What do I mean? Thanks to the Internet you can search for anything…including old news stories. More specifically, since I began writing my new column here I notice a curious statistic. At least over the last couple of weeks several dozens of people each day have viewed an old story from this site proclaiming a certain book will be the fourth Narnia film. The title of that story makes it show high in the results of searches and more likely to be read. Since that time there have been further updates, like “More Information on the Future of Narnia on Film” and “Douglas Gresham Talks…” From this updated information we know the production of the movies are on hold and at last word it is likely four more years before any will begin. So, remember it can take a couple of years before a movie is released after filming starts…can anyone say “2018?” Could something change and a movie hit the big screen sooner? I certainly hope so!
Until then, what do you do? Here’s a crazy idea…go back to reading the books from which the movies came! Honestly, I’m not really that much of a book reader, so I tend to listen to the unabridged audio and I’ve been known to take great pleasure in hearing the dramatized versions. Yet, seeing the words in front of you is an experience that can’t be beat. Doing this allows you to more easily pause and reflect on the stories and enjoy them to an extent not possible otherwise.
Of course, while reading the books directly you can enhance your understanding of them by getting one of the many books about the stories. There are some I might discuss another time (you can also check out those that are reviewed in Tumnus’ Bookshelf). However, one of the easiest ways to supplement your experience is also found here within the NarniaFans.com site. There is an entire section under the “Books” tabs above devoted to all the Narnia stories. One nice thing it provides are brief summaries of each book. Not only that, there is a list of characters found in each story along with details about them.
Tell me how the resources on this site has helped you and/or what other places online you’ve found helpful for enjoying the Narnia stories by leaving a comment below.