⋰⁺⋰ Book Recs! - Volume 1: Fantasy, Scifi, and Dystopian ⋱⁺⋱

The Chronicles of Narnia

Author: C. S. Lewis

Genre: Fantasy series

Synopsis:

1. The Magician's Nephew -

Set in the 1800's The Magicians Nephew is the first sequential story in the Chronicles of Narnia series and follows the adventures of Polly and Digory, two small children from London. Digory is living with his Aunty Hetty and Uncle Andrew while his sick mother recovers from a terminal illness. Every day Polly and Digory - who live next door to each other - invent their own games in the attics of their houses.

Uncle Andrew is off limits to Digory and one day when they stumble upon his secret office they are tricked into slipping on rings than transport them to the world between worlds where they awaken Jadis, an evil queen who has destroyed her own world and plans to return to London to take over that world as well.

After a riotous romp through London Polly and Digory finally get Jadis back to the wood between the worlds and find themselves in a black empty space where the land of Narnia is being sung into existence by the great lion Aslan. As the world is created and animals arrive Jadis's evil influence is felt and Digory and Polly must team up with the pegasus Strawberry to reach a tree that will save Narnia from destruction.

2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe -

Set in London in the Blitz in 1950 four children are sent out of the city and into the country while the war effort is fought by their parents. Staying with an old and mysterious professor the youngest Lucy finds herself falling through a wardrobe and stepping out into the magical world of Narnia. A land blanketed with snow and ice, inhabited by mystical and magical creatures Narnia has fallen under the spell of the White Witch, the self proclaimed queen of the land.

Lucy meets a faun by the name of Mr Tumnus and the pair become instant friends over tea. Unable to betray Lucy to the white witch the fawn returns Lucy to the wardrobe and makes her promise not to tell anyone about what she has seen. Upon her return she tells her sister and two brothers who refuse to believe her seemingly tall story.

Several days later Lucy returns to Narnia and is secretly followed by her spiteful brother Edmund. Losing Lucy in the snow, Edmund is found by the white witch who treats him kindly and makes him promise to return with his brother and two sisters with the promise of making him king and all the Turkish delight he can eat.

Several days later all four children find themselves forced into the wardrobe and into Narnia. They are met by Mr and Mrs Beaver who take them to meet Aslan, the great lion, who will assist the children in defeating the white witch and restoring peace to the land of Narnia.

3. The Horse and his Boy -

The protagonists, a young boy named Shasta and a talking horse named Bree, both begin in bondage in the country of Calormen. By "chance", they meet and plan their return to Narnia and freedom. Along the way they meet Aravis and her talking horse Hwin, who are also fleeing to Narnia. On their journey, they learn of the Prince of Calormen's plan to attack Archenland, and warn the King of Archenland of the impending strike.

4. Prince Caspian -

Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia tells the story of the Pevensie children's second trip to Narnia, a year (on Earth) after their first. They are drawn back by the power of Susan's horn, blown by Prince Caspian to summon help in his hour of need. Narnia as they knew it is no more, as 1,300 years have passed, their castle is in ruins, and all Narnians have retreated so far within themselves that only Aslan's magic can wake them. Caspian has fled into the woods to escape his uncle, Miraz, who has usurped the throne. The children set out once again to save Narnia.

5. The voyage of the Dawn Treader -

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader sees Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their priggish cousin, Eustace Scrubb, return to Narnia, three Narnian years (and one Earth year) after their last departure. Once there, they join Caspian's voyage on the ship Dawn Treader 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 edge of the world.

6. The silver Chair -

The Silver Chair is the first Narnia book not involving the Pevensie children, focusing instead on Eustace. Several months after The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Aslan calls Eustace back to Narnia along with his classmate Jill Pole. They are given four signs to aid them in the search for Prince Caspian's son Rilian, who disappeared ten years earlier on a quest to avenge his mother's death. Fifty years have passed in Narnia since the events from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; Eustace is still a child, but Caspian, barely an adult in the previous book, is now an old man. Eustace and Jill, with the help of Puddleglum the Marsh-wiggle, face danger and betrayal on their quest to find Rilian.

7. The last battle -

The Last Battle chronicles the end of the world of Narnia. Approximately two hundred Narnia years after the events of The Silver Chair, Jill and Eustace return to save Narnia from the ape Shift, who tricks Puzzle the donkey into impersonating the lion Aslan, thereby precipitating a showdown between the Calormenes and King Tirian. This leads to the end of Narnia as it is known throughout the series, but allows Aslan to lead the characters to the "true" Narnia.

Cleaness categories:

Language - 0 (or 1) I haven't noticed any bad language, but it has been a while since I read the entire series

Mature content - 0

LGBTQ+ - 0

Admin's rating: 5/5 stars

I really enjoy The Chronicles of Narnia, my parents read it to me when I was younger, and the story is really interesting, the books aren't too long, and the author managed to imagine so many different places and eras.