Which book should I read first?

F

fasteddie1944

New member
I'm a new fan, having seen the movie just last night. I now plan to read the books, in order, but I'm not sure which the first should logically be... The Magician's Nephew or The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. There seems to be good reasons for either choice - or maybe it doesn't make any difference. Any advice out there? -Fasteddie1944
 
...well I'm reading the books in publishing (starting with LWW) versus chronological order now, but I plan to go back and read them in chronological order (starting with Mag's Neph.)

I would recommend starting with Magician's Nephew though. You'll have a better appreciation and understanding of the events in Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe if you do.
 
reading order

My recommendation is to read the books how they were initially published - before the 1990s. Read LWW first. It was written to catch your attention from the beginning, to spark questions in your mind as you read causing you to want to read more. The Magician's Nephew is a little slower at first & since Lewis wrote it as #6 he assumed that most people reading it had read at least one of the other books before so he does not offer as many explanations.
 
I prefer publication order, too -- although because you have already seen the movie, the "surprises" in LWW won't be all that surprising to you. Welcome to the Forum!
 
Hm..
I also wondered that question.
I remember from some other thread to read in that particular order..
I lost it! I think I will go with publication ~_o
 
Reading Order

I believe that the books should be read in the more recent order because, if you actually paid closer attention, you'll find that the little boy in Magician's Nephew who goes to Narnia and brings back the tree, is the Professor from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Sorry, I didn't mean to spoil the plot of the story for you, though! :eek:
 
I always read them in reading order, as I prefer to treat them as a fantasy narrative, therefore want to watch the Narnia chronology unfold. However, if you're more interested in how Lewis developed Narnia in the course of writing, then reading them in publication order would be a better option - for example, that order means you get to see how Lewis' Christian allegory got increasingly pervasive.
 
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