The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (The Chronicles of Narnia): Book 5

Overview

Lucy, Edmund, and their cousin Eustace, are magically transported onto the ship, Dawn Treader, where King Caspian is searching for the seven lost friends of his father. On the voyage, the children meet many fantastical creatures, including the great Aslan himself.

Aslan does not always choose the most obvious people to enter Narnia, and C. S. Lewis begins The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by telling us, "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it." Not surprisingly, Eustace does not like his cousins, Lucy and Edmund, and when they are sent to stay with him one summer, Eustace can only think how he can make their stay miserable. But this is before the three children see the picture in Lucy's room. Edmund and Lucy recognize it at once as a Narnian ship.

Her prow was gilded and shaped like the head of a dragon with wide-open mouth. She had only one mast and one large, square sail which was a rich purple. The sides of the ship - what you could see of them where the gilded wings of the dragon ended - were green.
"The question is," said Edmund, "whether it doesn't make things worse, looking at a Narnian ship when you can't get there."

Suddenly, and before the children quite understand what is happening, they are tumbling through the picture and into the blue Narnian sea.

Eustace is horrified. He is not even grateful when Prince Caspian and the Narnian sailors pull him safely aboard the Dawn Treader. But Edmund and Lucy are delighted to see their old Narnian friends, especially Caspian and Reepicheep the fearless mouse. As the days pass, Edmund and Lucy love their life on board ship while Eustace sulks and plots revenge. Even escaping from pirates and a terrible storm do not teach him to value his friends. Finally his meanness and greed give him an opportunity for the revenge he wants. But he has to pay a terrible price. Poor Eustace! He only realizes just what a monster he is when he is changed into a huge, scaly dragon!

It was very dreary being a dragon. He shuddered whenever he caught sight of his own reflection... He hated the huge, batlike wings, the saw-edged ridge on his back, and the cruel, curved claws. He was almost afraid to be alone with himself and yet he was ashamed to be with the others.

But has Aslan forgotten Eustace? Will the children escape the chilling Deathwater Island? Who are the Dufflepuds and what is the secret of the terrifying Dark Island which threatens to draw the Dawn Treader into its shadows for ever. And, finally, what is waiting for them at the End of the World? Will they be strong enough to face the last and greatest test?

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Author Information

Bio of C. S. Lewis

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the 20th century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day. His major contributions in literary criticism, children's literature, fantasy literature, and popular theology brought him international renown and acclaim. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include The Chronicles of Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet, The Four Loves, The Screwtape Letters, and Mere Christianity. C. S. Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland, on November 29, 1898, to Albert J. Lewis and Florence Augusta Hamilton Lewis. Throughout his life, Lewis was known to his family and friends as "Jack"--a nickname he coined for himself at the age of four after the beloved neighborhood dog Jacksie died. Lewis had one brother, Warren Hamilton Lewis (1895-1973). Lewis's mother died of cancer in 1908 when he was just nine years old. In 1910, Lewis became a boarding student at Campbell College in Belfast, just one mile from his home, but withdrew one year later. In 1913, Lewis enrolled at Malvern College, where he remained for one year. It was there that, at age fifteen, he became an atheist, abandoning the Christian faith of his childhood. From Malvern, he went into private tutoring under William T. Kirkpatrick, "The Great Knock," who had also been his father's tutor. Lewis went on to receive a scholarship to University College, Oxford, in 1916. Lewis took a hiatus from study after the outbreak of WW I, enlisting in the British Army in 1917. On April 15, 1918, Lewis was wounded in the Battle of Arras and was discharged a little more than a year later in December 1919. While in the army, Lewis became close friends with his roommate Paddy Moore. Moore was killed in battle in 1918. After Lewis was discharged, he followed through with a promise to his friend to look after Moore's family. Lewis moved in with Paddy's mother, Jane Moore, and her daughter, Maureen, in 1920. The three of them eventually moved into "The Kilns," which they purchased jointly along with Lewis's older brother, Warren. On May 20, 1925, Lewis was appointed Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University, where he served for twenty-nine years until 1954. During his time at Oxford, Lewis went from being an atheist to being one of the most influential Christian writers of the 20th century; 1931 marks the year of Lewis's conversion to Christianity. He became a member of the Church of England. Lewis cites his friendship with J. R. R. Tolkien, as well as the writings of the converted G. K. Chesterton, as influencing his conversion. Also while at Oxford, Lewis was the core member of the now famous literary group "The Inklings." This group was an informal twice-weekly gathering of friends which included Tolkien, Hugo Dyson, Charles Williams, Dr. Robert Havard, Owen Barfield, and Nevill Coghill, among others. The meetings took place on Mondays and Thursdays. Monday meetings were held at a handful of local pubs, including The Eagle and Child, known to locals as The Bird and Baby and The Lamb and Flag. Thursday meetings were held in Lewis's rooms. Lewis was married late in life at age fifty-eight to Joy Davidman Gresham, an American writer fifteen years his junior. They married in 1956, two years after Lewis accepted the chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge, where he finished out his career. After a four-year fight with bone cancer, Joy passed away in 1960. Lewis continued to care for her two sons, Douglas and David Gresham. C. S. Lewis died at his home, "The Kilns," on November 22, 1963. His grave is in the yard of Holy Trinity Church in Headington Quarry, Oxford. Warren Lewis died on Monday, April 9, 1973. Their names are on a single stone bearing the inscription "Men must endure their going hence."

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Additional Info

Imprint

HarperCollins e-books

Filesize

4.10 MB

Number of Pages

256

eBook ISBN

9780061765674