The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the 3rd/5th book in The Chronicles of Narnia.  It was the 3rd book that C.S. Lewis wrote but became the 5th book chronologically when he reordered the books a few years later.  The book follows the adventures of Edmund and Lucy along with their annoying cousin Eustace.  The first line of the book says it all when Lewis writes, "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."  If you have read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, then you know how bad Edmund was when he first entered Narnia.  Eustace is very much like Edmund was at the beginning.  But after two visits and encountering Aslan, Edmund changed.  He has become the oldest of the Pevensie children to enter Narnia this time, and he is far from the Edmund who was deceived by the White Witch.

Eustace has a lot of growing up to do, and he will encounter his fair share of adventures when he boards the Dawn Treader.  In the past, the Pevensie children entered Narnia through a wardrobe and at a train station.  As always, Aslan opens a new door this time, and the children find themselves instantly transported to the Eastern Ocean just outside Narnia.  It is there that they find their old friends Prince (now King) Caspian and Reepicheep.  On their way to find the 7 lords that Caspian's uncle Miraz had sent away, Caspian is excited to see his two old friends.  Although Edmund and Lucy had only been gone for a year, 3 years had passed in Narnia, and things could not be any better.

Without giving away much of the book, I will briefly mention some of the places they visit.  This book does not have one central storyline except for the fact that they are looking for the 7 lords.  Other than that, the book is more like a series of different episodes, different encounters they have along the way.  They visit many different islands, each with its own mysteries and magical creatures.  They encounter slave owners, dragons, Dufflepuds, magicians, Ramandu's daughter, Aslan's table, and a few of them eventually find themselves at the end of the world (geographically not chronologically).  But how they get to these places and the events that transpire at each stop is what makes this book magical.

In less than 50 days this book will hit the big screen in 3D.  The directors have already stated that some things have been changed for the sake of the movie.  However, some of the changes are so that they can fill in the gaps, since this book is so episodic and without one main theme.  Also, they want to fill in the gaps between this book and the next, The Silver Chair (which will also be the next movie).  70 years passes between these 2 books.  After reading some articles about the movie, it does appear as if the major scenes in this book are represented.  I have a good feeling about the movie, and think it will be closer to the text than Prince Caspian was (although it was still a good movie).  We shall see how well they did on December 10.  Until then, I encourage you to read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Matt