Through the Wardrobe

by Will Vaus
The back cover of Through the Wardrobe (2010, by Herbie Brennan) invites the reader to: “Step through the wardrobe and into the imaginations of 16 friends of Aslan as they explore Narnia—from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to The Last Battle, from the heart of Caspian’s kingdom to the Eastern Seas. Unlike some books, this one delivers on its back-cover advertisement. Though I had never heard of any of these authors before, I enjoyed almost every one of their essays.

Since I wrote a book on the spiritual themes in the Narnia stories (The Hidden Story of Narnia), I think it is important to note that this collection of essays is not about the spiritual themes in Narnia at all. However, these essays do remind us why The Chronicles of Narnia are, and should be, valued by people of all faiths, as well as those of no faith at all.

I can’t agree with editor Herbie Brennan when he writes in the Introduction: “When stuffy academics discuss the influence religion had on Lewis, they talk of something profoundly unimportant.” However, I can agree with him when he says, in the next sentence, that Lewis’ archetypal, mythic spirituality “enabled him to reach out across every culture and creed to the children of the world.” That Lewis has done this, I think, is undeniable. It is also significant.

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