Favorite Book (and book rankings)

[PollyP]

my favourite is by far is the magicians nephew after that hear is my list-

1.TSC
2.HAHB
3.VOTDT
4.PC
5.TLWW
6.TLB

[Lucy_the_Oracle]

Okay, here goes:

1. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: I'm not exactly sure why this is my favorite, it's just always been that way. I guess because there are so many different, smaller adventures within the one big one. And also, Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace are all high on my list of favorite characters. You get to see more of them. And it has a dragon. I love dragons.

2. The Silver Chair: This one is a favorite because I relate to Jill so well. Also, I read this out loud to my sister when we were about eight and nine, so it has a bunch of fun memories tied to it, aside from the story itself. Oh, plus: It has Puddleglum!

3. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: Of course. The idea is just so wonderful: You're far from home, a war is going on, and you just happen to open a wardrobe...

4. The Horse and His Boy: ... it's number 4 because... because... Well... I like seeing the Pevensies older, for one. It's also cool to see Aslan working in the background of it all, although you don't realize until He tells you. And Bree makes me laugh.

5. The Magician's Nephew: It answered a lot of questions, and the creation scene is so beautiful! I also love the story of the wardrobe at the very end. Plus, I want to go to the Wood Between the Worlds almost as much as I want to go to Narnia itself, for whatever reason.

6. Prince Caspian: I don't know why this is so low. I guess... Hm. I never liked the character of Caspian that much. Not that I disliked him; it's impossible to do that. There are just other people I would rather be reading about, and he takes a big chunk of the book.

7. The Last Battle: It's sad. Yes, they all went to Aslan's Country and things are going to be wonderful, but what about Susan? I mean, I can see her leaving and all, but still. We need to be told how she gets back! (And this is probably a little off topic, but I firmly believe she does. I just want to know how.) And the scene about the end of Narnia makes me cry. You come to love the world so much, and then it's gone. Yes, the real Narnia is still there... But the one we could get to is gone, and now we have to wait 'til we die.

[Arwenel]

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

HHB: I just generally like the whole thing. I think part of the reason i would name it as my favorite, though, is because i purposely didn't read it for years - the summary on the back did not get my interest at all, but when i finally read it, i really enjoyed it.

VDT: This one and MN are really close; i like both - again, it took me a while to read them - and all top 3 have the greatest number of my favorite quotes.

LWW: The classic tale that started it all. I don't dislike anything about this one particularly, it just isn't a top-favorite.

SC: I think i would say i really do like all of the Chronicles, but i wouldn't put the last three in my top favorites. What i didn't like about this one - i never liked Jill, i didn't like that she and Eustace called each other by their last names (i realize it's accurate to their time/culture, but i still didn't like it), and i didn't like that throughout almost the whole thing they weren't behaving very well. Still, Puddleglum is a great character, and the story is interesting.

PC: I would have to say, the slow beginning with the Pevensies is actually probably my favorite part. I didn't really feel engaged for Caspian or his allies, i didn't like the attitudes of the children while they were traveling with Trumpkin, and it ended so quickly.

LB: The ending has never moved me like it has other people. I didn't like the way Susan was treated - i get the message about the difference between acting grown-up and being grown-up, but i didn't get why after only about 2 paragraphs, they never bring her up ever again, and it bothered me that she got dropped in favor of Jill (whom i never really liked) or Polly (who only showed up in one book). I wouldn't say it's a bad book, but i never cared for it.

[puddleglum32]

I think my favorites were the HHB and SC. I love puddleglum and shasta. Puddleglum is brave and noble while Shasta is humble and courteous.

[Anfinwen]

1. MN
2. HHB
3. LWW
4. LB
5. PC
6. SC
7. VDT
The Magician's Nephew is my favorite book because of it's epic yet human nature. The various places described in the book have always captured my imagination. MN is so complete and powerful.

[OftheNORTH0095]

My book rankings would have to be......

1. The Silver Chair - for the adventures and for the fact that readers get a glimpse into the northern part of narnia. Also, i like the book for some memorable characters: Puddleglum, Glimfeather, and the giants of Harfand.
2. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
3. The Lion, The Withch, and The Wardrobe
4. The Last Battle
5. The Magicians Nephew
6. Prince Caspian
7. The Horse and His Boy

[Clive Staples Sibelius]

1. The Silver Chair - I love this the best because of combination of the mood ( gray, silvery, and rainy) and its theme of following and recognizing Aslan's signs even when it seems they aren't there or that things happen randomly. I also find Puddleglum's argument a swift and sweet kick in the face to resigned materialism.

2. The Last Battle - What's special to me about the last chronicle is how moving and beautiful it can be whilst telling a very dark and ugly story about treachery and manipulation. Everything works in reverse in this book (has anyone else noticed this?) The bad guys "win," and yet Aslan shows how it was all part of his plan. Nothing can be truly turned against God, for he always finds a purpose for it.

