Audio Review: Chronicles of Narnia Radio Drama

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Amazing dramatization of these classic stories
Cons: None
The Bottom Line:
Captures the Magic
And makes the stories seem new
Fully engrossing



Magic Comes Fully to Life

Fifty years ago, the world was introduced to a fantasy series about another world when Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy entered Narnia through a magic wardrobe. Now anyone can enjoy the stories in a new way thanks to these wonderful recordings.

This set contains radio drama versions of all seven books. There are a total of nineteen CD's and over twenty-six hours of adventure. Each story has been fully dramatized and is presented with a full cast, sound effects, and background music - everything to bring the story fully to life. AS these are adaptations, they don't have every word from the books in them. The stories stick very close to the books, however, and any changes would be minor. I didn't notice any. Paul Scofield serves as our narrator, describing settings and actions so we aren't left out of a events when the actors aren't talking. Additionally, Douglas Gresham, C. S. Lewis' stepson, gives us some trivia about the creation of each book in his roll as host of the set.

All seven of the books are fully done here. Naturally, you can listen to them in any order, but they are packaged in chronilogical order, not the order written in.

The Magician's Nephew - Two kids find a world between the worlds via magic rings. But their desire to explore leads them to danger, then a world being created.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy find their way into Narnia to fullfill a prophecy and release the land from an evil curse.

The Horse and His Boy - Two kids and their talking horses race to save Narnia from an invasion.

Prince Caspian - Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy find themselves back in Narnia to help the rightfull king gain his thrown.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Edmund, Lucy, and their cousin Eustace join King Caspian on his quest to track down the seven lords loyal to his father.

The Silver Chair - Eustace and Jill find themselves on a quest to release a prince from an evil enchantment.

The Last Battle - When evil enters Narnia one last time, Eustace and Jill return. But this adventure may not have the outcome they are expecting.

Of course, every adaptation is going to have some drawbacks to fans from another media. The biggest for me is Aslan. I found his voice too slow and unemotional for my picture of the character. Scenes with a large number of people were often a little hard to follow when the voices sounded similar. And do take the warning seriously. This set isn't for young children as some parts could scare them. Over all, these are minor quibbles of a die-hard Narnia fanatic.

While nothing will replace the books, this set is another great way to enter a fun fantasy world. I used these radio dramas to make the miles fly by on a couple recent road trips. Highly recommended for Narnia fans of all ages.