Since The Chronicles of Narnia were first written by C. S. Lewis in the late 1940's and early 1950's various schemes of thematic unity have been suggested for the books.  Some have maintained that each of the books represent one of the seven Catholic sacraments.  Others have put forward that each book acts as a commentary on one of the seven deadly sins, or one of the seven virtues.  More recently it has been suggested that each of the seven Narnia chronicles corresponds to one of the seven planets of the medieval cosmos.  But what did Lewis himself say about the overarching and unifying thematic structure of the Narnia books?  That is what this book seeks to set out and explore: what C. S. Lewis called "the hidden story" of Narnia.

I am asked again and again by lovers of Narnia if there is a book out there that will help them understand the deeper Christian meanings of The Chronicles of Narnia. I am happy to say that that much desired book now exists. Will Vaus's The Hidden Story of Narnia offers a clear and concise analysis of the spiritual architecture that undergirds each of the Chronicles, and it does so in a language that should prove equally challenging and accessible to academics, non-academics, college and high school students, and even well-read children. Vaus makes clear all the links between Aslan and Christ and between the Narnia books and the Bible. But he goes far beyond this. He also links the themes of the Narnia books to the vast corpus of Lewis's other works so as to make clear the unity of Lewis's Christian worldview. He further challenges his readers to see and wrestle with the greater moral and ethical dimensions of the Chronicles, highlighting the nature of virtue and vice in a manner that would surely have gained Lewis's hearty approval. He concludes by laying down seven guidelines for living like a Narnian that are practical without being didactic and that will help his readers to carry the message of Narnia into their own lives.

Louis Markos , Professor in English and Scholar in Residence at Houston Baptist University, Author of Lewis Agonistes and The Life and Writings of C. S. Lewis