C.S. Lewis 1955
Book 1 of 7 of the chronologically renumbered Chronicles of Narnia Series is where we witness Aslan, the great Lion through his mesmerizing songs create Narnia. The chronicles start in London in the 1900s and we meet Digory Kirke and Polly Plumber exploring a house and then tricked by Digory's Uncle Andrew's magical rings. They found themselves in an In-between place of pools of water that took them to different places: to Charn where they meet evil witch Jadis who is wishing to take over Narnia, back to Earth and then finally to Narnia. So many fantastic adventures happen along the way including the creation of the magical apple tree and the crowning of cab driver Frank and wife Helen as the first King and Queen of Narnia.
'This is a story about something that happened long ago when your grandfather was a child. It is a very important story because it shows how all the comings and goings between our own world and the land of Narnia first began.' (opening line)
'But what she noticed first was a bright red wooden tray with a number of rings on it. They were in pairs-- a yellow one and a green one together, then a little space, and then another yellow one and another green one. They were no bigger than ordinary rings, and no one could help noticing them because they were so bright.'(12)
'Not just yet,' said Uncle Andrew. 'This is too good an opportunity to miss. I wanted two children. You see, I'm in the middle of a great experiment. I've tried it on a guinea-pig and it seemed to work. But then a guinea-pig can't tell you anything. And you can't explain to it how to come back.'(14)
"And I suppose you've sent Polly into it then," said Digory. His cheeks were flaming with anger now. "And all I can say," he added, "even if you are my Uncle-- is that you've behaved like a coward, sending a girl to a place you're afraid to go to yourself."(25)
'Now the truth was that Uncle Andrew, who knew nothing about the Wood between the Worlds, had quite a wrong idea about the rings. The yellow ones weren't "outward" rings; and the green ones weren't "homeward" rings; at least, not in the way he thought ... Uncle Andrew, you see, was working with things he did not really understand; most magicians are.'(43)
'Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger,
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.'(56)
'It is silent now. But I have stood here when the whole air was full of the noises of Charn; the trampling of feet, the creaking of wheels, the cracking of the whips and the groaning of the slaves, the thunder of chariots, and the sacrificial drums beating in the temples. I have stood here (but that was near the end) when the roar of battle went up from every street and the river of Charn ran red.' She paused and added, 'All in one moment one woman blotted it out forever.'(69)
'I expect most witches are like that. They are not interested in things or people unless they can use them; they are terribly practical.'(86)
'Then two wonders happened at the same moment. One was that the voice was suddenly joined by other voices; more voices than you could possibly count. They were in harmony with it, but far higher up the scale: cold, tingling, silvery voices. The second wonder was that the blackness overhead, all at once, was blazing with stars. They didn't come out gently one by one, as they do on a summer evening. One moment there had been nothing but darkness; next moment a thousand, thousand points of light leaped out-- single stars, constellations, and planets, brighter and bigger than any in our world. There were no clouds. The new stars and the new voices began at exactly the same time. If you had seen and heard it, as Digory did, you would have felt quite certain that it was the stars themselves which were singing, and that it was the First Voice, the deep one, which had made them appear and made them sing.'(117)
'The Lion was pacing to and fro about that empty land and singing his new song. It was softer and more lifting than the song by which he had called up the stars and the sun; a gentle, rippling music. And as he walked and sang the valley grew green with grass. It spread out from the Lion like a pool.'(123)
'When you listened to his song you heard the things he was making up: when you looked round you, you saw them.'(126)
'Far overhead from beyond the veil of blue sky which hid them the stars sang again; a pure, cold, difficult music. Then there came a swift flash like fire (but it burnt nobody) either from the sky or from the Lion itself, and every drop of blood tingled in the children's bodies, and the deepest, wildest voice they had ever heard was saying: "Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake. Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters."(137)
'For what you see and hear depends on a good deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are.'(148)
'Now the trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed.'(150)
'And you Narnians, let it be your first care to guard this Tree, for it is your Shield. The Witch of whom I told you has fled away into the North of the world... But while that Tree flourishes she will never come down into Narnia. She dare not come within a hundred miles of the Tree, for its smell, which is joy and life and health to you, is death and horror and despair to her.'(206)
'But length of days with an evil heart is only length of misery and already she begins to know it. All get what they want; they do not always like it.'(208)
HarperCollins first renumbered edition
221 pages
Book borrowed from JRMD
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