The Magicians Nephew by CS Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia: Book 1)

Rate and review The Magicians Nephew! | What does everyone else think?

The Magicians Nephew book cover
Rating 8.5/10
An enchanting back-story to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Buy Now!

The Magicians Nephew is the first book in C.S. Lewis's Narnia Chronicles and was first published in the U.K. in 1955.

When Digory and Polly discover Uncle Andrew's secret workshop, they are tricked into touching the magic rings which transport them to the Other Place. But even Uncle Andrew doesn't realise the wonders that await them, for here is the gateway to the Land of Narnia and the beginning of many wonderful adventures there.

This is a very important story in the context of understanding how Narnia was formed. It is in essence a back-story and written after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to allow CS Lewis to explain the beginnings of Narnia.

It is a mostly light-hearted affair though there are moments of darkness, in particular the illness of Digory’s mother and the evil sorceress Jadis could upset some children. There is also the introduction of magical rings to the Chronicles, which explains how Narnia was first found.

The Magician’s Nephew is an entertaining story that sits well at the beginning of the Narnia Chronicles, Aslan is always a wonderful character and the children are amusing.

A must read for all Narnia enthusiasts.

"This is a very important story," explains the author right at the beginning, "because it shows how all the comings and goings between our own world and the land of Narnia began. In one of the wettest and coldest summers for years, Polly and Digory decide to explore the attic of the old, tall house. Carefully the step over the rafters and creep along the dark corridor that joins their two houses to the empty house beyond. What will they find? Will it be haunted? Perhaps they might even discover a gang of criminals! At any rate, there must be some mystery involved! It seems something of a let-down when what they stumble upon is the secret workroom f Digory's Uncle Andrew. But when in a wild experiment he makes Polly vanish right out of the world, it is obvious that the dull summer is changing into a strange and totally thrilling adventure.
The Magicians Nephew book cover image

The Chronicles of Narnia (1) - The Magician's Nephew (Amazon.co.uk)

Author: C. S. Lewis
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 192
Publication date: 2001-10-01
Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks

RRP: £6.99
Lowest new price: £1.25
Lowest used price: £0.01

Buy now!

The Narnia Chronicles, first published in 1950, have been and remain some of the most enduringly popular ever published. The best known, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, has been translated into 29 languages! The illustrations in this book have been coloured by the original artist, Pauline Baynes.
Product Description

The Magicians Nephew book cover image

The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia) (Amazon.co.uk)

Author: C.S. Lewis
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 192
Publication date: 1998-11-27
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books

RRP: $14.45
Lowest new price: $4.99
Lowest used price: $0.01

Buy now!

The Narnia Chronicles, first published in 1950, have been and remain some of the most enduringly popular ever published. The best known, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, has been translated into 29 languages! The illustrations in this book have been coloured by the original artist, Pauline Baynes. Digory let out a scream. "What's happened to Polly?" "Congratulate me, my dear boy," said Uncle Andrew, rubbing his hands. "My experiment has succeeded. The little girl's gone -- vanished -- right out of this world." When Digory and Polly discover Uncle Andrew's secret workshop, they are tricked into touching the magic rings which transport them to the Other Place. But even Uncle Andrew doesn't realise the wonders that await them -- for here is the gateway to the Land of Narnia and the beginning of many wonderful adventures there!
Product Description

You Say

Jack from My house

10-stars

I think that it was very good and was good how it was the story of the bible. One of the best books I have read I reccomend it especially to children.

Meg from Ipswich

9-stars

This is a brilliant back-story, after reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe I really wanted to find out how it had all begun. The author does this in a fun way, Aslan is great and Jadis is mean. The magical rings explained how they first got to Narnia. A lovely book.

Claire from Shawnee, KS, USA

10-stars

Despite parallels often drawn between THE MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW and the Judeo-Christian creation story, this book can be (and in my opinion, should be) enjoyed on its own. A brilliant, magical tale that is very funny in parts--few enough people appreciate Lewis's sense of humor. One other note: This debate goes on, but as a longtime devotee of the Chronicles, I advise reading the books in the order they were written. The discoveries of THE MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW are much more delightful once you've read THE LION, THE WITCH, & THE WARDROBE (as well as the others).

Submit your own mini-review

Let people know what you think about The Magicians Nephew. You can write your own mini-review and give the book the rating that you think it deserves. Your reviews will go towards giving The Magicians Nephew its overall rating that will decide where The Magicians Nephew finishes in the top 100 fantasy books of all time.

