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New “Barnes and Noble Leatherbound Classics” Edition of The Chronicles of Narnia to Be Released This Month!

Jonathon Svendsen — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:54:12 +0000

We just recieved word today that CS Lewis’s beloved Chronicles of Narniawill soon receive their own “Leatherbound Classics Edition” from Barnes and Noble. This hardcover volume, will include all seven books in one, and is sure to be a treasured keepsake for every fan. There is no word on if the books will be featrued in their original publication order or their chronological order. As soon as we can get further information on the volume, we will let you know.

Barnes and Noble Leatherbound Classics have featured many notable collected works including those of Homer, Dante, Jules Verne, HG Welles, The Grimm Brothers, Hans Christen Andersen, William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Lewis Caroll, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The volume looks like it will not only be high quality, but at a fairly reasonable price ( $19.98 USD) compared to the traditional hardcover volume of the complete Chronicles of Narnia ( $32.98 USD). The book will only be available for purchase from Barnes and Noble Bookstores and their website.

The book will be available on August 13th.

Further information on the volume can be found here:http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Chronicles-of-Narnia/C-S-Lewis/e/9781435117150/?itm=13

Charity Volunteers Find Rare Narnia First Edition

Paul Martin — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:23:10 +0000

This would be one amazing find, as The Last Battle is my favorite book in the series. A first edition of the book has been discovered by a pair of charity bookshop volunteers. Christine and Robert Williams were sorting through a delivery of donations to the National Trust’s second-hand bookshop at Mottisfont and came across a copy of the book. Small, hardcovered, complete with a beautifully illustrated dust jacket. The book was published in 1956 and could be worth as much as £1,000.

This book is, of course, the last book in the series, and won C.S. Lewis the Carnegie Medal.

“I think we knew we had something special as soon as we picked the book up,” says Christine.

“It was in excellent condition, though obviously quite old, with the most beautiful images on the jacket and inside. When we realised it was not a re-print, we were pretty excited!”

The book will be up for auction through Woolley & Wallis at Salisbury on June 17 (lot 33). It is estimated to be valued between £700 – £1,000.

The auction house is kindly waiving its usual fees, and the sale proceeds will go towards Mottisfont’s ongoing programme of conservation. For further details, contact Woolley & Wallis on 01722 424500 or visit www.woolleyandwallis.co.uk.

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Narnia.com has Returned, pointing to HarperCollins’ Narnia Site

Paul Martin — Fri, 29 May 2009 01:27:53 +0000

Narnia Fan Spy Reepicheep, Knight of Narnia, wrote to us about the return of Narnia.com earlier today. Initially, when I went to the domain, it still went to the Disney website. I believe that the DNS hadn’t updated in my area yet.

The simple explanation is that there are many DNS servers all over the place that hold the records for what a website address does when you type it in. When you change it, it can take up to 24 hours for all servers to update. It appears that has happened, and that Narnia.com was redirected today, and you know a little more about how the internet works. He writes:

Hi! I’ve been keeping my eyes open for things to put in spy reports, and I’ve finally found something! You may already know it, but here goes!

I wanted to know if Fox would put up Narnia.com again, so I typed it in. What I got was harpercollinschildrens.com’s Narnia page. I’d been on it before, and I noticed that there have been some changes and improvements.

First of all, there is an interactive timeline of all the books. Unfortunately, only “The Horse and His Boy” and one or two others are complete. It tells a bit about the story, and if you click on anything that is blinking or spinning, it gives you additional information or pictures, including the Dawn Treader’s plans and the signs that Aslan gives Jill.

If any of you have been on the site before, the old games from each of the books are still there, along with a trivia game with questions from each of the books.

There is also a C.S. Lewis biography, and you can learn about the main artists for the covers of the different editions of the books. You can also order most books that have to do with Narnia, and can read chapters out of the seven books.

It’s also concerned with the movie “Prince Caspian” and you can watch the trailer. There is also a kit with the following paper activities:

A picture of Reepicheep to color, a knowledge quiz, a match-up game, a word search, a fill-in-the-blanks about centaurs and minotaurs, a maze, and two pages with which to make Susan’s horn and Peter’s shield.

I just thought I’d let you know, in case you’re interested.

Visit Narnia.com today!

