Fans of Narnia: what else should I read?

[Ann]

Can anyone recommend any books that have a similar flavor as Narnia?

[Sylvia]

I would recommend The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. He writes a lot of fanatsy for children that is all kind of in the line of C.S. Lewis.

Also,

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'engle (and its sequels)
The Princess and the Goblin, The Princess and Curdie, At the Back of the North Wind, and other books by George MacDonald

Hope that helps!

[Ann]

It does, thanks so much!!:)

[Claire]

When I was younger, I really loved the Redwall Series by Brian Jacques. The earlier ones are definitely his best, but the Redwall spirit is always vibrant in every book. True, it is all about talking animals, but if that doesn't irritate you then I think you will find them highly enjoyable and adventurous. "Redwall" definitely was my favorite out of all of them, and I recommend starting with it before any of the others.

Another book that you might want to try is "The Once and Future King." It's more of a contemporary version of King Arthur, the one that the Disney's film The Sword in the Stone is based upon. I think it freshened up the old tale, and I highly enjoyed it.

Let me know if you are able to check any of these out! I'd love to hear what you think :)

[Ann]

Thanks!! I'm actually reading "Redwall" now and just finished with the second section a few minutes ago!:D I am enjoying it very much and am pleasantly surprised and it's quick pace and loveable characters.
I have not read "The Once and Future King" but know others who have and need to add it to my reading list.
Thanks for the recommendations!:)

[Kenzie]

If you like series books, like chronicles, a few of my favorites are Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo, The Golemn's eye, Ptolemy's gate, and...I can't remember...Also, Lemony Snicket is pretty good, it's not fantasy like Narnia where it could never happen, but it most likely wouldn't. Oh, and definitely Harry Potter, I love that series, it doesn't really fall along the lines of Narnia but it is a great read.

[Little]

The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper is a wonderful YA fantasy series. And I'll second the recomendation of Lloyd Alexander.

[Meels]

The Septemus Heap trilogy is more like a Harry Potter sort of thing, but good. Also, I recently bought a trilogy by C.S. Lewis in the Sci-Fi section, Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength (see my "to read" list). I have not read them yet, so I cannot comment whether they are particularly good or not. I would assume they are, but then I assumed that when I bought the film "Tip Toes" with Matthew McConaughey thinking "how bad can it be?" I was sorely disappointed.

[Ann]

Wow! This is all so incredibly helpful! Thank you, thank you to everyone!! :-D

[Sylvia]

The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis is a lot deeper and directed toward a much older audience. If you enjoyed Narnia as a kid, but are getting older, it would be great to read. Also, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy is along those same lines.

Redwall is pretty good, too--although it doesn't have the spiritual tones that Narnia has. I didn't want to recommend any fiction that wasn't Christian, simply because you can't separate Narnia from Christianity. But, if you aren't a Christian--or if you don't care whether or not what you read is specifically Christian, than Redwall would be good.

Oh, and I thought of another one! :p I recently read the first four books of the Pendragon Cycle by Stephen Lawhead. He is a Christian author, and everything that I have read of his has been good. I enjoyed the first books in the series and I'm definitely looking forward to reading the last one! I've not read any of his other books, but I know he has a lot.

Happy reading!

[Lindsay]

A book series I liked a lot is the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books. It is has a lot of Greek Mythology which Lewis has portions of. I also enjoyed The Keys to the Kingdom books as fun YA books. Not sure if they are exactly what you are looking for but I thought they were very good.

[George]

i would recomend a book called Larklight (it is a one off book), by Phillip Reave, because it has lots of magical creatures and it hasa ot of adventure and a weird and wonderful story line.

[Jean]

I would suggest "This Present Darkness" and "Piercing the Darkness" by Frank Peretti.

[Naureen]

The Shannara books by Terry Brooks

[Little]

Frank Peretti's books (as with Lewis' space trilogy) are much darker and directed to an older audience than the Narnia series. Also, as with the space trilogy, while the Christian themes are similar, the flavors of the books are very different. Narnia is very much a fantasy series, full of light and wonder. The space trilogy has a traditional sci-fi feel, mysterious and opaque. Peretti's books are probably most easily categorized as Christian magical realism. They are dark, gritty stories with sinister demons and brilliantly bright angels. While I enjoyed all of these books, I wouldn't necessarily lump them together.

[Jean]

I agree that Peretti's book for adults are darker than the Narnia series but he also has several series for children.

