Publisher: HarperChildrensAudio
Authors: C. S. Lewis Branagh Kenneth
List Price: $75.00
Amazon Price: $47.25
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Reviews:
Summary: GREAT CD SET
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT PRODUCTION OF THE CHRONICLES. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.
Summary: a most excellent collection
I purchased this set about 2 months ago and before that time I could find no reviews of the actual performances on the CDs. Now "Barb (WV)" has done a nice review of the performances, so I won't go into that amount of detail, although my opinion differs slightly from hers (?) in some places.
Before I get to that, if you are wondering whether to listen to/purchase this collection, my answer is an unwavering YES. I have a 30-minute drive to work and I was enthralled by these recordings. It took me 5 or 6 weeks to listen to all 31 unabridged hours, but sometimes I could hardly wait to get back in the car so I could hear the next part of the story. I have read and re-read these books for many years and have parts memorized from sheer repetition, but it was a joy to listen to them read by these terrific performers. I prefer these narrated books instead of a theatrical version because the relatively narrow range in volume makes them easier to listen to in the car, without loud fluctuations to make you leap for the volume knob.
I will say that I thought Michael York's narrative voice in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe rather condescending and I found it mildly annoying after a while, although still worth listening to. I thought that Lynn Redgrave's task in Prince Caspian was particularly daunting, given the many male characters she had to perform, whereas all the other books are read by men and have fewer female characters. I thought her rendition of most of the male voices was quite believable and enjoyable, and better than some of the men's attempts at female voices. Her only voice I didn't care for was Aslan. There were a couple of characters in other books for whom I didn't like the reader's rendition, for example, the Eagle in The Last Battle (sorry, Patrick Stewart). But all of the books were exceedingly well done; my two favorites were The Horse and His Boy and The Silver Chair.
One editorial issue that did bother me was the text in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; I wonder why the story was changed? [if you are not familiar with the book, *note* that this will reveal a small bit of plot] Just as Lord Rhoop is introduced to Caspian after his rescue from the Dark Island, he begs "a boon" from Caspian. Here, straight from the text:
"What is it?" asked Caspian.
"Never to ask me, nor to let any other ask me, what I have seen during my years on the Dark Island."
"An easy boon, my Lord," answered Caspian, and added with a shudder. "_Ask_ you: I should think not. I would give all my treasure _not_ to hear it."
[end of quote, p. 161, Collier Books paperback edition 1970]
Yet I was really confused when, instead of the expected lines, Derek Jacobi said, [here is my transcription]
"What is it?" asked Caspian.
"Never to bring me back there," he said. He pointed astern. They all looked, but they saw only bright blue sea, and bright blue sky. The Dark Island and the darkness had vanished forever.
"Why!" cried Lord Rhoop. "You have destroyed it!"
"I don't think it was us," said Lucy.
[end of transcription]
Where did that come from? If anyone has heard this version of the story, please let me know. It's not in any copy we own and I didn't understand why it was changed.
But as for the CD collection overall, this is a terrific addition to anyone's audio library. I have to admit it is the first audio book (set) I have ever listened to, or purchased. It is well worth the price.
Summary: Which Comes First, the "Witch" or the "Magician"?
Some fantasy series unfold chronologically, e.g. the Harry Potter stories. Others are told in a haphazard fashion, with the author skipping about in time over the protagonist's career, e.g. Robert Howard's original Conan stories. When Ace Books republished the Conan stories after the demise of Lancer Books, it republished them in "chronological" order and not in the order of original publication. This did not detract from the entertainment value of the series.
The Chronicles of Narnia follows a linear chronology through four books, then there is a flashback ("The Horse and His Boy") and a prequel ("The Magician's Nephew") before the series is brought to a close in "The Last Battle." This presents a problem for publishers: Should the stories be republished with a linear chronology but a jumbled publication order, or a linear publication order but a jumbled chronology?
There are good arguments for either order, but I prefer the the order of publication. "The Magician's Nephew" serves better to give back story to those already intrigued by the world of Narnia than it does to introduce the reader/auditor to Narnia. "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" is the perfect introduction to that world. As Lewis' stories progressed, the inevitable discontinuities and internal inconsistencies of a long series crept in. They would be less apparent if the stories were read in the order of publication.
The Chronicles of Narnia CD Boxed Set chose the linear Narnian chronology/jumbled publication order approach, which the listener can remedy by simply rearranging the order of the books before listening. The original order of publication was:
1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
2. Prince Caspian
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Lewis planned on stopping the series here, but apparently it took on a life of its own)
4. The Silver Chair (Actually written after, but published before "The Horse and His Boy")
5. The Horse and his Boy
6. The Magician's Nephew
7. The Last Battle.
Possibly a compromise order would be to begin with the original trilogy, then read/audit "The Magician's Nephew" and "The Horse and His Boy" before resuming the series with "The Silver Chair" and "The Last Battle." I definitely recommend auditing/reading the "Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" first, whatever you do.
Production values for the CD series are excellent and the readers do a superb job. Excellent listening no matter what order you choose.
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