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The Complete Chronicles of Narnia
Summary
An absolute must for fans of The Chronicles of Narnia, this is a beautifully rendered performance of every single volume in this beloved series. Balancing a solid narrative that relies on fantastical action sequences with an overarching mythology, this magical, immersive performance is not to be missed.
C.S. Lewis’ acclaimed and universally loved novels spring to life in these spellbinding full-cast BBC dramatisations.
Anyone who’s visited Narnia wants to go back again, and these radio dramas make for a hugely entertaining first-time or return journey, with a cast including Bernard Cribbins, Maurice Denham, Richard Griffiths, Martin Jarvis, Sylvester McCoy, John Sessions, Fiona Shaw, and Timothy Spall.
"The Magician’s Nephew": When Polly and Digory discover some magic rings, they begin the most exciting and dangerous journey of their lives - and encounter the mighty lion Aslan.…
"The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe": Lucy, Peter, Edmund and Susan enter a magical world of talking fauns and flying horses, where the evil White Witch has cast Narnia in perpetual winter.
"The Horse and His Boy": Shasta and his talking horse Bree flee from a life of slavery and head for the freedom of Narnia, facing many perils along the way.
"Prince Caspian": Peter, Susan, Lucy, and Edmund are called upon to help Caspian free Narnia of his evil uncle’s regime and reclaim freedom and happiness.
"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader": Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace join King Caspian on a perilous mission to find his friends, the seven lost Lords of Narnia.
"The Silver Chair": Jill and Eustace set out to find King Caspian’s lost son, and in the grim land of the Earthmen they encounter the wicked Green Lady.
"The Last Battle": The King is in danger, and Narnia faces its darkest hour. Eustace and Jill must help its people fight for the future of the once-glorious kingdom.
What members say
Average customer ratings
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Darren
- 05-12-15
A worthy addition to any collection
Would you consider the audio edition of The Complete Chronicles of Narnia to be better than the print version?
This dramatization complements the original stories beautifully. Each scene has been carefully crafted with the sort of audio landscape you would naturally expect from any quality BBC production.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Probably Mr. Tumnus; who wouldn't want to have tea with him?
Which scene did you most enjoy?
Probably the final entry into the Witch's castle, but there really are far too many to choose from, particularly as all seven stories have been combined herein.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I defy anyone not to become emotionally involved with these tales.
Any additional comments?
How wonderful to have all seven performances combined into a single Audible book. I first heard the Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe dramatization as an eight-year-old and was too terrified to advance beyond the first thirty minutes for many months following our first encounter with the White Queen. Over twenty years later, the tales continue to thrill, inspire, sadden and intrigue me, even though I have heard and reread them countless times. These dramatizations really are outstanding - they appealed to me as a child when perhaps the stories on their own wouldn't have. A worthy addition to any collection with timeless value derived from first class storytelling and excellent performances from many renowned actors.
41 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Simon Thompson
- 19-12-14
Fantastic
Amazing its the FULL Narnia chronicles not just the films well worth buying love it.
34 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- William
- 18-02-15
The reason I became a voice actor...
What did you like most about The Complete Chronicles of Narnia?
As a child in the 90s, my mother bought me BBC Radio 4's The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to listen to on a long car journey. My younger sister and I loved the dramatisation so much that we listened to it incessantly on repeat. From then on, each Christmas or Birthday brought the next instalment until we had all seven of the BBC's Narnia dramatisations.
Almost twenty years later, I am a voice actor myself, reading audiobooks for a living! This morning, I received an Audible newsletter with suggestions of what books I might enjoy. Right in the middle was BBC's Chronicles of Narnia! I cannot explain my excitement! It had been almost 15 years since I'd listened to any of these stories!
58 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michelle
- 20-07-15
Good old fashioned adventure
These are lovely abridged dramatisations of the Narnia series. Great value to get the full set as one book. Most of the detail is here even though it is abridged.
6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Sarah D.
- 18-02-15
Excellent!
Really impressed with how these books have come to life, highly recommended to all ages. Excellent, great quality all round.
5 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Calum
- 15-06-19
Horrible sound levels
Great story, great performances ruined by awful sound levels, literally either deafening or complete whispers
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- D. Lawson
- 17-02-15
Excellent retelling of a great classic.
this BBC adaptation is an excellent retelling of the classic Chronicles of Narnia by C S Lewis. not a complete reading of the original books, but it seems to contain alk other essential elements from the original books.
12 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- caroline mccarthy
- 25-02-19
Disappointed
This classic story which I love is being acted out by all the characters. It’s like listening to a film. Very poor quality and difficult to hear at times. My daughter gave up after 10 minutes and I agreed with her. I won’t give up on audio though, just need to find another version. Any suggestions?
2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 02-07-18
Dissapointing- not a recording of the book.
I may have just read the description wrong but I was expecting the story as written in the book. This is ok for some but just make sure you read the description.
12 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- excavatorjohn
- 01-12-15
A great play
Would you consider the audio edition of The Complete Chronicles of Narnia to be better than the print version?
They each have their own merits but I read all seven books when I was younger so I wanted to experience the story a different way.
What did you like best about this story?
The links between the various books/plays are great and the overall continuing story and the individual plots are unique and interesting.
Have you listened to any of Maurice Denham and Full Cast ’s other performances? How does this one compare?
I'm not sure if I've heard Maurice Denham's dramatisations before but I've heard many BBC Radio 4 plays and as far as I recollect I've enjoyed them all. Yet again this Audiobook dramatisation showcases the BBC at its best.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The classic resurrection of Aslan and the victories of good versus evil are all moving in their own ways.
