The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

I happened to rather enjoy this book as a child, despite being an atheist. Sure, it has some flaws (especially in the later books if I recall), and it has a lot of very obvious references to religion, but I genuinely don't get people who need books and their authors to agree with them on every single point. What's the point of hopping into other worlds if they only resemble what you personally think the world is like? Go read a nonfiction book if that's what you want.

The traditional entry point for my favorite fantasy series. I know most people prefer to read this first, but I find the line of Narnia more clean and beautiful if read from [b:The Magician's Nephew|65605|The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia, #6)|C.S. Lewis|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1308814770s/65605.jpg|1031537].

But where that book is about building a world, this book - the beginning of Narnia's golden age - is all about building people. You see the Pevensie children become the great Kings and Queens of Narnia that they will be in future books. From Lucy's first glimpse of the world on the other side of the wardrobe to the melancholy return to reality in the end, every character is dynamic and comes out better.

When the country of Narnia is in danger, Aslan always brings help in his time. And the White Witch's eternal winter is no exception. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are just schoolchildren when they're brought in to help, but the prophecy is clear: when Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve sit enthroned in Cair Paravel, the world will be set right. It's an adventure that you've seen hints of in the movie, but a richer and fuller exploration of the world you'll come to love; this is Narnia at its height, rescued from its first great danger by the High King and his siblings for the first of many times. Subsequent books may be better, but this one - with its cast of amazing (and some literally wild) characters, eternal winter, and ice-cold villain - will always be the most memorable.

I just finished reading it to my daughter, who loved it as much as I did when I was her age. Yay, Narnia!