World Famous Comics: Passport to Narnia: A Newcomer's Guide (Chronicles of Narnia)
Passport to Narnia: A Newcomer's Guide (Chronicles of Narnia)
By: George Beahm Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Hampton Roads Publishing Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 200 Publication Date: October 17, 2005 Reading Level: Ages 9-12
New to Narnia? Don't feel lost—or alone! This accessible, illustrated guide is your passport to C. S. Lewis's enchanting world of Narnia and all its wonders. Written especially for newcomers, Passport to Narnia tells you everything you need to know about Narnia and its creator, C. S. Lewis. Fun, fact-filled, and entertaining, it also features the art of award-winning fantasy illustrator Tim Kirk, whose map of Narnia and delightful drawings lend just the right touch.
Written by a seasoned traveler who has taken his readers in previous books to J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth and J. K. Rowling's wizarding world of Harry Potter, author George Beahm is your guide to the wonders of Narnia.
What's the story behind Lewis's writing The Chronicles of Narnia? What is its geography and who are its people? Who are the principal characters in each book, and what challenges await them? These, and many more, questions are answered.
From Lewis's Narnia novels to early coverage of Disney's adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and the wealth of related products (audiobooks, dramatizations, other books by Lewis, and books about him), this companion book is a reader's delight.
Through the wardrobe, to the lamppost in the Lantern Waste, and to the very edges of the Eastern Ocean, Beahm's Passport to Narnia is your first-class ticket to C. S. Lewis's enduring children's classic that has enthralled and entertained readers for more than half a century.
Beahm has chronicled Narnia in a reader-friendly way that will charm both the young and old, the new and seasoned readers: This is your ticket to Lewis's world beyond the wardrobe.
A great introduction! I've always loved the story of the Lion, the witch and the wardrobe, but was rather unfamiliar with the other stories in the series. Passport to Narnia was an entertaining, effective introduction to the entirety of the tales of CS Lewis. I found the condensed life history of CS Lewis to be interesting and informative, and easy to read. The highlight of the book for me were the illustrations by Tim Kirk, especially the full page of Aslan going to the altar. As a collector, I also really enjoyed an introduction to some of the merchandise. I bought Peter on the unicorn as a result, which should be arriving shortly! I'm glad the author didn't focus on the smaller merchanside such as the toys... they are poorly made. Rather dissapointing after the vast amount of Tolkien merchanside that was available. Thanks for the introduction into Narnia, George!
*Too repetitive, off-topic, and commercial* Sorry to say, I did judge this book by its cover, which is very attractive and eyecatching. After looking over several Narnia Guides, that was my determining factor in choosing this title.
But, ohmigosh! As another reviewer had mentioned redundancy, I'll try to find another word - and that would be tedious. Fully, LOTR is mentioned... well I stopped counting at 40 times, and that's not including the utterances of each of the trilogy's subtitles. I wasn't at all interested in comparison, and had I not already read the Tolkien series, and seen the movies, it would have been way-off base.
Think: "African elephants are like Indian elephants, they have different ears, which makes them alike, since they both have ears, but they are different, seeing one is not enough evidence to state one has actually seen an elephant which is strongly endorsed to be one or the other".
Sorry for the bad example, but it really reads like this. The last perhaps third of the book is dedicated to the collectibles and comments from WETA Wookshop, responsible for making the pictured items. Oddly enough, the items range in price from $150 to $300, and this is in a book written for children. Not including the back matter, the "guide" really stops on page 110 or so, but the next 70 pages contains theaspects of recorded versions, movie critique and the aforementioned trinkets for sale.
This, and the enthusiastic approach to the Disney version, and charms and jewelry only add to the commercial overtones of the book. I'm sorry, I wanted more content, less trivia and chit-chat.
There was a bright spot, however, and that is the great list of other resources, including websites and reading materials. I do wish he had gone into a bit more detail of how so many of the C. S. Lewis papers and the Wardrobe ended up in of all places, Wheaton, Illinois - so far from the Kilns, and England itself.
Truthfully, the disclaimer about the book not being prepared, endorsed or authorized by C. S. Lewis Pte Ltd, or any associated entity should have been the tip-off that perhaps there are others more suited to what I was looking for.
I bought this for a gift. Sadly, after reading through it myself on Christmas Day, I was disappointed. If, as the author says in his own review, that future editions will address some of the problems, what good is that to those who have already bought it?
Delightful guide to Narnia I came to George Beahm's Passport to Narnia with more or less tolerant amusement for Lewis' series, which I enjoyed reading in younger days, but always found lacking in any real depth. Being a afficionado of fantasy which developes a world to a deliciously excruciating level of detail (as with my all-time favorite author J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle Earth), I had been a bit disappointed at the lack of such development with Narnia. Still, the story is, and always will remain, a delightful children's story full of characters and symbolism which can be grasped by any reader.
Mr. Beahm did a creditable job of guiding me down the once-familiar paths of Narnia and bringing that world back to life for me. I found that this book added to my enjoyment of the film "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" when I had the chance to see it as well. The characters, places and events were just that much fresher for me for having read Beahm's Passport. I would recommend it to anyone just entering the world of Narnia, or to those, like myself, who would like to have the wonder of that world renewed.
Great introduction into the world of Narnia and CS Lewis For such a small little book, it's suprisingly has a lot more information than I expected. I was just assuming a real gloss over, but he seems to cover everything, without going too technical or crazy which makes it perfect for kids. I thought that the information on CS Lewis and his history was really helpful into appreciating the books that much more. The Chronicles of Narnia was one of my favorite series growing up, but not having read them in over 15 years, I thought this book would be a great way to refresh my memories before seeing the movie. In that it suceeds greatly. I was amazed that considering the book has just come out, it covers the first movie and even the Weta figures. A definite read before you read the series and see the movie(s)!
Great guide for those both old and new to Narnia This is a wonderful book for both newcomers to the world of Narnia and for old pros who just need a refresher course. The book is well laid out and very easy to follow. It has breakdowns of all the Chronicles, as well as an extensive listing of products available to the public. So if you are looking for a great book to get you in the know about the world of Narnia, this is the book for you.
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