A renowned author and apologist, C.S Lewis is famous for The Chronicles of Narnia, a beloved seven-volume series. Through the magical land of Narnia, Lewis aimed to entertain and subtly convey Christian faith analogies.
Lewis was committed to his ideas of fantasy and adventure in his waking life, as he denied the highest civilian honor, Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Letters to his brother after this death revealed that to Lewis, accepting an honor of such nature would only kill the allure of royalty and let in the daylight magic.
Here is the complete list of the Narnia series written by C.S Lewis with brief descriptions. Get your hands on this list of Narnia books in order now!
Who is C.S. Lewis?
C.S. Lewis, in full Clive Staples Lewis, born in Northern Ireland in 1898, was an Irish-bred scholar. In his early years, Lewis aspired to become a notable poet.
Much to his dismay, his first publications, Spirits in Bondage (1919) and Dymer (1926), received little to no attraction from the thinkers of that time. He then turned to writing prose fiction, publishing one of the earliest science fiction trilogies between 1938 – 1945 in which he alluded to the themes of Christianity.
His first claim to fame came in 1942 with Screwtape Letters, a collection of 31 letters in which an elderly, experienced devil named Screwtape instructs his junior, Wormwood, in the subtle art of tempting a young Christian convert.
The Narnian Chronicles is known for some of his best literary creations. But the one he thought to be his go-to masterclass was published in 1956 – Till We Have Face: A Myth Retold. Through this, Lewis revisited the myth of Cupid and Psyche from the viewpoint of the Psyche sisters.
C.S. Lewis Narnia Books in Order
| Sr. No | Title | Publication Date | Print Length | Publisher | Where to Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Magician’s Nephew | August 14, 2007 | 208 pages | HarperCollins | Amazon |
| 2 | The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe | January 1, 1788 | 172 pages | Samuel French Ltd | Amazon |
| 3 | The Horse and His Boy | March 5, 2002 | 256 pages | HarperCollins | Amazon |
| 4 | Prince Caspian | March 5, 2002 | 256 pages | HarperCollins | Amazon |
| 5 | The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | August 14, 2007 | 256 pages | HarperCollins Narnia | Amazon |
| 6 | The Silver Chair | August 14, 2007 | 256 pages | HarperCollins Narnia | Amazon |
| 7 | The Last Battle | March 5, 2002 | 240 pages | HarperCollins | Amazon |
Narnia Books in Order: Reading and Publication
In 1950 Lewis published the fantasy book The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. It gave birth to the renowned seven-book series – The Chronicles of Narnia. Below we will dive into each of the books with brief descriptions.
The Chronicles of Narnia is similar to other fantasy series. It follows children on their adventures of discovering the magical lands of Narnia. In this enchanted land exists talking animals, mythical creatures, and a great lion named Aslan, who embodies goodwill and righteousness.
For any good tale to be riveting, a prominent antagonist is necessary. The land of Narnia has its enemy in the character of the White Witch, also known as Queen Jadis, who signifies envy, evil, and greed.
Each book in the series introduces its readers to a different set of compelling characters who embark on their unique quests in the mystic land. The adventures bring their characters to meet various roadblocks and conflicting battles between good and evil, leaving them with eternal moral lessons.
The stories are rich with Christian themes, as Lewis aimed to weave Christian teachings and values into the imaginative narratives.
Below mentioned are all the books in this series for your reference.
1. The Magician’s Nephew (1955)
The Magician’s Nephew is a prequel to the series that centers around two children, Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, who live in Victorian London. They find themselves exploring the attic connecting their houses when they suddenly stumble upon Uncle Andrew’s study.
Uncle Andrew persuades Polly to try on his creation – a magic ring. She disappears in the blink of an eye. It leaves Digory with no choice but to follow suit.
They arrive in a desolate woodland with pools of water. In one of the pools, they see the dying world of Charn, where they inadvertently awaken an evil and power-hungry queen, Jadis.
Fleeing from Jadis, Digory and Polly accidentally take her with them to London. To get rid of her, they use the rings to jump into another pool that leads them to a world undergoing creation by the great lion Aslan.
Aslan sends them on a mission to gather a magical apple from a garden in that world, which holds the power to heal Jadis’s evil influence. They, however, must resist the temptation to steal an apple for themselves.