Any additional comments?
I would recommend anyone to experience one of the BBC Radio 4 dramatisations as all the ones I've heard (both by buying them on Audible and by listening to Radio 4) are truly excellent.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J. Simes
- 24-03-15
Great Story, but...
This story is definitely worth a credit, don't get me wrong. I probably shouldn't be complaining since others clearly noted that this is an abridged version. If you know the stories well though, it is kind of sad when they leave out things like the first joke. I also have heard dramatized versions that had an amazing rendition of Puddleglum's acting drunk before the giant king and queen. This version left that out entirely. And yes it is dramatized, which I found myself noticing over and over again. They would have one of the characters tell what was happening as it happened, instead of just having a narrator tell the story. And some of the voices just weren't that inspiring. If I had it to do over again, I might just go home and read the book. Or maybe I'd buy all the individual ones unabridged. Basically I've heard better dramatizations of this story. Nevertheless, it is a great story, and I highly recommend it.
13 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Carley
- 16-02-15
Should say "abridged"
I love the chronicles of Narnia so I was happy to see a complete collection in one purchase. I didn't realize it was going to be so different from the books. All the actors were great, especially the kids but we miss all the great narration by CS Lewis which is what I love about Narnia. I wish the description had indicated (more than just the word "dramatized") that it was so different from the books. Prince Caspian was completely changed. I still loved it but I'll have to spend more on the actual audio books.
118 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alex
- 14-03-15
Abridged but Great Performance
What did you love best about The Complete Chronicles of Narnia?
I enjoyed the full cast of characters and the sound effects that complemented the scenes.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Complete Chronicles of Narnia?
The most memorable moments for me are from "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" because that story was the one I'd heard most as a child and so it stuck with me more than the others.
Which scene was your favorite?
(Spoilers) My favorite scene was at the end of The Silver Chair when Aslan and Caspian return to our world with Eustace and Jill and frighten away the bullies.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I did laugh at quite a few parts throughout the book.
Any additional comments?
If you haven't read any of the books and really want to, you might want to get a full unabridged copy. If you like full-cast dramatizations or you have already read the full books I do recommend this. You get all the books for one credit, which is a great deal in my opinion. Sometimes the sound effects were loud enough to drown the words but it was well-performed in general and was well worth it.
22 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- envchemist
- 17-12-14
I love these books and they have come alive!
Where does The Complete Chronicles of Narnia rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
These have been some of my favorite books since the age of 12 -many years ago in the bronze age! When I saw the ratings on this audible book and that it was ALL the books, I was hooked. What a gift. The cast is wonderful and they bring the characters to life! I have been listening to it before I go to sleep. If I fall asleep before my sleep timer kicks in--not a problem as I know them so well, I can pick right up in the car the next morning. If you love Narnia, buy this! You won't regret it.
What did you like best about this story?
EVERYTHING!
Which character – as performed by Maurice Denham and Full Cast – was your favorite?
Lucy.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
These are old friends, so it's hard to pick a moment. But I do remember Eustace remarking to Lucy and Edmond that he hated that holidays were over. Lucy remarked about what a let down it was to leave Narnia. Eustace said the main problem was that he had to go back to school. You could hear the dread and distress. Then the laughter as the 3 agreed that Eustace's parents would be worried about the bad influence the Pensie kids were.
10 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 25-10-15
I agree with others, it should say abridged.
What would have made The Complete Chronicles of Narnia better?
I agree with others, it should say abridged. I would not have wasted a credit on this had I known.
18 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Johanna
- 24-10-16
Just read the books
Would you try another book from C. S. Lewis and/or Maurice Denham and Full Cast ?
From C. S. Lewis, yes, I would read anything by him. I did not care for Maurice Denham and the full cast dramatization.
What three words best describe Maurice Denham and Full Cast ’s voice?
Annoying.
Was The Complete Chronicles of Narnia worth the listening time?
No it was not worth the listening time.
Any additional comments?
I LOVE the Chronicles of Narnia. I have read 5 of the books multiple times, and I thought this would be such a fun series to listen to. I was hesitant to go with the dramatization because I prefer just a solid narrating, but I thought with the BBC name and the good reviews that it would be worth it. I listened to Magician's Nephew and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but I just can't bring myself to listen anymore. The narrating is just so-so, the voices and sounds are absolutely obnoxious, and the way it was edited is just downright disappointing. I would MUCH prefer a good unabridged narrated version. If dramatization is your thing, go for it. If you're not into dramatization or could go either way, I'd say don't get it. I am disappointed and will be returning/exchanging it for something better. These books are beautiful, and this dramatization just does not do them justice.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Timothy Hopton
- 20-10-15
well done!
the only problem I had was sometimes while characters were whispering or moving further away it made it hard to hear without assisting the volume.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David
- 04-01-15
Truly a timeless classic
It was really awesome hearing and in turn visualize my favorite childhood books and stories of Narnia come to life with the Narrator and the actors acting out the scenes, you can visualize it 100%. They brought the books to life really well. I enjoyed and love it all the way thro.
7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kerwin B.
- 27-01-15
Twice as good the second time around
This is the second will listen that I have done. It was even better the second time around I look forward to many hours of pleasure the third time.
14 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Nicole Simon
- 30-12-18
Not a complete Chronicles
While I love this story, this is not the complete Chronicles of Narnia. This is one book of the 7 and not even the first. Rather disappointed.
1 person found this helpful