# Poll: your favorite Chronicles of Narnia book? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2018, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880 "2018-12-10T06:08:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/21 "2018-12-10T15:50:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Eonwe** : > > The phrase/concept “utter East” is very evocative to me. The same concept draws me in in LeGuin’s A Wizard of Earthsea, when Ged pursues the shadow into the East Reach, or the Elves of Middle Earth sailing into the west. > > The ocean as a boundary or transitional state between the known and unknown, or the mundane and divine, is a powerful and compelling concept. Of course, that’s hardly a concept that’s original with Lewis or Tolkien. I’m pretty sure that every culture who’s lived next to the ocean has had something similar. But yes, he did it well. ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/22 "2018-12-10T16:04:34Z")
I read all of the books multiple times both as a child and as an adult, and I’ve read all of them to my older children as well. Dawn Treader was always my favorite when I was a kid. Now, it’s hard to pick one that stands out above the rest. I voted Dawn Treader though. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/23 "2018-12-10T16:12:56Z")
Oddly enough, as I grew up in a very literary home, I didn’t encounter the Narnia books until a college literature course. Because I was (more or less) an adult when I read them, it was The Silver Chair that stood out for me as the better written book, although I truly labored over choosing that title over Dawn Treader, which was my sentimental favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/24 "2018-12-10T16:34:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Though I’ll also say that, after re-reading them as an adult, _A Horse and his Boy_ went up several notches in my estimation. Most of that book just sailed right over my head as a child, but there’s a lot there once you see it. Yea, after reading several of the others to my daughter we had to take a pause on this one. The Horse and His Boy is a more complex story and the language was much more difficult. I spent a lot of time explaining what was going on. However, it did add to my enjoyment. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/25 "2018-12-10T16:59:51Z")
I do enjoy _The Voyage of the Dawn Treader_, because of the high adventure feel and episodic nature with new things around every corner. And _The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe_ was a wonderful discovery in my church’s library, exposing me to a type of book I’d never encountered before: allegory but fun–magic, but Christian. I felt naughty reading it. But I think the book I got the most enjoyment out of when I first read it was _The Magician’s Nephew_. I read it in its proper place–after all the others besides _The Last Battle_. As the first prequel I ever encountered, I enjoyed how it filled in past info. I enjoyed the stuff taking place in the house and how it felt like an adventure I could have done. I enjoyed the creation of the world. But, most of all, I just enjoyed the concept of those rings. Of something almost sci-fi rather than fantasy to get them between worlds. I adored that sort of stuff as a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/26 "2018-12-10T17:53:07Z")
The Magician’s Nephew is the one that has stayed the most with me. The scenes of Jadis of Charn rampaging through Edwardian London are a joy. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/27 "2018-12-10T18:16:22Z")
A Horse and His Boy. Unfortunate portrayal of the Calormenes aside, anyway. The Silver Chair is a close second, providing as it does, my favourite example of ‘language marches on’ - the scene where Jill ‘makes love’ with the giants.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/28 "2018-12-10T20:32:32Z")
I voted for _Dawn Treader_, which really captured my imagination as a kid. Sailing to the end of the world! Meeting strange people and having adventures! And coming at last to Aslan’s home in the Utter East, where the sun is born anew each day. I love that book so much that when the movie came out a few years ago I refused to see it. I hated how the movies had taken the soul out of _The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe_ and _Prince Caspian_ and I knew seeing their bastardized version of Dawn Treader would break my heart. It’s hard to choose a second favorite. It would have to be between _Wardrobe_ and _The Horse and his Boy._ The next tier would be _Silver Chair_, mostly for Puddleglum, and _The Last Battle_ just for the eschatological ecstasy and tying everything up with a bow. Also, growing up in a conservative Christian home, it was my first exposure to the idea that non-Christians (non-Aslan-believers) could end up in heaven, which was pretty eye-opening for me. ---
**Author:** ![Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petrobey_Mavromihalis)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/29 "2018-12-11T01:20:15Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Also, growing up in a conservative Christian home, it was my first exposure to the idea that non-Christians (non-Aslan-believers) could end up in heaven, which was pretty eye-opening for me. As long as they don’t wear lipstick! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/30 "2018-12-11T01:54:00Z")
The Silver Chair is the best for me. Puddleglum, their quest, the whole journey draws me in. I love Voyage of the Dawn Treader as well. A close second. ---
**Author:** ![Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petrobey_Mavromihalis)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/31 "2018-12-11T02:11:31Z")
I have very little memory of _The Silver Chair_, whereas _Treader_ and Reepicheep have stayed with me since childhood. Puddleglum does ring a vague bell, however. In light of what everyone has said I am looking forward to rereading _The Silver Chair_ as an adult. Not sure I can face _The Last Battle_ though. (I’m reading them to my son in Narnian chronological order, so have already done _The Magician’s Nephew_, which has lots of good bits, and _Horse and his Boy_ which was excellent bar the out-of-date racism.) ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/32 "2018-12-11T03:33:53Z")
