Book Recommendation
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was the third book published in The Chronicles of Narnia series. This tale carries forward the story begun in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. This time, Peter and Susan do not return. Edmund and Lucy do, along with a new character – Eustace Clarence Scrubb. these children are taken through a picture into a Narnian sea, where they are rescued by Caspian and taken aboard the Dawn Treader.
In this tale, Caspian is sailing beyond the known world to find seven lords who had sailed into the unknown and never returned. Along the way, we meet many amazing people – from the hilarious Dufflepuds (one-footed creatures who are some of the funniest characters in the whole series) to the daughter of a star. And there are of course amazing and dangerous adventures throughout.
Dawn Treader has always been one of my favorites in this series. The stories of how Eustace is saved from his own beastly nature by Aslan, and especially the voyage to the utter East, where Reepicheep finally fulfills his longing to go to Aslan’s country, are memorable and always fill me with longing to know Jesus better, and for the day when I to will take my final voyage and go to Aslan’s country.
Once again, I will close with a few quotes, which are full of wit and wisdom, and that I hope will whet your appetite to read (or re-read) this volume.
“There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.” (My favorite beginning to any story – read and you will understand why!)
“It isn’t Narnia, you know,” sobbed Lucy. “It’s you. We shan’t meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?”
“But you shall meet me, dear one,” said Aslan.
“Are -are you there too, Sir?” said Edmund.
“I am,” said Aslan. “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.”
“Sleeping on a dragon’s hoard with greedy, dragonish thoughts in his heart, he had become a dragon himself.”
“Most of us know what we should expect to find in a dragon’s lair, but, as I said before, Eustace had read only the wrong books. They had a lot to say about exports and imports and governments and drains, but they were weak on dragons.”
“It would be nice and fairly nearly true, to say that ‘from that time forth, Eustace was a different boy.’ To be strictly accurate, he began to be a different boy. He had relapses. There were still many days when he could be very tiresome. But most of those I shall not notice. The cure had begun.”
“Do not look sad. We shall meet soon again.” “Please, Aslan”, said Lucy,”what do you call soon?”
“I call all times soon” said Aslan; and instantly he was vanished away.”
My own plans are made. While I can, I sail east in the Dawn Treader. When she fails me, I paddle east in my coracle. When she sinks, I shall swim east with my four paws. And when I can swim no longer, if I have not reached Aslan’s country, or shot over the edge of the world in some vast cataract, I shall sink with my nose to the sunrise and Peepiceek will be head of the talking mice in Narnia.” (Reepicheep, on his desire to sail to Aslan’s country)
In Christ,
Bret