The book is about the story of four brothers and sisters: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. The four stumble into the land of Narnia through an old wardrobe while playing hide and seek. Once through the wardrobe, the four discover that they are the key in an ancient Narnian prophecy. The prophecy says that when two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve enter Narnia, they will restore order to the land. Unbeknownst to the children, the country had been ruled over by an evil Witch. The Witch cast an evil spell that cursed the land, making it eternally winter, but never Christmas.
A couple of beavers lead the four to meet the true King of Narnia, Aslan, the great lion. While on their journey, they are pursued by the Witch’s secret police that are a pack of ravenous wolves. Luckily, the return of Aslan begins to weaken the Witch’s spell and Father Christmas comes to deliver the children some very special gifts. Father Christmas gave a sword and shield to Peter, bow, arrows and a horn to Susan, and to Lucy, he gave a small bottle of healing ointment. When the children are confronted by the wolves, Peter defends the group by defeating the leader of the wolves, captain Maugrim. Seeing their leader beaten, the other wolves report back to the Witch. The children are left to meet with Aslan, where they discuss how they will fight against the Witch and her army of nasties. An enormous battle ensues and the Witch is finally defeated. Afterwards, Aslan goes on to crown the four children the new Kings and Queens of Narnia.
The story is littered with Christian undertones and even makes some blatant references. One of the most obvious references are the similarities between Aslan and Christ. At one point, he even sacrifices his own life to the Witch so that the children will be safe. Moments later, Aslan is resurrected and is even more powerful than before.
The overall plot of the story is really fascinating and thought-provoking. But, the writing style Lewis chose to use is not one to bat an eye at. He is very redundant and it almost seems like he thinks children are absurdly moronic. The redundancy is annoying, but is an easy enough stumbling stone to get past. Besides, the imagery he creates in this fantastic land keeps your imagination running. This book is a quick and easy read that every inner child should experience.
