I was contemplating reading the series, are they just for kids? I think the books were written in a different chronology of the stories, does it matter which order I read them?

They are very good, even though they were intended for children (although that was kids of yesteryear, instead of kids today...)

From what I can remember, at least this is the way I have them in my set, the chronological order should be:
1. The Magician's Nephew
2. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
3. The Horse and his Boy
4. Prince Caspian
5. The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader"
6. The Silver Chair
7. The Last Battle

It has been a while since I last read them, I think I need to read them again!

I just reread them as an adult. There's plenty of symbolism in there you just wouldn't get as a child.

Very interesting reading, especially if you pay attention.

that's not the order I read them in - The magician's nephew was later in the series, I think - maybe not chronologically later, but I'm pretty sure that it was meant to be read later

It was written after "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe", but chronologically, it's set before. The plot twists between books are a little more clever if you read it after TLTWATW though.

Tuan Jim

Originally the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was numbered 1 and I believe The Magician's Nephew was 6. Then, because TMN came first in chronological order someone got the idea to number it 1 and move each of the books originally numbered 1-5 up a notch. In a used book store you can still find plenty of the older editions with the original numbering system.

I read them when I was young, but I hope I will get to read them again before too long. I think they are kind of books that can be enjoyed at any age.

I like the old numbering system better. I enjoyed getting into the story and then finding out the background to it later on. I think it meant more to me to read TMN as the sixth book because it really brought the whole story together.

Yeah, they're great books.

And I too think TLTWATW should be read first.

That's the first series of books I read that made a huge impression on me. Followed closely by The Three Investigators.

I read these as a kid in what ever order I could find them in school library...but also re-read (and invested in lovely set) just a few years back (no longer a kid, alas).

I also picked up a book that really details/cross-references the mythos and finer details of the books...I believe its called "Companion to Narnia" and explains references, gives further detail, history, etc...was great and not really for younger kids reading the books (almost like an encyclopedia). I think this book tells you which order you're supposed to read them (or what order they happen in).

Enjoy if you do read them...they are supposed to be making films of these soon (a billionaire business guy who's also a fan secured the rights)...in the meanwhile BBC produced these as a live action series back in the day and its often repeated on PBS or BBC America.

These books are available in a terrific new anniversary paperback edition, with all of the original illustrations now painted in color by the original artist... I got them for myself again for Christmas...

Unfortunately, it was C.S. Lewis himself who requested that the books be "re-ordered" chronologically, rather than the order in which they were originally written and published. That's the only way you'll find them now.

It's a great read either way, but I still prefer the original order.

(It's like Star Wars. The original story--whose popularity spawns a whole series--always deserves to be first, even if prequels are later added in...)

I wish, as a compromise, they'd simply leave the numbers off the spine so we can line them up as we wish, but oh well...

And again, the newest editions are superb; I can't recommend them strongly enough...

I enjoyed these books as a kid, though my mom wouldn't let me read The Last Battle for the longest time. She objected to the way CS Lewis handled the end of the series. The Last Battle left me a little unfulfilled and feeling kind of ripped off.

I recently re-read the series and enjoyed them immensely. The symbolism is pretty heavy-handed at times (CS Lewis was quite the Theologist), but there is a lot of heart-felt emotion in these stories and the writing style is extremely concise and make for an exciting read.

I've always said if I could visit any fictional universe, Narnia would top my list. Unlike Oz (L. Frank Baum) people in Narnia live, they suffer, they experience life and happiness, they hope, they fight for their freedom, they live with joy and magic, and they die. In spite of the talking animals, the land seems very real the way it is described.

I remember feeling very tense during the desert scene in A Horse and His Boy. I cried while reading the Stone Table Sacrifice in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (really, really obvious Christian symbolism in this book). I was excited while reading about Shasta's run to Archenland. I felt tense while the Dawn Treader was in the vicinity of Dark Island. Great books. If you haven't read them, do so.

I also recommend the recent BBC adaptation of the series. It gets played on PBS once in a while, and is completely live action - also sticks pretty close to the books. It may also be available on DVD or tape. Not sure about that, though.

