The Chronicles of Narnia Books in Order

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis Reading Order

First Time Readers

1. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
2. Prince Caspian
3. The Voyage of The Dawn Treader
4. The Silver Chair
5. The Horse and His Boy
6. The Magician’s Nephew
7. The Last Battle

Returning Readers

1. The Magician’s Nephew
2. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
3. The Horse and His Boy
4. Prince Caspian
5. The Voyage of The Dawn Treader
6. The Silver Chair
7. The Last Battle

One day, you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again.

― C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia

Narnia, an Intro

The Chronicles of Narnia contains seven (yes seven!) books altogether, all set in the fantasy world of Narnia. In each of the books you follow children who are transported to the magical world and become involved in the battle of Good vs. Evil!

Each book further opens and expands the world of Narnia, just waiting for you to pick them up and enjoy! But with seven books, set throughout all the different time periods of Narnia, what is the best order to read them in?

The Chronicles of Narnia has been the inspiration for a few live adaptations, made by the BBC in England in the late 1980’s as mini TV series. They made the first four books (when you read them in publication order). And later, three adaptations of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (2005), Prince Caspian (2008) and stopping, unfortunately at Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010). These were produced by Disney (and in my opinion, containing one of the best movie soundtracks to listen to, hats off to you Harry Gregson-Williams). Back in 2018 Netflix announced that they would be adapting these much beloved books, and while as of yet nothing much has come to fruition, there is still much hope to be had, and hope that these will do the books justice. You can read the article that goes into more detail here.

How to read, the debate

The debate on what order to read these books is as old as time itself (well maybe just since the books have all been released). There are many different varying opinions on what is the best order to read them in.

You may be wondering why there is even a discussion about what order to read the books in, you find yourself grabbing the Chronicles of Narnia book, containing all seven books and it already has it in order – chronological order. So it makes sense to just pick it up and start reading from the beginning and go right through to the end right?

Well, you wouldn’t be wrong in doing this but for the best experience as a first time reader you might find that this order is different.

In 1994, the publishers of that time decided to embrace a new way in ordering the books, the one that you now find in your hand and have become very familiar with. They claimed that the reordering of the books better reflects the authors (C.S. Lewis) preference, basing it on a letter that he wrote to a young American fan who preferred the books in the Chronological order, which as it happens was against his mother’s preference for the publication order. Lewis wrote:

I think I agree with your order for reading the books more than with your mother’s. The series was not planned beforehand as she thinks. When I wrote The Lion I did not know I was going to write any more. Then I wrote P. Caspian as a sequel and still didn’t think there would be any more, and when I had done The Voyage I felt quite sure it would be the last, but I found I was wrong. So perhaps it does not matter very much in which order anyone read them. I’m not even sure that all the others were written in the same order in which they were published.

The argument comes down to whether it is better to read the books in the order of how is came to Lewis’ mind, or how the characters would experience it and frankly, it depends on whether you are a first time reader or a returning reader to what we think you would find the better order to be.

“Some journeys take us far from home. Some adventures lead us to our destiny.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia

Who was C.S. Lewis

Clive Staples Lewis, FBA, was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. Born in Belfast on 29th November 1898, he later died on 22 November 1963 in Oxford. During his life, he held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University and Cambridge University. He is the author of The Screwtape Letters and The Space Trilogy, but he is best known for his works of The Chronicles of Narnia.

The Orders

First time readers

For better or worse, as a first time reader, you should read the books as they were first published. This way you get the best experience possible for when you know little to nothing about what transpires in the books. You don’t want to go in and read the answers before even learning what the questions are.

And so, without further ado, here are the books in the order that, as a first time reader, you should read them in:-

1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)

38,421 words, 206 pages, 17 chapters, 2hrs 35mins to read.
2,260 average words per chapter, 12.1 average pages per chapter
Published by Geoffrey Bles
4.23 out of 5 on Goodreads

The first published in the series of C. S. Lewis’ iconic The Chronicles of Narnia, and we are introduced to the Pevensie children; Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. They were evacuated from London during the blitz of the Second World War. At their new home, they stumble through a wardrobe and into the land of Narnia, frozen in an eternal winter by the White Witch. Will the children be able to help free the land and it’s inhabitants from the White Witch?

2. Prince Caspian (1951)

46,290 words, 240 pages, 15 chapters, 3hrs 5mins
3,086 average words per chapter, 16 average pages per chapter
Published by Geoffrey Bles
3.98 out of 5 on Goodreads

Our favourite four have found themselves back in the magical land of Narnia, and help is needed to bring the prince to his rightful throne. He attempts to raise an army in an attempt to rid the land of a false king.

