A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author , or marketed as a group by their publisher .
80-515: The Scientific American Library is a book series of popular science written by scientists known for their popular writings and originally published by Scientific American books from 1983 to 1997. These books were not sold in retail stores, but as a Book of the Month Club selection priced from $ 24.95 to $ 32.95. Books include: Book series Reprint series of public domain fiction (and sometimes nonfiction) books appeared as early as
160-455: A child in 1958 if he would please write another book entitled "Susan of Narnia" so that the entire Pevensie family would be reunited, C. S. Lewis replied: "I am so glad you like the Narnian books and it was nice of you to write and tell me. There's no use just asking me to write more. When stories come into my mind I have to write them, and when they don't I can't!…" Lucy is the youngest of
240-528: A children's story on an odd sheet of paper which has survived as part of another manuscript: This book is about four children whose names were Ann, Martin, Rose and Peter. But it is most about Peter who was the youngest. They all had to go away from London suddenly because of Air Raids, and because Father, who was in the Army, had gone off to the War and Mother was doing some kind of war work. They were sent to stay with
320-441: A common setting , story arc , set of characters or timeline . They are common in genre fiction , particularly crime fiction , adventure fiction , and speculative fiction , as well as in children's literature . Some works in a series can stand alone—they can be read in any order, as each book makes few, if any, reference to past events, and the characters seldom, if ever, change. Many of these series books may be published in
400-437: A definitive roman fleuve . Today, however, its seven volumes are generally considered to be a single novel. Proust's work was immensely influential, particularly on British novelists of the middle of the twentieth century who did not favour modernism . Some of those follow the example of Anthony Powell , a Proust disciple, but consciously adapting the technique to depict social change, rather than change in high society. This
480-411: A dragon for a while. His distress at having to live as a dragon causes him to reflect upon how horrible he has been, and his subsequent improved character is rewarded when Aslan changes him back into a boy. In the later books, Eustace comes across as a much nicer person, although he is still rather grumpy and argumentative. Nonetheless, he becomes a hero along with Jill Pole when the pair succeed in freeing
560-676: A fan that he thought she may eventually believe again: "The books don't tell us what happened to Susan … But there is plenty of time for her to mend, and perhaps she will get to Aslan's country in the end—in her own way." Peter is the eldest of the Pevensies. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe , he kills Maugrim, a talking wolf, to save Susan, and leads the Narnian army against the White Witch. Aslan names him High King , and he
640-469: A kind of relation of Mother's who was a very old professor who lived all by himself in the country. In "It All Began with a Picture" C. S. Lewis continues: At first, I had very little idea how the story would go. But then suddenly Aslan came bounding into it. I think I had been having a good many dreams of lions about that time. Apart from that, I don't know where the Lion came from or why he came. But once he
720-582: A novel sequence. For example, the Barchester novels of Anthony Trollope are only loosely related, although they contain a recurring cast of characters; his political novels about the Pallisers have a tighter connection and dynamic. A strict definition might exclude both. With precedents such as Madeleine de Scudéry 's magnum opus, Artamène , the novel sequence was a product of the nineteenth century, with James Fenimore Cooper 's works appearing in
800-525: A numbered series. Examples of such series are works like The Hardy Boys , Nancy Drew , and Nick Carter . Some series do have their characters go through changes, and make references to past events. Typically such series are published in the order of their internal chronology, so that the next book published follows the previous book. How much these changes matter will vary from series to series (and reader to reader). For some, it may be minor—characters might get engaged, change jobs, etc., but it does not affect
880-401: A prequel and presents Narnia's origin story : 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 given to them by Digory's uncle. In the dying world of Charn they awaken Queen Jadis, and another world turns out to be the beginnings of the Narnian world (where Jadis later becomes