Your first name
Your mini review
Where you live
Book
Your rating (out of 10)

Children's fantasy books you may also enjoy...

http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/images/The-Earthsea-Quartet-th.gif book cover thumbnail imageEarthsea Saga (Series)
Ursula Le Guin

/images/the-wind-in-the-willows-th.jpg book cover thumbnail imageThe Wind in the Willows
Kenneth Grahame

/images/the-graveyard-book-th.jpg book cover thumbnail imageThe Graveyard Book
Neil Gaiman

/images/the-jungle-books-th.jpg book cover thumbnail imageThe Jungle Books
Rudyard Kipling

http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/images/the-spooks-apprentice-th.jpg book cover thumbnail imageThe Wardstone Chronicles (Series)
Joseph Delaney

/images/the-iron-man-th.jpg book cover thumbnail imageThe Iron Man
Ted Hughes

/images/the-prophecy-keepers-th.jpg book cover thumbnail imageThe Prophecy Keepers
Melaine Bryant

/images/heroes-of-the-valley-th.jpg book cover thumbnail imageHeroes of the Valley
Jonathan Stroud

/images/watership-down-th.jpg book cover thumbnail imageWatership Down
Richard Adams

http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/images/harry-potter-philosophers-stone-th.gif book cover thumbnail imageHarry Potter (Series)
JK Rowling

/images/the-amulet-of-samarkand-th.jpg book cover thumbnail imageThe Bartimaeus Trilogy (Series)
Jonathan Stroud

/images/beyond-the-deepwoods-th.jpg book cover thumbnail imageThe Edge Chronicles (Series)
Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

/images/war-horse-th.jpg book cover thumbnail imageWar Horse
Michael Morpurgo

/images/a-wrinkle-in-time.jpg book cover thumbnail imageA Wrinkle in Time
Madeleine L Engle

/images/the-field-guide-th.jpg book cover thumbnail imageThe Spiderwick Chronicles (Series)
Holly Black

/images/the-dragon-whisperer-th.jpg book cover thumbnail imageThe Dragonsdome Chronicles (Series)
Lucinda Hare

Image: The Golden Acorn book cover   Image: Holly Black, author   Image: Endymion Spring book cover   Image: X-Isle book cover
Book of the Month   Interviews   Must-reads for children   Competition
The Golden Acorn
Catherine Cooper
Jack Brenin's life changes the moment he finds a golden acorn lying in the grass. He gets caught up in an extraordinary magical adventure and enters a world he believed only existed in legend.

 

Holly Black
The 2 Steves
Steve Augarde
David Whitley
Matthew Skelton
Melaine Bryant
Joseph Delaney
James Johnson
  The Spook's Apprentice
The Iron Man
Charlotte's Web

Endymion Spring
The Prophecy Keepers
Shadow Forest
The Midnight Charter
The Graveyard Book
The Hobbit
  September 2, 2010 will see the publication of Steve Augarde's wonderful X-Isle in paperback. To mark the occasion Random House have very kindly given us three copies to give away as prizes in our latest competition.
Previous winners   Interview archive     Click here to enter!

News

Fantasy news round-up, August 2, 2010

Dawn Treader: new movie poster and trailer  Dawn Treader, the film based on the CS Lewis book from the Narnia Chronicles, is being directed by British filmmaker Michael Apted and has been written...

Fantasy news round-up, June 30 2010

A round-up of the main fantasy-related news stories that have been published over the pat seven days. Peter Jackson To Direct The Hobbit? It's the news all fans of the Lord of the Rings trilogy,...

Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book wins prestigious Carnegie Medal

Neil Gaiman has won the most sought after prize for children's fiction in the UK, the 2010 CILIP Carnegie Medal for The Graveyard Book. Having already won the 2009 Newbery Medal, the prestigious US e...

The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica to be adapted for the silver screen

Travis Adam Wright is set to adapt the first two books in The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series by James A. Owen, The Hollywood Reporter reports. The books, Here, There be Dragons, an...

The 20 greatest children's books ever, according to The Telegraph

Some are time-worn classics, some more recently embraced. Lucinda Everett selects the stories that resonate with the young decade after decade. We think that it is a great list and have added some of ...

Fantasy news round-up – April 14, 2010

Harry Potter to be re-cloaked JK Rowling's Harry Potter series is to be given a fresh set of covers. Publisher Bloomsbury has taken the decision to give the books a facelift in a bid to attract ne...

See The Hobbit brought to life in Edinburgh this March

Bilbo Baggins, a quiet and contented Hobbit, has his life turned upside down when he is chosen by Gandalf the Sorcerer to join Thorin Oakenshield, exiled King of the Dwarves, on his quest to reclaim t...

Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy to open this month

This month will see the launch of the new Sussex Centre for Folklore, Fairy Tales and Fantasy, a project which will explore the importance of fairy takes in literary and culture. Professor Bill Gray,...

News of the first ever CS Lewis conference to be held in France

A call for papers on CS Lewis, His Friends and Associates: Questions of Identity has been issued. An international conference, to be held June 2-3, 2011 at the Lille Catholic University, will be the f...

CS Lewis College to be built in honour of Narnia author

C.S. Lewis is having a college created in his name and it will be located on the  sprawling 217-acre campus of a former New England boarding school. The C.S. Lewis Foundation has long been consi...