The Horse and His Boy is a high fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1954. It was the fifth published of seven novels in the The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956) and one of four that Lewis finished writing before the first book was out. It is volume three in recent editions, which are sequenced according to Narnia history.[a] Like the others it was illustrated by Pauline Baynes and her work has been retained in many later editions.

The Horse and His Boy is the only Narnia chronicle that features native rather than English children as the main characters and the only one set entirely in the Narnia world. It is set during the last chapter of the inaugural The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; that is, during the reign of the four Pevensie children as Kings and Queens of Narnia. The story features two children and two talking horses fleeing north through Calormen to Narnia; while in Calormen's capital city, they discover a raid being planned on Narnia's southern neighbor Archenland.

Plot summary

A boy by the name of Shasta is found as a baby and raised by Arsheesh, a Calormene fisherman. As the story begins, Shasta overhears Arsheesh agreeing to sell him to a powerful Calormene feudal nobleman, Anradin. He also learns about Arsheesh finding him, and is relieved to discover that he is not really Arsheesh's son, since there was little love between them. While Shasta awaits his new master in the stable, Bree, the nobleman's stallion, astounds Shasta by speaking to him. He is a talking horse from Narnia who was captured by the Calormenes as a foal. He tells Shasta that Anradin will treat him cruelly, and Shasta resolves to escape. The horse suggests that they escape a life of servitude by riding north together to Narnia. They meet another pair of escaping travellers, Aravis, a young Calormene aristocrat, and her talking horse, Hwin. Aravis is fleeing to avoid a forced marriage with Ahoshta, the Tisroc's grand vizier.

The four must travel through Tashbaan, the bustling capital of Calormen. There they encounter a procession of visiting Narnian royalty, who mistake Shasta for Corin, a prince of Archenland, who was separated from their group earlier that day. Unsure what to do, Shasta goes with the Narnians and overhears their plans to escape from Calormen to prevent a forced marriage of Queen Susan with the Tisroc's son, Rabadash. Shasta escapes when the real Prince Corin returns.