Do you have a favorite among the 7 Chronicles of Narnia books? And if so, which one, and why? In the poll, I’m listing the books in publication order, which I prefer to the Narnian chronology order.
Please note that the poll refers only to the books and not to any of the film versions.
Missed the edit window, but adding: if you haven’t read all 7 but have a favorite among the ones that you’ve read, go ahead and vote anyway.
“The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe” was the magic book of my childhood. You know the one book that gets you into reading, captures your imagination and stays with you all your life.
In my case it was also one of the first books l read in English - after reading the German translation for years it was like discovering the book all over again. Magic! 
“The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader” is a close second. I think as a child it was my favourite book of the series.
I’ll have to go and read them again.
The first one had a bit of mystery to it, and threw together a bunch of random things in a way that seemed nonsensical. The latter ones didn’t really add anything and just normalized the story. And the ending is a bit of a downer, that doesn’t really go with the rest of the story.
Overall, I feel like you’ve gotten everything there is to get out of the series after the first book.
Dawn Treader for me. Currently reading Prince Caspian to my son, so it’s up next.
Interested to see if anyone votes for the clusterfuck that is The Last Battle.
Sorry, didn’t say why. The voyage element adds a mythic Odyssey / Argonauts vibe that I really like. And obviously Reepicheep!
I like The Silver Chair - to me, it’s the most* George MacDonald* of the series, which is what I like.
The first one is the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, btw (in my post).
The first one is by far the most memorable one for me, so I voted for it. I remember practically nothing about Prince Caspian, The Horse and His Boy, or The Last Battle and only vague impressions of the others.
The only one I have read as an adult is The Silver Chair. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I thought it was a bit dull.
I voted for Dawn Treader, but Last Battle is a close second. Why? The ending is so damned joyous. (I would suspect that C.S. Lewis would claim that was his intention.)
I voted for “Dawn Treader” as the best. It’s the one that stands I remember the most content from. I liked Reepicheep and even that miserable brat Eustace has a good character-development arc.
“The Silver Chair” is my second favorite because it has my favorite character after Reepicheep: Puddleglum. Also the cannnibal giants bit was a seriously dark moment in the otherwise “kid-friendly” Narnia stories.
I would say “Prince Caspian” is my least favorite just because I don’t remember anything at all about it.
I picked The Silver Chair as well- I think it has the best opening (the bullies at the progressive school) and I really liked Jill, Eustace and Puddleglum.
I actually don’t love The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe- it probably lies right behind The Last Battle. I think my problem is the Pevensies- I prefer Eustace & Jill (and Polly & Digory)to them by far.
If I had to rank them it would be:
The Silver Chair
The Horse & His Boy
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Magician’s Nephew
Prince Caspian
The Lion, The Witch & the Wardrobe
The Last Battle
My vote for Puddleglum as well. The scene with Eustace, Jill, and Puddleglum in the room with the silver chair is the heart of the series for me.
Waffling between Dawn Treader and Silver Chair but opted for the latter. Reepicheep vs Puddleglum is a hard choice.
Put me down as another one who can barely anything about Prince Caspian. I vaguely remember the beginning where they’re on a train and then they’re in the forest and then…nope, that’s it.
My favorite is probably also Dawn Treader, like the plurality here. The biggest thing I like about it is that they’re basically just going on an adventure for the sake of adventure. And Reepicheep, of course. And I was also rather proud of myself as a kid, for picking up on a greater proportion of the symbolism in the book.
Though I’ll also say that, after re-reading them as an adult, A Horse and his Boy went up several notches in my estimation. Most of that book just sailed right over my head as a child, but there’s a lot there once you see it.
Like most, I’m least fond of The Last Battle, because the tone and feel was just so radically different.
Going along with general consensus of Silver Chair and Dawn Treader as personal favorites. The only one that failed to capture me either as a child or now is Prince Caspian.
(missed edit window):
The phrase/concept “utter East” is very evocative to me. The same concept draws me in in LeGuin’s A Wizard of Earthsea, when Ged pursues the shadow into the East Reach, or the Elves of Middle Earth sailing into the west.
The ocean as a boundary or transitional state between the known and unknown, or the mundane and divine, is a powerful and compelling concept.
The Horse and His Boy is the one I have reread the most, but The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair are very nearly tied.
What I dislike most about The Last Battle is that it is the last book in the series. There will never again be a Narnia book that I read for the first time.
Do I want somebody else to write more books in the series, or would I be horrified at the very thought? Yes.
Regards,
Shodan
I tried to answer the poll as I would have as a child, which meant going with Dawn Treader. These days, I’ve found a lot more appreciation for The Silver Chair, A Horse and His Boy, and The Last Battle. If Wardrobe is the easy allegory, The Silver Chair is the discussion about faith that is seen in Lewis’ other writings put in the form of a children’s novel.
Every time I’ve tried to pick a favorite (and I’ve tried many, many times over the years) I can’t do it. I’ll say “Oh, Dawn Treader is definitely best!” then think to myself “… but Puddleglum is so cool, and the whole giant castle. And in Horse and His Boy the whole arabian thing really caught my attention as a kid. And of course Lion, Witch, Wardrobe started it all…”
So really I’ve decided to consider the entire series one big book (which it could be, none of them are very long) and say it’s one of my fav books ever.
I do wish someone would do a higher-quality movie/series out of it. I liked the most recent movies, but they were good, not great. I want something on the level of the Lord of the Rings movies.