I've forgotten how the last battle ends...can someone give alittle spoiler for me - I read them years ago, but I don't remember being disappointed

How The Last Battle ends, if memory serves:


I agree with mllefoo that the books seem heavy-handed in terms of Christian allegory, at least by today's secular standards. Still, as a whole, the series is so charming and rich that the occasional preachiness is easy to forgive, even for most non-believers....

time for a little revival..

i'm reading this series for the first time (i'm 25). i'm wondering, having never read the bible and knowing little about the stories contained therein, what are the direct correlations between the two?!

for example, . i'm only up to book four, "Prince Caspian" at the moment, so any answers to my question i would ask please be SPOILERIZED with the book being referred to the only UNSPOILERIZED bit.

for example:

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe:

thank you very much!
-di doctor-

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

As we've said, the overtly Christian symbolism and imagery can seem very heavy-handed by today's standards. A theologian writing a children's book today would probably try to make it a more universal experience.

That's not to say that each Narnia book has specific plot parallels with any particular Bible stories. Obviously, the events surrounding the Stone Table refer to the Passion/Crucifixion, and the events in the final book are heavily influenced by the "end times" as discussed in Revelations and elsewhere.

In many of the books (Prince Caspian, Dawn Treader and Silver Chair come to mind) the main characters have their "faith" in Aslan tested in ways that seem very sermon-esque, like pure Christian allegory. I would say any other "direct correlations" are probably subject to interpretation.

It'll be interesting to see how they handle it all for the mega-budget Lion, Witch & the Wardrobe coming out this Christmas. Just hearing that WETA was doing the effects made me cheer...

I'm actually a big fan of the 1988 BBC/Wonderworks live action kids-TV version, although it got reamed in its DVD Talk review. Haven't seen the 1979 cartoon TV version of LWW, although I know it has its loyal fans, too.

I'm not so sure that's a fair assumption to make. Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy was just as equally heavy-handed in religious imagery. (Personally, I thought The Amber Spyglass killed the story by leveling a Fundamentalist-esque type attack on Christianity, abandoning any level of skillful storytelling for sermonizing.)

Besides, Lewis is much more graceful in relating this idea of Christian symbolism to his storytelling. Many authors who are published under Christian houses today are much more blatant about the intentions of their writings than Lewis was with the Narnia series.

I've meant to read that trilogy for the longest time--mostly to decide for myself whether or not the final book is a "cheap shot" against Christianity or whether its detractors are too swayed by their own beliefs and defensiveness. It's going to be a movie series too, isn't it?

Actually, all he did was reply to a letter from a young fan, suggesting that it was a perfectly good way to read the series. (Or something to that effect - I don't have the reference handy.) For some reason, the later publishers jumped on that - but Lewis didn't take a strong stand or anything.

Personally, I think the overall story is much better when they're read in the original published order. A lot of the charm and magic of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe comes from *not* knowing what all this is about... which is spoiled if you've read the Magician's Nephew. (And conversely, The Magician's Nephew benefits from the fact that by the time you get to it, you know a bit more background about the characters.) Plus, the "oh, so THAT was how it happened!" moments in Nephew are missed if you haven't read Lion first. So, I strongly advocate reading them in the original published order.

The Amber Spyglass is just a retelling of Paradise Lost. I hated it and thought it ruined an otherwise excellent series.

Right. My response back-when was based on the publisher's comments that this was the order Lewis himself wanted. Like yourself I came to realize that was a huge overstatement.

It's hard for me to believe that the publishers of such a landmark series would warp its presentation so damagingly. They have probably hurt its longterm reputation as literature, as generations of new readers will miss much of the ititial charm that comes from reading LWW first.

You'll note that the first movie to be made, of course, is The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. It is the original story, and original stories should always be read (or viewed) first, wherever they fall in a linear mythology.

Reading the series in the order written allows a simple story to unfold into an ever-deeper telling of a beautiful and complex land. Reading the series in the new chronological format reduces it to a typical fantasy multi-parter. Very sad.

Yeah, New Line has the rights. Originally Chris Weitz (About A Boy) was developing and directing the first movie, but he dropped out of it. I think he talked about removing a great number of references to anything "religious", however.

And since I didn't see it anywhere on the thread, the original published order for the Narnia books is:

1. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
2. Prince Caspian
3. The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader"
4. The Silver Chair
5. The Horse and His Boy
6. The Magician's Nephew
7. The Last Battle

The current order is 6, 1, 5, 2, 3, 4, 7. I don't like that order. I agree with Holly in that they should be read in published order.

Amazon is selling the (adult version). Any know what the difference is between that and the regular version?

World Magazine has an article about the marketing for the movie - as well as info as to how close the book and the movie are going to be.