The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

First published in 1952, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is C. S. Lewis’s third published adventure in The Chronicles of Narnia, a maritime quest into the enchanted eastern reaches of his imagined world. When Lucy and Edmund Pevensie are drawn into a painting and transported to Narnia, they join their cousin Eustace Scrubb and King Caspian aboard the Dawn Treader, a magnificent ship sailing beyond the known borders of the kingdom. Their voyage takes them through mysterious islands, enchanted waters and encounters with dragons, sea serpents and invisible enchantments, as they search for seven lost lords who disappeared during the reign of Caspian’s uncle. With each new shore comes a different trial, testing the travellers’ courage, loyalty and understanding of themselves.

More episodic and contemplative than its predecessors, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader combines the pleasures of seafaring adventure with a deeper meditation on temptation, transformation and spiritual longing. Lewis draws on classical voyages, Christian allegory and the traditions of maritime romance to create a world in which the unknown is both perilous and full of promise. Eustace’s transformation from an arrogant, self-absorbed boy into a more compassionate companion gives the story one of its most memorable moral journeys, while the voyage itself becomes an image of the search for wisdom beyond familiar horizons. As the ship sails ever further east, the boundaries between geographical exploration and spiritual discovery begin to dissolve. A cherished work of twentieth-century fantasy, the novel reminds readers that adventure is not simply about reaching distant places, but about becoming someone capable of seeing the world anew.

From the book

“Courage, dear heart.”

— C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

On The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

“A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.”

— C. S. Lewis