3. Prince Caspian - This one took me a while to appreciate, but it's a very very special book. It's also a remarkably complex one (as are all the chronicles, beneath their seemingly simple surfaces. Even beneath the assigned "allegorical" interpretations put on them by many). This book makes me sigh that kind of sigh where you know things have finally been set right with justice, as well as an air of jollity. It's that infamous Bacchus chapter that does it for me---NOT because of Bacchus, but because of the wild lovingness of Aslan who frees the school teacher and heals the old nurse. Those two moments get me teary every time.

4. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - This used to my be absolute favorite, and being knocked down to fourth place is no insult to it. I haven't changed my mind about it one bit. It is still as powerfully enchanting as ever. As with The Silver Chair, it's the overall effect of the mood (this time very golden). The last three chapters are so inspired and I'm hardly able to know what to say about them, definitely. I think it's that reaching for Aslan's Country as a real, physical place. It makes my heart leap because I so prefer it to any idea of heaven as metaphorical.

5. The Magician's Nephew - Every book has its defining scene. LWW has the stone table scene, LB has Aslan ending the world, and MN has the creation of the world. What is powerful about Narnia are the clearness and cleanness of its images. Reading that passage is like listening to music.


6. The Horse and His Boy - I'm going down the list here, but I have nothing bad at all to say about the "low-end" books. HHB strikes me most powerfully of all, sometimes. The awesomeness of Aslan comes out very wonderfully in this book when it is revealed to Shasta that He, Aslan, was the one guiding him all along. If that doesn't make you cry, I don't know what will.

7. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe - LWW has always stood apart from the rest of the series, yet it is the core of the series, as it should be since it contains the most powerful portrayal of (unending!) love and forgiveness. It really does shine the light on the rest of the series. And for me, it was always important that Edmund (while walking towards the witches house) had never really turned "Evil." It was important that Peter had to make up with Edmund and admit his own faults as well.

I love this series

[cherish]

Well, I can't vote because I've didn't read all the books. I'm at the third book called The Horse and His Boy and it's quite interesting. I would like to find out who's really Shasta, because at the beginning I thought that he was indeed Prince Corin, but it turned out to be that he isn't. It's a mistery for me in this moment. I loved the Magician's Nephew, because I've read the extraordinary part when Narnia was created and I imagined it in my mind and it was awsome but I've also like The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, because the four kids at the beginning were so innocent. It was a bit different that the movie, of course it's always like that, but I liked all the two books I've finished and I would like the third book and the others one, beucase The Chronicles of Narnia will be one of my favourite series!

[Jadis101]

1.) The Magcian's Nephew- I just think it a perfect blend of comedy and drama. All of the characters are great, the plot is very interesting and overall I feel the story has alot of heart.

2.) The Silver Chair- A bit on the darker side but again the characters are wonderful and the story is interesting. LotGK is such a unique villain.

3.) Voyage of the Dawn Treader- I like how the story is told in this one and going from different islands and such. Plus I have always liked pirate/ship stories.

4.) The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe- The classic that started it all not much to say that hasn't been already said.

5.) Prince Caspian- This one is good but I haven't read it in awhile I do like alot of characters in it though.

6.) Horse and His Boy- I haven't read this one in ages but I remember thinking it was ok. Maybe I should re-read it my cousin loves this one becasue she loves horses lol.

7.) The Last Battle- Too sad )=

[PuddleCheep]

Ever since I discovered Narnia, I've had a hard time choosing a favorite. I've had three different favorites in my lifetime, but here I'll say what my fav is now.

(1) HB: I love this book for several reasons. First, I love how it differs so much from the rest of the book. It doesn't have kids from England come in and have adventures; it focuses on characters from the Narnian world. I love getting to know more about the countries around Narnia. There is so much humor in the story. And, well, it's such a good story!

(2) SC: Terrific characters and a great story!

(3) VDT: The fantasy is so much more present which makes me like this book more. Also, I love Reepicheep and I liked learning more about him.

(4) LB: One of the darkest and comforting book in the series. And I like how the story takes a twist on what you expect would happen to Narnia.

(5) LWW: Even though I love this book, it's not as good as the books after it. But I love the Aslan/Christ ressurection parts.

(6) MN: Although I love finding out the backstory for Narnia and Jadis, it isn't quite as...likeable as the others.

(7) PC: I used to like it a lot as a kid but the story drags on a little and sort of rehashes LWW's storyline.

[Louloudi the Centaur]

My favorite book of Narnia is between MN and LB. The creation in The Magician's Nephew, to start with is just glorious(and it has my favorite character, Digory Kirke, in it ). The new Narnia at the end of The Last Battle, is beyond glorious or even description. No more tears, no more fears, and the feeling of it never ending is just amazing.

[Valiant]

I think LWW will always be my favorite, but after that, I'm constantly changing my opinion. I love MN, SC, HHb, and LB. I liked VDT and PC.

[Edmund_The_Just]

1) VDT
Sailing to the end of the world where nobody has been before just sounds awesome and exciting to me. I love the idea that you can actually sail there and therefore the narnian world isn't a world ball.

2) LWW
Edmund's development. AWESOME. Enough said

3) MN
It was so exciting to read how everything started. For example, how Jadis came into Narnia, why the kings and queens of Narnia are human, the story behind the lamppost and so on

4) SC
The story is great and I do love Puddleglum .

