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The Magician's Nephew
These classic stories have enchanted millions around the world. Radio Theatre brings them to life in this dramatized audio production. Recorded in London with an all-star cast of England's brightest talent from the stage and screen, an original orchestral score, and cinema-quality digital sound design, this innovative recording provides hours of entertainment for the entire family. All seven stories are available in a single, redesigned slipcase or available individually, and both formats are marked at their lowest prices ever!
2 pages, Audio CD
Published May 19, 2005
About the author
Paul McCusker
128 books215 followersPaul McCusker is a writer of many different kinds of things. You may know him from Adventures In Odyssey and Focus On The Family Radio Theatre. Or the Father Gilbert Mysteries. Or the Augustine Institute audio dramas Brother Francis: The Barefoot Saint of Assisi and The Trials of Saint Patrick. Or plays like The First Church of Pete's Garage and Catacombs. Or C.S. Lewis projects like The Chronicles of Narnia audio dramas or The Annotated Screwtape Letters. Or the film Beyond The Mask. Or lots of other dramas, novels, scripts and lyrics. He simply can't make up his mind what he likes to write.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
August 11, 2018
While this Radio Theater offering is still as stellar as the rest of the series, production-wise, it's not my favorite, because honestly, it scared me to pieces when I was little and first listened to it. John Campbell's music and the perhaps too-excellent voice acting gave me the horrors. But I must say, I adored Digory's voice (the voice actor was the same actor who provided the voice of Corin in The Horse and His Boy).
A good production and one I would like to listen to again someday now that I'm an adult . . . one day. :)
A good production and one I would like to listen to again someday now that I'm an adult . . . one day. :)
June 13, 2018
It's been quite a while since I read 'The Magician's Nephew' and it was wonderful revisiting it in this audio book.
January 19, 2024
Okay definitely juicy stuff. CS Lewis writing a story book is so funny to me, but he does it so well! The story was fun and had a few twists and turns, and I’m excited to see the story line develop as I keep reading the series!
October 6, 2013
When I was younger, The Magician's Nephew was by far my least favorite Narnia story. During my recent audio theater spree, I popped it in mostly out of curiosity and because it's the least listened to of our Narnia CDs. It's days of under-use are over. While I do agree with some who say C.S. Lewis' writing style leaves something to be desired, his brilliant story telling more than makes up for it, and the timeless themes show why it is so popular. With this story, I appreciate it far more now that I am older. I found myself enchanted by the story. It is a very simple story, really, yet also incredibly complex. But it's the heart and soul of it that made me enjoy it. It's one of those rare fictional stories that points you right to the One the author was serving, and as such is a true treasure.
July 18, 2023
A beautiful rendition of the sixth book in the Narnia series. I strongly encourage those reading through the series for the first time to read them in their publication order, rather than “chronologically.” This book has so much more power to it if you’ve read at least The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe!
My favorite part of this particular one is the creation of Narnia. Makes me cry every time.
My favorite part of this particular one is the creation of Narnia. Makes me cry every time.
July 5, 2023
If I were stuck on an island with just several books to read over and over, I would choose the Chronicles of Narnia. C.S. Lewis is masterful in his descriptions of people, landscapes, and events, and his language is capable of evoking nearly every human emotion.
Although there is some disagreement about the reading order (order of publication, or chronological) I prefer the chronological, and apparently Lewis did as well: Lewis expressed a mild preference for this second, chronological order. In a letter written in 1957 to an American boy named Laurence, he wrote the following:
‘I think I agree with your order {i.e. chronological} for reading the books more than with your mother’s. The series was not planned beforehand as she thinks. When I wrote The Lion I did not know I was going to write any more. Then I wrote P. Caspian as a sequel and still didn’t think there would be any more, and when I had done The Voyage I felt quite sure it would be the last. But I found as I was wrong. So perhaps it does not matter very much in which order anyone read them. I’m not even sure that all the others were written in the same order in which they were published.
Whatever order you read them in you will be sure to be enchanted, if not by the stories themselves, then by the quality of the writing. There are few aside from Shakespeare who can match Lewis's ability to put words together.
The Magician's Nephew is timely reading given the political events of the day: it is a story of power struggles, including to the point of using the "Deplorable Word". It is the story of trust. And it is the story of believing in things beyond our ken. If you haven't read it; you must. If you have, it may be time to read it again.
