Inside the Voyage of the Dawn Treader: A Guide to Exploring the Journey Beyond Narnia by Devin Brown
Nonfiction. 249 Pages. 5 Stars
Synopsis:
The Chronicles of Narnia series has sold over 85 million copies worldwide and introduced people of all ages to the central doctrines of Christianity. Anticipating the December 2010 Walden Media/20th Century Fox release of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, this book guides readers through the third novel of C. S. Lewis’s classic series. As he did in the successful Inside Narnia and Inside Prince Caspian, Devin Brown takes readers through The Voyage of the Dawn Treader chapter by chapter, illuminating the features of C. S. Lewis’s writing, providing supplemental information on Lewis’s life and other books, offering comments and opinions from other Lewis scholars, and uncovering the work’s rich meanings. Longtime fans of C. S. Lewis and those who have met him through the movies will want to read this book.
My Review:
Much like the previous two books, I cannot more highly recommend this analysis of Lewis’s classic Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
I so wish Brown had gone on to finish the rest of the Chronicles! I’d love to hear his perspective on The Silver Chair because it’s always been my least favorite and felt out of place to me in the series. And on The Last Battle because everything wraps together! And of course the others just because I love them and have so thoroughly enjoyed learning more deeply about this beloved series.
Brown has made connections I never considered, brought in excellent research and perspective from Lewis’s life, and he’s left the facts and theories on the table for the readers to take what they will from his findings.
I’ve always enjoyed The Voyage of the Dawn Treader but this analysis has allowed me to grow deeper in my love of the classic and to see it in a new light. As someone who’s read these books countless times, it was a pure joy to read three of them again almost as if for the first time. What an incredible feeling of discovery and finding awe at the magic of it all like a child again.
And what a stunning resource as a writer to dig into some of the techniques Lewis used. Some of what he did is so subtle I never would have picked up on it without a guide. So, thank you Dr. Brown for investing the time and energy into these companion guides. I shall treasure them.
More:
Inside Narnia: A Guide to Exploring the Lion, he Witch, and the Wardrobe (5 Stars)
Inside Prince Caspian: A Guide to Exploring The Return to Narnia (5 Stars)
See the links to find more info on Goodreads! I do recommend that you have read the entire series of C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia before reading any of these commentaries. While I liked reading them in order, they could standalone as individual commentaries and be read in any order.
On GraceBought
Check out my thoughts on Inside Narnia and Inside Prince Caspian here!