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#1732772031046960-476: A series are sometimes enumerated according to the internal chronology rather than in publication order, depending on the intended purpose for the list. Examples of this series include works from the Chronicles of Narnia , where the fifth book published, The Horse and His Boy , is actually set during the time of the first book, and the sixth book published, The Magician's Nephew is actually set long before
1040-541: A series can be by discipline, focus, approach, type of work, or geographic location. Examples of such series include the "Antwerp Working Papers in Linguistics", "Early English Manuscripts in Facsimile", "Garland Reference Library", "Canterbury Tales Project", " Early English Text Society ", and " Cambridge Companions to Music ". Book series can be compared with editorial collection, a type of serial publication which
1120-461: A specific order, but with a certain affinity in the content of books (collections on art, on religion, on science...), as well as in the format , spine and page layout , even grammage , number of pages and style of typeface . Chronicles of Narnia The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis . Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956,
1200-521: A visionary as well as a warrior, and ultimately his willing self-exile to Aslan's Country breaks the enchantment on the last three of the Lost Lords, thus achieving the final goal of the quest. Lewis identified Reepicheep as "specially" exemplifying the latter book's theme of "the spiritual life". Reepicheep makes one final cameo appearance at the end of The Last Battle , in Aslan's Country. Puddleglum
1280-699: Is a wise, compassionate, magical authority (both temporal and spiritual) who serves as mysterious and benevolent guide to the human children who visit, as well as being the guardian and saviour of Narnia. C. S. Lewis described Aslan as an alternative version of Jesus as the form in which he may have appeared in an alternative reality. In his book Miracles , C.S. Lewis argues that the possible existence of other worlds with other sentient life-forms should not deter or detract from being Christian : [The universe] may be full of lives that have been redeemed in modes suitable to their condition, of which we can form no conception. It may be full of lives that have been redeemed in
1360-707: Is away at sea, and he appears briefly in this role (now elderly and very deaf) in The Silver Chair . Reepicheep the Mouse is the leader of the Talking Mice of Narnia in Prince Caspian . Utterly fearless, infallibly courteous, and obsessed with honour, he is badly wounded in the final battle but healed by Lucy and Aslan. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader , his role is greatly expanded; he becomes
1440-520: Is common in the Romance-speaking world , especially in France. Although the two are similar in many ways, book series and editorial collection differ because books in a series generally have a common subject, character, or universe; in other words, a set of volumes that are related to each other by certain thematic elements. While books in a collection do not necessarily have a common subject, or
1520-534: Is known as Peter the Magnificent. In Prince Caspian , he duels the usurper King Miraz to restore Caspian's throne. In The Last Battle , it is Peter whom Aslan entrusts with the duty of closing the door on Narnia for the final time. Eustace Clarence Scrubb is a cousin of the Pevensies, and a classmate of Jill Pole at their school Experiment House. He is portrayed at first as a brat and a bully, but comes to improve his nasty behaviour when his greed turns him into
1600-503: Is nonsensical if one has already read The Magician's Nephew . Other similar textual examples are also cited. Doris Meyer, author of C. S. Lewis in Context and Bareface: A Guide to C.S. Lewis's Last Novel , writes that rearranging the stories chronologically "lessens the impact of the individual stories" and "obscures the literary structures as a whole". Peter Schakel devotes an entire chapter to this topic in his book Imagination and
1680-702: Is the first to see Aslan when he comes to guide them. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader , it is Lucy who breaks the spell of invisibility on the Dufflepuds . As an adult in The Horse and His Boy , she helps fight the Calormenes at Anvard. Although a minor character in The Last Battle , much of the closing chapter is seen from her point of view. Edmund is the second child to enter Narnia in The Lion,
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#17327720310461760-510: Is the next-door neighbour of the young Digory Kirke. She is tricked by a wicked magician (who is Digory's uncle) into touching a magic ring which transports her to the Wood between the Worlds and leaves her there stranded. The wicked uncle persuades Digory to follow her with a second magic ring that has the power to bring her back. This sets up the pair's adventures into other worlds, and they witness