Digory’s compassion prompts him to plant the apple, birthing a new tree to protect Narnia for ages.
As a reward, Digory receives a golden apple which he carries back to his world to heal his ailing mother. Jadis, however, still seeks power and steals an apple to become immortal, but her greed leaves her trapped in Narnia.
Upon returning to London, Digory saves his dying mother with the golden apple and decides to bury the magic rings with Polly’s help.
2. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (1950)
This story begins in the real world with an ongoing World War II. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie are arriving in the countryside to evade the air raids in London.
While exploring the new house, during a quiet afternoon play of hide and seek, Lucy finds an old wardrobe to hide in. She admires all the lovely coats hanging in the cupboard until she touches the snow.
As Lucy curiously reaches out for more coats in the wardrobe, she walks into the enchanted land of Narnia. The mythical land was covered in snow, unlike the world Lucy came from. Amidst the quiet night, a lamp post hums to shine a light on a friendly faun named Mr. Tumnus.
Lucy acquaints herself with Mr. Tumnus and instantly feels safe in his company. In conversation, Lucy learns about the tyrannical witch who rules the land of Narnia. Her curse has plunged Narnia into eternal winter, making it crucial for Narnians to find a way to break the White Witch’s curse.
Lucy soon returns to her siblings and cannot help but share her discovery. She convinces them all to enter the old wardrobe, and within minutes the children find themselves walking on snow.
The ensemble finds themselves connected to a prophecy that foretells the end of Queen Jadis’ evil reign with Aslan – the noble lion’s guidance. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy soon embark on an adventure to break the evil curse and bring Narnia out of the cold doomed days.
The siblings must confront their fears to embrace the world of mythical creatures. Moreover, the four-character trio learns valuable lessons about camaraderie and the power of goodness as they play their roles in the destiny of Narnia.
3. The Horse and His Boy (1954)
The story runs on a timeline when the Pevensie siblings reigned over Narnia as its kings and queens. However, this story focuses on the characters – Shasta and Bree. They come from the land of Calormen. Shasta is an orphaned young boy, and Bree’s a talking horse.
Shasta encounters Bree at a crucial moment as he runs away from his cruel stepfather. Suddenly, Bree reveals his talking power to Shasta and confides his aspirations of traveling to Narnia. With a newfound friendship, they embark on a journey to Narnia.
En route, they meet Aravis, a Calormene noble girl, and her talking horse – Hwin, who’s also fleeing from their despotic life. The four begin their adventure across the vast desert, treading carefully through the risky terrains.
As the ensemble nears their destination, they eavesdrop on Calormene nobles devising a plot to invade Archenland, Narnia’s neighboring country. The group rushes to deliver this message to warn the Narnians as this invasion could put them at risk.
To their luck, their paths intertwine with the Pevensie siblings. Together they block the invasion, bringing Archenland to safety.
The story ends with Shasta discovering his royal heritage, and Aravis reunites with her lost love. Bree and Hwin decide to stay in Narnia, while Shasta and Aravis marry and become rulers of Archenland.
Brace yourself since The Horse and His Boy is known to pull you deeper into Lewis’s fictional writing mastery.
4. Prince Caspian (1951)
Centuries have passed in the land of Narnia, but the story takes place one year after the events of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.
The Temarines have taken over Narnia. They’re humans who have driven magical creatures and talking animals into hiding or near extinction. Prince Caspian is in danger, who is the rightful heir to the throne of Narnia. His uncle – King Miraz, seeks to eliminate him and secure his lineage instead.
Caspian is made aware of the lurking dangers and escapes to Old Narnia, seeking refuge, where he blows the magical horn to call for help.
On an ordinary day in England, the four siblings get suddenly pulled back into Narnia as Aslan puts his supernatural powers to work. They’re transported to a wrecked Castle Paravel, only to meet with a red dwarf – Trumpkin, who becomes their guide.
As the children move along, they are told of Caspian’s plight. The tale rouses them to help Caspian reclaim his kingdom. On the journey, Susan doubts her faith in the powers of Narnia; however, Aslan restrains her racing mind.
As they pass through the enchanted woods, they face the treacherous Telamarines. To their respite, the beloved magical creatures of Narnia come to their timely rescue, for the magical horn had woken them from a deep slumber.