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Into the Wardrobe: C.S. Lewis’s Narnia

Paul Martin — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:34:10 +0000

Jordan Davis has written an excellent article on C.S. Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia for The Nation. It dives into Laura Miller’s The Magician’s Book, in which she is so deep into her own claimed perspective that she is in constant denial of what she wants to avoid. He writes:

Born in 1898 to a Belfast solicitor and his mathematics-trained wife, C.S. Lewis, or Jack, as he preferred to be called, was deemed by his tutor for the Oxford entrance exams to have been “born with the literary temperament,” and “while admirably adapted for excellence and probably for distinction in literary matters, he is adapted for nothing else.” It was true. An admirer of Beatrix Potter, young Jack wrote talking-animal novels and came to have hopes of success as a poet. One thing got in the way: he was not a poet. And not, by the way, in the manner in which Ford Madox Ford wasn’t a poet–Ford in his poems lived up to his standard that poetry should be at least as well written as prose. Lewis talked down to himself in his poems; this is the fatal flaw in much of what we know as bad poetry.

Read the rest at The Nation

Narnia vs Golden Compass

Josh Hancock — Sun, 03 May 2009 20:54:44 +0000

In recent years, there have been two different fantasy series that share similarities. They have the same basic plots, the same basic creatures, and so on. Looking at the posters, cases, and trailers, you would think they were very alike, but when you look deeper, you see that they are very different indeed. This fact shows itself through the success of the books and films of their names.

“The Chronicles of Narnia” have been a beloved series for families everywhere since the 1950’s. They started out as a single novel which gained so much popularity that it soon gave birth to a series of seven imaginative tales.

The “His Dark Materials” series have been among us since 1995 and have gained various awards and praise. The first novel, Northern Lights, which was later released in America as The Golden Compass was published in 1995. It was followed by The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass which completed the trilogy.

The first book in each series, and the second in The Chronicles of Narnia, have been recently adapted into major motion pictures. There are similarities, as was stated earlier, but there are also differences. These differences have been debated and quarreled over for years, and here are some of the reasons why:

First, we will look at the authors of the novels. “The Chronicles of Narnia” were written by a man born on November 29, 1898. He lived in Belfast, Ireland and later taught in Oxford for nearly thirty years. C. S. Lewis struggled greatly in childhood and onward, these struggles pushing him to atheism. Later in his life, however, Lewis’ friend and fellow writer J. R. R. Tolkien, author of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, witnessed to him and Lewis converted to Christianity in 1931. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, published in 1950, was the first children’s book Lewis ever wrote. Being a devoted Christian, Lewis paralleled his fantastical world with stories and teachings from the Bible.

The author of “His Dark Materials” comes from a completely different viewpoint. Philip Pullman was born on October 19, 1946 in Norwich, England, frequently moving from base to base due to his father’s career with the Royal Air Force. The first book in Pullman’s series was published in 1995 and was followed by two sequels. Pullman is currently writing another book in the “His Dark Materials” series which will be called The Book of Dust. Pullman says that he has received many questions about his portrayals on religion in his previous novels and will further explain the extent of his atheist beliefs in what he says will be a very large novel:

“This is a big subject and I’m writing a big, big book…”

Unlike Lewis, Pullman sewed bits of atheistic teachings into his worlds and creatures with the intent of steering children away from Christianity. Some could say that Lewis had God on his side, for “The Chronicles of Narnia” has boomed with success whereas The Golden Compass is the only novel in Pullman’s series to be adapted to film.

The Golden Compass crashed at the box-office, even though it cost the same to make as The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. After being asked his opinion on why this was, C. E. Moore says:

“It just so happened that when they finally hit screens one was good and one made people want their money back (with the exception of the kick-butt polar bear jaw-breaking scene). Another possibility is that the Narnia films are based on a series of books written by an Oxford don and those books continue to be loved and cherished by millions the world over years after Lewis’ death while The Golden Compass is written by a man who has a special place in his heart for attacking the deeply held Christian beliefs of individuals through children’s stories that are not equally loved nor as well-written. What do you think?”

After the unsuccessful release of The Golden Compass, New Line announced that they would not be releasing any sequels to the film. Many people have their opinions on why Narnia is more of a success, but with Lewis’ wonderful characters and his devotion to God and Pullman’s statement: “My books are about killing God”, I would ask you the same question Mr. Moore did:

What do you think?

WETA Up for Narnia Book Award

Paul Martin — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 07:01:10 +0000

WETA has been nominated for the 2009 Children’s and Young Adults Book Awards, for their book ‘The Crafting of Narnia.’

Congratulations WETA! You deserve it!

Before you can film a fantasy movie, you must create an authentic world. What kind of weather is found within, what would the buildings be made of, what creatures populate its land, and what is the history behind its people? For every stunning frame of film, there have been countless hours of work to create such majesty. And what a task to bring to the screen one of the world’s most beloved children’s series, C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia.

