Favorite Book (and book rankings)

[Adeona]

1. VDT
2. HHB
Here's where things get tough...
3. SC
4. LB
5. MN
Those three are really just about tied, in my mind.
6. LWW
7. PC

I noticed that my top three involve cross-continental travel and exploration.
That sort of thing has always attracted me. Different cultures and environments, etc. VDT's theme of high adventure on the sunny seas is particularly appealing. No world-changing battles to mar the horizon!

I'm not sure why LWW is not as high up on my list as it is on most people's. The feeling of it just is not as appealing to me as most of the others. It's rather cold and gray for much of the book, and the ending is always kind of depressing; when they have to leave Narnia for humdrum England. Of course, most of the books end like that, but going from grown Kings and Queens to schoolchildren is a particular jolt!

Got to get off for the moment. I'll try and pop in later and finish up my analizations!
EDIT: I have.

[DancingPrincesses]

1. HHB
2. VDT
3. MN
These two tie for me.
4. SC 5. LWW
6. LB
7. PC

Miley

[Alyosha]

MOD NOTE: As per the rules of this thread, please be sure to (at least) post a reason or two why you chose to put your top-ranked book on top, instead of just posting a list of abbreviations. Thanks

[adamie]

1) VDT - different from any other book I'veever read, one of my favourite children books of all time
2) LWW - because it's the start of something amazing, and it really has a way of handling great themes in a way that is understandable.
3) HHB - It's an amazing adventure, and I love how it stands on it's own.

4) SC
5) LB
6) PC
7) MN - one has got to be last. I loved the explanation and answers that are given in the book, but it feels to much like a prequel or an intro instead of a full story.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

1. SC
2. MN
3. VDT
4. LB
5. HHB
6. PC
7. LWW

The Narnia books are a strange beast. I love elements of all of them but some of the books have more stand out scenes than others.
I've given my reasons for SC and MN being my favourites (check page 1).

In VDT, I love Eustace's redemption scene and Lucy walking through the eerie corridors and looking into the spell book. I also enjoy the final scene with Aslan. VDT helped me to see that redemption required vulnerability and pain but that the end result was well worth it.

With LB, I really enjoy because there is a lot at stake but it's still kept on a personal level. It has an interesting and creative take on the Last Days. While it is a very dark and saddening book, there is also great hope for friends of Aslan. The brilliance of Shift is that he's very easy to hate (I'm not sure I've ever hated a fictional character more and I've read about some horrific characters). I also found the last battle to be fascinating. It's not hundreds of thousands of creatures and people fighting it out but roughly thirty Narnians versus several hundred others. The odds are not good for them but the small numbers make for an exhilarating and personal battle. Also, the stable scene is quite creepy but later revelatory. I think LB was the book that got me thinking about Heaven as a place to yearn for, not something of endless choir songs and harp playing. Obviously the restored Narnia is a joyful place and thankfully not the least bit cheesy.

I never used to like HHB all that much but I've grown to enjoy it. I found the book to be a vast departure from the rest of the book and that took some getting used too. What I love about HHB is the Arabian Nights adventure of it all but also Aslan's prescence in the story. He's there, guiding the main characters but often without them knowning. This book helped me to better understand the role of the Holy Spirit. I have many favourite scenes but the one where Shasta is alone, with the cat in the beehive-like tombs is very iconic. It doesn't hurt that Shasta, Aravis and Cor are great but flawed characters.

In PC, the magic is gone but there's still a lot to enjoy. I especially love the Pevensies entry into an older Narnia, and they don't realise it until later - fascinating. I also love the scenes with Caspian and his Tutor and his back-story. Finally, the confrontation with some of the White Witch's crew in the catacombs is both terrifying and illuminating.

LWW was my entry into Narnia. These scenes stay with me: finding a way into another world via a a common wardrobe. Lucy meeting Mr. Tumnus in the woods, Aslan's talk with the White Witch and Edmund and his sacrifice and resurrection. All amazing scenes. LWW helped me to look at Jesus sacrifice in a different light. It awakened an old story and made it new.

[beloved]

1. VDT- The albatross, the Lamb, the clear "I brought you here to learn about Me in your world" it's way out in first, never had a competitor from the day i picked it up (which makes the up coming move super scary)
2. HHB-The message of "I never abandoned you, not once, not ever"
3.MN- It's the song...
4.LWW-The image of a dancing lion who just rose from the dead is priceless
5.SC-Honestly Jill whines too much, but puddleglum is steadfast
6.PC-Susan just ruins the whole adventure, but Ed really saved it (hence the "well done" he gets from Aslan)
7.LB-it ended....

[king caspian]

Voyage of the Dawn Treader! I swear I was not going to sign up to narniaweb unless I knew there was going to be a movie for it. Here I am!

Horse and His Boy is a very close second, then LWW, MN, SC, LB, PC.