The children finally make a well-timed arrival at Caspian’s location, helping him defeat the Telmarines. In the end, Prince Caspian is crowned the new king, and Aslan grants the Pevensie children the opportunity to remain in Narnia. However, they decide to return to their world, promising to reappear whenever Narnia needs them.
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
The story opens with a painting of a ship that Edmund and Lucy Pevensie and cousin Eustace Scrubb are staring into. They are surprised when the image miraculously transports them to the world of Narnia.
The trio reunites with King Caspian, now a just ruler of Narnia. Edmund, Lucy, Eustace, and King Caspian, along with his loyal crew, set sail on the magnificent ship – The Dawn Treader in search of the seven lords.
They sweep through Narnia’s Eastern seas, in awe of the mysterious islands and mythical creatures. Out of the blue, Eustace transforms into a dragon on the adventure because of his greed and selfishness.
The crew faces their temptations on the island of the Dufflepuds as they are confronted by a dark, ominous mist that tempts them with their deepest desires. Striding along the edge of Narnia, they encounter Aslan, the almighty’s creation.
They successfully locate the missing lords and return to Narnia. The story ends with Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace back in England with a perennial understanding of their experiences and the impact of Narnia on their lives. Rest assured. It’s a story that will leave you amazed by the world of fictional writing.
6. The Silver Chair (1953)
In The Silver Chair, the character – Eustace Scrubb from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader returns to the land of Narnia with his schoolmate Jill Pole.
Both are sent on an essential mission by Aslan to rescue the missing son of King Caspian – Prince Rilian. To aid their mission, Aslan draws their attention to recall the guiding signs that will appear along their journey.
Eustace and Jill travel to Narnia’s northern regions and have a friendly encounter with a pessimistic marsh wiggle named Puddleglum. All three continue the journey into the eerie and treacherous underworld to find the missing prince.
On their journey, they meet with Lady of the Green Kirtle, who initially tries misguiding them. During their encounter, the trio soon realizes that the Lady caught the missing prince in a web of enchantment, making him believe that Narnia is just a dream.
With a hint of suspicion and an abundance of determination, Eustace, Jill, and Puddleglum move forward to break the spell and rescue the prince. Their friendship, bravery, and unwavering belief in Aslan’s guidance help them overcome the temptations and dangers of the underworld.
In the last act, the three find Prince Rillian in the Underworld; however, he struggles to comprehend his true identity, making it clear that he is still under the Lady’s spell. Puddleglum challenges the Lady’s spell with his unwavering belief in Narnia and Aslan, restoring Rillian’s memories.
They return to Cair Paravel, where King Caspian is over the moon to see his son alive. In the end, Eustace and Jill are appointed as knights for their bravery and loyalty, bringing their thrilling adventures to an end.
7. The Last Battle (1956)
A deceitful ape named Shift manipulates a feather-brained talking donkey – Puzzle, to disguise himself as Aslan. Shift deceives Narnia’s creatures of who their real king is, thus dividing them amongst each other.
In the meantime, Eustace Srubb and Jill Pole are called to Narnia by the real Aslan. They are given their mission to help King Tirian, the last ruler of Narnia because he will soon face doom that has fallen upon his land.
Chaos ensues as Narnia is enclosed by the Calormenes, who Shiift has misled, and his manipulations have succeeded in getting them allied with the false Aslan.
On their journey through Narnia, Eustace, and Jill meet with old friends – Jewel, the loyal unicorn, and Puddleglum, the courageous marsh wiggle. Together, they muster up the courage to rally the Narnians against the false Aslan and the Calormenes.
The battle peaks and the situation only worsens, bringing the worst for all. Finally, the false Aslan and his followers are defeated, and the real Aslan leads those loyal to him to a new Narnia.
Conclusion
To conclude, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis is a timeless and enchanting series that captivates readers of all ages. Reading the Narnia books in order can take fans on a journey through a rich and imaginative world.
Lewis crafts compelling characters with descriptive measures that can make the reader’s imagination run wild. Its thought-provoking themes of Christianity and the moral lessons each character discovers on their adventures make for an uplifting read.
The Narnia books will transport you to a realm where imagination and faith come together only in the most entertaining way.