There are some ways in which Narnia is better, mainly as Christian allegory, but it is inferior in a great many others. Tolkien was just better at world-building, deeper in his literary/historical/mythological influences than anybody else who has ever written in this field. https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/1254487480520368129 …
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Also, the Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe is (like the first Harry Potter & the Hobbit) more obviously a kids' book than the rest of the series. Voyage of the Dawn Treader is easily the best of the Narnia series.
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Confession: I didn't much like the Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe as a kid, never read the series until I tried with my son, gave up halfway thru Horse & His Boy. Only with my youngest did I get all the way through the series to appreciate the later books.
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The Hobbit, by contrast, was the first 'real' book I read, a a second-grader. Tolkien's world engrossed me throughout my youth.
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The two other big fantasy series I've read were Terry Brooks' Shannara series, which I read in my early teens and can no longer even remember at all, & Christopher Paolini's Eragon series, which I read aloud -- it was fun & had some great moments but was very derivative.
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Narrative challenge of Christian fantasy, which Tolkien & Lewis addressed in different ways: the reader wants the Hero to prevail, but this conflicts w/Christian lesson that victory comes only by humbling ourselves to accept salvation as a gift from God.https://twitter.com/MikeRathbone86/status/1254494219764408325 …
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They were sort of the Beatles & Stones of epic, highbrow fantasy writinghttps://twitter.com/barrelproven/status/1254493469449617409 …
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If you've never read the Covenant books, especially the original two trilogies, you should do that. Powerful & disturbing. Donaldson has a firm grip on fallibility & tragedy. And his vision of redemption is also ultimately quite Christian.
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As for the Paolini books, the ending (which I won't spoil here) is quite elegant; my favorite part is where the dragons band together to eliminate the names of their betrayers from their language, so they can no longer even *think* of their own selves.
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Middle Earth has a complete history, mythology, and has better metaphysics. Also, since it takes place in "Old Testament" times it is less explicitly religious because God is more remote.
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