Book Review: The A-Z of C.S. Lewis by Colin Duriez

About the Book: A Complete Guide to His Life, Thoughts and Writings

Published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of C. S. Lewis's death, this complete guide covers all of Lewis' works, from his literary criticism to Narnia.

C. S. Lewis's work is widely known and regarded, but enthusiasts are often only aware of one part of his work-his children's stories and his popular theology; and yet he wrote so much more, including science fiction and literary criticism. This volume brings together all aspects of C S Lewis's life and thought. Arranged in alphabetical order, it begins with The Abolition of Man-written in 1943 and described as "almost my favorite"-to Wormwood, a character in The Screwtape Letters. This book will delight anyone who is interested in C. S. Lewis and wants to learn more about him, his thought, his works, and his life.

My Thoughts: Lewis is famous for his children's series The Chronicles of Narnia, but only a brief glance through this encyclopedic book will confirm that there is so much more to learn about this man, his family, his career, and his other writings.  Anyone with a penchant for facts and love for Lewis would devour this book.

I'm not sure why, but I had a different idea in my mind about what this book would be.  For some reason I thought it would be a collection of excerpts from each of his works, giving you a taste of each one and enticing you to read them all!  However, that was not the case (though I would love to read such a book!).  Instead, this book is a veritable encyclopedia.  Literally arranged from A-Z this book covers facts and information about every aspect of Lewis' life - everything from his family, to his career, to his books, to the specific characters from his books, to his views on different topics, to people who were an influence on his life and theology - everything you could possibly wish to know, fact wise, about CS Lewis is included in this book.

This is not a leisurely read, but an excellent resource for Narnia and Lewis fans.  

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for organizing this tour and providing me with my complimentary review copy.