3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)

53,960 words, 248 pages, 16 chapters, 3hrs 35mins
3,372 average words per chapter, 15.5 average pages per chapter
Published by Geoffrey Bles
4.09 out of 5 on Goodreads

Edmund and Lucy find themselves back in Narnia, this time they have accidently brought their younger cousin Eustace along too. A king with some new companions are setting sail on a long and perilous journey, beyond all the known lands of Narnia and go deeper into uncharted waters and discover that their is so much more to their quest than they had originally envisioned.

4. The Silver Chair (1953)

51,022 words, 243 pages, 16 chapters, 3hrs 25mins
3,188 average words per chapter, 15.1 average pages per chapter
Published by Geoffrey Bles
3.96 out of 5 on Goodreads

Eustace is back for a second time to Narnia, and in tow he brings his school friend Jill Pole to the scene. They quickly learn from Aslan himself that the land is in turmoil, a prince is being held captive and it is their job, with an unlikely friend, to try and rescue him.

5. The Horse and His Boy (1954)

48,029 words, 224 pages, 15 chapters, 3hrs 15mins
3,201 average words per chapter, 14.9 average pages per chapter
Published by Geoffrey Bles
3.91 out of 5 on Goodreads

In Archenland, two children are on the run, they meet and join forces, thinking this to be their best chance of being able to escape. Before they know what happened, they are in the middle of a battle that will decide not only their fate but also of Narnia. Keep a look out for some familiar faces.

6. The Magician’s Nephew (1955) 

64,480 words, 221 pages, 15 chapters, 4hrs 20mins
4,298 average words per chapter, 14.7 average pages per chapter
Published by Bodely Head
4.05 out of 5 on Goodreads

Two friends find themselves in a strange and magical world that is only just starting out and find themselves on a quest to save a life.

7. The Last Battle (1956)
43,333 words, 288 pages, 16 chapters, 2hrs 55mins
2,708 average words per chapter, 18 average pages per chapter
Published by Bodely Head
4.01 out of 5 on Goodreads

Narnia is facing it’s final and fiercest challenge. The land has fallen ill to treachery and needs all the help it can get…

Returning readers

Now you have come back to the magical land of Narnia, and picking up this book series you may be open for a change, potentially even a whole new experience of the world of Narnia. To read the books in chronological order, to see the world of Narnia develop in a chronological way.

And the order is as follows:-

1. The Magician’s Nephew – Start at the very beginning where you see and experience the world of Narnia created.
2. The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe – Happening one thousands years later in Narnia (40 years for those of us living on this side of The Wardrobe).
3. The Horse and His Boy – This is the first book to solely take place on the other side, and happens when the Pevensie’s children are well into their reign as adults.
4. Prince Caspian – A hefty 1,300 years have passed since the events of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
5. The Voyage of The Dawn Treader – Only a few years has passed since the events of Prince Caspian
6. The Silver Chair – Another short gap has passed since the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, a nice round 50 years has passed.
7. The Last Battle – 200 years has passed since The Silver Chair has taken place. This is a grand total of 2,500 Narnian years that has gone by since the creation of Narnia in The Magician’s Nephew, or a total of 49 years as we would be used to on Earth.

A Third Order of Reading The Chronicles of Narnia

And there is a third order in which you can read the Chronicles of Narnia books, and that is the way that they were written, which are as follows:-

1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
2. Prince Caspian
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
4. The Horse and His Boy
5. The Silver Chair
6. The Last Battle
7. The Magician’s Nephew

Overall

Plenty of options for you to discover the world of Narnia, delve into it in any way you want, while as a first time reader I would recommend the order above. But as a returning reader we sure do encourage you to try a different order and you will discover a whole new experience of Narnia.

Which one is your favourite or most looking forward to picking up next? Let us know!

Happy reading!

The Chronicles of Narnia Total Word Count and More!

• Total words: 345,545 words
• Total pages: 1,670 pages
  
• Total chapters: 110 chapters
• Total reading time: 23hrs 5mins

More of the same, but different:

• Cirque Du Freak
• Harry Potter
• The Lord of the Rings

For More of Anything:

• Authors
• Best of’s
• Reading Orders
• Reviews

Things to Note:

1. Word count is an approximation.
2. Amount of pages may differ due to different publications, font style and/or size etc.
3. Time spent reading is generally an approximation based on the word count and the average reading time. The average reader will read 250 WPM (Words Per Minute).
4. This is the original publisher of the books.
5. The current Goodreads score at the time of writing.
6. For more information on word lengths and what they mean, check out our handy guide here.