[sandyentersNarnia]

1. VDT -- it really caught my attention!
2. LB -- it tore me apart when Susan wasn't a friend of Narnia anymore but still I loved how it ended.
3. SC -- Gotta love Jill and Eustace's plus Puddleglum's teamwork!
4. LWW -- ahh.. Lucy and the Pevensies were great here!
5. HHB -- Narnia and the North! (very catchy line indeed).
6. PC -- Hmmm.. I loved the way how they came back to Narnia.
7. MN -- Love how Aslan created Narnia!

[Pepper Darcy]

I voted for The Silver Chair... I had to. Puddleglum just *kills* me! He's too funny! And I like the spiritual element of 'obeying Aslan no matter what it looks like is going on...'

But I almost voted for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. That is (to be honest) the same as The Silver Chair for me. So they rank side by side.

Then it would be...
The Magician's Nephew
The Last Battle
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy (though this has some elements that I value very highly, it's not my *top* favourite)

EDIT: AGH! I forgot PC! : / I'll squeeze *that* between MN and LB =D
Otherwise, SC and VDT is my top =)

[Josh]

1. The Silver Chair. This one is by far my favorite. Puddleglum is one of the most interesting characters in the series, and Jill and Eustace are my favorite "team" in the series. I also think The Lady of the Green Kirtle is the best villian. The story intrigued me the most out of the series. What happened to Rillian? Who was the woman he saw? Whats her connection to the death of Rillian's mother? How will the children find him? How will Aslan's sign's play out in the quest? This book also has the best spiritual themes...in my opinion. My favorite scene in the series is when the Lady of the Green Kirtle tries to make the children doubt the existance of Narnia and Aslan, and Puddleglum's eventual comeback to her arguments/spells. Its a great mirror of how Christian's faith gets attacked, and I jus tlike how it plays out. In addition to this, I find it has the best closing of all of the books. I liked the Caspian's return in Aslan's country, and the children returning to their world to scare all of the bullies.

2. The Magician's Nephew. I was always facinated on how this explained much of the loose ends from LWW. In addition I liked the return of the White Witch, and seeing how she entered the story. Uncle Andrew was a great character, and I liked how this story opened the ideas of other worlds...not just Narnia and ours.

3. The Last Battle. Originally, when I was in elementary school, this was my least favorite cause I hated how Susan couldnt go back to Narnia and I didnt like the killing of all of the Narnians. I didnt understand why it couldnt have been a perfectly happy ending. Now I actually apreciate it being a darker tale, and I find its parallels to the book of Revelation interesting. Its certainly the most mature, and it deals with death and the afterlife and the end of the world. Tirian is a good character, and I liked how most of the old characters all met up at the end.

4. The Horse and His Boy. This one I sorta seperate from the rest since it deals mostly with new characters, takes place completely in Narnia, and feels more like Aladdin then Narnia. Still, I think its a great story of escape and hope. My only complaints about the story is that after awhile I got sick of hearing "To Narnia and the North!" and regarding the Tisroch "May he life forever".

5. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. My first journey to Narnia. There is a lot more nostaliga with this book compared the rest. It has a bit more of a fairy tale feel then the others, but I still like it. I like the family dynamic between the Pevensies. Aslan is featured most here, which I like. And it also has Narnian's most famous villain...the White Witch.

6. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. This book was always good, but not great to me. By far the most interesting aspect of it is the character of Eustace. I did like some of the spiritual messages, and there were several memorable moments (Aslan undragoning Eustace, Lucy searching through the spellbook, the sea serpant). My biggest problem with this novel is that there was no plot driving it forward. While each island was fun to read, I felt not urge to go to the next chapter. I also felt the end sort of dragged on. Still, good novel.

7. Prince Caspian. Don't hate me for saying this, but I actually dislike this book. The only thing I enjoyed about it was the first chapter or so when the Pevensies return to Narnia. The big problem is that once they return, we then have to hear Trumpkin tell a story in flashback mode about Prince Caspian. While Caspian's story is interesting, we want to be in the present...with the Pevensies. After that the story became a long long long walk through the forest, with Lucy spotting Aslan and Susan's constant whining. Seriously, Susan was more annoying then Edmund in LWW. After the boring walks, they meet Aslan (finally) and then instead of rushing to Caspian's aid they PARTY! Seriously, in a time of war we see the girls and later the guys just party. Yes its great that Aslan woke up the trees, but all tension is lost if we see people partying throughout the novel. Peter and Edmund stop the hag and the werewolf (in one of the novels more interesting moments) and Peter and Miraz engage in a duel. The following battle is hardly described and we instead see Aslan talking to Bacchus (what the heck was Lewis thinking) who then PARTIES with a group of followers. While the reader misses out on the exciting battle, we watch kids get turned into animals, and a parade through Miraz's kindgom. Once the party (and the battle) end, Aslan tells the Peter and Susan they can't return...which is depressing. Boring moments, pointless partying, a convoluted plot, and weird storytelling format make Prince Caspian the least favorite of the series. This is probably why I love most of the movie changes. They fixed almost all of my problems with the book. The only thing I liked better in the book then in the movie (aside from some of Aslan's lines being better), is the scene where Caspian reunites with his nurse. That was touching moment.