1840-1002: The Penguin English Library (from 1963). Reprint series were also published in the United States, including the Modern Library ( Boni & Liveright , from 1917), in Germany, including the Universal-Bibliothek ( Reclam , from 1867), and in most other countries of the world. A novel sequence is a set or series of novels which share common themes, characters, or settings, but where each novel has its own title and free-standing storyline, and can thus be read independently or out of sequence. A novel sequence contains story arcs or themes that cross over several books, rather than simply sharing one or more characters. Fictional series typically share
1920-621: The White Witch ). The story is set in 1900, when Digory was a 12-year-old boy. He is a middle-aged professor by the time he hosts the Pevensie children in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 40 years later. Completed in March 1953 and published 4 September 1956, 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
2000-426: The franchises of the film industry. Notable nonfiction book series for the general public have included: In scholarly and academic publishing , scientific and non-fiction books that are released serially (in successive parts) once a year, or less often, are also called a series . (Publications that are released more often than once a year are known as periodicals .) The connection among books belonging to such
2080-402: The 1820s, and Anthony Trollope 's Barchester books in the 1850s. In French literature , Honoré de Balzac 's ambitious La Comédie humaine , a set of nearly 100 novels, novellas and short stories with some recurring characters, started to come together during the 1830s. Émile Zola 's Rougon-Macquart cycle is a family saga , a format that later became a popular fictional form, going beyond
2160-617: The 18th century, with the series The Poets of Great Britain Complete from Chaucer to Churchill (founded by British publisher John Bell in 1777). In 1841 the German Tauchnitz publishing firm launched the Collection of British and American Authors , a reprint series of inexpensive paperbound editions of both public domain and copyrighted fiction and nonfiction works. This book series was unique for paying living authors of
2240-832: The Arts in C. S. Lewis: Journeying to Narnia and Other Worlds , and in Reading with the Heart: The Way into Narnia he writes: Aslan, the Great Lion, is the titular lion of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , and his role in Narnia is developed throughout the remaining books. He is also the only character to appear in all seven books. Aslan is a talking lion, the King of Beasts, son of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea . He
2320-706: The Atlas is a map of ancient Italy. Lewis had underscored the name of a little town called Narnia, simply because he liked the sound of it. Narnia – or ' Narni ' in Italian ;– is in Umbria , halfway between Rome and Assisi . The Chronicles of Narnia's seven books have been in continuous publication since 1956, selling over 100 million copies in 47 languages and with editions in Braille . The first five books were originally published in
2400-432: The Dawn Treader ), and eventually become Kings and Queens of Narnia reigning as a tetrarchy. Although introduced in the series as children, the siblings grow up into adults while reigning in Narnia. They go back to being children once they get back to their own world, but feature as adults in The Horse and His Boy during their Narnian reign. All four appear in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian ; in
2480-401: 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
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2560-523: The English countryside in anticipation of attacks on London and other major urban areas by Nazi Germany. As a result, on 2 September 1939, three school girls named Margaret, Mary and Katherine came to live at The Kilns in Risinghurst , Lewis's home three miles east of Oxford city centre. Lewis later suggested that the experience gave him a new appreciation of children and in late September he began
2640-508: The Just. In Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader , he supports Lucy; in The Horse and His Boy , he leads the Narnian delegation to Calormen and, later, the Narnian army breaking the siege at Anvard. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe , Susan accompanies Lucy to see Aslan die and rise again. She is named Queen Susan the Gentle. In Prince Caspian , however, she is the last of
2720-474: The Marsh-wiggle guides Eustace and Jill on their quest in The Silver Chair . Though always comically pessimistic, he provides the voice of reason and as such intervenes critically in the climactic enchantment scene. Shasta, later known as Cor of Archenland , is the principal character in The Horse and His Boy . Born the eldest son and heir of King Lune of Archenland, and elder twin of Prince Corin, Cor
