For those who have read and re-read C.S.Lewis this book will be a helpful companion. The fact that it has been in continuous print for nearly thirty years indicates that many have found it illuminates the fictional writing of the twentieth centuries most popular author. This book has many insights; its overviews are perceptive and highly instructive. They show the fact that C.S.Lewis was truly a ‘spinner of tales’, his books are carefully structured, extremely orderly and full of the themes of Christian Theology. It is obvious that Evan Gibson has studied Lewis’s work thoughtfully and extensively; here we reap many of those things that are the fruit of that study. It becomes increasingly obvious that Lewis was a masterful writer, his plot structures, conversational style and storytelling techniques are exposed in a way that can only enhance our appreciation for the science fiction, Narnia series and other fictional writings of Lewis. It is clear that he was both a poet and a great thinker. He was a man of large soul and was prepared to express his faith courageously through that medium that was his forte. There is an enlargement of heart to be gained by reading him. Many think that he is not exactly in the usual mould of the orthodox evangelical believer. This fact makes some shy away from his books feeling that he knew too much and doubt the source from which he gained that knowledge. This particular book is not meant to be an analysis of the merits and defects of Lewis as a Christian writer, it is intended to bring to light with greater clarity the meanings that lie hidden in the stories, even in the names of some of the people and strange creatures inhabiting the books. Although written for the ordinary reader these chapters can be used in Christian book clubs where a group makes their way through a C.S.Lewis book together. Perhaps the idea of a book club is not so much in vogue nowadays but that is a deficiency, for a group to go through a book individually and then come together and discuss its themes and lessons is a further way in which Christian truth can be taught and learned and respect for the literary genre enhanced.
