C.S. Lewis

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Hmm, all those Tolkien-discussions here.... I saw there are also books by C.S. Lewis for sale on Sorcerers.... (however only the real fantasy-books of him)

Has anyone here read the Narnia-chronicles and the more religious books?

 

I remember reading the Narnia chronicles when I was in sixth grade, although I don't recall much more than the creature that was given the bottomless sack of food. Wasn't there some sort of portal travel too? Or was that a different story?

 

Might be.. a portal occurs a few times in the story...

The good thing is that this fantasy-story also has a religious message, Aslan is a bit a Jesus in this story, sacrificing his life to save the children, and comming to life again later. But the story just as story is already great.

And did anyone know that Tolkien was inspired by Lewis, not only in fantasy but also in faith.

 

Wasnt Tolkien and Lewis like best buddies and inspired of eachother?
I have read the Narnia books and they are decent. Real good for a kid. But they are a little inconsistent and hard to understand in wich order they come and how many there are.

 

joc-Lewis didn't right them like a current Fantasy author. He wrote them as he was inspired, not as a series of events (like the Wheel of Time).

I've read lots of Lewis. My favorite Non-Narnia book is the "Screwtape Letters". Screwtape is a master devil teaching his nephew Wormwood how to lead a man's life to Hell. The book is hilarious and also fascinating.

Another great is "The Great Divorce". You take an Omnibus Ride from Purgatory to the foothills of heaven. .... I guess you have to read it to understand.

They are both a part of "The CS Lewis Signiture Classics" availible at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060653027/sorcerersplace/002-4870087-1440007

[This message has been edited by Mathetais (edited January 11, 2002).]

 

SOme other excellent books of him are:

Light through Darkness, and the Oath.

 

Wasnt it Lewis that wrote those weird SF books about a hidden planet or something?

 

Yeah ... Lewis' Space Trilogy was weird, but original!

 

Lewis had a great fantasy and could combine it excellent with some religious things. Tal, in what book of the Narnia Chronicles did you stop? The last two books are really fantastic.... And the books are very easy to.. consume.

 

Tal: Seeing as you just finished that FR novel, Finder's Bane, I'd say you need to get your priorities straightened out a bit, or however that saying goes.

Oh, and I read the Narnia books about six years ago. Good books. I felt sad at the end of the last book though. Guess I just hate endings, as I felt the same at the end of the lord of the rings...

[This message has been edited by Azardu (edited January 12, 2002).]

 

Hmm, I read them when I was really young, and didn't get the religous symbolism, but now I've heard people mention it, I spot the more obvious bits, like Aslan sacrificing himself on the slab and coming back to life.

 

I agree with the above feeling, C.S. Lewis is a fine author. Although, one of his more serious books quite literally put me to sleep once! (I forgot which one, but I did wake up and finish it...)

Edit... I meant to say - I have read almost all of his books.

[This message has been edited by Masher (edited January 12, 2002).]

 

Erm.... I first read the Narnia books about nine years ago Has anybody read that science fiction trilogy by CS Lewis...? IIRC, it's "Out of the Silent Planet", "Perelandra", and "That Hideous Strength". VERY religious, at heart. But nice books.

 

Hm... I read the Narnia books a year ago... for the 2nd or 3rd time I think. But they were really good books even though they were religious. Good stuff.

 

The ending of the Narnia series was pretty interesting; I didnt get it when I read them (I was about 8 I think) but the ending of The Last Battle was based in the philosophy of Plato rather than Christianity; stuff about the Forms etc. I dont want to go into too much more detail as it will spoil things for those who still wish to read the books.

 

I loved the Narnia books -- the Perelandra books, not so much. I reread them all a few years ago and they are just as interesting to me as an adult as the were to me as a kid. The Christian themes are fascinating. I am interested to hear that the Last Battle referenced Plato, as I did not catch that at all. The Last Battle, in fact, was the only one I did not like in that series because I worried that Lewis was making a statement about race, or non-Western culture, that I could not share.

There is a lovely play about Lewis as a writer and a Christian called "Shadowlands", by William Nicholson. My 1991 copy claims on the cover that it is soon to be a major motion picture -- but I never heard about it, if it was.

 

There was a motion picture a couple of years ago that was called Shadowlands starring Antony Hopkins IIRC. I havent seen it but it got pretty good reviews.