If you watched the movie "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", you probably wondered about two little details: why does a wardrobe lead into the London Magician land of Narnia, and why does Lucy find a lantern in the middle of a forest?
"The Magician"s Nephew" answers these questions (though I will not give the answers away in this review) and many more. The novel contains the genesis (literally) of the entire Narnia cycle.
The action begins in late 19th-century London, when two children, Polly and Digory accidentally enter the secret study of Digory's eccentric uncle Andrew while exploring a passage that connects the attics of several houses.
The uncle is actually a magician, and he tricks Polly and his nephew into performing an experiment involving magic rings. These rings transport the children into the "Wood between the Worlds", a somnolent forest that contains numerous small pools serving as gates to other worlds. Polly and Digory explore the ruined city of Charn, and Digory is faced with a great temptation. A sign on a small bell next to a sleeping woman proclaims:
Make you choice, adventurous Stranger,
Strike the bell and bide the danger,
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.
Digory is unable to resist and strikes the bell, which has momentous consequences. The sound awakens the woman, Empress Jadis, who had destroyed the entire city of Charn with a curse. She manages to follow the children to London, and scenes of hilarious mayhem ensue.
Eventually, the two children, the uncle, the cruel Empress and a cabbie and his horse are transported back to the Wood between the Worlds and from there to a new world that is just coming into being - Narnia.
The creation of Narnia is described in poetic detail, and afterwards Digory has to atone for his earlier mistake by resisting another temptation - the fruit from the forbidden tree. The history of Narnia begins, but the shadow of evil (the Empress will return as the White Witch) and the future necessity of Aslan's sacrifice are already hinted at.
Sound plays an important role in this novel: there is the drowsy stillness of the Wood between the Worlds, the arid silence of the
city of Charn shattered by the bell, the harmony of the celestial spheres and the creative song of Aslan's voice. All this makes
"The Magician"s Nephew" a true prelude to Narnia.
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In central London, it is very difficult to explore all the tourist attractions and places of interest within a short period. The Capital of United Kingdom has too many landmarks and palaces of special interest that it is better for someone visiting the City to make proper research about these attractions in order to make informed decisions before making your journey. Once you are in London, there is too much to see and also you will have a lot to do. The City is very exciting and very entertaining. It is full of Museums, exhibition centres and huge concert halls, Royal Palaces, renowned department stores, Galleries, historic buildings and many more. It is a business city and there are a lot of multinational companies London Magicianwhich have their headquarters' in London. London also has some top hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation properties which are very suitable to use during your visit.
United Kingdom is ruled from the Houses of Westminster which include the House of Commons and House of Lords. Generally, it is called Houses of Parliament. With Britain being one of the Political heavyweights of the world, a lot of political decisions on many countries which were ruled by the British in the colonial days have taken place in these buildings. The great building began to serve as UK's political headquarters when that first royal palace got burnt in 1552. There is another important attraction just located outside the Parliament building and this is the London Tower Clock. The Tower Clock looks wonderful especially in the night when the face of the clock illuminates. This clock is what all in UK uses to set their time because it is very accurate. It hardly stops. When there is a light shining above the clock, it tells you that Parliament is in session. Many people take the Big Ben to be the clock but that is not the case. There is a bell hanging within the clock that sounds on the hour.
There is the British Museum which is one of the largest Museums in the world with well over 7 million items from all over the world from the time of ancient civilization to the modern time. You will find items from Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt and many more. It has been in existence since 1753. The British Museum is in Bloomsbury and on the Great Russell Street with the closest underground station being Tottenham Court Road. This is a must visit attraction in central London because there is no entry fee. The only thing is that, you should have a lot of time on your hand because it is not a place you can explore in just a day.
Built as an icon to mark the turn of the Millennium is the London Eye which has become one of the most visited attractions in the UK capital and even the whole of United Kingdom. This is an Observation wheel located on the Bank of London River Thames and also very close to the Houses of Parliament. This wheel stands 443 ft tall and considered to be one of the tallest observation wheels in the world. If you want to have a very good view of the capital, then it is from London Eye. From the topmost point of the wheel, one can see in all directions about 25 miles. A full journey on the wheel takes about 30 minutes. You also have to make sure that you visit places like the St. Paul's Cathedral located in St. Paul's and the Tower Bridge as well as the London Bridge. There is also the Tower of London, a historic castle which is located on the north bank of the River Thames.
The Buckingham Palace is one of the oldest attractions in central London. The Buckingham Palace is an excellent starting point for you to enjoy the sites of the UK capital on foot. It is not far from the Westminster, Piccadilly Circus, Downing Street and many other attractions. The Palace is the official residence of the Queen of England and draws a lot of visitors. Other places like the Victoria station and the Trafalgar Square which is well known throughout the world are all not far away. In the summer months, part of the palace is open to the public and you may have the chance to have a tour in the palace. With dedication and precision and also filled with Military tradition, the Changing of the guard at the Buckingham Palace is one of the must see attractions or events in London. It is suppose to take place every day at the Palace unless in very wet weather situations. The official timing of the ceremony is thirty minutes.
As a tourist to London, if you would like to be close to where the fun and entertainment is in the city, then you have to head to the London West End which is considered to be all the affluent and posh areas in the capital which are to the Western side of London Charing Cross. Areas of the West End which need to be mentioned are the Leicester Square which is a London area named Theatreland because of high concentration of Theatres. Then there is a Covent Garden which is classified as the real West End. Here there are a lot of shops, restaurants, bars, cafes and pubs. The Covent Garden is a place full of activities including street performances from Musicians, magician, dancers and many more. Then there is the Soho Square which is the home of many of central London media Houses and also a place where you may bump into some of the top film star and pop stars. Then there is the Piccadilly Circus which is the intersection of some well known Roads and streets. This is s very popular place where a lot of tourists hang out. The West End is home to the London shopping district.