> [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](#): > > As long as they don’t wear lipstick! That’s not really the point. The problem with Susan is that she knows such a world exists and has effectively met God and is now actively denying both things for purely material reasons. I have a feeling that this sort of idea is somehow dealt with better in the space trilogy, but I can’t put my finger on it. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/33 "2018-12-11T03:57:05Z")
As a kid, The Magician’s Nephew, with its delirious worldbuilding, was a favorite. The Silver Chair, with its horror undertones (overtones?) stuck with me. I voted for the former but considered the latter. I never finished A Horse and his Boy. Bored stiff by it whenever I tried. I’ve only reread bits and pieces as an adult, and those only in my early 20s, when I was at my most aggro atheist stage. Lewis struck me as preachy and meanspirited, but I should give him another chance sometime. ---
**Author:** ![Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petrobey_Mavromihalis)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/34 "2018-12-11T04:02:01Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > That’s not really the point. The problem with Susan is that she knows such a world exists and has effectively met God and is now actively denying both things for purely material reasons. Not just any old ‘material reasons’, but particularly those associated with adolescent female sexuality. As for the space books, I coped with, and enjoyed, the first two - mainly due to the fantastic imagery - but I found _That Hideous Strength_ unreadable. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/35 "2018-12-11T04:04:51Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > That’s not really the point. The problem with Susan is that she knows such a world exists and has effectively met God and is now actively denying both things for purely material reasons. > > I have a feeling that this sort of idea is somehow dealt with better in the space trilogy, but I can’t put my finger on it. _The Great Divorce_ is full of that kind of thing. In the Space trilogy though, I think the best example of a materialist’s downfall might be Devine, whose unrelenting self-centeredness is proof against any sort of whisper of ethics or values outside of the Me principle, and whose moral core is portrayed as inferior even to Weston’s (who ends up effectively selling his soul to the devil) It was a hard choice, but I voted _Silver Chair_ for my Narnia book … not for any one reason, but for everything. Puddleglum. Metaphysical arguments with the Green Lady (“what is this ‘sun’?”). Bism. The whole feeling of the quest through the desolate wilderness. I just love it. Also - can we have a round of applause please for PUBLICATION ORDER! Well done, that man! ---
**Author:** ![Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petrobey_Mavromihalis)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/36 "2018-12-11T04:07:10Z")
Just doing a bit of background reading as this has interested me and I found this great quote by George Orwell, who says that Lewis “is entitled to his beliefs, but they weaken his story”. I totally agree with this, but realise that many will hold very different views. ---
**Author:** ![Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petrobey_Mavromihalis)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/37 "2018-12-11T04:09:33Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Also - can we have a round of applause please for PUBLICATION ORDER! Well done, that man! Yes! As I mentioned I am reading these to my son and went for Lewis’ preferred order, but I think this was an error. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/38 "2018-12-11T04:11:50Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I’ve only reread bits and pieces as an adult, and those only in my early 20s, when I was at my most aggro atheist stage. Lewis struck me as preachy and meanspirited, but I should give him another chance sometime. Have you ever read\* Till We Have Faces?\* Fiction, not Christian apologetics - it does have the same ‘god in the background’ aspect as Narnia, but mediated through a version of the Greek pantheon rather than Christianity - though obviously he structures it in such a way as to be compatible with Christian ethics. A great grown-up fantasy book, IMNSHO ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/39 "2018-12-11T05:20:48Z")
OP here; thanks to everyone for your comments. A couple of weeks ago I found a 2013 Lewis bio,\* A Life Observed: A Spiritual Biography of CS Lewis\*, by Devin Brown, which mentions quite a number of the books including the joyful ending of _The Last Battle._ It set me rereading the series, and I realized, after starting with _The Horse and his Boy_, that I’d never really thought about ranking them according to favorites. If I had to pick just one it would currently be _Dawn Treader_, which I just reread, but over the years and at different times I’ve liked _The Silver Chair_ and _The Magician’s Nephew_ just as much, if not better. I love the quests and adventures of all three, but what strikes me most now is the variety and the bright, open air atmosphere of _Dawn Treader_, especially at the end. Seconding **Aspidistra** ’s plug for _Till We Have Faces_; I’m putting it on my reread list. And a big yes for publication order! ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880/40 "2018-12-11T07:55:26Z")
I voted for _Dawn Treader_, which has been my favourite since childhood. The ending of _The Last Battle_ is wonderful and uplifting, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-favorite-chronicles-of-narnia-book/825880.md?page=3)