I'm currently hip deep reading Narnia. Every January, due to how miserable the weather is and how depressed everyone seems to get, I read a massive book to pull my attention and keep my spirits up. Last year I read The Stand by Stephen King and this year I decided to read the entirety of The Chronicles of Narnia. So far I have completed the first two and am in the middle of the third book, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which is currently my favorite.
I have the edition that binds all seven books in one paperback brick which, unfortunately, makes the gross error of printing them in timeline order instead of release date. I much prefer reading author's works in chronological order, so I just keep skipping around the massive brick in order to keep the pace. It's working just fine.
In recent years much has been made about the Christian allegory in these stories, but I don't really understand the issue. Any sort of Christianity is used the way it's supposed to be used-- in tandem with the story. The tale never goes off on a tangent like many books nowadays about authors' pet peeves or political party of choice, but only what the characters think and feel in relation to the moment they are thinking them. As it is, the stories flow wonderfully.
Actually, I'm sort of itching to get back to them, so I'll cut it short.
There's no wonder why these stories are classics and will always be read to children-- they speak truth and beauty all within a ripping fantasy adventure yarn. No matter how many authors try to rip it off or invert it, those efforts will fall by the wayside. Sixty five years after they first were published, Narnia is still a wonderful place to visit. And it always will be.
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