The Magician's Book

"Weaving together her own life as a reader and C. S. Lewis's life as, among other things, a reader, a writer, a Christian, a veteran of World War I, and a friend to J.R.R. Tolkien, Miller illuminates not only the Chronicles of Narnia, but the nature of reading itself."--Time "Jam-packed with critical insights and historical context, this discussion of C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia...is intellectually inspiring."--Publishers Weekly "Empathetic, rigorous, erudite, funny, generous, and surprising....THE MAGICIAN'S BOOK abounds with a rare quality that most literary criticism lacks, the quality of hopeful longing that helped lead C. S. Lewis to imagine Narnia, the quality that he prized above almost all others: joy."--Los Angeles Times "An agreeable and insightful book...her sometimes affectionate, sometimes analytical book will delight both skeptics and true believers."--Michael Cart, Booklist "A rewarding study by a first-rate arts writer."--Kirkus "This book is both a wonderful antechamber to Lewis's wardrobe portal and a convincing attempt to rescue Aslan from the Christian imagination and embed him where he has always belonged--the human imagination."--Tom Bissell, author of The Father of All Things, - "There are two great pleasures to be found in THE MAGICIAN'S BOOK. One is being reminded of exactly how blissful it felt to be a child in the thrall of a book. The other is watching Miller find her way back to Narnia as an adult-where she discovers that a wiser reader is not necessarily a sadder one."--Christian Science Monitor "Conversational, embracing, and casually erudite... a subtle reader's memoir, and manifesto."--Jonathan Lethem, - "Amagical weave of rich soulful criticism, at once a distinctive and insightful biography of C.S. Lewis, and a memoir of the author....I couldn't put it down."--Anne Lamott, author of Grace (Eventually), - "A thorough and thoroughly engrossing look at one reader's lifetime love affair with Narnia... Smart, meticulous, and altogether delightful."--Karen Joy Fowler, author of The Jane Austin Book Club, - "...Reading [Miller's] thrilling new book about C. S. Lewis and his Narnia series is like sitting down with the smartest and least tendentious person you know and dishing your favorite books. I came away from this book feeling thoroughly informed, entertained, and inspired."--James Hynes, author of The Lecturer's Tale and Kings of Infinite Space, - "...Anyone who believes in the power of literature will want to savor The Magician's Book. In the end you feel as if you have had a stimulating literary conversation with a group of very smart and savvy friends."--Anita Silvey, author of 100 Best Books for Children, -

Laura Miller is a journalist and critic. She is a cofounder of Salon.com, where she is currently a staff writer and is the editor of The Salon.com Readers Guide to Contemporary Authors.