Tanzeela Muhamamd

Into the Lion’s Den

Lions are the king of the jungle because of their majestic appearance and which lion could be more majestic than Aslan from “The Chronicles of Narnia”. The books and the movies themselves are a marvel.  I think this is one of those series whose film adaptations have done justice to them like the “Hunger Games”.

The books are written using very easy to understand language but yet this has not compromised the quality of the content. I think this is the biggest achievement of C.S. Lewis as a writer to have spun the simplest of words into the most beautiful sentences. The narration of the book is superb not only it can be understood from an elementary school grader to a PhD scholar but how every character and event has been written down; it is as if you are living the story.

The story itself seems to be inspired from the Bible and many claim that Aslan has been inspired from the Lion of Judah. These claims, I believe, are very valid to quite an extent because while reading the book you get the feeling that the author is hinting Aslan to be Jesus. Well what Lewis’s true intention was only he knows. The concept of other worlds in the book and the possibility of travel between them is just like that in “His Dark Materials” also known as the “Golden Compass Series”. Both books seem to have conflict with church the later one more.  

Leaving aside the religious disputes over the book, I love the story line and how all books have been interlinked like beads woven together in a string. I am a huge fan of fiction novels especially fantasy involving mythological creatures and Aslan is one of my favorite characters. I wish there was a lion this big in the real world and I would have it as a pet!!! Pretty crazy huh?! C.S, Lewis has raised the stature of lions and placed them on the same level as dragons and elves. Not only Aslan, every character has a unique place and the perfectly fits into the puzzle of the story.

The books are so addictive that once you start reading you just can’t put them down. A movie cannot present all the details in it so if you like details read the books. I had watched the movies first but when I read the book; how the Snow/Evil Queen got to Narnia was quite the discovery. The history of the famous Wardrobe is also there and did you know the Queen even made to the human world?!  All these details are the life of the story though for me it was a disappointment how Susan turned out in the end. Didn't like that detail also that everyone died except her. I would recommend getting a soft cover version of the book if you buying all together in a single volume because you hard cover copy will literally fall apart reason being that you won’t let the book go before you are done reading it and by the time you will be the binding would have lost its will to stay put.

 The copy I have has a timeline in it to make things interesting. All the events have been jotted down to present a summary of the chronicles. This feature adds to the feel of the book. Though when reading you already are there in Narnia; Aslan’s den, but such details make it more convincing. Also the illustrations are really awesome. Though whichever copy of the book you have, it is a must read and the perfect gift for anyone who loves fiction.