This book, written and designed by the artists of the Academy-Award winning special effects house Weta Workshop, chronicles the stunning concept drawings, designs, and props that helped director Andrew Adamson shape the world of Narnia in cinematic glory. With detailed photography, hundreds of never before seen drawings and sculptures, and commentary from the artists and craftspeople of the workshop, discover the intricate work and exhaustive research and detail that went into each piece, prop, and weapon made by Weta Workshop for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. This beautifully illustrated collector’s edition follows the journey of ideas, from initial sketches through finished designs to final, exquisitely hand-crafted props, armor, and miniatures. Witness firsthand the intricate models for the creatures in the White Witch’s army, the difference between a Boggle and a Harpy, how Mr. Tumnus evolved, how dwarves and Centaurs were armored, and much, much more.

The Crafting of Narnia provides a unique window into the movie-making experience.

Tumnus’s Book Shelf: The NarniaFans Book Review: Tales Before Narnia

Jonathon Svendsen — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:01:47 +0000

Welcome to Tumnus’s Book Shelf where we review any and all books related to The Chronicles of Narnia and CS Lewis! For today’s book we will be reviewing Tales Before Narnia, edited by Douglas Anderson.

Title: Tales Before Narnia

Author: Various

Edited by: Douglas A. Anderson

Publisher: Del Ray

ISBN -10: 0345498909

ISBN -13: 978-0345498908

Summary:

From Douglas Anderson, editor of Tales Before Tolkien, comes a new book that contains short stories and excerpts of works from authors who influenced Narnia’s creator CS Lewis. From works of the renowned authors like Hans Christian Andersen, Charles Dickens, and JRR Tolkien to the more seemingly obscure like Freidrich de la motte Fouque, Tales Before Narnia is not just a collection of stories compiled in celebration of the land Narnia and her creator, but of classic fantasy literature in general.

Review:

I will make one promise to you in this review. I will not use the word “literary resource,” in describing it. While it certainly is that, to call Tales Before Narnia a resource is to rob this book of it’s beauty and confine it to the halls of the long forsaken literature departments of college campuses where only a handful of students still roam. I will not call it an anthology either, as that can carry connotations of the book being a stuffy, lofty tome, that is accessible only for those who know and care about the subject.

Then what word can I use to describe this book? It’s fun! How else can one describe a collection of twenty enchanting stories? If the Narnian Chronicles are like the big Wardrobe in the Spare Room that can take you to Narnia, this book of tales is like the wood between the worlds that can take you to the other worlds that are connected to Narnia.

Even apart from it’s tie in to Narnia, it is still a wonderfully complied collection of stories. From the notable writers like “JRR Tolkien”, “Charles Dickens”, “Robert Louis Stevenson”, “Kenneth Graham”, “Hans Christian Andersen”, “GK Chesterton“ “ George MacDonald”, “Rudyard Kippling” and “ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow” to the ones whose names are not as revered like “Charles F. Hall”, and “Freidrich de la motte Fouqu”e , each story is equally worthy of being next to each other and can keep a reader entranced.

Certainly, not all the stories that appear in the book seem like Narnia or the things Lewis wrote. They aren’t suppose to. Each story is as unique and original as Lewis’s own work. The main idea of the book is to show what stories inspired Lewis as a writer and fed his own imagination. The styles are all different as are the characters and worlds, but the fantastic elements are what unite the whole volume.

Fantasy stories of other worlds and magical tales of daring do aren’t the only stories that show up in this book. Early “whispers” of Wind in the Willows are also included as well as two often forgotten works that deal with Hell and demons that predate Screwtape’s correspondence with his blundering nephew Wormwood.

The book contains several header notes about the writers, there lives and how they influenced Lewis. Perhaps the most surprising inclusion is an excerpt of fiction by William Lindsay Gresham, Joy Gresham’s ex-husband. Readers will be surprised to find out that Lewis corresponded with him following Joy’s death and had meet him.

I cannot go into great lengths summarizing and analyzing every story in here. Each work, and the writers who wrote them would deserve their own review, as it should be. However, as a whole, Douglas Anderson did a great job not only gathering all these stories but doing his research into the stories to provide footnotes and heading notes. The notes themselves are quick and to the point, and don’t bog down the reading.

The only gripe concerning this book, is that readers are led to believe that these stories had all directly inspired Lewis’s work. This is not the case, and the author even makes it clear that with one story, ”Fastosus and Avaro” by John Macgowan, that Lewis was not familiar with the story. However, the main point of the book is not only to show what stories inspired Lewis but to show existing stories with in the genres that Lewis made his impact upon. Overall, this factor is only a minor gripe and does not distract from the book overall.