2800-620: The Pevensie children when they are evacuated from London and defends Lucy's story of having found a country in the back of the wardrobe. In The Magician's Nephew , the young Digory, thanks to his uncle's magical experimentation, inadvertently brings Jadis from her dying homeworld of Charn to the newly created world of Narnia; to rectify his mistake, Aslan sends him to fetch a magical apple which will protect Narnia and heal his dying mother. He returns in The Last Battle . Polly Plummer appears in The Magician's Nephew and The Last Battle . She
2880-510: The Rings volumes or the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Some authors make it difficult to list their books in a numerical order when they do not release each work in its 'proper' order by the story's internal chronology. They might 'jump' back in time to early adventures of the characters, writing works that must be placed before or between previously published works. Thus, the books in
2960-632: The United Kingdom by Geoffrey Bles. The first edition of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was released in London on 16 October 1950. Although three more books, Prince Caspian , The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Horse and His Boy , were already complete, they were not released immediately at that time, but instead appeared (along with The Silver Chair ) one at a time in each of the subsequent years (1951–1954). The last two books ( The Magician's Nephew and The Last Battle ) were published in
3040-515: The United Kingdom originally by The Bodley Head in 1955 and 1956. In the United States, the publication rights were first owned by Macmillan Publishers , and later by HarperCollins . The two issued both hardcover and paperback editions of the series during their tenure as publishers, while at the same time Scholastic, Inc. produced paperback versions for sale primarily through direct mail order, book clubs, and book fairs. HarperCollins also published several one-volume collected editions containing
3120-470: The Wardrobe was complete by the end of March 1949. The name Narnia is based on Narni , Italy, written in Latin as Narnia . Green wrote: When Walter Hooper asked where he found the word 'Narnia', Lewis showed him Murray's Small Classical Atlas , ed. G.B. Grundy (1904), which he acquired when he was reading the classics with Mr [William T.] Kirkpatrick at Great Bookham [1914–1917]. On plate 8 of
3200-479: The Witch and the Wardrobe , completed by the end of March 1949 and published by Geoffrey Bles in the United Kingdom on 16 October 1950, tells the story of four ordinary children: Peter , Susan , Edmund , and Lucy Pevensie , Londoners who were evacuated to the English countryside following the outbreak of World War II . They discover a wardrobe in Professor Digory Kirke 's house that leads to
3280-496: The Witch and the Wardrobe . 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. Completed in February 1954 and published by Bodley Head in London on 2 May 1955, The Magician's Nephew serves as
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3360-470: The Witch, and the Wardrobe , where he falls under the White Witch's spell from eating the Turkish delight she gives him. Instantiating the book's Christian theme of betrayal, repentance, and subsequent redemption via blood sacrifice, he betrays his siblings to the White Witch, but quickly realizes her true nature and her evil intentions, and is redeemed by the sacrifice of Aslan's life. He is named King Edmund
3440-413: 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. Fans of the series often have strong opinions over the order in which the books should be read. The issue revolves around
3520-726: The books in the order in which they were originally published, nor were they published in their current chronological order of presentation. The original illustrator, Pauline Baynes, created pen and ink drawings for the Narnia books that are still used in the editions published today. Lewis was awarded the 1956 Carnegie Medal for The Last Battle , the final book in the saga. The series was first referred to as The Chronicles of Narnia by fellow children's author Roger Lancelyn Green in March 1951, after he had read and discussed with Lewis his recently completed fourth book The Silver Chair , originally entitled Night under Narnia . Lewis described
3600-423: The conventional three-volume novel . A roman-fleuve (French, literally "river-novel") is an extended sequence of novels of which the whole acts as a commentary for a society or an epoch, and which continually deals with a central character, community or a saga within a family. The river metaphor implies a steady, broad dynamic lending itself to a perspective. Each volume makes up a complete novel by itself, but
