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Title: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Author: C.S. Lewis.
Gene: Classic, Christian, Fantasy, Sequel.
Plot: The Pevensies {or half of them at any rate} are back for more adventures in the wonderful land of Narnia. Their parents and Susan are spending sixteen weeks in America and Peter is spending his summer holidays studying for exams with the Professor and the youngest two, Edmund and Lucy, are therefore left with no other choice than to stay with Uncle Harold and Aunt Alberta for the summer. This arrangement is made even more unpleasant by their cousin Eustace Scrubb who is bossy and generally not very pleasant to be around. One afternoon when all three are in Lucy’s room having an interesting discussion {Edmund is really trying to get Eustace to leave of course} the picture of the ship they’re staring at unexpectedly comes alive and they find themselves quite suddenly inside the picture, swimming about in the cold water.
They are hauled onto the ship and are reunited with their old friend Caspian, now firmly in his place as King of Narnia and on a voyage to find the seven lords who were loyal to his father and were therefore banished by his nasty uncle Miraz. Reepicheep is also on board and is bent on sailing to Aslan’s own country {since they’re heading East anyway}. Almost right away, after Caspian gives them a tour of his fine ship and everyone has had a chance to settle down, Eustace and Reepicheep almost have a duel when Eustace plays a joke on the mouse and is repaid when the mouse coolly smacks him around with the flat of his blade. Following that the children, Caspian and Reepicheep are captured by slave traders while walking across a more-or-less deserted island belonging to the Lone Islands and, of course, to Narnia. One of the missing lords arrives and frees Caspian who then rounds up his men and, with a fine show of strength, sets the others free, reestablishes his authority over the islands and sets the Lord Bern up as governor of the Lone Islands before sailing off and getting caught in a bad storm then having their water supply run low following the calm that came after the storm.
They spot an island several days later and find fresh water to replenish their supply with which makes everyone happy of course, till Eustace slips away in order to avoid doing his share of the work and manages to be turned into a dragon, the results of his own selfish greed. Aslan arrives later, after Eustace has befriended his shipmates in his dragon form, and restores Eustace to his human form in time for him to join the others and continue the voyage. They encounter a sea serpent {who isn’t very bright} and have a narrow escape when they find a pool that turns things into solid gold. Then Lucy makes a group of strange people, the Dufflepuds, visible again after they get tired of being invisible and Aslan joins her before they meet the magician who lives on the island with the Dufflepuds and when their stay at that curious island is up they very nearly land at the Dark Island where nightmares come true; Aslan leads them safely away from there however when Lucy cries out to him. Then they come to the last island where they find the last three lords fast asleep and meet a star named Ramandu and his beautiful daughter who later becomes Caspian’s beloved wife {and who, while the others are discussing whether to eat the food on the table or not, gives them a bit of advise: “You can’t know, you can only believe – or not”}; Ramandu explains how to wake the sleepers and sends them on the last part of their journey, toward the Far East and to Aslan’s country.
When they can go no farther, Reepicheep and the three children go on alone and Caspian with his men head back home to Narnia; Reepicheep crosses over into Aslan’s land and Aslan himself sends the other three home to England, after telling Edmond and Lucy that they won’t be coming back again.
Likes/Dislikes: Magic is of course spoken of, talked about and used several times which most Christians will disagree with and while Eustace is suppose t o be rude and obnoxious, he comes across as rather amusing instead. All in all, a very entertaining and exciting classic adventure story and one worth rereading.
Rating: PG-8 and up only because it might go over younger children’s heads. Reading it aloud is recommended.
Date Report Written: May 29, 2010 .
Reviewer’s Note: The new movie installation in Disney’s The Chronicles of Narnia is scheduled to be released to theaters on December 10th, 2010 and is, of course, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
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