Are you ready for a grand sea voyage? Well, C. S. Lewis provided a fine marine adventure. Want to come along?
It starts as most Narnia stories do: in our world. There we meet Eustace Clarence Scrubb, an odd, bullying sort of boy, and a cousin of the Pevensies. Unfortunately for Edmund and Lucy they have to spend the summer holidays with him. Very fortunately though, the two of them discover a special painting of what they assume to be a Narnian ship and are drawn into it. Unfortunately, again, Eustace got pulled in with them. Within minutes of splashing into Narnia, they are on the Dawn Treader and reuniting with King Caspian. Three years have passed in Narnia and now Caspian is searching for the seven Telmarine lords Miraz had exiled for being loyal to Caspian the Ninth.
Searching for seven missing lords. Should be simple right? Wrong. They are heading into the Eastern Ocean, an ocean completely uncharted after the Lone Islands. And even before they pass the Lone Islands, they deal with a slaver and a corrupt governor. After that it’s sea monsters, dragons, enchanted water, invisible creatures, and mysterious characters. Will Caspian and the three children find the missing lords? Will they survive the perils of the high seas and unknown lands? Will they be able to survive Eustace? And most importantly, how will Aslan show himself away from Narnia?
Okay, third Narnia that I have grown up with in book and video form. And possibly the only one of the three remakes that I can totally say was a disappointment. Honestly, the new version didn’t need half of the extra stuff that they put in. This is the case where the older version was better. Or just stick to the book and the audio drama. (I’m just thankful that the new version kept a couple of the most important parts in the story instead of warping or changing them completely.)
The story of the Dawn Treader is a story that I can’t readily think of a comparison to a Bible story, although it does share a similarity to some important Bible truths. The two incidents that stick out clearly in my mind is how one character cannot undo a troublesome/evil enchantment themselves, Aslan must do it for them, and then the revelation concerning Aslan in our world.
This story started as a few notes written in a notebook, and a desire on the author’s part to write a seafaring adventure. So C. S. Lewis used Narnia as an opportunity to do so in 16 chapters and a little over a hundred pages. Again, Pauline Baynes provides the wonderful illustrations, which are sadly mostly removed in my seven-in-one copy. The story also includes a map of the known Eastern Ocean and diagram of the Dawn Treader at the front.
As with all the Narnian stories thus far, I highly recommend this tale. So, Narnia fans, classics fans, fantasy fans, or sea fans, pick up this book and enjoy. Oh, and I personally give this story a five dragons out of five for its refreshing ending.
Until next time. Bye.
Other Narnia stories:
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