“The Chronicles of Narnia” is a seven book series written by C.S. Lewis. These fantasy novels were written for children and considered to be classic children’s literature. C.S. Lewis wrote the book series between 1949 and 1954 and was published in 41 languages with 120 million copies sold worldwide.
The books have been adapted into films and television series in the past but it was only when Disney bought the film rights for the series that it gained popularity once again. Rivaling with the Harry Potter book series and movies, “The Chronicles of Narnia” still was able to make a mark of its own in book and ticket sales.
“The Chronicles of Narnia” series of fantasy novels have seven books which include:
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – published in 1950, this book tells the story of the four children: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie who were destined to be kings and queen of Narnia. With the help of Aslan the lion, they saved Narnia from the evil White Witch.
- Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia – published in 1951, tells the story of the Pevensie children returning to Narnia to help Prince Caspian to become the rightful king.
- The Voyage of the Dawn – published in 1952, it tells of the story where Edmund and Lucy Pevensie returned to Narnia with their cousin Eustace Scrubb. They went back to Narnia to help Caspian find the 7 lords who were banished by his Uncle Miraz.
- The Silver Chair – published in 1953, this book tells of the story of Eustace going back to Narnia with his classmate Jill Pole. He was called by Aslan to find Prince Rilian, Caspian’s son who was kidnapped 10 years ago.
- The Horse and His Boy – published in 1954, it tells of the story of Bree, a talking horse and a young boy named Shasta. The story was set during the time that the Pevencies were the reigning kings and queens of Narnia.
- The Magician’s Nephew – published in 1955, this book tells the story of the beginning of Narnia and answers most of the questions about Narnia.
- The Last Battle – published in 1956, tells the story of the end of Narnia.
The books in the order that they were published will also be the sequence that Disney will be following for making the big screen versions of “The Chronicles of Narnia.” They wanted to feature the Pevensie children first due to the popularity of movies with similar plots and second, due to the fact that “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” is the most popular of the series.
The first two books, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and “Prince Caspian” were already shown in theaters on December 7, 2007 and May 16, 2008 respectively. The third installment which is “The Voyage of the Dawn Trader” is scheduled to be shown on May 7, 2010. So far, the first two films have garnered good reviews from both children and adults alike.
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