Some books are so popular they end up being turned into films. And many people say one fantasy series has some of the best stories ever written. It’s been called a “masterpiece” and a “must-read,” with readers saying they couldn’t put it down. One person said: “The entire book series is fantastic. Once you start reading the first one you cannot stop.”
Another added: “The books and the films are masterpieces. I’d say though that the books are slightly better.” A third wrote: “I was blown away by the characters, the writing and the story in the books. I watched the films first and then got into the books. I highly recommend it.”
They are all talking about The Chronicles of Narnia, which is a series of seven books written by C. S. Lewis between 1950 and 1956.
The novels include The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician’s Nephew, and The Last Battle.
The stories follow children from the real world who are transported into the magical land of Narnia.
They take part in battles between good and evil, led by the talking lion Aslan. The series begins with Narnia’s creation and it all eventually leads to one final battle at the end.
The first three books were turned into films in the 2000s. Disney released The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 2005 and Prince Caspian in 2008.
After that, the third film, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, was released by 20th Century Fox in 2010. All three are now available to stream on Disney+.
The books have sold more than 120 million copies in 47 languages and remain some of the best-selling children’s novels in the world.
C. S. Lewis based the stories on things from his own life and the myths he loved reading.
The idea for Narnia started with a picture of a faun in a snowy wood. The lion Aslan came later, but Lewis said once he had that idea, everything else followed.
He once explained: “At first, I had very little idea how the story would go. But then suddenly Aslan came bounding into it. Once he was there, he pulled the whole story together.”
Today, the stories are still loved by people of all ages. They’ve been adapted for stage, radio, TV, and film, and a new version is currently being developed by Netflix. It is expected to come out in November 2026.