As a child, I was introduced to the works of C. S. Lewis, particularly The Chronicles of Narnia. Through the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), I discovered The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Enchanted by the White Witch, and delighted by the exploits of the Pevensie Children, I continued my obsession with the miniseries through the book series, which, like the miniseries, began with The Lion, The With, and the Wardrobe. I collected all seven novels, and read them in order:
- 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
- The Last Battle
Reading the books in this order introduced my young mind to the concepts of a prequel. The Magician’s Nephew occurred earliest in the chronology but was the next to last published.
I thought that was creative. I thought that was cool.
Then, years later, as an adult, I discovered that the publishers were now publishing the books in an entirely different order! I was so mad. Publishing the books in this new order not only renders some of the scenes in The Magician’s Nephew nonsensical, but it robs young readers of the ability to appreciate the cleverness of a story that jumps back and forth in time.
I won’t even dignify the current publishing order as legitimate by reprinting it here. The order above is the only order I recognize. They say that C. S. Lewis himself made the new order canon in a letter to a fan.
I don’t believe it.
As an author myself now, with some peculiarities in my works that I will address below, people do ask me in what order should my novels be read. My answer to that is this:
It depends on whether you like spoilers.
I believe that if you pick up one of my books and like it, you’ll want to know how characters got there. So if you start with Epiphany and like the characters, I don’t mind that you reading Epiphany first spoils some aspects of Lazarus and Covenant. And all three of those novels are the foundation for events in Yours in the Bond and A Peculiar Legacy.
Likewise, the short story “Smith & Jones, Young Americans” has a character that appears in Children of Fury, which in turn has characters that appear in A Peculiar Legacy.
And you know what that means?
Despite my novels being in different genres, all of my novels are in the same literary universe. Maybe nobody appreciates that but me. It’s a good thing I appreciate myself and keep myself entertained.
If you’ve read this long, maybe you just want to know in which order you should really read my works. I think publication order is just fine. And here are some additional recommendations:
If you are primarily interested in the overall narrative of the men of Beta Chi Phi, from college years through adulthood, I recommend the following reading order: Lazarus, Covenant, Epiphany, The Life and Death of Savion Cortez (poetry), Yours in the Bond, and A Peculiar Legacy.
If you are mostly interested in urban fantasy, I recommend Birth of a Dark Nation, the short story “Negotiations” (appearing in Time), Children of Fury, the short stories “Pascal” and “Thunder Rolls”, and A Peculiar Legacy.
And if you ask me, you could read in this order (not quite publication order) and get the gist of the overall literary universe.
- Lazarus
- Covenant
- Epiphany
- The Life and Death of Savion Cortez
- Birth of a Dark Nation
- Yours in the Bond
- Time
- Children of Fury
- Pascal
- Thunder Rolls
- A Peculiar Legacy
But as long as you buy them, it doesn’t matter to me in which order you read them. Thanks for your support!
Last updated January 11, 2025.