The Chronicles of Narnia
CS Lewis

I have briefly described each story. If you do NOT want to know what happens, then ignore this page. If you don't mind reading an outline of the series, then read on. There are a few spoilers but I tried not to include many. Only those absolutely necessary to get the timeline and events to make sense to anyone not familiar with these stories.

The Magician's Nephew begins the series by telling the story of Polly & Digory and their adventures into many worlds. The story starts with the two children exploring an attic and ending up witnessing Creation, the origin of sin, and the need for salvation. It is full of vivid imagery and tons of symbolism.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe picks up where The Magician's Nephew left off. The 4 children are staying with the Professor (Digory) and on one rainy afternoon, as they are playing hide and seek in the huge old house, Lucy discovers an opening to a new world, Narnia, inside the Wardrobe. The tale uses talking animals and children to tell the story of betrayal, sacrifice, and eventually redemption.

The horse and his boy seems out of place until you meet Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy (now young adults) towards the end of the story. It is the story of a young man name Cor and his horse, Bree. It is a journey of self discovery and adventure.

Prince Caspian is probably my least favorite in the series. It tells the story of the 4 children's 2nd visit to Narnia and learn that it is several years later (Narnia time is different from our time) and assist a prince, named...surprise surprise...Caspian. The tale ends with Aslan telling Peter and Susan that they will not be able to return to Narnia.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader tells the story of a now reformed Edmund, Lucy and their obnoxious cousin Eustace Scrubb. They sail with the King of Narnia in search for the edge of the world....Aslan is referred to as the Son of the King from beyond the world or something like that (in other words, Aslan is Jesus) At the end of the voyage, Lucy and Edmund learned that this will be their last trip to Narnia.

The Silver Chair is about a much better behaved Eustace and his friend Jill. Escaping from some bullies, they run thru a space in wall and find themselves in a forest. In this forest, they run into Aslan and learn that they must find the prince Rillian who has been kidnapped and must be rescued. The Silver Chair was my favorite for a long time with interesting characters like Puddleglum, and tales of giants, ending with the twisting underground maze to do battle with the witch and save the prince.

The Last Battle is the final installment and is also very biblically influenced. It tells the story of an ape who dresses a donkey as a lion and convinces the world (Narnia) that this donkey is Aslan. The children are brought into the world and together with a young man whose name I forget, must prepare for the "last battle". It is a perfect conclusion to this series and makes one think. The last line is something like, this is not the end, it is only the very beginning. As a Christian, the description of the battle, the victory and the realization that death is not the end but only the beginning makes you realize that this world is temporary and God and His kingdom are forever.