Although there is some disagreement about the reading order (order of publication, or chronological) I prefer the chronological, and apparently Lewis did as well: Lewis expressed a mild preference for this second, chronological order. In a letter written in 1957 to an American boy named Laurence, he wrote the following:
‘I think I agree with your order {i.e. chronological} for reading the books more than with your mother’s. The series was not planned beforehand as she thinks. When I wrote The Lion I did not know I was going to write any more. Then I wrote P. Caspian as a sequel and still didn’t think there would be any more, and when I had done The Voyage I felt quite sure it would be the last. But I found as I was wrong. So perhaps it does not matter very much in which order anyone read them. I’m not even sure that all the others were written in the same order in which they were published.
Whatever order you read them in you will be sure to be enchanted, if not by the stories themselves, then by the quality of the writing. There are few aside from Shakespeare who can match Lewis's ability to put words together.
The Magician's Nephew is timely reading given the political events of the day: it is a story of power struggles, including to the point of using the "Deplorable Word". It is the story of trust. And it is the story of believing in things beyond our ken. If you haven't read it; you must. If you have, it may be time to read it again.
July 24, 2021
(200-ish pages in total)
4 stars ☆☆☆☆
This book was a good introduction to The Chronicles of Narnia and the world of Narnia itself.
The protagonists are called Digory and Polly, yet Digory is treated more like a main character and Polly was just thrown to the side and treated like a side character. As well as this, Digory's attitude (and sometimes violence) towards Polly actually disgusted me.
Of course, this book was written in the 1900's and attitudes to women were similar to how they were portrayed in the book, but looking at it from a modern perspective, it was frustrating to read sometimes. Luckily though, the story itself was enjoyable to read.
It starts with Digory and Polly meeting in Polly's garden, and them talk about Digory's strange and mad Uncle. They eventually meet with the uncle, and discover he is truly mad; he has figured out how to transport oneself to another place. (But of course the uncle is too cowardly to go himself- so he uses guinea pigs to take his place. That's animal cruelty.)
Digory and Polly end up going to that other place, and eventually meet a witch. She destroyed a world, and is so confident in her own head that she wants to find other worlds and take over them.
One thing leads to another, and Digory and Polly end up watching the creation of Narnia- which, can I add, was very cool to read.
The end is satisfying, and hints at what will happen in the next book: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.
Overall, this was a very good read, and if you think you would be interested, then definitely give it a go!
Thank you for reading this; take care of yourselves and have a great day!! 💛
4 stars ☆☆☆☆
This book was a good introduction to The Chronicles of Narnia and the world of Narnia itself.
The protagonists are called Digory and Polly, yet Digory is treated more like a main character and Polly was just thrown to the side and treated like a side character. As well as this, Digory's attitude (and sometimes violence) towards Polly actually disgusted me.
Of course, this book was written in the 1900's and attitudes to women were similar to how they were portrayed in the book, but looking at it from a modern perspective, it was frustrating to read sometimes. Luckily though, the story itself was enjoyable to read.
It starts with Digory and Polly meeting in Polly's garden, and them talk about Digory's strange and mad Uncle. They eventually meet with the uncle, and discover he is truly mad; he has figured out how to transport oneself to another place. (But of course the uncle is too cowardly to go himself- so he uses guinea pigs to take his place. That's animal cruelty.)
Digory and Polly end up going to that other place, and eventually meet a witch. She destroyed a world, and is so confident in her own head that she wants to find other worlds and take over them.
One thing leads to another, and Digory and Polly end up watching the creation of Narnia- which, can I add, was very cool to read.
The end is satisfying, and hints at what will happen in the next book: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.
Overall, this was a very good read, and if you think you would be interested, then definitely give it a go!
Thank you for reading this; take care of yourselves and have a great day!! 💛
March 5, 2020
Narnia starts here. Very professional audio adaptation.
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Listened again on a recent road trip. As exciting as ever!
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Listened again on a recent road trip. As exciting as ever!
May 27, 2015
No matter how many times I listen to this series on audio book, it never ceases to bring tears to my eyes or make me just sit there and smile. One of my favourite series for sure!
October 16, 2015
Started to listen to this series in the car.
September 1, 2024
I gave the Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis a five stars because it pulled me in and had a great ending. It’s about a boy, who has found a passageway. He finds out that his uncle made it. He is sent into different worlds as an experiment by his uncle, which inadvertently awakens a witch. Then the witch escapes into our world. From there a group of people fall into an empty world, where they watch the creation of Narnia. I have read my fair share of fantasy books, but C.S. Lewis knows how to write his books. I know this isn’t the first book in this series, but it certainly should be the first book, in my opinion. It talks about the creation of Narnia and the origins of the Snow Queen that we see in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. However, the funny dialogue of the cab driver, and the Witch shall forever be remembered. It was the ending that really earned my five stars though, I loved how C.S. Lewis mentioned little details showing how the animals and people of Narnia are so new to the world the birds forget to fly, or horses don’t know what to eat. C.S. Lewis also includes life lessons about stealing, selfishness, and dishonesty. If you ever wanted to see how Aslan of Narnia came into existence, this is your book, or if you're new to Narnia, this can also be a great starting point. Just be sure to also read his first book: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2018
Although I can't remember exactly how many times I listened to Focus On the Family Radio Theatre versions of "The Chronicles of Narnia" stories while I was growing up, I do remember my whole family greatly enjoying them every time. Each book is adapted into a marvelous, beautiful experience containing great narration, voice acting, and sound effects. The introductions by Lewis' stepson are also pretty cool. I need to listen to them again...
