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A review by danilanglie
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
3.0
I definitely liked a lot of what was in here, but it felt much less cohesive as a book than most of the others. It was a bit more of an anthology of short stories, each section taking them to a new island and a new mini-quest. That's okay, but it feels like a bit of an endless fetch quest with no key purpose. The fact that finding the seven lords ends up really being about going to Heaven (I mean... Aslan's Country), feels like a bit of a cheap turn in the narrative.
Obviously the religious imagery has always been very present in this series, but this book goes further in explicitly naming the Jesus thing than ever before. Aslan literally talks about how he has a different name on Lucy and Edmund's world, and how they can get to his country through that world. It's a little tiresome for this particular atheist, I must say.
Also: I like Eustace as a character just fine, but I really did find myself missing Peter and Susan. There's something so melancholy about this idea that young people grow up out of Narnia, and I think the four Pevensie children play off of each other so well. Edmund continues to be a favorite, but without Peter and Susan there to boss the young ones around, the energy is just different.
All that said, there were a couple of incredibly beautiful scenes and moments in this book. I am going to be thinking about Lucy and the mermaid shepherdess becoming instant friends after one look, for a long time. What a lovely little image.
Just two more books to go until I'm done with my Narnia re-read! I'll be back in a bit for what's next.
Obviously the religious imagery has always been very present in this series, but this book goes further in explicitly naming the Jesus thing than ever before. Aslan literally talks about how he has a different name on Lucy and Edmund's world, and how they can get to his country through that world. It's a little tiresome for this particular atheist, I must say.
Also: I like Eustace as a character just fine, but I really did find myself missing Peter and Susan. There's something so melancholy about this idea that young people grow up out of Narnia, and I think the four Pevensie children play off of each other so well. Edmund continues to be a favorite, but without Peter and Susan there to boss the young ones around, the energy is just different.
All that said, there were a couple of incredibly beautiful scenes and moments in this book. I am going to be thinking about Lucy and the mermaid shepherdess becoming instant friends after one look, for a long time. What a lovely little image.
Just two more books to go until I'm done with my Narnia re-read! I'll be back in a bit for what's next.