The Chronicles of Narnia - Book Review

Book 5 - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Written by: Clive Staples Lewis
Illustrated by: Pauline Baynes
First published: 1953
Genre: Fantasy

Time Location, Our World: 1942
Time Location, Narnia: 2306-2307
Area: Eastern Ocean, The Seven Isles, The Lone Islands, The Worlds End
Central Characters: Lucy Pevensie, Edmund Pevensie, Eustace Clarence Scrubb, Caspian X

Plot:
The year after the Pevensies return from Narnia, Edmund and Lucy are sent to their cousin Eustace for the summer. Eustace is a very different kind of boy, and doesnt get along very well with his cousins. But new book, new adventure - the three of them are unexpectedly taken to Narnia through a picture of a ship. They end up floating in the middle of the ocean where they're picked up by king Caspian and his friends on the ship "The Dawn Treader". Four years have passed in Narnia, and after making peace again in the country Caspian is sailing on the eastern sea looking for his fathers friends, the seven Lords who were sent away on the ocean by Miraz, never to return.
Not long after they join the ship they arrive the Lone Islands, a group of three islands that belongs to Narnia. The Lone Islands are located very far away from land, and nobody has heard from Narnia for years. Caspian gets a whole lot of work to do as the islands are in a really bad situation. Here they also meet the first of the seven Lords.
Beyond the Lone Islands nobody's ever known to have sailed, so this is where the real adventure starts. Everyone is filled with excitement - but Eustace is not quite finding his place on the ship. Fear and anger controls him, and he isnt much liked by the Narnians - this is until they go in land on an unknown and special island, and Eustace decides to run away. His experiences on this island were to change him forever... as they sail further east they realize it's a curse over many of the eastern islands of the world, and to fix this they have to travel as far east as they can, and maybe to the very end of the world...

My thoughts:
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has always been my favourite out of the books. The magical and exciting feeling as they sail to undiscovered and cursed islands and oceans are one of most amazing stories I have ever read. Especially the last three chapters of the books really makes you feel like you're a part of the travel and a completely different world. Even though C.S Lewis was an experienced writer when he wrote this book, I can't help but feeling that he really kind of developes from the two first-written books here. It's like he really lets go and let himself really create the magical Narnia that I love so much.
This book doesnt really have a specific conflict - but it still is really amazing and exciting. Actually, I think this is why they changed the movie so much. I don't really think this story fits to a movie where you need excitement all through. It fits as this beautiful magical story. Only Lewis words can really describe this magical sea travel.
Only thing that makes me sad about this book is the way Eustace is described as the bad guy in the beginning. We're definitly supposed to hate him but I always kind of liked him. He's just... different.
Rate: 6/6