For those whose appetites have merely been whetted by this book, Anderson provides an index of writers and their works. Only half of the authors listed are actually featured in this book, and it is just as well as if every author included in the index where in the book, it would be the size of a college English text book. It can only make readers hope for a second book of Tales Before Narnia. If no such book surfaces, then at least readers can go to a book store or library and check out those books for themselves. Ater all, what would be a better way to spend a rainy afternoon then at the library brushing up on some great works of speculative fiction?

This book is definitely one book that will have something for every one, whether you are an eight year old fan or an eighty year old fan of Lewis, you are sure to get something out of this book. For those who grew up reading the authors featured in this book, it will be nothing short of a stroll down memory lane with some old forgotten friends and an opportunity to make some new ones. For kids, well, here is one fine set of stories for mom and dad to read to you at bed-time.

Reviewers note: if you enjoy this book, since there is so much overlap between fans of Narnia and Lord of the Rings, fans are encouraged to pick up the companion book Tales Before Tolkien.

Five out of Five

Order the book from http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Before-Narnia-Fantasy-Science/dp/0345498909/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231463851&sr=8-1

Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe Inspired Shirt Design

Paul Martin — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 19:20:27 +0000

One of my favorite websites is called “Woot.com” where they sell a single product each day. They have a spin-off site called Shirt.Woot that has a weekly derby. Each derby is based on a topic of their choosing, and the three highest voted designs are printed, one each day, Friday-Sunday.

This week’s topic is book-titles reinterpreted, and someone created a design for “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” The only way to vote for it, however, is if you have ever made a purchase from Woot.com (or shirt.woot) in the past. It might not win, but I like the design a lot.

Interview with Matthew Peterson, author of Paraworld Zero

Paul Martin — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:04:26 +0000

We recently had the opportunity of interviewing Matthew Peterson, whose debut young adult novel, Paraworld Zero, shares some similarities to Narnia. Fans of the Chronicles of Narnia should enjoy this book, as evidenced by the interview below. I hope that you enjoy it!

NarniaFans.com: Tell us a bit about yourself, for our readers that might not know much about you.
Mathew Peterson: I live in Arizona with my wonderful wife, five boys, and our giant African tortoise. In addition to being an author, I have a little acting experience and now some audiobook narration experience. I won the first writing contest I entered as a young teenager and again as an adult. My debut YA novel, Paraworld Zero, came out this year and placed in five book/audiobook contests and hit two bestseller lists.

NarniaFans.com: Can you give us a quick teaser for Paraworld Zero that will give us an idea of what we’re in for?
Mathew Peterson: Twelve-year-old earthling, Simon Kent, stumbles upon a secret that thrusts him into a bizarre adventure filled with magic, technology and deadly out-of-this-world creatures. He discovers a true friend, confronts his inner demons and becomes the savior to a peculiar race of people, when all he truly wants is to find his way back home. Parallel to Simon’s adventures is a mystery involving a catlike spy and a magical swordsman who both struggle to maintain peace among the paraworlds. But evil lurks in unexpected places, and few people can be trusted. Their paths ultimately lead them to Simon: the one boy who might be able to prevent the biggest assassination attempt in the known paraverse.

NarniaFans.com: What were your inspirations for the story of Paraworld Zero?
Mathew Peterson: I grew up reading C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Douglas Hill, and Lloyd Alexander. They all played a role in me wanting to create a world filled with creatures, magic, and imagination.

NarniaFans.com: What themes did you try to convey in the story?
Mathew Peterson: I tried to convey the ideas of overcoming obstacles, believing in yourself, the dangers of pride, and gaining true friendship.

NarniaFans.com: What was the hardest part of writing Paraworld Zero?
Mathew Peterson: Writing the book was easy, but I did have some major computer issues. I started writing Paraworld Zero in 1990 when I was only 14, but my computer died, along with most of my book. That was probably a blessing in disguise, since my writing abilities weren’t as mature as they are now. Many years later when Harry Potter came out, I realized that my story was very similar and that I better finish it.

NarniaFans.com: Did you learn anything from writing Paraworld Zero and what was it?
Mathew Peterson: I learned to trust in my abilities and to trust in God. A higher power seemed to drive me to write this book. It almost felt like He was writing it, and I was just the instrument. Months later, I’d find myself reading sections of Paraworld Zero and wishing I could write like this. Then I would hit myself over the head and say, “Dummy, you CAN write like this… You wrote the book!”

NarniaFans.com: How did you come up with the title?
Mathew Peterson: The title began as “Parallel Worlds” in 1990 but changed at the last moment to “Paraworld Zero” so that we could use “Parallel Worlds” as the series title. Sometimes I wonder if I should have changed it. Curiously, my domain name www.ParaWorlds.com played a role in the title as well.

