Will Vaus

More endorsements of The Hidden Story of Narnia keep pouring in. I received this one just this morning from Ted Baehr at Movieguide.... "The Hidden Story of Narnia is amazing -- clear, brilliant, interesting, enlightening, and profound. I highly recommend it for everyone and anyone who has read any of the CHRONICLES OF NARNIA books. I have written NARNIA BECKONS about the same subject, I will concede that The Hidden Story of Narnia is the most comprehensive and captivating book on the great series by CS Lewis. It must be read! Bravo!"

For me, the real test of success for my new book, The Hidden Story of Narnia , is whether it can be read and enjoyed, both by academics and by young people. According to the endorsements The Hidden Story has received . . . it has passed the test. Here is what two younger readers have said about The Hidden Story of Narnia: A Book-by-Book Guide to C. S. Lewis' Spiritual Themes.... “This book gives great motivation and inspiration to live out my faith. It is a chance to become a true Narnian. What greater charge than – 'To Narnia and the North! For Aslan!' I highly recommend this book.” Sophie Heinsohn, 12 years old, Maryland, USA “Whether you have just stepped from the threshold of Narnia, fresh from The Last Battle , or you are a veteran traveler who has journeyed beside the Pevensies many a time, you will certainly enjoy this journey through the wardrobe . . .” Travis Elliott, 17 years old, Virginia, USA (By the way, the photo above is of me with a group of stud

This photo is of me and Sanford (Sandy) Schwartz and Michael Ward at the pre-Perelandra Opera dinner at New College, Oxford, in the summer of 2009. Sandy, who is a professor at Penn State University and author of C. S. Lewis on the Final Frontier has written a very nice endorsement of my new book, The Hidden Story of Narnia: "Once again Will Vaus proves himself a wise and trusty guide to C.S. Lewis. Drawing on the full range of Lewis' works and on his biblical, literary, and philosophical sources, this volume is an ideal companion for individual readers or discussion groups that are concerned with the spiritual implications of the Chronicles of Narnia and are seeking to understand more fully what it means 'to live like a Narnian'." Another friend, Robert Velarde, author of Conversations with C. S. Lewis, The Heart of Narnia and The Wisdom of Pixar , has said this about The Hidden Story: "Experience Narnia like never before as Will Vaus expertly gu

As I have noted before in this blog, out of the hundreds of published C. S. Lewis letters my favorites are the ones Lewis wrote to some of his child readers of the Narnia stories. And out of those letters to children, Lewis' letters to Laurence Krieg (pictured above) and his mother are, perhaps, the most priceless. Laurence's mother originally wrote to Mr. Lewis because her son was concerned that he was loving Aslan more than Jesus. Lewis wrote back and said, among other things, "Laurence can't really love Aslan more than Jesus, even if he feels that's what he is doing. For the things he loves Aslan for doing or saying are simply the things Jesus really did and said." ( Letters to Children , 6 May 1955) Through the miracle of the Internet I have been in touch with Laurence over the past couple of years. Just recently, Laurence read the manuscript of my new book, The Hidden Story of Narnia , and here is what he had to say about it: " The Hidden Story of N

The outline of my new book, The Hidden Story of Narnia , is based upon a letter that C. S. Lewis wrote to a girl named Anne in 1961. In the letter (pictured above) Lewis wrote: "The whole Narnian story is about Christ. That is to say, I asked myself 'Supposing there really were a world like Narnia and supposing it had (like our world) gone wrong and supposing Christ wanted to go into that world and save it (as He did ours) what might have happened?' The stories are my answer. Since Narnia is a world of Talking Beasts I thought he would become a Talking Beast there, as he became a Man here. I pictured Him becoming a lion there because (a.) the lion is supposed to be the King of beasts: (b.) Christ is called 'The Lion of Judah' in the Bible: (c.) I'd been having strange dreams about lions when I began writing the books. The whole series works out like this: The Magician's Nephew tells the creation and how evil entered Narnia. The Lion etc ____________

Wayne Martindale and Jerry Root, editors of The Quotable Lewis have both added their endorsements to many others for my forthcoming book, The Hidden Story of Narnia .... "What a delightful—and helpful—book! Readers of Lewis’ Narnia books will enjoy splashing back into the stories and thinking about the enduring truths so freshly evoked by Lewis and highlighted by Will Vaus. Though rooted in solid scholarship and theology, The Hidden Story of Narnia is accessible to those new to both. It will take you back to The Chronicles of Narnia for another look—at the books, at yourself." Wayne Martindale Professor of English, Wheaton College "C. S. Lewis will continue to be read for a long, long time. He always attracts new readers longing for clear and illuminating introductions to his books, his ideas, and his wide world so integrated by his faith. Will Vaus has proved once again that he knows his subject and he knows how to give readers a more robust appreciation of Le

My newest book, The Hidden Story of Narnia , is now available for pre-order. The book should be ready to ship by the first or second week of April. But you can learn more about the book and pre-order now by clicking here: www.willvaus.com .

Owen A. Barfield (pictured with me above in Oxford, summer 2009) has called my new book, The Hidden Story of Narnia , "A thoughtful and thought-provoking book." Barfield is the grandson of Owen Barfield, one of C. S. Lewis' closest friends from Oxford student days to the end of Lewis' life in 1963. Owen A. Barfield is also one of his grandfather's literary executors. You may find out more about the Literary Estate of Owen Barfield and what they are up to by clicking here: http://www.owenbarfield.org/ . Owen A. Barfield's Aunt Lucy was the one to whom C. S. Lewis dedicated The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in these endearing words.... My dear Lucy, I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can the

My newest book, The Hidden Story of Narnia , is soon to be published by Winged Lion Press. You may click here to learn more about them: http://wingedlionpress.com/ . The book is already receiving some wonderful endorsements: I am asked again and again by lovers of Narnia if there is a book out there that will help them understand the deeper Christian meanings of The Chronicles of Narnia . I am happy to say that that much desired book now exists. Will Vaus’s The Hidden Story of Narnia offers a clear and concise analysis of the spiritual architecture that undergirds each of the Chronicles, and it does so in a language that should prove equally challenging and accessible to academics, non-academics, college and high school students, and even well-read children. Vaus makes clear all the links between Aslan and Christ and between the Narnia books and the Bible. But he goes far beyond this. He also links the themes of the Narnia books to the vast corpus of Lewis’s other works so