Sep 06
In addition to the Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis wrote the philosophical Planet trilogy (also known as the Cosmic Trilogy): Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength. These were for adult readers and in the science fiction genre (well, science fantasy, with more than a touch of the Victorian adventure novel) …
Aug 30
Here’s a scene that is not depicted too often by artists illustrating The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe — Aslan turning the petrified creatures in the witch’s courtyard back into flesh with his breath.
Aug 28
Now that we’ve examined and dissected both Charn and Jadis, I’d like to backtrack a bit. [ You can read previous parts of this essay here: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV ] In this post, I speculated, as some Lewis scholars did, that Charn’s name is derived from the word …
Aug 25
Jadis’s sister and her rival for the throne of Charn was never given a name by Lewis. Some fanfic writers have given her one: Jerza, Jade, Cynara, Emeralas, Katilu. In the same spirit, here are are some randomgenned ones, sticking mostly to the Js, and those reminiscent of gems like Emeralas and Jade are. …
Aug 24
Now we get to what is, for me, one of the most compelling features about Jadis and Charn: The war with her sister. [ You can read previous parts of this essay here: Part I, Part II, Part III ] Lewis doesn’t say if the sister is older or younger, a twin, a half-sister …
Aug 23
Aug 19
He was standing by the edge of a small pool—not more than ten feet from side to side—in a wood. The trees grew close together and were so leafy that he could get no glimpse of the sky. All the light was green light that came through the leaves: but there must have been a …
Aug 18
The horses Bree (front, gray dapple) and Hwin (back, brown) are my favorite animal characters from the Chronicles. Not only are they featured throughout the whole of The Horse and His Boy, they play vital roles in the plot. Both were stolen as foals from Narnia and raised in Calormen, where normal non-talking horses …
Aug 16
A very original take on the episode from the book. This artist has a great underground style straight out of a 1990s zine.
Aug 11
If you are like me, you probably wish The Voyage of the Dawn Treader had gone and on, with Caspian and crew exploring ever more exotic places. That book remains unwritten, but here’s some randomly generated islands they might have explored, if they’d had time. Other Islands of Narnia Ashvows: Several Star People live …