by C. S. Lewis
published 1952
completed December 2010
Three down, four to go. The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader" was quite different than the two previous books. True to Aslan's word, Peter and Susan did not return the world of Narnia. Edmund and Lucy were staying at their cousin Eustace Stubbs home, when they and their cousin were transported in dramatic fashion to the magical world. They ended up in the sea near a Narnian boat and were happy to find King Caspian aboard on a mission. Their mission was to find the seven lords that were sent off by his wicked Uncle Miraz. Their journey takes them to many different lands as they search for the lords and experience unique adventures along the way.
I loved that The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader" left Narnia and explored more of the magical world. We were able to learn of the lands surrounding Narnia as they travel about in the Dawn Treader. Their seemed to be a physical voyage as well as personal voyages. Many of the characters had experiences that helped them overcome a particular weakness as they were guided by Aslan.
One of my favorite parts was transformation of Eustace throughout the story. As the cousin of the Pevensie children, he starts off as a brute--constantly teasing them when he over hears them talk of Narnia. When he is first taken to Narnia, he is angry and selfish. His diary entries made me laugh. It was interesting to see things through his eyes. When they were rationing water and Lucy gave him some of her share, she told him it was because girls didn't need as much water. His reply was that he knew they didn't and someone should make King Caspian aware of that fact. There was never a thank you. Once he had the misfortune to be turned into a dragon, his experience changed him. He realized that he needed the others. Aslans assistance in transforming back in to a boy was magical and very moving. Eustace matured and began to show courage and consideration for others throughout the remainder of the journey.
One of my favorite characters, Reepicheep the valiant mouse, plays an important role in this installment. His courage is heartwarming as well as his ability to inspire those around him. I loved his ending! I will miss him in the books that follow.
The movie adaptation will be out next week (I think?) and I held off watching the trailer until after finishing the book. It looks fantastic! It looks like they amped up the action quite a bit! I'm sure there are things that were changed, as with most book to movie adaptations, but I'm excited to see it nonetheless.
This was another of my three least favorites of the seven, though it has some much-beloved moments (like the way they arrive in Narnia and the reunion with Caspian, Lucy reading the magician's book, Deathwater, Dragon Island . . . )
ReplyDeleteSo looking forward to the movie!
Kathy--That's a good way to describe it. I didn't love all of the book, but there were some really fantastic parts that stood out to me. I loved the part with the magician's book also. I'm excited to see the movie too. Now I just need to get the first two to watch!
ReplyDeleteI'm reading this out loud to my two youngest right now before we see the movie. This one is actually one of my favorites of the series. It's a magical part of my childhood that I love to revisit.
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