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Summary: To The End of the World... and Beyond!!
Review: I really liked this book because of its great plot, characters, and settings. It had very creative ideas, like the plot; the King of Narnia travels to the End of the World to find Aslan's country and to find the seven lords of the past. Also, I liked the character Reepicheep, the brave little mouse who always wanted to battle his way out of everything, and Deathwater, the mysterious lake that turns anything into gold. I'd never read anything like it before(besides the other Chroncile of Narnia books).The best part of the book was when Eustace turned himself into a dragon by sleeping in dragon treasure. He is very upset when he finds out and almost no one recognizes him at first. But, when he finally is turned back into his human-self by Aslan, he realizes how rotten he had been to the other travelers.I liked this part because it was fun to read and had a good moral lesson for us all, to be kind to others because you never nkow the consequences. I believe that the best two elements in this book were the characters and the theme. The theme, i believe was that good things come to all who wait, because I saw how Caspian really wanted to find the seven lords, and finally, he did;and also how Reepicheep always wanted to go into an unexplored land and never return home, and he did. The characters that were probably my favorite were the Dufflepuds, little one footed creatures who bounced around and looked like dwarves because they stuck to their leader no matter what, which is the main reason why they're one footed!! This book was GREAT and I loved it!
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Summary: to the extreme edges of the world
Review: In this book, cousins of the famous Pevensies are once again placed in Narnia, this time, on a ship called the Dawn Treader. Prince Caspian has built the ship to find the 7 lords that usurper Miraz banished from Narnia. They may have to sail to the end of the world to find them. They encounter a golden lake, greedy dragons, a dark island, and much, much more. This book is highly recommended to anyone who is a fan of fantasy, C. S. Lewis, or the Narnia Chronicles.
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Summary: Book 5 ¿ A guide to the unending wonder of Narnia
Review: First published as the third entry in the Narnia Chronicles, "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" offers one of the best extended metaphors in the entire series, as well as a wonderful storyline. Edmund and Lucy are joined by their cousin Eustace on an expedition with King Caspian on the good ship Dawn Treader, in search of Caspian's exiled ancestors. At their first stop, Lonely Island, they need to overcome the corruption of the local governor Gumpas and restore the Narnian rule. After weathering a storm, they retreat to Dragon Island for repairs, where the beastly Eustace is shown his true self by being turned into a dragon. Next is Deathwater Island, which shows the folly of greed as objects are turned to gold. On the Island of the Voices, the invisible Dufflepuds need to be freed from their enchantment. The Dark Island (where dreams come true) results in horrifying real nightmares. And the last Island (called by some "World's End") brings the adventurers to Aslan's table. After a multitude of wonderful adventures, the travellers finally arrive at the Very End of the World, where Aslan's own country is. It's a touching story, and when combined with memorable characters such as the gallant mouse Reepicheep, this has to be a strong contender for the best in the series. As with all the Narnia Chronicles, on the level of children the story functions as a perfectly comprehensible and exciting fantasy adventure, but on an adult level it imparts powerful spiritual truths about Christianity by means of numerous recognizable Biblical allusions. "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" presents the beastly Eustace as a vivid portrait of a sinner as a helpless dragon that needs Christ to take off the scales of his old nature and dress him in the clothes of a new nature (p.115ff). Eustace' post-conversion confession that "I'm afraid I've been pretty beastly" is true in more ways than one. Aslan's table has eucharistic overtones. But the highlight of the book and one of the highlights of the series is the metaphorical journey of the Dawn Treader. By portraying time as a place, Lewis uses the geographical journey to the end of the world as a metaphor for a journey to the end of time, where water is "drinkable light" (p.248), and where the dawn of the day of Christ's kingdom awaits. Appropriately in keeping with the Biblical significance of the number seven as a number of fulness, it is after visiting six islands that the Very End of the World is reached. This book also contains the key to the spiritual significance of the whole series: the role of Aslan. This becomes evident when Aslan says "This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there." About the real world, Aslan observes "There I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name." (p.270). This is an apparent inconsistency in the Narnia Chronicles, because none of the characters actually seem to know Christ in the real world - Eustace doesn't even know Adam and Eve ("The Silver Chair" p.40). Yet it is clear that Lewis wants our understanding of Aslan in the world of Narnia to lead to a growing knowledge of Christ in the real world. Aslan is of course symbolic of Christ: "He is the great lion, the son of the Emperor-beyond-the-Sea, who saved me and saved Narnia."(p.118) As always, in all the upheavals and conflicts of Narnia, Aslan is the one constant, and it is his vital involvement that enables the children to complete their Narnian quest, just as it is Christ who inspires, comforts, guides, and saves in the real world. Narnia may exist only in Lewis imagination and ours, but these underlying truths about Christ ensure that a journey to Narnia is never without profit for the real world.
