By Deidre Liebman
A surprising fact about the famous children’s novel, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is that it is part of a series titled The Chronicles of Narnia, written by C.S. Lewis.
Netflix is launching the first film adaptation to include all seven books in the series. A version of The Magician’s Nephew, starring David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell, will be released in November of 2026, making this the perfect time to explore the classic series.
The most well-known, and my personal favorite of the books is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It tells the story of four siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, who are sent to live with an elderly professor in the countryside during World War II. While exploring the professor’s mansion, the children discover that they can enter an enchanted world known as Narnia through their wardrobe. The story chronicles their adventures attempting to rid Narnia of its evil ruler, the White Witch. They are assisted by magical creatures such as a wise lion, Aslan, and a kind beaver.
What is the Biblical interpretation of the novel?
As expressed by the C.S. Lewis Institute, many readers see The Chronicles of Narnia as a biblical allegory because the stories contain clear Christian parallels especially in Aslan’s sacrificial death and resurrection. But C.S. Lewis himself insisted the books are not strict allegory. He described them instead as “suppositional”: imagining what Christ might be like in a different world.
Although the siblings reappear in the series, the other books also feature new groups of children who find different ways of entering Narnia. For example, The Magician’s Nephew is about two friends whose portal to the land is a pair of magical rings.
If you enjoy fantasy novels such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which portray magical creatures, I also recommend The Hobbit, by J.R.R Tolkien. Coincidentally, Tolkien was a good friend of C.S. Lewis, and the two would often discuss story ideas with each other.
The Hobbit takes place in an imaginary world known as Middle Earth, and its protagonist is a respectable hobbit (small, timid creatures who avoid having adventures and doing unexpected things), named Bilbo Baggins. The story begins when Bilbo is chosen by a wise wizard named Gandalf to accompany a group of dwarves on a quest to win their stolen gold back from a dragon. They set off on an epic journey, where they must battle goblins, wild animals and huge spiders to survive.
If you are looking for a suspenseful, action-packed read, I highly recommend both the Chronicles of Narnia and The Hobbit.