NarniaWeb Community Forums

I noticed on that list of kids' books, Fantasia, they list Cricket in Times Square but none of its sequels. (Actually, it seems like they only list one book per series/author.) I actually thought some of those books were even better than the original so I'd recommend checking them out. I realize though that probably wouldn't fit in with your homeschool curriculum or your own reading schedule. Just thought I'd throw that out since I think George Selden's books are really good and they could use some publicity.

Col Klink, in the upper level reading lists, they'll have a whole series in one slot. For example, 'The Chronicles of Narnia' by C.S. Lewis. I didn't look to see if it counted as seven books or one.

I suspect that more often than not these lists are to introduce kids to books and then leave the kids to discover the rest. Good to note about the sequels being just as good if not better.

Posting another book list link here for my own reference, otherwise I'm going to lose it.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blog ... list-kids/

AJ wrote:The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts. ...This book was recommended by the tour guide as a good explanation of how the Lipizzaner were rescued by the US Army during WW2.

I think I have this one in my to-read stack somewhere! That's too bad it feels bloated. I really enjoyed My Dancing White Horses by Alois Podhajsky, which includes his first hand account of the event.

This thread may become of of my favorites in here. Now that I am finished with my Masters I decided that i am going to read good books again. 2 years of no fiction and only school books about killed me. So....what are some of your favorite series other than Narnia ones, that have a Naria type feel? I would like to get a list. I am currently reading the Wingfeather Sagas (AMAZING!!!)
But what are some other series or books that are for sure worth the read? I have one left in Wingfeather and will need some new stuff soon! I have a goal of reading 50 books this year and need more ideas.

fledge1 wrote:So....what are some of your favorite series other than Narnia ones, that have a Naria type feel?

Anything by Gail Carson Levine. She writes very good fairy-tale type stories. I would suggest starting with A Tale of Two Castles and the sequel Stolen Magic (young girl becomes apprentice to a dragon whose day job is toasting people's lunches and moonlights as a detective).

Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching series is also very good (a young witch in training takes on various fairy-tale type villains and also deals with ordinary people). I'm about halfway through the fourth book right now. Be aware that the fifth book was Pratchett's last book that he was unable to finish before he died. My brother says it's clearly not entirely Pratchettish, but it is a good send-off. If you like that series, I would suggest reading his Night Watch series next.

Six of Crows and the sequel Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. First one is a fantasy heist, second is the aftermath. Really fun world building. I haven't gotten around to reading the rest of her stuff yet. But she has several other novels set in the same universe.

The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. EXCELLENT SERIES IS EXCELLENT. The sixth book is scheduled to come out next year. Join the madness as we wait.

Pretty much anything by Brandon Sanderson. Good starting points are the Reckoners series and Skyward. The first is a superhero type world, the second is a YA scifi. The Mistborn series is also great, although the first trilogy is not one of his best. The great things about Sanderson is that he writes a lot of stuff, usually publishes more than one book a year, and his writing visibly gets better with every book. His romances still need work, but his world building is amazing and he always nails the endings.

And then for a less contemporary author there is always The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander.

what are some of your favorite series other than Narnia ones, that have a Naria type feel?

*climbs on soapbox* Galleries of Stone by C. J. Milbrandt: Meadowsweet, Harrow, and Rakefang. Cozy, domestic fantasy at its finest. Someone else needs to read these so I'm not the only person I know who's even heard of them.

I'm also fond of Patricia McKillip's Riddlemaster trilogy, though I'm not sure I'd categorize it in a similar-to-Narnia way.

I'll second dot's recommendations.

Meltintalle wrote:I really enjoyed My Dancing White Horses by Alois Podhajsky, which includes his first hand account of the event.

I'll need to read this! The parts featuring him were some of the best in the book, I think.

Meltintalle wrote:*climbs on soapbox* Galleries of Stone by C. J. Milbrandt: Meadowsweet, Harrow, and Rakefang. Cozy, domestic fantasy at its finest. Someone else needs to read these so I'm not the only person I know who's even heard of them.

Sounds like I also need to read these!

I love the Queen's Thief series but I wouldn't say they're very Narnia-like ... Gail Carson Levine's books are great too. I can never decide if Ella Enchanted or The Two Princesses of Bamarre is my favourite.

This is a tricky question! Maybe something by Joan Aiken, like her short stories, or novels like The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and Black Hearts in Battersea? Or the Redwall books by Brian Jacques? Cornelia Funke? Susan Cooper? Madeline L'Engle? Robin McKinley? The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge? I don't know. There's so many books which are similar in part, but I don't think I've read anything that has the same feel throughout ...

I have read the first two Wingfeather books, and am looking forward to reading the next two!

Actually, what about The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald (as discussed on the previous page), or something by E. Nesbit? They're authors who inspired Lewis!

I recommend reading, at least once in your life, The Princess and the Goblin, and The Princess And Curdie.
And then At The Back of the North Wind.

These are all fantasy/fairy tale from 100 years ago, but with a spiritual element.

Is anyone else familiar with Bethlehem Books?

They have a number of really great "children's" titles that seem to be almost exclusive to them. There are several set in WWII which hearkens to the era of Narnia. I really love these:
Enemy Brothers was actually written by an English woman during WWII. The story focuses in the Ingleford family, who have taken in lots of refugees. However, Max is different. They believe him to be their long lost brother (who has unfortunately been raised in Nazi Germany). It's a great glimpse of life in that era, and it has a lovely plot.
The Reb and the Redcoats by the same author is about the Revolutionary War, and it is great too.

