Narnia for Beginners

Become an instant Narnia expert and impress the kids and with our Narnia for Beginners guide. Here is a summary of each book in the series, so that you can either swot up, or to jog your memory if it is a while since you read them. Yes, this does give the plots away, so don’t read it if you don’t want to spoil the stories for yourself.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Four children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, evacuated to a strange country house during WWII accidentally find their way into Narnia through a wardrobe. The country is ruled by the White Witch who has made it always winter but never Christmas. Edmund, having come under the witches spell on a previous visit is held hostage by her and the others, helped by Mr and Mrs Beaver go to rescue him. Aslan arrives to help, the witch’s spell is broken and spring arrives. The White Witch threatens to kill Edmund, but Aslan offers himself instead. He is sacrificed but brought back to life to finally fight off the White Witch for ever. The children are enthroned at the castle of Cair Paravel, grow up to be great leaders, but finally stumble back through the wardrobe to find that no time has passed at all.

Prince Caspian
Many Hundreds of years have passed in Narnia and it has been invaded by the Telmarines who have driven out the talking animals, dwarves and other Narnians. The country is ruled by King Miraz. His nephew Caspian is intrigued by the forbidden tales of Old Narnia, and when he discovers that his uncle wants to kill him, he escapes and finds that in fact there are many Narnians still in hiding. He decides to lead an army to defeat Miraz, but when all seems lost he Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are returned to Narnia to help him. Aslan appears to help, Caspian finally takes the throne and the original Narnians are free to live peacefully. Aslan tells Peter and Susan that hey are too old to come back to Narnia again.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Edmund and Lucy are staying with their dreadful cousin Eustace, when all three are pulled into a picture of a boat hanging in the children’s room. Three years have passed since Caspian was crowned king of Narnia, and he is on a voyage to find seven lords, friends of his father who were banished by his uncle Miraz. They do indeed find the fate of all the Lords, some of whom have died, gone mad or are simply happy where they are. During the journey they fight a sea serpent, Eustace is turned into a Dragon and they meet some one footed invisible dwarves! They reach the Utter East, where Aslan meets them, and tells them that Lucy and Edmund cannot visit again.

The Silver Chair
This book is regarded as a great work of literature in its own right and has been listed as one of the 100 best books ever written in the English language. Caspian is now an old man and his son Rilian is missing. Eustace, now a much nicer person, finds a door into Narnia and goes in with a school friend, Jill Pole. The two become separated and Jill meets Aslan who asks them to help rescue Rilian. He gives her four signs to memorise, then sends her back to Eustace, and they set off with Puddleglum, a Marshwiggle as a guide. They have many mishaps and nearly mess up all the signs, but eventually they find Rilian, being held underground by a witch who has made him believe that he has fit each day during which he must be strapped to the Silver Chair to prevent him hurting himself or others. He is finally convinced that it is the chair that causes his fits and he destroys it and escapes to be reunited with his father. Caspian dies happy.

The Horse and his Boy
This self contained story tells of Shasta and his horse Bree and takes place during the golden age of Narnia when Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy rule Narnia. Shasta discovers that he is not, as he has always thought a Calormene, from the country south of Narnia, but in fact from Archenland. He meets up with a talking horse Bree and on hearing that Calormen intends to invade Narnia they make their way to warn the Narnian Kings and Queens. While in the capital of Calormen his is mistaken for Prince Corin of Archenland who it turns out is actually his twin brother. He remains in Archenland and marries his travelling companion Aravis.

The Magicians Nephew
This book, another self contained story explains many of the things that occur in the other books in the series. Neighbours Digory and Polly, while playing together in the attic of their home stumble across the study of Digory’s Uncle Andrew, an amateur magician who has found a way to travel between worlds. He tricks the children into testing his technique and while trying to find their way home they accidentally awaken the Evil Queen Jadis (The White Witch). Then they visit a world which is completely dark until a Lion arrives and breathes life into it, and thus they are present at the birth of Narnia. Digory is given an apple by Aslan to give to his sick mother. He plants the seeds and a fine apple tree grows. When the tree is blown down in a storm he has the wood made into a wardrobe. He himself becomes a professor and lives in a country house to which four children are evacuated……

The Last Battle
In the final book in the series, Narnia is ruled by King Tirian, a descendent of Caspian and Rilian. Again the country is under treat of an invasion from Calormen, and in Narnia a donkey impersonates Aslan, causing many to lose faith in him. Tirian calls for magical help and Jill and Eustace arrive to help fight in one final battle. The battle ends when Aslan himself arrives to end Narnia, and the Narnians are judged by Aslan as to whether they have retained their belief in him and lived in a good way. All the human characters (except Susan who no longer believes in Narnia) return to Aslan’s country to stay for ever, after Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are killed in a train crash. There they are reunited with all the friends that they have met during their adventures in Narnia.

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