3680-480: The creation of Narnia as described in The Magician's Nephew . She appears at the end of The Last Battle . Tumnus the Faun , called "Mr Tumnus" by Lucy, is featured prominently in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and also appears in The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle . He is the first creature Lucy meets in Narnia, as well as the first Narnian to be introduced in the series; he invites her to his home with
3760-513: The end is resurrected in Aslan's Country. Trumpkin the Dwarf is the narrator of several chapters of Prince Caspian ; he is one of Caspian's rescuers and a leading figure in the "Old Narnian" rebellion, and accompanies the Pevensie children from the ruins of Cair Paravel to the Old Narnian camp. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader , we learn that Caspian has made him his Regent in Narnia while he
3840-468: The entire cycle exhibits unifying characteristics. The metaphor of the roman-fleuve was coined by Romain Rolland to describe his 10-volume cycle Jean-Christophe . In the preface to the seventh volume, Dans la maison (1908/1909) he wrote: "When you see a man, do you ask yourself whether he is a novel or a poem? ... Jean-Christophe has always seemed to me to flow like a river; I have said as much from
3920-427: The first book. This was done intentionally by C. S. Lewis , a scholar of medieval literature. Medieval literature did not always tell a story chronologically. There is no useful, formal demarcation between novel sequences and multi-part novels. Novels that are related may or may not fall into a clear sequence. It is also debatable whether a trilogy is long enough and whether its parts are discrete enough to qualify as
4000-406: The first pages." The term has subsequently been applied to other French novel sequences, particularly of the years between the world wars, notably: The 19th-century predecessors may be distinguished as being rather "family sagas", as their stories are from the perspective of a single family, rather than society as a whole. Marcel Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu has come to be regarded as
4080-483: The four Pevensie siblings. Of all the Pevensie children, Lucy is the closest to Aslan, and of all the human characters who visit Narnia, Lucy is perhaps the one who believes in Narnia the most. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe , she initiates the story by entering Narnia through the wardrobe, and (with Susan) witnesses Aslan's execution and resurrection. She is named Queen Lucy the Valiant. In Prince Caspian , she
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#17327720310464160-406: The four to believe and follow Lucy when the latter is called by Aslan to guide them. As an adult queen in The Horse and His Boy , she is courted by Prince Rabadash of Calormen, but refuses his marriage proposal, and his angry response leads the story to its climax. In The Last Battle , she has stopped believing in Narnia and remembers it only as a childhood game, though Lewis mentioned in a letter to
4240-537: The full text of the series. As noted below (see Reading order ), the first American publisher, Macmillan, numbered the books in publication sequence, whereas HarperCollins, at the suggestion of Lewis's stepson, opted to use the series' internal chronological order when they won the rights to it in 1994. Scholastic switched the numbering of its paperback editions in 1994 to mirror that of HarperCollins. The seven books that make up The Chronicles of Narnia are presented here in order of original publication date: The Lion,
4320-419: The intention of betraying her to Jadis, but quickly repents and befriends her. In The Horse and His Boy , he devises the Narnian delegation's plan of escape from Calormen. He returns for a brief dialogue at the end of The Last Battle . Lewis's initial inspiration for the entire series was a mental image of a faun in a snowy wood; Tumnus is that faun. Caspian is first introduced in the book titled after him, as
4400-404: The internal chronological order. When HarperCollins took over the series rights in 1994, they adopted the internal chronological order. To make the case for the internal chronological order, Lewis's stepson, Douglas Gresham , quoted Lewis's 1957 reply to a letter from an American fan who was having an argument with his mother about the order: In the 2005 HarperCollins adult editions of the books,
4480-527: The latter, however, Aslan tells Peter and Susan that they will not return, as they are getting too old. Susan, Lucy, and Edmund appear in The Horse and His Boy —Peter is said to be away fighting giants on the other side of Narnia. Lucy and Edmund appear in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader , where Aslan tells them, too, that they are getting too old. Peter, Edmund, and Lucy appear as Kings and Queens in Aslan's Country in The Last Battle ; Susan does not. Asked by
