The Narnia series were intended for children, so I can’t fault it too much — and by children’s books standards, The Magician’s Nephew is among the good ones.

Reading it as an adult offers up a few ‘advantages’. First of these is naturally the cozy nostalgia. Narnia is as beautiful as you remember, and Aslan is still a wise figure who will give so much peace to your heart. Next, it’s fun to see the parallels between Lewis and Tolkien’s fantasy works! And finally, it’s interesting to see how openly theological and a bit moralising the Narnia stories are. But to the question “Is Christian fantasy possible?” both Lewis and Tolkien’s works are a resounding ‘yes’ — since they’re for children, this theme is far more apparent in Narnia, but it’s approached sweetly.

I’d recommend this prequel as a chronological starting point even if you’re not at all familiar with the series. But for those who are familiar, this one will give a backstory to most things — however I must say it also complicates some of the things present in the ‘original’ series, leading to some confusion at times. It is a good book within itself, but not quiet the best prequel possible.