5) PC
I really like how the narnian air is working on the Pevensies and how they become stronger every moment while beeing in Narnia. It gives me the creeps when they realize that they must have been away for a very long time, that everything has changed and that there is not much left of Cair Paravel.

6) HHB
I can't really say why I liked the other 5 books more. Maybe it's because I like Narnia and the wild lands of north more than the south and especially the culture there.

7) LB
I have to say that I think the ending is kinda sad. I know it is supposed to be a happy ending, but I don't like them dying that young in our world and I don't like the end of Narnia. Plus, I would have liked Susan coming back...

[wizardjna]

my favorite is MN because it tells the creation of Narnia and It is the beginning of the great adventures of Narnia. The last is LB because I wanted Narnia to never end, less even that way

MN
VDT
LWW
SC
HHB
PC
LB

[parableproductions]

1. The Last Battle is definitely my favorite - I actually get excited when I read the parts where they are running and swimming up the waterfall! It makes me feel like I'm getting just a little taste of what Heaven is like (oh, not the specifics, just the overwhelming joy) And the "dark" part of the book when things in Narnia are falling apart, well, I get a lot of encouragement from it - remain faithful, even when things are going against you and it seems that there is no one on your side. Especially in the times we are living through right now and the way things look like they are going - I don't know, I guess I just relate to the message in the first part of the book and the joy that I feel in the last part of the book reminds me that the struggle is worth it.

As far as ranking them - that's hard (from what I've read here - most of us are in agreement on that at least) But, here goes.

2. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - because of the parallels with the Gospel - plus I just love how Lewis expresses how horrible things are under the White Witch. I mean, it's always winter (which is pretty bleak) and to top it off, you don't even get to enjoy the one really good thing about winter, because it's never Christmas! And I know that this is about the books, but there was one lesson that was left out of the movie that really disappointed me - after the battle when Lucy uses her cordial to heal Edmund she waits to see if it is really going to work and Aslan asks her if more must die for Edmund. The point of that is that even when you are on the right track and doing what you are supposed to, you might not be doing EVERYTHING that you are supposed to and we sometimes in to be reminded. I listened to the director's commentary and he didn't understand why Aslan scolded Lucy so he left it out. (But I really like the movie too)

3. The Horse and His Boy - poor Shasta! He goes through all these hardships and then when they reach the Hermit's place, he doesn't get to rest but has to keep running - doing the right thing isn't always easy (in fact it usually isn't easy at all) but you are usually rewarded in ways that you can't even imagine. Shasta is given the gift of seeing how everything fit together when Aslan walks by him and tells him that he was always with him. I really relate to Shasta more than any of the other characters in any of the books.

4. Voyage of the Dawn Treader - you have to love a book that begins with "There once was a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it." One of my favorite parts is when Eustace is telling Edmund how he became a boy again and then apologizes for being such a stinker before. Edmund tells him that he was far worse on his first trip to Narnia and Eustace immediately tells him not to talk about it then. That, more than anything, shows how much Eustace has grown - because human nature is to say "oh, really? Tell me all about it" Eustace knew that if Edmund was worse than he was that it was pretty bad and didn't want to have Edmund live through the memory of it.

5. The Silver Chair - great adventure, LOTS of lessons and they actually get to bring something from Narnia back with them - their clothes aren't changed back to what they were wearing when they left. There is a lot of spiritual meat in this book.

6. Prince Caspian - I LIKE Caspian's story being told as a flashback. I also like Lucy and Susan's romp with Aslan - the point was of which was to see who would follow Aslan. Not all the Telemarines and Narnians were on the battlefield - Aslan going around and gathering those that would follow him was perfect. And Susan really needed that time with Aslan after her unbelief. I also really like the fact that Peter, Trumpkin, and Edmund stood outside the door until Peter was sure that Caspian was going to do the right thing - he let Caspian face his temptation and reassured himself that he was really on the right side. Peter also lets Caspian know pretty early that he is just there to help, but to take over and rule himself. Peter still conducted himself like the High King should.

7. Magician's Nephew - love this book as well, but not as much as the others. One of my biggest qualms is that Lewis kind of changed who the White Witch was - in LWW she is decended from Lilith and the Jinns on one side and Giants on the other in MN she's from a world called Charn. What I loved about this book was Aslan singing Narnia into existance and the compassion that he had for Digory who was worried about his mother. (kind of reminds me of the story of Lazurus - Jesus wept when Martha came and told Him that her brother was dead, He cried with Martha)

Peter also lets Caspian know pretty early that he is just there to help, but to take over and rule himself.

I meant that Peter was NOT there to take over and rule himself - that's what I get for typing when I'm tired!

[Narnia-Forever]

Geez...this is HARD! I think this is it...but then again, it changes every time I read them again:
1-LWW
2-HHB
3-MN
4-VDT
5-SC
6-PC
7-LB
I love the ending in the Last Battle...and truly I love all the books so much, they all have a special place in my heart...but if one has to be last I guess this would be it..