4560-527: The lion Aslan to protect Narnia from evil. The books span the entire history of Narnia, from its creation in The Magician's Nephew to its eventual destruction in The Last Battle . The Chronicles of Narnia is considered a classic of children's literature and is Lewis's best-selling work, having sold 120 million copies in 47 languages. The series has been adapted for radio, television,
4640-416: The lost Prince Rilian from the clutches of an evil witch. He appears in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader , The Silver Chair , and The Last Battle . Jill Pole is a schoolmate of Eustace Scrubb. She appears in The Silver Chair , where she is the viewpoint character for most of the action, and returns in The Last Battle . In The Silver Chair , Eustace introduces her to the Narnian world, where Aslan gives her
4720-511: The magical land of Narnia. The Pevensie children help Aslan, a talking lion, save Narnia from the evil White Witch , who has reigned for a century of perpetual winter with no Christmas. The children become kings and queens of this new-found land and establish the Golden Age of Narnia, leaving a legacy to be rediscovered in later books. Completed after Christmas 1949 and published on 15 October 1951, Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia tells
4800-511: The main storyline. Examples of this type include Tony Hillerman 's Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn books. In other series, the changes are major and the books must be read in order to be fully enjoyed. Examples of this type include the Harry Potter series. There are some book series that are not really proper series, but more of a single work so large that it must be published over two or more books. Examples of this type include The Lord of
4880-436: The origin of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in an essay entitled "It All Began with a Picture": The Lion all began with a picture of a Faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood. This picture had been in my mind since I was about sixteen. Then one day, when I was about forty, I said to myself: "Let's try to make a story about it." Shortly before the start of World War II, many children were evacuated to
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#17327720310464960-500: The placement of The Magician's Nephew and The Horse and His Boy in the series. Both are set significantly earlier in the story of Narnia than their publication order and fall somewhat outside the main story arc connecting the others. The reading order of the other five books is not disputed. When first published, the books were not numbered. The first American publisher, Macmillan, enumerated them according to their original publication order, while some early British editions specified
5040-400: The preconstructed novel sequence is often attributed to E. E. Doc Smith , with his Lensman books. Such sequences, from contemporary authors, tend to be more clearly defined than earlier examples. Authors are now more likely to announce an overall series title, or write in round numbers such as 12 volumes. These characteristics are not those of the classical model forms, and become more like
5120-405: 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. Begun in March and completed at the end of July 1950, The Horse and His Boy was published on 6 September 1954. The story takes place during the reign of the Pevensies in Narnia, an era which begins and ends in the last chapter of The Lion,
5200-410: The publisher cites this letter to assert Lewis's preference for the numbering they adopted by including this notice on the copyright page: Paul Ford cites several scholars who have weighed in against this view, and continues, "most scholars disagree with this decision and find it the least faithful to Lewis's deepest intentions". Scholars and readers who appreciate the original order believe that Lewis
5280-460: The series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia , a fantasy world of magic, mythical beasts and talking animals. It narrates the adventures of various children who play central roles in the unfolding history of the Narnian world. Except in The Horse and His Boy , the protagonists are all children from the real world who are magically transported to Narnia, where they are sometimes called upon by
5360-459: 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. Completed at the beginning of March 1951 and published 7 September 1953, The Silver Chair is the first Narnia book not involving the Pevensie children, focusing instead on Eustace. Several months after The Voyage of
5440-438: The stage, film and video games. Although Lewis originally conceived what would become The Chronicles of Narnia in 1939 (the picture of a Faun with parcels in a snowy wood has a history dating to 1914), he did not finish writing the first book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe until 1949. The Magician's Nephew , the penultimate book to be published, but the last to be written, was completed in 1954. Lewis did not write
