According to Publisher’s Weekly, Harper Collins has announced a new, limited series of books, to be set in the world of Narnia but written by a variety of new authors. These books, surprising, are aimed at adults, not children. Each one is set to approach the story of a side character from one of the existing books, delving into their experiences as Narnians (and one Archenlander), expanding on their story before or after the book in which they were featured. The representative from Harper Collins gave an example: “What circumstances under the White Witch’s regime would make an otherwise agreeable faun willing to collaborate with her? Did his neighbors know? How did they treat him as a result? We think the Beavers and Tumnus were on good terms, but were they, if he was working for the Witch? We wanted to explore that. That’s what this series is about, exploring all the little side stories you don’t always think about when you read the books as children. But when you think about it, that’s some heavy stuff, right there. We wanted to dive into that.”

The books appear to be limited to a seven-book set of standalone adventures, with covers giving a strange Don Quixote by Picasso painting vibe. Each book features a character from a different Chronicle. The titles are as follows:

A Very Bad Faun

We Hold On

The Utter East

Put a Brave Face on It

Thunderfist

Nellie’s Washing Day

Lionskin

Based on these, the books would appear to be about Tumnus, Trufflehunter, Reepicheep, Puddleglum, Corin, Queen Helen, and Puzzle, respectively.

What do you think? Would you read a book set in Narnia that isn’t written by C.S. Lewis? Are you looking forward to these expanded stories? Share your thoughts in the comments below.