[Yue]

bartimeus trilogy like amulet of samarkand, glem's eyes and ptolemy's gate. its like harry potter but its darker and little bit make sense. or Golden Compass Lyra trilogy.

[Little]

I've read Peretti's Cooper Kids series, and I'd say if you enjoy Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, you'll probably enjoy the Cooper Kids. They're more traditional mystery books, but the individual books aren't as long as many other kids mysteries, so they go a little faster. I've never been much of a mystery person, but I did read all of the Cooper Kids books, and I remember enjoying them.

Maybe a pertinent question is, are we recomending these books to an adult lover of Narnia or a teen/child reader?

[Emerson]

Diana Wynne Jones writes some excellent young adult fantasy. Try "Charmed Life," "Witch Week," or "Year of the Griffin." Whimsical, funny fantasy.

The "His Dark Materials" trilogy by Philip Pullman is also very good, but being a CS Lewis fan, you may take issue with some of the anti-religious symbolism in them.. If you can get past that, and just enjoy the story, they're incredible. I actually cried at the end of the third one.

[Ann]

I'm an "adult" reader, but I still love "children's" stories. So long as the story is good and the characters are interesting I don't mind if it's classifed as "young adult" or "children's."
Ditto on the religious issue. So long as the books are well written and have a good message, then I'm happy with the read;) I'm a fan of Narnia, as well as LOTR, and HP. I'm currently reading Redwall, and recently finished "The Mysterious Bedidict Society."

Again, a huge thanks to everyone's whose posted ideas here! I'm so looking forward to my 2008 reading list!:)

[Jim]

I didn't see John Christopher's books mentioned anywhere. I think all of his books would be considered science fiction, not fantasy, but they're at about the same reading level as the Narnia & Lloyd Alexander's books. I read them about the same time & really enjoyed them.

[Amrita]

If u liled Narnia, I would also reccomend The Farsala Trilogy by Hilai Bell An The Pellinor books by Alison Croggon.

[Alina]

Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings". It's an obvious one, which is probably why nobody has mentioned it up till now. It is deeper in some ways, but it gives you the same sense of a "golden goodness" right around the corner.

Among children's books, "The Princess and the Goblin" by George MacDonald (who influenced Lewis himself) and "The Tale of Despereaux" by Kate DiCamillo.

[Enno]

There is a series called "The Circle of Light" can't remember the author. My sister loved it more than Narnia or Lord of the Rings. It's about a Bear, a Dwarf, and an Otter saving the Middle Realm. Pretty cool.

[Katy]

i absolutly love the shannara series! ive read them all and the best (i think) is The Sword of Shannara. its the first he wrote, great book. the whole series is great, actually.

[Ann]

I wanted to thank everyone who's posted so far! This is turning out to be a great way to build a reading list. I'd like to update that I thoroughly enjoyed "Redwall" and am looking forward to the other books in the series, and that I recently finished Philip Reeve's "Larklight" and I thought it was outstanding! I can hardly wait until I start the next book!! Also, I'm currently reading "Inkheart" and already adore it! Thanks again to everyone!!

[[deleted user]]

I would recommend the Nacny Drew Mystery Stories. I have read Narnia. I *LOVED* them.

[Angie]

Ann, you should try Eragon and Eldest by Chris Paolini. They are a bit bigger than the Narnia series but a great read that you can really get into. : ) Happy reading!

[Laura]

I ditto Sharrina's recommendation on Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Anyone who likes adventure and is even remotely interested in mythology will enjoy them.
Also the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede are amazing. They have the same good feel to them that Narnia does.

Or if anyone is looking for an allegorical series The Door Within by Wayne Batson was pretty good, a little corny but not as corny as they come.

[Clare D' Lune]

I love so many books, I'd never be able to list them all, but some good ones are:

Good Fantasy:
~The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy, by Clare B. Dunkle (YA)
~By These Ten Bones, Clare B. Dunkle (YA)
~The Shadow of the Bear, Regina Doman (YA)
~Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine(Juv and YA)
~Dragon Slippers, Jessica Day George (Juv YA)
~Eragon, Christopher Paolini (YA)
~Goose Girl, Shannon Hale (YA)
~Rowan of Rin, Emily Rodda (Juv... small but good... Also liked other books by her)

More Traditional writing of fantasy (at least in my mind):
~Crown Duel, Sherwood Smith (YA)
~The Perilous Gard, Elizabeth Marie Pope (YA)

Awesome Fiction:
~Mars Trilogy, Brad Strickland (Juv and YA)
~Blink of an Eye, by Ted Dekker (YA, or Adult)
~The Uglies Trilogy, Scott Westerfeld (called Trilogy, but has 4 books.... ? haha YA)
~Midnighters, Scott Westerfeld (YA)
~Alex Rider, Anthony Horowitz (YA)

Historical Fiction:
~Boston Jane, Jennifer L. Holm (YA)


Hoped it helped! BTW, all the ratings on YA and Juv, etc, are my own opinoin... I don't know what they are really rated....

