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The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
Author: C.S. Lewis
Genre: Fantasy
Point of View: 3rd Person
Pages: 223 pages
Age Recommendations: 8 and up
Main Characters: King Caspian, Lucy and Edmund Pevensie, Eustace Scrubb, Reepicheep, and Aslan
Plot: The two youngest Pevensies, Lucy and Edmund, are sent to the house of their obnoxious cousin Eustace Scrubb for a holiday. They are unexpectedly drawn into Narnia when a painting of a ship on the wall of Lucy's room comes to life, and the three children fall into the ocean to be rescued by the Dawn Treader and reunite with King Caspian. He explains that he is on a quest to locate the seven lost Lords of Narnia. They first make landfall at the Lone Islands, which is nominally Narnian territory, but has fallen into degeneracy--among other things, they participate in the slave trade. Caspian closes the slave trade with the help of Lord Bern, and departs Narrowhaven. They sail into a hurricane and lose most of their stored water. After days, they lay anchor near a mountainous island. Once, ashore they begin the task of finding shelter and water. Eustace slips away. He comes across at dead dragon and a cave full of treasure. He falls asleep on the treasure dreaming what he will do with his newfound riches. He wakes the next morning to discover he has been turned into a dragon. As a dragon, he becomes aware of how bad his previous behavior was, and uses his strength to help make amends. Aslan visits Eustace during the night and turns him back into a boy, and as a result of the visit, Eustace becomes a much nicer person. When Eustace is finally able to take off the bracelet, Caspian recognizes that it belonged to another lord, Lord Octesian; presumably the dragon killed Octesian and added the bracelet to its hoard or possibly the dragon was Lord Octesian. In addition, they visit Burnt Island, Deathwater Island (so named for a pool of water which turns everything immersed in it into gold, including one of the missing lords), the Duffers' Island and the Island Where Dreams Come True. This last island, where nightmares become real, is never seen, but is where they find a crazed Lord Rhoop. At last, they come to the Island of the Star, where they find the three remaining lost lords in an enchanted sleep. The fallen star inhabiting the island, Ramandu, informs them that the only way to awaken them is to sail to the edge of the world and leave one member of the crew. The Dawn Treader continues sailing into an area where merpeople dwell and the water turns sweet rather than bitter and salty. At last the ship can go no further as the water has become too shallow, Caspian orders the boat to be lowered and announces that he will be going to the world's end with Reepicheep. The crew argues with him, saying that as King of Narnia he has no right to abandon them. Caspian goes to his cabin in a temper, but returns and says that Aslan appeared in his cabin and told him that Lucy, Edmund, Eustace and Reepicheep would go on but everyone else would return to Narnia. Lucy, Edmund, Eustace and Reepicheep venture in a small boat through an ocean of flowers until they reach a wall of water that extends into the sky. Reepicheep paddles his coracle up the waterfall, and is never again seen in Narnia. Edmund, Eustace, and Lucy walk in a strange land where they find a lamb. The lamb turns into Aslan who tells them that Edmund and Lucy will not return to Narnia and that they should learn to know him by another name in their own world. He then sends the children home. The end of the book reveals people marveling at Eustace's change in character. It also reveals that Caspian marries Ramandu's daughter.
Theme: "I am... but there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. 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." – Aslan, Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Impressions: "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" is one of Lewis's most original and tightly-written Narnian adventures. It's also a bit of a break from form. After two books of battles against evil tyrants, "Voyage" simply goes where no man/woman/mouse has gone before, and gives us a view of the Narnian world as more than one isolated little region. In some ways, it's also the darkest Chronicle. Lewis explores the theme of greed here -- greed for power, beauty, money and magic -- and has some scenes both chilling and majestic. But his archly humorous style peeks through in several places, whether it's the pompous mouse Reepicheep or tea with a reclusive old wizard or even sailing into the unknown.