Book Reviews
Below are brief overviews of each book in the Narnia series.
The Magician's Nephew (1955)
Although written five years after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, this book is acutally the first in the series—tracing the very beginnings of Narnia—how Aslan created the world and how evil first entered it. Digory Kirke and his friend Polly Plummer stumble into different worlds by experimenting with magic rings made by Digory's uncle (the "magician"). They encounter Jadis (The White Witch), and witness the creation of Narnia. Many long-standing questions about Narnia are answered in this adventure.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
Four ordinary children—Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie—discover a wardrobe in Professor Digory Kirke's house that leads to the magical land of Narnia. Narnia has been under the spell of the evil White Witch for 100 years and in a perpetual state of winter. The four children fulfill an ancient, mysterious prophecy—helping the lion Aslan and his army save Narnia from the witch.
Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia (1951)
The Pevensie children return to Narnia, drawn back by Prince Caspian, who blows on Susan's horn to summon help in his hour of need. Caspian, Narnia's rightful ruler, has fled into the woods to escape his uncle, Miraz, who had usurped the throne. The children set out once again to save Narnia. Aided by other Narnians, and ultimately by Aslan, they return the throne to Caspian. (From Wikipedia.)
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
Edmund and Lucy Pevensie , along with their priggish cousin, Eustace Scrubb, return to Narnia. Once there, they join Caspian's voyage to find the seven lords who were banished when Miraz took over the throne. This perilous journey brings them face to face with many wonders and dangers as they sail toward Aslan's country at the end of the world.
The Silver Chair (1953)
This is the first Narnia book without the Pevensie children. In their place, Aslan calls their cousin, Eustace Scrubb, back to Narnia together with his classmate Jill Pole. There they are given four signs to find Prince Rilian, Caspian's son, who had been kidnapped ten years earlier. Eustace and Jill, with the help of Puddleglum the Marsh-wiggle, and many others, face great danger before finding Rilian. Rilian, though, has lost his memory due to an enchantment by a silver chair.
The Horse and His Boy (1954)
This is the first of the books that does not follow the previous one sequentially. The novel takes place during the reign of the Pevensies in Narnia, an era which begins and ends in the last chapter of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Bree, a talking horse, and a young boy named Shasta have been held in bondage in Calormen, a country to the south of Narnia. The two meet by chance and plan their return to Narnia and freedom. Discovering on their journey that the Calormenes plan to invade Archenland, they race to alert Archenland's King.
The Last Battle (1956)
The Last Battle chronicles the end of the world of Narnia. Jill and Eustace return to save Narnia from Shift, an ape, who tricks Puzzle, a donkey, into impersonating the lion Aslan. This problem causes a fierce battle between the Calormenes and King Tirian together with Jill, Eustace and a faithful dwarf. (From Wikipedia.)