[Lady Haleth]

1 SC--Puddleglum is awesome, and this one really helped me when I was struggling with my faith. Caspian's death nearly made me cry.
2 VDT--I love the idea of sailing to the end of the world, and Caspian, Reepicheep, and Eustace are awesome characters. The Dark Island is one of the scariest scenes.
3 HHB--I love talking horses, and I liked the exotic atmosphere. The characters are good too. Bree, Aravis, Cor, Corin...And the most hilarious scene of Rabadash turning into a donkey!
4 MN--two words: Uncle Andrew. He is so funny. I love the Creation symbolism, the backstory of the Witch, the Witch causing havoc in London, and the Talking Animals reaction to Uncle Andrew.
5 TLB--Its like Revelations. I have loved Revelations since I was five. Puzzle is funny, Jewel is awesome, and I loved the return of Jill and Eustace and the descriptions of the New Narnia. So beautiful!
6 PC/LWW--I just like the other ones better. But PC has a lot of great characters (Reepicheep, Trufflehunter, Trumpkin, Wimbleweather), and it has some exciting scenes. I didn't mind the romps at all. Silenus was a hoot! LWW has Aslan's death and resurrection, the latter which was one of my favorite scenes. I liked the Beavers, the redemption of Edmund, and how the statues came to life.

[Ithilwen]

My favorite is The Silver Chair. (Even though it's more of a tie between it and The Magician's Nephew) I love The Silver Chair because it is the first book with Eustace and Jill in it together. Plus, I absolutely love Puddleglum. And every chapter of it was exciting. I can't wait to see that one turned into a movie.

1. The Silver Chair
2. The Magician's Nephew
3. Voyage of the Dawn Treader
4. Prince Caspian
5. The Last battle
6. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
7. The Horse and His Boy

[Boy Scout]

I like VDT the most. It is so differnt from the the other books. It has many stories that all come to gether into one.
1. VDT
2.LB (Has a very deep meaning and is told magnificently)
3.MN (For pretty much the same reason as LB)
4.HHB (A rather differnt book it is the definition of adventure story. Its gonna be a great moive.)
5.SC (It seems more like a mystery book, which is okay I guess.)
6.LWW (Although it is by far the most famous book, and the one that first got me into Narnia, I feel it was surpassed by the later books.)
7.PC (Altough the characters were awesome, the story was lacking something. it seemed more like a story that was writen as you go along rather than a book that was carefully planned out. It seems to be at the bottom of a lot of peoples' list.)

[aragorn2]

MY favorites would be
1.HBB
2.VDT
3.PC
4.LB
5.MN
6.SC
7.LWW

[Valiant]

1.LWW- My introduction to Narnia. I always felt it was the most magical.
2.SC- I love the themes found here. I also like Puddleglum character
3.LB-Is filled with emotion and excitmemnt
4.HHB- Shasta, Aravis, and I loved the general story
5.MN-I liked finding out about all the "other worlds." I was glad to find out the WW's,Professor's, and and Wardrobe's backstory
6.VDT- I liked finding out why the children came to Narnia. I loved the "I have another name,' line
7.PC- My least favorite b/c of the flashback and how we just cut off from the Pevensies all of a sudden. I just didn't like the structure.

[Shastafan]

Here's my list:

1.VDT: I loved the idea of sailing the unknown, and discovering things like dragons, dufflepuds, and stars! The emotional plot is also what I cherish, including Eustace's conversion. Maybe this is why I'm upset about the changes, but I still love it!

2.HHB: This one is my mom and sister's favorite book, and I can't help loving it. Just like VDT, it has the the feeling of the unknown, and I love how brave and wistful Shasta is, hence my name!

3.MN: I read this one first, and I relish in seeing the first days of Narnia. Digory and Polly are awesome, and Digory's struggle with his dying mother is very sweet and makes me feel sympathetic for him.

4.SC: Eustace, Jill, and Puddlegum make this story intriging to me. The plot is also very cool, and I like the idea of going underground to save a trapped prince.

5.LWW: Although I don't like this book as much as the others, I love getting to Alsan sacrifice himself for Edmund, and the fight between good and evil. Because I don't like it as much, maybe that's why most of the movie works well with me!

6.LB: This is definetly the darkest of all the books. It has very strong themes, and I'm glad that everyone(except Susan) returns to Narnia. Because of the darkness, this book is definetly not my favorite, but it's still a great, meaningful conclusion to Narnia.

7.PC: Even if this one is my least favorite of them all, it's a fantastic story that is very well done. Reepicheep is spectacular, and the other characters are very lovable. I'm sure this is why I'm extremely neutral to the changes in the movie, since this one wasn't very important to me.