The Chronicles of Narnia Boxed Set | 
 enlarge | Publisher: HarperTrophy
Category: Book
List Price: $45.00
Buy New: $25.72
You Save: $19.28 (43%)
New (37) Used (12) Collectible (8) from $25.65
Avg. Customer Rating:  965 reviews
Sales Rank: 76
Format: Box Set
Media: Paperback
Edition: Multi-volume
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 4.5 x 4.2
ISBN: 0064471195
EAN: 9780064471190
ASIN: 0064471195
Publication Date: July 8, 1994
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new book. Over 3.5 million customers served. Order now. Selling books online since 1995. Order with confidence. Code: B20080516225610T
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Amazon.com
The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis, is one of the very few sets of books that should be read three times: in childhood, early adulthood, and late in life. In brief, four children travel repeatedly to a world in which they are far more than mere children and everything is far more than it seems. Richly told, populated with fascinating characters, perfectly realized in detail of world and pacing of plot, and profoundly allegorical, the story is infused throughout with the timeless issues of good and evil, faith and hope. This boxed set edition includes all seven volumes.
Product Description
Collection includes all seven of the novels in the series.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 960 more reviews...
 Narnia Boxed Set May 15, 2008
The Chronicles of Narnia young adult series, is filled with adventure and excitement. CS Lewis keeps your attention completely engage in the story and the character that he creates.
THE fantasy series May 11, 2008
I truly feel that the Chronicles of Narnia are among the best literature ever written for children, or anyone for that matter. I love this complete set with its gorgeous cover and colored illustrations. It contains all seven stories that take us from the creation of Narnia to its destruction and what lies after that. Narnia is intrinsically oonnected to our world, both literally (or at least through magic) and spiritually/figuratively with Lewis' Christian parallels. I know many critics complain about the blatant religious overtones, but I feel that is the style. Even so, these are great adventure stories full of rich character development and sing-song descriptions. Lewis, if nothing else, certainly knows how to tell and organize a great story, and his imagination is incredible.
Gotta have it all May 8, 2008
Why not have the entire collection in one book? You know you're going to read every book written in these Chronicles!!
Tagged under Childrens literature but they are a great read for adults too. I read them as a child and I'm re-reading them now.
An amazing collection of stories, but the book itself leaves a bit to be desired May 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Sadly, the "Chronicles of Narnia" boxed set that I treasured as a child is out of print, so I decided to replace it with this collectible edition that contains all seven books in the series. I can't find any fault with the books themselves: These stories about four children who travel repeatedly to the world of Narnia are treasured classics. In this edition, the books are presented in the order that author C.S. Lewis preferred, which sucks. The correct order that I recommend is: 1.) "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe," 2.) "Prince Caspian", 3.) "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," 4.) "The Silver Chair," 5.) "The Horse and His Boy," 6.) "The Magician's Nephew," and 7.) "The Last Battle." If you are new to Narnia, I highly suggest that you read the books in the order I listed here. If you read the books in the sequence they are arranged in the book, you will be very disappointed because everything will happen out of order. Also, I was a little disappointed with the quality of the book itself...the binding cracked almost as soon as I opened the book. Still, for $14.95, this edition is a steal, and the Narnia books are just as enjoyable to me now as they were when I was a young girl.
 Before there was Harry... May 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I picked up the complete Chronicles of Narnia having run out of Harry Potter books to enjoy, and curious to see the similarities and differences between these fantasy series written for children. Prior to reading them I had heard they were very simplistic, to the point of being almost condescending to the reader. Upon reading the series, I felt that given the time difference between when these books were written, they actually will provide a sufficient challenge for young readers (language use and historical contexts alone will provide learning opportunities), while also remaining relatively interesting for adult readers. The books are quite simplistic in the sense that they all focus on one key element per book - all subplots and meanderings only contribute to the final showdown per book.
The pros to the Narnia series is they feel like they are the originators of many of the elements of fantasy novels we see today - although this might make the books feel a bit tired to people who have read lots of books in the fantasy genre, it's interesting to see them from the point of view of a mid-20th-century children's author. The books are rarely controversial in their content in terms of violence or content (save for one case outlined below), although there are plenty of obvious religious allegories sprinkled throughout. The books teach good morals, are evenly paced, and will capture the imagination of younger readers. Perhaps the most brilliant piece of all that will entice older readers is picking up the threads - sometimes very subtle ones - between each story that tie them together.
In terms of negatives, parents should be aware of the religious implications of these stories - whether or not that affects the enjoyment of these stories is to be determined. The Chronicles of Narnia are *not* the Harry Potter series - they are much less character-based and much more focused on plot elements and how they build up to the major morals of each tale. As a result, most of the characters are very flat and two-dimensional, and also limited by the time period in which they were written. As a result the female characters are often given stereotypical treatment as 'Damsels in Distress' or the 'Nurturing Mother Figure'. Most of the characters in "The Horse & His Boy" are also relatively offensively written as the story is set in a Middle Eastern land, which might explain why this particular story is often overlooked (it also barely figures into the entire Narnia landscape).
The neatest thing about this series is comparing what order the books were written versus what order they are presented in the story - the preferred author's sequence - and the chronological order of the events which happen. "The Magician's Nephew" actually starts off the books yet was written second last - it's basically a prequel to the famed "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" that details the birth of Narnia and many of the familiar elements that crop up in TLTWATW such as the lantern and the White Witch.
"The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe" is perhaps the most famous Narnia book, not just because it was recently made into a film but because it is truly one of the most enjoyable books in the series. It follows four war-torn siblings as they venture into Narnia, unaware of the prophecies that surround them and the destruction the White Witch has wreaked on this magical world. The third book is "The Horse & His Boy", a forgettable tale that rarely focuses on Narnia but moreso the journey of a young peasant boy trying to get there.
"Prince Caspian" will likely be the next big Narnia book based on the movie release, which sees the four Pensevie children return to Narnia yet again only to find they've actually missed over 1000 years of Narnian history, and the land is once again under threat when the next ruler is exiled from his own kingdom. "The Voyage of Dawn Treader" was a surprising favourite of mine that let Lucy & Edmund, and their cousin Eustace, return to Narnia a year after their last visit to go on a seaworthy journey to the ends of the earth, while "The Silver Chair" read more like filler with Eustace and his classmate Jill Pole returning to Narnia yet again (although the underground scenes were entertaining).
The final chapter in the series "The Last Battle" provided a somewhat satisfying and mostly surprising end to the books - although perhaps not so much when the religious overtones are considered. The most enjoyable aspect of this particular book was the sweeping nature of bringing together nearly all of the characters (or at least their stories), although the story itself seemed a bit too single-handed in focusing on the aforementioned last battle.
Overall this is a good series to try out if you're craving some fantasy books. They're different from what's out there today, it's just up to you to interpret whether this is a good or bad thing.
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