The Magician's Nephew

By: C.S. Lewis

Narrated by: Kenneth Branagh

Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's Summary

Narnia...where the woods are thick and cool, where the Talking Beasts are called to life, a new world where the adventure begins.

Digory and Polly meet and become friends one cold, wet summer in London. Their lives burst into adventure when Digory's Uncle Andrew, who thinks he is a magician, sends them hurtling to...somewhere else. They find their way to Narnia, newborn from the Lion's song, and encounter the evil sorceress Jadis, before they finally return home.

This was the sixth book written in The Chronicles of Narnia. It now stands as the first book in the series.

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)

How it all started

How did the lamp get into Narnia? Who is the White Witch and how did she come to Rule Narnia? How did Narnia come to be? Why was the Wardrobe special? All these are answered in this first book of the Chronicles of Narnia. My son and I enjoyed it just as much as The Lion, The Witch, & the Wardrobe. The Magician's Nephew will almost stand up on its own, except for a few references made by C.S. Lewis to LWW. If you only read books 1 & 2, it would still be a complete experience. Though, I recommend reading LWW first, then MN. It feels better that way, but that is only MY opinion.

15 of 15 people found this review helpful

An incredible children's series

Our family had such a good time listening to Robert Stanek's "The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches" we recently started "The Chronicles of Narnia." We've read all these authors' works in novels but this is our first time listening to the audio books.

We had a bit of trouble finding the books on Audible. When we click C.S. Lewis we mostly found his christain writing works, like the "Screwtape Letters." The only way we could find "The Chronicles of Narnia" books was to click the link provided in the descriptive text of the books.

"The Magician's Nephew: is the sixth narnia book published, but the first in time order, so you should listen to this one first.

The best listening order is:

The Magician's Nephew
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Horse and His Boy
The Last Battle

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is the novel they are basing the new Chronicles of Narnia movie on. Happy listening!

183 of 196 people found this review helpful

Maybe my favorite in the series...

When I first read these Chronicles I remember praying God would send me to Narnia. When I read or listen to Lewis I imagine I'm sitting by a fire with a dear uncle.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Enchanting

Like the remainder of the books in the Narnia series this one is quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, each of the audiobooks in the series has been done by a different reader. This breaks up the continuum a little, but Kenneth Brannaugh does a spectacular job with this story.

As it is thematically the first book and in my opinion the best read this book makes a fine introduction to the Narnia series.

38 of 41 people found this review helpful

Excellent reader

Would you consider the audio edition of The Magician's Nephew to be better than the print version?

Yes!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Magician's Nephew?

Aslan's creation of Narnia

What does Kenneth Branagh bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His reading style is fast-paced and seems to make listening to the book an adventure. He is the best reader i have heard so far.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Wanted to but didn't. 3 sittings.

Any additional comments?

Excellent book.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

My favorite of the series

The idea of visiting world by jumping into ponds, climbing between connected buildings through the rafters, the mad uncle and evil queen have stayed in my dreams since childhood and provoked many hours of thought.

A great book for young adult or old. Timeless and one of my all-time favorites.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

A magical experience

What a wonderful story and Kenneth Branaugh is exceptional in his telling of this story. At moments I forgot I was listening to a single story-teller and instead heard a cast of characters, each with their own accents. I only wish Mr. Branaugh was reading the rest of the series!

10 of 11 people found this review helpful

The back story to Wardrobe.

A short story by todays books by the pound standards...also one many people forget. There is a back story to the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and it has a decidedly different tone. The books are all worth the read, and re-read. This one offers a short afternoon in another world.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

My second favorite Narnia book.

While none of the series holds a candle to the first book in the series The Lion, Witch and Wardrobe. This one comes the closest. I adored this book. Every time I listen to it I am transported back to my childhood and all the worlds I ever imagined existed.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Great storytelling

Kenneth Branagh did a great job with C.S Lewis' classic tale. A wonderful story made better by the actor's superb storytelling.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful