I read this book along with the rest in the Chronicles of Narnia back in middle school. It's amazing to realize how much my tastes have changed since then. I recall this being my least favorite of all seven books. But this time around I appreciated it from a whole new angle.

C.S. Lewis' prose is, of course, elegant in the sense that makes all his works such classics--imaginatively sweeping, interwoven with profundity and winsome characterization. Moreso than others in this series The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a journeying adventure, with self-searching qualities encountered at every island and point of destination.

I do remember that, in my embittered youth, my primary reason for resenting this book centered entirely around Eustace--the irritatingly narcissistic tag-along cousin of the Pevensie children (though this tale is limited to Edmund and Lucy, as Peter and Susan, we learn, have essentially aged out of the Narnia experience.)

Lewis' cheeky opening line for the book says it best:

"There was a boy called Eustace Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."

I couldn't stand Eustace--and for whatever reason, I didn't want to believe he could show character growth, no matter the circumstances he might encounter. But Lewis has a tendency toward redemption, and much like Edmund's transformation in The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, Eustace too gets his chance at a heart change. What I noticed this time around was how well Edmund apparently recalled his own past behavior, going so far as to state his former vileness surpassed even Eustace. And I realized...he was right. Yet, between the end of TLTWATW and this book, I found that I, as a reader, had completely forgiven Edmund and even came to favor him. So why not Eustace?

So ultimately, this reader experienced an attitudinal check. And really, only great books have much chance of sparking that kind of introspection.

This is one of my favorites in the entire Chronicles of Narnia series. Such a fun adventure! So much vivid imagination! I love the different worlds they encounter. And of course, the way Eustace changes throughout the course of the book is really sweet. Love this book!

Reader reviewed by snailshot

I haven't read such a book of many exicitng adventures in a very long, and the way the series was going I didn't think I would.

But The Voyage of the Dawn Treader really was so much fun reading. We begin the book with half of the Pevensie children, the older two off to other places during the summer. Lucy and Edmund must spend the summer with their unbearable cousin Eustace. While staring at a picture of a ship on Lucy's room's wall, the three are swallowed up and next thing you know, they are on board the Dawn Treader. They embark on a series of thrilling adventures, in pursuit of the seven lords of King Caspian's father outlawed by Lord King Miraz and to find Aslan's country, at the very end of the world.

We see in the journey, the different sides of Aslan. We see Eustace transformed into a good friend. We see the effects of ignorance, the darkness of man's mind and so many other parables, in this installment of the allegorical series. I recommend this book to all as it is a refresher and can suit all types of readers.