Re-reading the Chronicles

Seeing Prince Caspian in the theater recently renewed my interest in re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia. Other than the (admittedly odd) choice to read The Last Battle first (why - well, because it was the one we had a copy of in the house before ordering a new set), I've been reading them in the order they were written. The written order is:

1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
2. Prince Caspian (1951)
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
4. The Silver Chair (1953)
5. The Horse and His Boy (1954)
6. The Magicians Nephew (1955)
7. The Last Battle (1956)

(reference Into the Wardrobe)

I skipped The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe this time thru. Having spent many long hours during my senior year of high school playing Mrs. Beaver in the stage production, I know that story line too well -- and find that it's actually hard to read the book now without remembering classmates' voices and things that happened during rehearsal.

Just a few favorites so far (having re-read The Last Battle, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in the past couple of weeks):

• The ending of Last Battle - I wouldn't want to risk spoiling it for anybody who hasn't read it, so I won't explain it. Just trust me that it's just about the best ending to a book ever -- I just can't help but smile every time I read those last few pages. I find this book a little slower-going at first than some of the others, but the ending totally makes up for it.
  
• The interaction between Aslan & Lucy in Caspian regarding how Lucy choose between following what she thought she saw and knew she wanted to follow (him) vs. following what she thought was safe (her siblings). It's just this great moment that captures something so childlike, yet also so very grown-up. I can't really explain it, but I like it.
• Edmund's transformation in Dawn Treader is always a great moment.
• Also Dawn Treader - Ramandu's Island. I love the image of the birds bringing a little live coal from the sun to the "retired star" every day. (I think this is a bit like Isaiah 6 and have always wondered if Lewis were inspired by that as well.)

More to come as I finish...