(Note: I don't agree with how they numbered their versions stories, but maybe that's just me... and my dad, who actually reordered them in our collection and wrote over the numbering. The Magician's Nephew and The Horse and His Boy do take place chronologically before other stories, but in the reading order they were not meant to be numbers 1 and 3.)
(Note: I don't agree with how they numbered their versions stories, but maybe that's just me... and my dad, who actually reordered them in our collection and wrote over the numbering. The Magician's Nephew and The Horse and His Boy do take place chronologically before other stories, but in the reading order they were not meant to be numbers 1 and 3.)
January 10, 2020
I read "The Magicians Nephew" aloud to the kids last year (which was a re-read for me), but this last Christmas my parents got us the radio theater set of the Narnia series which we have been listening to on our daily commute to and from school. The kids (and I!) LOVE it! It's so well done, and really makes the books come alive. My son (who is easily scared by movies) said to me that he thought this was something that would scare him, but because there was nothing visual, he has instead been sucked into the story and hasn't been afraid at all! Ah...the power of the written (or spoken) word over film!! I cannot recommend this series and this production highly enough.
NOTE: this review is more about the radio theater production of the book, than the book itself, which stands alone and is obviously five stars no matter how you read or hear it! 😁
NOTE: this review is more about the radio theater production of the book, than the book itself, which stands alone and is obviously five stars no matter how you read or hear it! 😁
Read
May 11, 2022THE MAGICIANS NEPHEW
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Written by: C.S. Lewis
Narrated by: Sir Michael Hordern
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This book is the prequel to The famous movie and book The Lion, Witch and the wardrobe. It's about a "crazy" uncle who a child had to go live with due to his mother falling ill. The crazy uncle who is the "magician" in this book send this boy and his friend on an unwanted adventure where he makes a terrible mistake and ends up meeting the great Lion Aslan 🦁.
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It ties the book in nicely and explains a lot about Narnia.
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Easy read. Short book. But I could have done without the music in the story telling. By the end of the book I got used to it.
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My kids really enjoyed listening to this book with me.
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For my Liv's Book review I give it a
🌱🌱🌱🌱5/5 for storyline/content
🎨🎨🎨🎨🎨 4/5 for Narration.... the music really irritated me lol
.
Written by: C.S. Lewis
Narrated by: Sir Michael Hordern
.
This book is the prequel to The famous movie and book The Lion, Witch and the wardrobe. It's about a "crazy" uncle who a child had to go live with due to his mother falling ill. The crazy uncle who is the "magician" in this book send this boy and his friend on an unwanted adventure where he makes a terrible mistake and ends up meeting the great Lion Aslan 🦁.
.
It ties the book in nicely and explains a lot about Narnia.
.
Easy read. Short book. But I could have done without the music in the story telling. By the end of the book I got used to it.
.
My kids really enjoyed listening to this book with me.
.
For my Liv's Book review I give it a
🌱🌱🌱🌱5/5 for storyline/content
🎨🎨🎨🎨🎨 4/5 for Narration.... the music really irritated me lol
August 28, 2017
Loved, the story. It was engaging and kept my interest throughout. I loved the almost whimsical feel to the writing, and delighted in the humor. I've read some of Lewis' other non-fiction books, and appreciate his writing style - in this case, I think I might have preferred simply reading the books over the audio recording I listened to. It felt rather over the top to me, and the sound was quite uneven, sometimes extremely loud, and other times difficult to hear. Over all though, engaging enough that I went on to listen to the other six books that make up the Chronicles of Narnia. The story itself I loved - though it did take me some time to get used to animals being main characters and talking.
Read
April 29, 2024The Magician's Nephew tells the story of Digory and his friend Polly who find a magic ring that allows them to travel to another world. In another world, they meet an evil witch named Jadis, and is followed by a cat named Uncle Andrew. Accidentally, Digory and Polly took Jadis to their own world, namely London. To correct their mistake, they return to another world and discover that it was Narnia at the time of its creation. They witness Aslan creating Narnia with his song, and they also discover a magical tree that can grant eternal life. After facing various trials and tribulations, Digory finally took the fruit from the tree to save his sick mother. This book tells about kindness, justice and responsibility.
