As much as fans of Star Wars appreciate what George Lucas created, many of them reject his notion that first-comers should watch the movies in chronological order. A similar situation exists in regards to the fantastical universe Lewis created.
Some might cringe at the comparison of Lewis and Lucas. Sure, their names may sound similar, but so do grapes and grapefruit. The two are vastly different.
Nevertheless, a serial story is generally best enjoyed in the order in which it was released, because everything that comes after the first installment is building on it and assuming a knowledge of it. Consequently, when picking up The Chronicles of Narnia for the first time, the reading order you choose is not inconsequential. And if there is a more advantageous way to explore this beloved fantasy series, why not take it?
Why not travel through Narnia on the path first blazed by Lewis himself? Recognized by Zondervan Academic as one of the top Christian thinkers on sexualized entertainment, Cap Stewart is a contributor to the anthology Cultural Engagement: A Crash Course in Contemporary Issues , released in His cultural commentary has appeared in several print and online publications. Cap has been writing about theology and the arts at capstewart.
Shoebox Collection Week is Here! Cap Stewart Crosswalk. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 2. Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia 3. Each has a different set of main characters, and none is a direct narrative sequel to any of the others. In books 1 to 4 in the publishing order, we follow four visits to Narnia by the Pevensie children, along with their cousin Eustace in the latter two books. Then, after four stories of the same type following the same overlapping cast, Lewis switches gears and gives us three different stories.
The Horse and His Boy is the only book in the series that is not about children from our world who get into Narnia. Instead, it tells a story about characters who are native to the Narnian world. It happens to take place during the last chapter of The Lion , when the grown-up Pevensies are reigning as kings and queens of Narnia, but although the Pevensies come into it, it is not principally about them.
The last paragraph of The Lion reads:. For many years, both orders were in print. American editions used publication order while British editions were numbered chronologically. Chronological order became the worldwide standard after HarperCollins took over the publishing in So, which book should I read first? The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , the first book to be written and published, is generally considered the best introduction to Narnia by scholars and fans alike.
Paul F. Ford, author of Companion to Narnia. On the official website of C. Lewis, Dr. Charlie W. In America, however, the books continued to be released in their original publication order into the 90s. The Right Order Lewis scholars almost universally agree that we should disagree with what Lewis said about the order of publication. Lewis was not the kind of person to focus on himself, and though he remembered everything he ever read almost word for word, he lacked such perfect memory toward anything he actually wrote.
He was truly selfless not only in his actions towards others, but in his constant practice of ignoring himself in order to make God, not Lewis the center of his life. He was probably thinking about what might be easiest for children to understand. That said, I want to offer the following reasons for reading the Narnia books in their original published order:.
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