Quick Guide: Chronicles of Narnia

The Chronicles of Narnia are one of the most famous series of children's books, but not many people can name all seven or put then in the right order. It doesn't help, of course, that they were published out of what's now considered reading order; they're mostly published now in chronological order, but that's not how they were originally written.

The Chronicles are about the magical land of Narnia and the humans who find their way there. Only eleven humans ever visit Narnia. Narnian time runs much faster than ours so the series begins with its' creation and ends with its' destruction, all happening within one human lifetime.



In The Magician's Nephew, young Digory and his neighbour, Polly, stumble upon magical rings created by Digory's uncle. The rings take them on several adventures, culminating in a land that isn't really there yet. Polly, Digory and his uncle are witnesses as Aslan, the Lion god and son of the Emperor–over–the–Sea, calls the land of Narnia and all its' peoples into being.

Several decades later Digory, now an accomplished Professor, welcomes the four Penvensie children into his home, refugees from the London Blitz. Lucy, the youngest, is the first to find the way into Narnia; Peter, Susan and Edmund follow her and are caught up in a battle for Narnia's freedom. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the best known of the series.

In the last years of Narnia's Golden Age Shasta, a boy raised in Calormen, meets a Narnian horse and they decide to flee North to Narnia together. They are joined by a young Calormene girl and her horse, fleeing from an arranged marriage. Together with their new companions, The Horse and His Boy struggle towards freedom and the discovery of Shasta's true identity.

A year after their return to England, the Pevensie children are brought to Narnia once more. Here they learn that thirteen hundred years have passed since their last visit. Narnia has fallen to the brutal Telemarines and the wondrous Talking Animals and magical beings are in hiding. Only the true heir to the throne, Prince Caspian, can bring Narnia back to it's roots.

A year after their adventure with Prince Caspian, Lucy and Edmund are staying with their cousin Eustace. They are called to Narnia to aid the now King Caspian on the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, a journey to find seven banished Narnian Lords and return them home. The Dawn Treader takes them far beyond the boundaries of Narnia, almost to Aslan's country itself...

Eustace, far nicer for his Narnian adventure, is on the run from bullies with a schoolfriend, Jill, when both are transported to Narnia. Given a mission by Aslan himself, at first it seems hopeless. With time running out they'll have to use everything they've learned to solve the mystery of The Silver Chair.

In The Last Battle, Narnia's days are drawing to a close. Torn by treachery on all sides, the last King, Tirian, calls on the great kings and queens of the past to help him in this last, great battle for the souls of Narnia's people.

The BBC filmed four of the books between 1988 and 1990; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair. They are available from Amazon.co.uk as a box set.





More recently a series of films have been made. The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe was released in 2005; Prince Caspian followed in 2008. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be released this Christmas, 2010.








The Chronicles are classic children's books and every child should have the chance to read them.

Reading order:

The Magician's Nephew
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy
Prince Caspian
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle

The Horse and His Boy is often numbered out of sequence as it takes place in Calormen rather than Narnia and is only peripheral to the main story.