Book Review: The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader" by C. S. Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia #3)

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Strange and fun new creatures

Cons: Episodic plot

The Bottom Line:

Sail with a fun read

And join an important quest

In Narnian seas

Join King Caspian on a Magical Quest

Welcome to the magical kingdom of Narnia. In these books, children from our world travel to a magical kingdom with mythical creatures and talking beasts. They always have a mission that needs to be performed.

Even though I love Narnia, the previous book in the series, Prince Caspian, isn't my favorite entry. That's why I was so glad to find The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader" so much more enjoyable.

Since Peter and Susan (characters from previous books) are no longer allowed to go to Narnia, their younger siblings Edmund and Lucy are joined by their cousin Eustace Clarence Scrubb. The three are admiring a painting of a ship when it suddenly comes to life and the three find themselves swept up into the water. They are rescued to find that the ship is sailing until the guidance of King Caspian of Narnia.

When Caspian became king, he made a pledge to track down the seven friends of his father that had been sent to explore the unknown waters beyond the Lone Islands and never returned. After establishing peace, he sets off. Naturally, the three from our world join him. Bravely sailing into the unknown (occasionally prodded by the mouse Reepicheep), they encounter dragons, sea creatures, magic, invisible creatures, and lots of danger. Will they be able to find the seven Lords?

Now I have a confession to make. I love most everything have to do with the sea of water. That does aid my love of this book.

My brother, on the other hand, doesn't. He complains about the episodic nature of the story. And he has a point. While there is a longer quest (find the Lords), this book reads like a series of mini-adventures. They travel to this island and have one adventure. Then they get back on the ship and have another adventure. Very little of it ties together, even at the end. Normally, books like this bother me since I prefer traditional plots. Yet here it works for me. I find there's plenty of action and adventure to keep me entertained.

Another reason why it works is the imaginative creature they meet along the way. Leis really let his imaginations run free, and it shows. I especially love the Dufflepuds, although I'm sure I would find their habit of agreeing with everything that is said as annoying as the characters do if I met them in person.

Eustace is the character that gets the most development here. He starts out the book very nasty to everyone he meets but changes over the course of the story. I don't like him much at the beginning, but he grows on me as the book progresses.

This series is allegorical in nature. Unlike some of the books, the allegory doesn't really hit you over the head here. This book can easily be enjoyed as a fantasy adventure and leave the allegory to the Christian audience.

There is some debate as to which book in the series this is. I have always read the books in publication order, making this book three. But some people prefer chronological order and read this one fifth. As with any series, there are little things you pick up on if you read them in order. But the books really can be enjoyed in any order.

The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader" is fantasy that anyone can enjoy, no matter what age they are. I first read the books in third grade and still enjoy them today.