5520-458: The story he marries Aravis and becomes King of Archenland. Aravis, daughter of Kidrash Tarkaan, is a character in The Horse and His Boy . Escaping a forced betrothal to the loathsome Ahoshta, she joins Shasta on his journey and inadvertently overhears a plot by Rabadash, crown prince of Calormen, to invade Archenland. She later marries Shasta, now known as Prince Cor, and becomes queen of Archenland at his side. Bree (Breehy-hinny-brinny-hoohy-hah)
5600-415: 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
5680-437: The task of memorising a series of signs that will help her and Eustace on their quest to find Caspian's lost son. In The Last Battle , she and Eustace accompany King Tirian in his ill-fated defence of Narnia against the Calormenes. Digory Kirke is the nephew referred to in the title of The Magician's Nephew . He first appears as a minor character in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , known only as "The Professor", who hosts
5760-418: The very same mode as our own. It may be full of things quite other than life in which God is interested though we are not. The four Pevensie siblings are the main human protagonists of The Chronicles of Narnia . Varying combinations of some or all of them appear in five of the seven novels. They are introduced in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (although their surname is not revealed until The Voyage of
5840-498: The woods to escape his uncle, Miraz , who has usurped the throne. The children set out once again to save Narnia. Written between January and February 1950 and published on 15 September 1952, 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
5920-412: The word "Narnia" appears in the first paragraph as something already familiar to the reader. Moreover, they say, it is clear from the texts themselves that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was intended to be read first. When Aslan is first mentioned in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , for example, the narrator says that "None of the children knew who Aslan was, any more than you do" — which
6000-685: The works published even though copyright protection did not exist between nations in the 19th century. Later British reprint series were to include the Routledge's Railway Library ( George Routledge , 1848–99), the Oxford World's Classics ( Oxford University Press , from 1901), the Everyman's Library ( J. M. Dent , from 1906), the Penguin Classics ( Penguin Books , from 1945) and
6080-576: The young nephew and heir of King Miraz. Fleeing potential assassination by his uncle, he becomes leader of the Old Narnian rebellion against the Telmarine occupation. With the help of the Pevensies, he defeats Miraz's army and becomes King Caspian X of Narnia. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader , he leads an expedition out into the eastern ocean to find Seven Lords , whom Miraz had exiled, and ultimately to reach Aslan's Country. In The Silver Chair , he makes two brief appearances as an old, dying man, but at
6160-630: Was a step beyond the realist novels of Arnold Bennett (the Clayhanger books) or John Galsworthy . The twenty-novel Aubrey-Maturin series by the English author Patrick O'Brian has been called perhaps the best-loved roman fleuve of the twentieth century: "[an] epic of two heroic yet believably realistic men that would in some ways define a generation". Although sequences of genre fiction are sometimes not considered to be romans-fleuves , novel sequences are particularly common in science fiction and epic fantasy genres. The introduction of
6240-518: Was kidnapped as an infant and raised as a fisherman's son in Calormen . With the help of the talking horse Bree, Shasta escapes from being sold into slavery and makes his way northward to Narnia. On the journey his companion Aravis learns of an imminent Calormene surprise attack on Archenland; Shasta warns the Archenlanders in time and discovers his true identity and original name. At the end of
6320-411: Was simply being gracious to his youthful correspondent and that he could have changed the books' order in his lifetime had he so desired. They maintain that much of the magic of Narnia comes from the way the world is gradually presented in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – that the mysterious wardrobe, as a narrative device, is a much better introduction to Narnia than The Magician's Nephew , where
6400-411: Was there, he pulled the whole story together, and soon he pulled the six other Narnian stories in after him. Although Lewis pleaded ignorance about the source of his inspiration for Aslan, Jared Lobdell , digging into Lewis's history to explore the making of the series, suggests Charles Williams 's 1931 novel The Place of the Lion as a likely influence. The manuscript for The Lion, the Witch and
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