The Winged Watchman is about the difficulties of war (and peace) from the point of view of miller's family in Holland. It's the time of the underground, downed British airmen, and turncoats.

Some of my favorites, though, are the medieval books they carry by Allen French.
The Red Keep and The Lost Baron.

Anfinwen wrote:Is anyone else familiar with Bethlehem Books?

They have a number of really great "children's" titles that seem to be almost exclusive to them. There are several set in WWII which hearkens to the era of Narnia. I really love these:
Enemy Brothers was actually written by an English woman during WWII. The story focuses in the Ingleford family, who have taken in lots of refugees. However, Max is different. They believe him to be their long lost brother (who has unfortunately been raised in Nazi Germany). It's a great glimpse of life in that era, and it has a lovely plot.
The Reb and the Redcoats by the same author is about the Revolutionary War, and it is great too.

The only one I have is The Reb and the Redcoats, but they certainly look like an interesting publisher.

Constance Savery, that author, is a favourite of mine--I have all her books now,* though I think maybe Enemy Brothers is the best. That's hard to say, as a number of them are really good. She tended to have similar themes in her stories--twins or triplets; wards inordinately scared of guardians; dislike of step- (mothers, brothers, sisters, etc.). Emma, a fragment begun by Charlotte Bronte (only the first chapter, I think), which Savery finished, is quite recognizably her work because of these themes.

*I thought I had them all, I really did. Turns out there's one more (published under a pseudonym) as well as some unpublished manuscripts. Strangely enough, though Savery was English, her literary heir is American, and quite a bit of ephemera is located at the University of Oregon. One of these days I'm going to have to trek down there and read all of those manuscripts.

More information, with a very comprehensive listing of her works, can be found here http://www.constancesavery.com.

fledge1 wrote:So....what are some of your favorite series other than Narnia ones, that have a Naria type feel? I would like to get a list.

Beings that you have just moved out of Kansas, I MUST recommend the '100 Cupboards' series by N.D. Wilson. The series starts out in... Kansas! And it has a very Magician's Nephew spin to the story line. I'll say no more for fear of spoilers. It has some flaws, and not all NarniaWebbers care for it, but I really REALLY liked it.

I also must put in a mention for the 'Lamb Among the Stars' series by Chris Walley. It's nothing like Narnia at all, aside from the author being a Christian. I read this little known series recently and cannot believe that it hasn't taken off among the Christian community, so now I recommend it anywhere I can. I'll warn you now, it's hard to get a hold of. I THINK my mom got it on Kindle and I did manage to get my copies on interlibrary loan, so... yeah. I think that's part of the reason not many have read it. You're not likely to pop into your local library or bookstore to find a copy.

I recently read the historic/fantasy book "Hood", the first in the "King Raven" trilogy by Stephen Lawhead. For those unfamiliar with it, it takes the Robin Hood legend and sets it in Wales in the 11th century, just after the Norman conquest. An interesting idea, to be sure, but... I don't know. The drama felt just a little forced. It was better than some modern authors I've read, but still, there was something about the style that seemed a little over the top. (SPOILER: The main character becomes like a raven-themed version of Batman. Yes, that includes a bird-mask and a feathery cape.)
The story is fairly cool, though, with a generous amount of historical detail. And there is an emphasis on how legends and lore of other worlds and times can be beneficial, so... if you're on this website, you'll probably at least partially agree with that!

Stephen Lawhead's other series are great - try his Arthur ones. And there's one following the life of a medieval saint.

aileth wrote:More information, with a very comprehensive listing of her works, can be found here http://www.constancesavery.com.

Oh my goodness, thank you! I haven't read any other of her books besides the two I mentioned, but I love them so much that I need to look for more!

What is your preferred way of obtaining her books, and what are your favorites? It looks like they can be harder to come by.

Anfinwen wrote:Is anyone else familiar with Bethlehem Books?

*raises hand* I read a significant portion of their catalog back in the late '90s, early 2000s, focusing on the historical fiction types. I have no idea if it's expanded since, but I count a lot of those as favorites, so it might be worth going back and seeing what I haven't read.

(I was like, aww, all my favorites have already been listed: Enemy Brothers, Red Keep, and Winged Watchman and then I came up with about ten more. Ides of April, They Loved to Laugh*, Red Hugh, Rolf and the Viking Bow, The Letzenstien Chronicles*, Shadow Hawk...)

*aileth, if you haven't heard of, or read these already, I think they'd be right up your alley

Meltintalle wrote:I was like, aww, all my favorites have already been listed: Enemy Brothers, Red Keep, and Winged Watchman and then I came up with about ten more.

I tried not to go too crazy listing all my favs. I've read and liked several of those you mentioned. And they have added more works by Allen French, so I need to look into them.
Have you read Beyond the Desert Gate, the sequel to The Ides of April? I enjoyed reading about the main character from the first book, but it was a bit sadder.

I also really liked The Door to the North and Beorn the Proud both Norwegian/Icelandic/Viking kind of books. Though, I've read that the stone found in Minnesota that is included in The Door to the North may not be authentic.