wolves, who are intelligent and who in some cases
raise human children as their own. Wolf Capturedis
particularly well told. The Buried Pyramid(2004) is
perhaps her best novel, the story of an archaeologi-
cal expedition in Egypt that is in a race to uncover
important artifacts but that is disrupted by a magi-
cal trip back through time thanks to the interces-
sion of Ra.
Lindskold has written quite a bit of short fic-
tion, which has become much more interesting in
recent years. Her best stories include “The Dark
Lady” (1996), “Dreaming of Dead Poets” (1996),
“Out of Hot Water” (1999), and “Beneath the Eye
of the Hawk” (2002). She is overdue for a collec-
tion of her shorter work.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
C. S. Lewis(1950)
It is possible that C. S. LEWISdid not originally ex-
pect that this would be the first of a series of chil-
dren’s fantasies rather than a single book, because
it is much more complete in itself than are any of
the sequels. The four Pevensie children find a
doorway into a magical world through the back of
an oversized wardrobe in a house where they are
staying to escape the bombing of London. In that
other world the evil White Witch has cast a spell
that suspends the world in a perpetual winter that
never quite reaches Christmas, a significant fact
given the strong Christian symbolism that pervades
the novels. The children are, in fact, referred to as
the “Sons of Adam” and “Daughters of Eve” by the
witch and others. There is a prophesy that when
the four thrones in an abandoned castle are occu-
pied by humans, the witch will die, so she has a
vested interest in preventing that from happening.
Fortunately for her, humans do not exist in Narnia
until the children arrive, a plot device about which
Lewis was inconsistent in the later volumes.
Narnia is filled with talking animals as well as
other creatures of legend, all of them intelligent,
as are the trees. Lewis revised this condition later as
well so that it was possible for the children to eat
those varieties of animals that were incapable of
speech without feeling guilty. The four have a se-
ries of adventures and hear legends of Aslan, a lion
who comes from a distant land and who is sup-
posed to have the power to free Narnia from the
witch’s power. Aslan is an obvious Christ figure
whose mystical interventions continue throughout
the series. One of the Pevensies, Edmund, has
been corrupted by the witch’s temptations and be-
trays his siblings, although his visit to the witch’s
lair—littered with her enemies whom she has
transformed into statues—convinces him that he
has chosen poorly. Nevertheless, he is guilty, and
Aslan chooses to submit to the witch’s power and
be killed in Edmund’s place, obviously dying for his
sins. The act of self-sacrifice wakens another form
of magic, and he is restored to life in time to affect
the outcome of the ultimate battle between good
and evil.
The children are installed on their thrones
with one of their number, Peter, as High King, and
they grow to maturity ruling Narnia justly and prof-
itably. Late in their reign they go hunting and inad-
vertently stumble back through the wardrobe,
returning to our world only a moment after leaving,
and once more with the bodies of children, al-
though they retain their adult memories. The story
is self-contained but slight, although a few scenes—
Lucy’s first visit to Narnia, the descriptions of the
beavers’ house—are quite memorable.Lisle, Holly(1960– )
Holly Lisle began her career, as many fantasy writ-
ers do, with a trilogy, and with the exception of a
small number of mildly interesting short stories,
she has continued to focus on stand-alone and se-
ries novels ever since. That first trilogy consists of
Fire in the Mist(1992), Bones of the Past(1993),
and Mind of the Magic(1995). The protagonist is a
young woman who survives the massacre of her
family at the hands of a band of brutal soldiers and
is forced to mature quickly, developing her innate
magical talents in the process. The ensuing vol-
umes involve an expedition to a lost city and a
confrontation with the gods. The transition from
book to book is not always smooth, but taken sepa-
rately they are all fine adventure stories.
Over the course of the next few years, Lisle
collaborated on novels with several people, includ-
ing more experienced writers such as Marion Zim-
mer BRADLEY, Mercedes LACKEY, and S. M. Stirling.Lisle, Holly 215