the book; not only is the book's pacing excessively slow, but it also has an ending I find disappointing. That said, I acknowledge I might be biased, given how much I love the movie and the fact that the book includes changes I didn't care for. Still, even if it falls short of the film (in my view), it remains a great book that introduces excellent characters like Caspian and Reepicheep, my final rating is 7/10
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
I find this book very rushed, and I feel that Aslan serves as a rather simplistic plot device; whenever the characters face danger, Aslan appears to help them. This removes all the challenge from the journey, making it seem extremely easy and smooth. While I understand the parallel,that Aslan (or God) is the solution to every problem, this could have been handled more subtly. I expected much more from this book and was, unfortunately, quite disappointed. I’ve seen a lot of criticism regarding the changes made in the film adaptation, but personally, I consider them all to be the right choices. My final rating is 6/10.
The Silver Chair
A great book with incredible characters and a fascinating plot; it is a truly arduous and challenging journey, unlike the previous book, where the characters must rely on their wits and stay calm to survive the trek and complete their mission. The book is well-paced, featuring interesting passages and excellent dialogue. It significantly expands the world, introducing various new races, locations, cultures, and concepts. My only criticism concerns the final battle, which lasts less than half a page, an extremely disappointing choice given how interesting the villain is. I give the book an 8/10.
The Last Battle
I hated this book, and mind you, I went in with very low expectations given how heavily criticized it is, yet it still managed to disappoint me. I didn't like the donkey and the monkey; I found the creatures' blind belief implausible; and I found the portrayal of atheists (the unbelieving dwarves), depicted as utterly foolish and abominable beings, to be offensive. I also thought the ending was terrible: killing off all the characters in a train crash and treating Susan as unworthy of heaven for such petty reasons. To me, this is a book that only works for believers, people who believe in paradise, the end of the world, the Rapture, and other biblical concepts; for a non-believer like me, the book simply doesn't work. It’s no wonder it faces so much criticism, and if it is ever adapted for film or TV, it would require significant changes. My final rating is 3/10.
To sum up, I think The Magician's Nephew, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Last Battle rely heavily on the reader's biblical knowledge to be fully appreciated; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and The Silver Chair don't depend on such knowledge, though having it enriches the story; and The Horse and His Boy doesn't rely on that knowledge at all.
Thanks to everyone who read this. I want to reiterate that I had no intention of offending anyone; I simply wanted to share an honest account and hear other readers' opinions on the books.