February 15, 2020
I usually don't like theatrical adaptation audiobooks. I prefer to listen a good voice actor read the unabridged book. This version was a good combo of narration and theatre. Which is great because this is probably my favorite Narnia book.
The voices of Jardis and Aslan didn't seem quite right to me -- one of the big reasons I prefer one-reader to multi-actor audio performances. They weren't so off that it disturbed the story, tho. My other issue with theatrical audiobooks is the loss of beautiful narrative passages. That wasn't a probelm here because this performance does have narration tying together the dialogue.
The voices of Jardis and Aslan didn't seem quite right to me -- one of the big reasons I prefer one-reader to multi-actor audio performances. They weren't so off that it disturbed the story, tho. My other issue with theatrical audiobooks is the loss of beautiful narrative passages. That wasn't a probelm here because this performance does have narration tying together the dialogue.
March 19, 2021
I love sharing Narnia with my children via the Radio Theatre productions. We've listened to most of them at least 4-5 times, and we're now working our way through the series again--the first time in which my youngest (6.5yrs) is able to really follow the storyline and understand what's happening. Radio Theatre does an excellent job of bringing these stories to life. 💜
When it comes to Narnia, I have my very favorites and less favorites and then a few in the middle. Overall, Magician's Nephew is in the middle except for the chapter in which Aslan sings Narnia into existence. That ranks as one of my favorite scenes in all of Narnia. 💜💜💜💜💜
When it comes to Narnia, I have my very favorites and less favorites and then a few in the middle. Overall, Magician's Nephew is in the middle except for the chapter in which Aslan sings Narnia into existence. That ranks as one of my favorite scenes in all of Narnia. 💜💜💜💜💜
October 11, 2023
The Magician's Nephew was an okay book because I don't remember it that much and that means it's a good book but I don't remember most of it. The stories are about a man that gave some kids rings and with these rings, they traveled to a new world and met some people that helped them but there was a witch that blocked them and took a ring but they needed the ring because they wanted to go back home to the real world after trying a lot they got the rings back but when they used it they went to this new world NARNIA!
I like the book and it was fun too so I am so happy and excited to read the second one.
I like the book and it was fun too so I am so happy and excited to read the second one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2024
I had read this previously after reading the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and I am so grateful that I had! The original order had The Magician's Nephew had it further in the series and I completely agree with this decision! It really gives you several AH HA moments that you wouldn’t have if you didn’t read WWW first. Also this Radio House Theater is AMAZING!!! I would recommend this version over any other audio version of the books- the soundtrack, the actors, and everything just really made the experience more real!
January 12, 2017
The best audiobooks ever. We're enjoying this as a whole family on car trips/in the evenings. Yes, they are slightly abridged and adapted, but the variety of voices, sound effects, and the pacing make these stories just as engaging for me as for my 7 year old! A great way to introduce her to Narnia!
September 4, 2019
An amazing read from start to finish. My one regret is not reading this series when i was younger. As i would have enjoyed it then as much as now. Definitely looking forward to reading this series to my daughter.
September 26, 2019
Descubrí el nacimiento de Narnia es increíble... sin dudar es una historia de mucha fantasía para derrochar imaginación, voy por más aventuras. Aslan es mi favorito y me gustaría que Alado fuera mi transporte...
February 25, 2022
Magie, vrajitorie, ocultisti, pedofili (sublim strecurati), înjurături (d***), pacat mult, proiectii in alte dimensiuni cum fac ocultiștii, iluzii, idei new-age.
Haideti "crestinilor", citiți, caci pentru voi a fost scrisa. Din titlu chiar se vede ca pentru voi a fost scrisa
Haideti "crestinilor", citiți, caci pentru voi a fost scrisa. Din titlu chiar se vede ca pentru voi a fost scrisa
February 8, 2023
It was really good and I absolutely loved it. The description painted a really detailed image especially when Aslan was singing and Narnia became a country. It was such a great book and I’ve already read the series once before and would read it over and over again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2017
Superb book. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked the story of Narnia where we can get only through magic. The book evokes ones imagination.
November 26, 2018
You can hear C.S. Lewis telling his children this story. Magic in the early days of Narnia. I should have read these as a kid.
June 16, 2019
This book was great. It's my favorite out of the seven 📚. Very interesting and enticing ✌️🏻😀😀
October 25, 2019
It was a really great book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2020
This was fantastic! I loved the sound effects, voices, and music. It really made the story come alive.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews