• The Magician's Nephew

  • The Chronicles of Narnia
  • By: C. S. Lewis
  • Narrated by: Kenneth Branagh
  • Length: 3 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (10,337 ratings)

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The Magician's Nephew  By  cover art

The Magician's Nephew

By: C. S. Lewis
Narrated by: Kenneth Branagh
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Publisher's summary

Narnia . . . a land frozen in eternal winter . . . a country waiting to be set free

Witness the creation of a magical land in The Magician's Nephew, the first title in C. S. Lewis's classic fantasy series, which has captivated readers of all ages for over sixty years.

On a daring quest to save a life, two friends are hurled into another world, where an evil sorceress seeks to enslave them. But then the lion Aslan's song weaves itself into the fabric of a new land, a land that will be known as Narnia. And in Narnia, all things are possible.

This is a stand-alone novel, but if you want to journey back to Narnia, check out The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the second book in The Chronicles of Narnia.

Don't miss any of the books in C.S. Lewis' classic Chronicles of Narnia series.
©1955, 1983 C.S. Lewis Pte. Ltd (P)2001 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Lewis's storytelling is magnificent, and Branagh's performance completely and utterly engaging." (AudioFile)

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What listeners say about The Magician's Nephew

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
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A great story!!!

A great story about the start of Narnia.
I could listen to it over and over.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent

CS Lewis's writing is fantastic. I liked this story better than the Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe but both are good.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Kenneth Branagh makes a wordy story great!

I originally didn't finish the magician's nephew because the story was super wordy and I quickly lost interest. However Kenneth Branagh's narration was engaging and made me feel as if I really was in Narnia with Diggory, Polly, and Aslan.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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favorite narnia book

Beautiful imagery when Aslan creates Narnia. Love the connecting history to the following books. Just an overall amazing story that lays the foundation for the rest.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great, but it's really Book #6, I promise

I've been reading and re-reading the Narnia chronicles since I was a young child. The Harper narrators are all top-tier, including Kenneth Branagh here. I have read them individually, in various orders, etc., so believe me when I tell you that if you are reading (or listening) to the chronicles for the first time, this book will make much more sense and you will appreciate it more if you listen to it as Book #6 instead of as Book #1. That said, it's a wonderful story and perhaps a bit more complex than some of the others. It also has more "our world" humans, including adults, in it, and the humor is a bit more sophisticated than in books 1-4. If you read it as book 6, it will also make book 7 all the more poignant. Trust me.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Lovely Story

I listened to this book with my 9 yo son on a recent road trip. We were both entertained. We're booth looking forward to the next book in the series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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excellent

Kenneth Branagh is simply spectacular in the narrator performance. C. S. Lewis is a treasure

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It doesn't get any better than this.

Fantastic story narrated perfectly. CS Lewis at his best and Kenneth Branagh at his as well.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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enjoyable as a beginning to Narnia series

brought back great memories of reading the Narnia series to our children many years ago

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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simple and enjoyable

a simple but fun book to listen to

only wish it had less religious undertones

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