REVIEW: "The Narnian"

Alan Jacobs' "The Narnian" is simply the finest piece of biographical scholarship on the development of C.S. Lewis the thinker that has been yet published. Jacobs is knowlegeable, thorough, and sheds new light on topics that for many Lewis aficianados would be considered old hat. Throughout the book, Jacobs highlights the people, literature, and religious convictions that led to Lewis' growth from atheist to Christian apologist to the creator of Narnia while filling in details of Lewis' life along the way. Unlike previous Lewis biographies (Hooper and Green, A.N. Wilson) this is not riddled with factual errors and ridiculous, unfounded, suppositions. If you are a Lewis fan or even remotely interested in his contribution to literature (both adult and children's) and/or Christian apologetics, you will probably find this book a rewarding read. It is nice, for a change, to have a book on Lewis that is both informative and exploratory as well as staying true to the facts. I highly recommend this book. Grade: A-