NarniaFans.com: Are the experiences in the book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Mathew Peterson: Some of the things in Paraworld Zero are based loosely on my life. For instance, Harr has seven sons and one daughter, just like my parents. The main character, Simon, is based on me when I was that age, and Griffen is based on me when I was older. For example, Griffen is a skilled fighter but refuses to kill. Similarly, I’m a second degree black belt in karate, but I’ve never been in a fist fight in my life (quarrels with brothers don’t count. he he).

NarniaFans.com: What do you think Narnia fans will enjoy about the book?
Mathew Peterson: The beauty of Narnia is that it takes you to a rich world filled with creatures, magic, and adventure. The children learn to become better people. That correlates exactly with Paraworld Zero. In addition to those things, Paraworld Zero also has a sprinkling of romance and mystery.

NarniaFans.com: When and why did you begin writing?
Mathew Peterson: I began writing in my pre-teen years because of the influence of the early authors of fantasy. I actually started writing a sword and sorcery novel called The Sorcerer’s Wand but lost most of it from a computer disk failure (we didn’t have hard drives in those days). Then in 1990 (or earlier) the ideas for Paraworld Zero came strongly into my mind and wouldn’t let go until I had written them down. Even after my book was lost when I was a young teenager, I still kept the few chapters that had survived in my briefcase when I was in my twenties, to remind me that I had a talent that I wasn’t using.

NarniaFans.com: When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Mathew Peterson: I would suppose it finally clicked the first time I won a writing contest, which was in 8th grade. Some of my stories had been honored before in elementary school, but I had never receive money or been interviewed by newspaper reporters until 8th grade when I placed in 2 or 3 writing contests. It was then that I realized I wanted to be an author, and it was then that I started writing Paraworld Zero.

NarniaFans.com: What inspired you to write your first book?
Mathew Peterson: I had been reading ferociously at the time. I loved how books could transport me to a new world. The ideas just came, and I wrote them down. That’s how most of my writing goes. I spend a lot of time thinking, and the ideas just flow.

NarniaFans.com: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Mathew Peterson: I have a soft spot in my heart for Douglas Hill, voted the most influential author of young adult fiction in Canada (he’s written around 70 books). He was the only author still alive who had influenced me to want to be an author. I contacted his agent, who then passed on my message to him. Douglas was flattered by my words and agreed to read my book but warned me that he would only give me a blurb for the back cover if he liked my book. To my pleasant surprise, Douglas Hill loved Paraworld Zero and gave it a wonderful blurb. We continued to communicate with each other until Douglas was killed a few months before Paraworld Zero was published.

NarniaFans.com: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Mathew Peterson: I suppose you could say he’s still fairly new, but I really enjoyed The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. I found it to be original and emotionally satisfying, without delving into the darker domains that similar books might be tempted to venture into.

NarniaFans.com: What are your current projects?
Mathew Peterson: Wow, I just finished narrating the audiobook of Paraworld Zero (which just received an award, I might add). My wife and I had to come up with over 100 unique character voices. Whew! It’s on audible.com and iTunes.com by the way, and you can go to http://ParaWorlds.com/audio/ to listen to the first chapter. I’m busy writing the second novel in the Parallel Worlds series. I had some personal distractions (my baby had heart surgery, my wife became hospitalized and then temporarily crippled for a month, etc.), plus I spent a ton of time touring, speaking, and promoting Paraworld Zero this year (5 million people heard my radio interviews). But things have become much more stable now. I hope to finish book two by the end of the month. Like book one, I feel driven to write it. It has a lot more mystery and romance in it (clean romance, I should say), and I think it’ll be even better than book one.

NarniaFans.com: Do you have any advice for other writers?
Mathew Peterson: You’ve probably already received lots of advice before, so I’ll share something you probably haven’t heard yet. Go ahead and get some grammar and punctuation books and study them. I actually read 5 of them, cover-to-cover. I found that it actually helped me to write better because I wasn’t stumbling over my sentences. And of course, never give up. It’s a long road. You won’t become rich and famous overnight, if ever. Learn the craft. Prepare to promote yourself if you get published, since publishers don’t spend much on new authors. I plan on enhancing my website in the next little while with tons of additional writing tips that I have learned.

NarniaFans.com: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Matthew Peterson: Keep reading and supporting authors. With the slump in the economy, many authors and actors are having to seek a different line of work. We need your support. Buy from your local stores, so that they can stay in business. Spread the word about great books and help motivate young people, including your siblings, to read. Be good and eat your vegetables!

Learn more about Paraworld Zero.

Narnia Fans » Narnia Books

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