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Summary: Great Fantasy Story
Review: C.S. Lewis is an awesome fantasy writer. This book is a good example of his work. Great for kids and adults alike. If you like fantasy fiction, this is a good read.
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Summary: One of Lewis's Best
Review: This is so far the best Chronicles of Narnia Book I have read yet. I am currently reading the 6th and still have the 7th to go but "The voyage of the Dawn Treader" seems to be the best. The story features a new character the children's cousin Eustace. He gives the book a little more life than the others. Also the imagination put into this book seems to bring this book more to life. If you only read one in the series I would choose this one, but I really recommend reading them all.
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Summary: questing after the Kingdom
Review: I have put off reviewing "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" for a long time. There is no other book I have so longed to recommend to others, but I have felt (and still feel) totally inadequate when it comes to expressing what a wonderful story this is. I could go on for days about all the wonderful things contained here. That said, I will try and focus on only a few aspects of this book and then plead with you to read it. First, I must note that I feel this story should be read in the context of the entire Narnian series. It stands on its own nicely enough, but the deep background of the previous tales adds richness and texture to the tale. Secondly, I must note that this book is highly enjoyable because it works on two levels. The tale as a whole is the story of a journey into unknown lands. With each new place they visit, the whole is broken into wonderful episodes. My favorite episode (with the exception of the ending) is the island where dreams come true...its not what one would expect. The character of Eustace is my favorite of all the humans in the Narnian books. This story is partly a tale of his transformation. This seems to be a universal human desire; but Eustace, like all who truly seek transformation must, finds impossible to reform himself. This is an especially timely lesson for our "self-help" culture at the beginning of the twenty-first century. This brings me to what I like best of "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." Let me preface what I say here by making it clear that no one hates heavy-handed use of allegory as much as I do. However, the allegory that is "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" is one of the greatest things of beauty I have ever encountered. In one form or another we are all questing after an unseen kingdom. Be it the kingdom of God, Materialism, or simply of the Self--we are all, like Caspian and his pals, on a quest. I don't wish to give away any endings, but let me just say that the greatest truth Lewis expresses in his book is that no one can reach the True Kingdom on their own. I urge you to read this book. If I could only have a handful of books, this one would definitely be among them. I give "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" my highest recommendation.
