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“This is a story about something that happened long ago when your grandfather was a child. It is a very important story because it shows how all the comings and goings between our own world and the land of Narnia first began.” Seventy years after its publication on May 2, 1955, why do we still love Lewis’s sixth Chronicles of Narnia book, The Magician’s Nephew?

Mission update

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Quotes and notes

Notice how the Jadis casting was leaked and then confirmed within a few days, yet we have nothing but a rumor of being “in talks” and radio silence re: Aslan? If Greta locked in Streep, a Hollywood legend, wouldn’t they have celebrated it with a very clear confirmation ?

I predict this rumor is an anchor—a way to prepare fans for the worst—while the actual casting change is much less drastic or controversial. . . .

—@NarniaYouTube thread on X, April 28, 2025

• Emma Mackey to Star as Jadis the White Witch in Greta Gerwig’s Narnia, NarniaWeb.com, April 25, 2025

Prologue

• Stephen recently re-enjoyed the tale thanks to Sir Kenneth Branagh.
• Each Narnian tale is unique; this one is because it feels so modern-ish.
• Two child heroes meet a magician and end up travelling a multiverse.
• Unlike other Narnian stories, in this one, the children “control” magic.
• There are rules for its origin and use, feeling a bit more grown-up.
• We do argue this is book 6, but as a child, Stephen read this one early!

1. We love Digory’s fall and redemption

• Of all Lewis’s child heroes, Digory comes closest to being a self-insert.
• He’s lost and alone in a big city, finding comfort in his imagination.
• His mother is ailing and near death, further threatening his real world.
• But he’s also a stubborn boy, even a little of what we call “misogynist.”
• He and Polly Plummer squabble like siblings, but care for one another.
• Digory makes one fateful choice that brings an evil in other worlds.
• Only by going into a certain other world can he find truth and healing.

2. We love seeing the Genesis of Narnia

• Of all The Magician’s Nephew, this scene could make or break a movie.
• The great lion Aslan sings the world of Narnia into being as its creator.
• This is epic and mythical, musical, like a montage but also in real time.
• Focus on the Family’s Radio Theatre adapts this scene so reverently.
• Even at their origin, the Narnian animals are so distinctive and comical.
• Sir Kenneth Branagh, by the way, gives each creature a fantastic voice.
• And of course, readers learn the origins of some ideas in later books.

3. We love more time with the great Aslan

• The great Lion is of course unquestionably the heart of this story.
• The children, Frank, Strawberry, and Helen, instinctively honor him.
• But the adults, Jadis and Uncle Andrew, hate him in their special ways.
• In fact, much of Aslan’s goodness is “seen” in simple contrast to evil.
• Jadis is a manipulative magician, and Uncle Andrew is a foolish cousin.
• Lewis expertly understood and showed the depth and banality of evils.
• That’s why it’s so important for any film version to get Aslan right.

Com station

What do you love about The Magician’s Nephew?

Next on Fantastical Truth

‘Tis the season for graduations. Right now some students are happy to leave their textbooks behind . But what sorts of books should faithful readers want to take with them, not just in their childhood and teenage years, but into their lives as Christ-following grown-ups? Next week’s guest has given many graduation speeches, and created his own middle-grade fantasy: Houston Christian University president Dr. Robert Sloan.

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