The Horse and His Boy is the third book in the chronicles of Narnia. It takes place during the second book, during the reigns of kings Peter and Edmund, and queens Susan and Lucy. The main character of the book is a smaal boy named Shast, who has been raised by a poor fisherman in the lands south of Narnia known as Calormene. He is forced to leave his home and run away when his adoptive father agrees to sell him as a slave to a noble. Shasta manages to escape with the help of a talking horse from Narnia named Bree. Bree tells him that he must run up north to Narnia in order to be free. On the way, they meet up with a girl who is also running north on a talking horse. Her name is Aravis, and she is the daughter of a very important man who is attempting to have her wed to someone she hates. As they travel, the four of them learn of Narnia and the freedoms that they'll have there that they've been denied all their lives. The four of them decide to hook up together, and they discover a horrible plot to destroy Narnia. In order to stop this plot, they must travel through the great city of Tashbaan, cross an enormous desert, and warn the king of Archenland, Narnia's neighbour. They must also get there before Rabban, the head conspirator, and his army of two thousand men! With an amazing cast of characters, an exciting battle, and the expected cameos of the great lion Aslan, The Horse and His Boy is a book that you can't put down.