~Clare~

[Steven]

Leven Thumps Fablehaven. There really good books.

[Dusty]

I wasn't so keen on Leven Thumps. Fablehaven is definitely worth reading.

To post 21: Those books are under Samuel Youd. These books are good, and a bit ahead of their time AT the time.

[Heather]

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

It is a similar idea with going into a different world where there is a different order to things and the outsider becomes part of setting things straight.

[Emily]

If you really like C.S. Lewis you will want to read The Space Trilogy. It can be confusing if you dont pay attention and may be hard for some readers to understand and grasp everything in it such as the underlying meaning and such but if you want a great read its a great choice.

[Felicia]

You've read the book I want to recommend: the mysterious benedict society. keep reading all the series. they are great! ;p
and I agree that Percy jasckson and the olympians are also good! make you wanna be a demigod! haha

[Maxine]

Map Across Time:Gates of Heaven Series- C.S.Lakin
Loved this book. If you liked Narnia chances are you are going to like this too. ANd what about Lord of the rings. That book is great too.

[Nicole]

I am a big fan of Narnia and LOTR too. I have my 9 year old daughter starting on them now and she loves them too. I have recently read The Knights of the Dawn King, its a bit longer than those but definately worth the commitment...the ending was awsome!

[Emily]

C.S. Lakin thats strange C.S. Lewis and C.S. Lakin... interesting...

I shall have to read the Gate to Heaven Series.

It would be so cool if they had known each other lol.

[Chris]

The Pellinor sequence by Alison Croggon is darker than Narnia but still good YA fantasy material. The titles are The Gift (The Naming in North America). The Riddle, The Crow and The Singing. The sequence comes complete with maps and features two young protagonists.

[Meggi Lou]

harry potter is good, but more violent, and the giver trilogie is great, but little disturbing. the hobbit is good too

[Ron]

You might try Carol Berg's and The Spirit Lens and The Soul Mirror: A Novel of the Collegia Magica. Again, more adult but also more modern.

Have you tried Pat Rothfuss' Kvothe books? (The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear.

[Meggi Lou]

the any bodies is good, too, but not as deep

[Israel]

Dark & Day is very much in the vein of Narnia/Harry Potter. It explores the conflict of good v. evil, along with friendship & family, and dreaming of being a hero. The background is distant future where technology & magic have made the world fantastical. There is some violence (at the Narnia/HP level). Lots of creative characters and places.

[Rachel's Book Reviews]

Read The Door Within by Wayne Thomas Batson, it is a trilogy, you will never read anything better!

[Cassondra]

There are many awesome Christian fantasy books. Check out the group, Christian Fantasy.

[Charlotte]

I remember reading a series called The Magician's House Quartet by William Corlett. It reminded me a lot of the Chronicles of Narnia with the element of magic, nature, children talking to animals, anti-industrialisation and a sinister enemy to fight against. One particular memory I have of these books makes me think of The Silver Chair. I can't remember that they had a particularly religious message (other than being true to yourself and your principles - constancy was big theme if I remember rightly) but it was a long time since I read them. I think I might re-read actually...
The Steps Up the Chimney
The Door in the Tree
The Tunnel Behind the Waterfall
The Bridge in the Clouds

[Falon]

I am a die-hard Narnia fan, and I recently read the Sword of Lyric trilogy by Sharon Hinck, a Christian author. It is a Christian fantasy series about a soccer mom who finds herself in another world/dimension and renews her faith.

If the Christianity in the Narnia series doesn't interest you, then the series I am reading right now, the Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind, is an EXCELLENT fantasy series. The TV series, Legend of the Seeker is based on it, but the books are a million times better.

[Torie]

The Circle Series by Ted Dekker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Audra]

The Symphony of Ages series by Elizabeth Haydon.

[Richelle]

Check out George MacDonald. He was one of the most influential authors to C.S. Lewis and he has a very similar style. My absolute favorites are Lilith and Phantasties. They are slightly less child-oriented, but you will definitely see the similarities immediately.