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Summary: An "Odyssey" for Children
Review: After reading the very first line, "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it," I realized that I had made a huge mistake beginning "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" half an hour before bedtime. More exciting and adventure-packed than the two preceeding books (in the original ordering, of course), "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "Prince Caspian", it is hard to put down. The main characters that readers will recognize are King Caspian, Edmund, Lucy, and Reepicheep. Sadly, Peter and Susan have since become too old to reenter Narnia; but the story does amazingly well even without them. Here, Eustace, who will reappear in "The Silver Chair", is introduced for the first time. They are an interesting bunch, all providing something essential to the story, especially Reepicheep (whose character and personal history are developed further) and Eustace (who experiences a wonderful kind of redemption). The Dawn Treader is a ship King Caspian built in order to fulfil an oath made on his coronation day to find the seven lords and friends of his father that his uncle Miraz had sent to explore the Eastern Seas. Every two chapters or so, the Dawn Treader stops at an island, where its crew and passengers have a small adventure-within-the-larger-adventure, discover the fate of each of the seven lords, and learn good moral lessons. For instance, one island, called the Dark Island, is a place where dreams come true. It may sound wonderful, until you realize that the dreams that come true are not the pleasant daydreams, but the nightmares. After the last island, the passengers even reach, or very nearly reach, the End of the World. Though I compared this book to Homer's "Odyssey" in the title of this review, I must add that it can also be likened to John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress". This voyage is not guided by fate and devoid of reason, but is blessed by Aslan (who symbolizes Jesus) and is full of meaning and purpose. It does not merely represent the passage through life, but the passage through life _as a Christian_. That may be why one reviewer complained that this novel is overly preachy. Yet we readers are human, after all, and in need of being preached to now and then. Another thing that may surprise readers is the chivalry with which Lucy, the only girl on the ship, is treated by the men. Though it not "politically correct," as Eustace himself points out at the beginning, it has a certain rightness to it. Remembering how the March girls in Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" played at being good in imitation of the character Christian in "The Pilgrim's Progress", only to realize that their game was really a way of life, I can say that it would be wonderful if children today could apply the allegories in "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" in the same way. Parents, take note: it is easier to ask a child, "What would Edmund tell you about forgiving someone who has done wrong, like Eustace?" than to launch into a weary sermon about forgiveness that they may not remember anyway. There are more archetypes in this book, and in all stories about Narnia, than C.S. Lewis himself must have realized: and children can only benefit from knowing them as they grow up.
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Summary: Overly preachy.
Review: People frequently make the mistake of considering any book that is about children, that is written in a style accessible to children, or told in a narrative voice that is speaking as to children to be a "children's story", and dismissing it as irrelevant to adults. When they do so, they miss out on some of the most enjoyable reading experiences available. This book falls into that category, as do the rest of the books in this series, just as do "The Hobbit", by J.R.R. Tolkein, "Peter Pan", by James Barrie, and "Alice In Wonderland" and "Through The Looking Glass", by Lewis Carroll, among others. While this is certainly an engaging book, perfectly enjoyable and worth reading, if you are, like me, not Christian, you may find the heavy doses of Christian symbolism rather distracting and even annoying. In this, it is not unlike "The Lion, The Witch And the Wardrobe" and "The Magician's Nephew", only more so. I don't begrudge Lewis the opportunity to inject his own religious symbolism and philosophy into his works; in "The Horse And His Boy" and "Prince Caspian" he does so without noticeably detracting from the story. Even in the "The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe" and "The Magician's Nephew", while I felt he wasn't as subtle as he might have been, I didn't really feel that it hurt the story any. But in this book, (at least in the last third of it; prior to that, I had no objections) he was just a bit too ham-handed in his preaching, to the detriment of what would otherwise have been a fine story. Of course, if you ARE Christian, and believe that the symbolism is one of the things that make these stories classics, then you may well find this one of the best of the lot.
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Summary: amw - my review
Review: While staying at their uncle and aunt's home, Lucy, Edmond, and their cousin, Eustace, were pulled into a picture of a sailing ship and found themselves in the middle of the ocean. Their friend, King Caspian of Narnia, pulled all three of them out of the ocean and into his boat, the Dawn Treader. King Caspian was going on a voyage full of adventure to find the seven lords of Narnia that his uncle banished from Narnia when he took over the throne. He only knew they headed East. Through their adventures, they came across a sea serpent, dragon, and other challenges.
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Summary: The best of all the Narnia books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I liked this book the best of all the Narnia books!!!!! All of C. S. Lewis's books are great, but this is the best! It is very different then all of the other books in a few ways.The story idea about how Eustice(I hope I spelled his name right) is a huge pain and after his "unusual" experence at one of the islands has him start to become a better person really makes the story interesting. I also like the idea that though hundreds of years have passed in Narnia, here, much less time has gone by.THIS IS DEFINITLY A MUST READ!!!!!! If you like fantsey or adventure, this book is for you! ENJOY!!!
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