The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis

I have been a bit disappointed with the Narnia series. I was really looking forward to reading them to Billy but I have to say that they've been a bit hit and miss. By far my favourite so far has been The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and I can see why it's become the most famous.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader begins with Edmund and Lucy Pevensie going to stay with their cousin Eustace. Eustace is a horrible boy;

Eustace Clarence disliked his cousins the four Pevensies, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. But he was quite glad when he heard that Edmund and Lucy were coming to stay. For deep down inside him he liked bossing and bullying; and, though he was a puny little person who couldn't have stood up even to Lucy, let alone Edmund, in a fight, he knew that there are dozens of ways to give people a bad time if you are in your own home and they are only visitors.

A picture of a ship in Eustace's house becomes a portal through to Narnia. The three children go through and find themselves on the ship, the Dawn Treader. There they meet their old friends Caspian, now King of Narnia, and Reepicheep the Mouse. Caspian and his crew are on a mission to discover the whereabouts of seven lost lords, friends of Caspian's father, who were banished by his wicked Uncle Miraz. Edmund, Lucy and Eustace join the mission, (Eustace very reluctantly) and all kinds of adventures befall them. Eustace has a particular adventure which quite changes his personality and makes him a much nicer person.

The further they sail from Narnia the stranger the landscapes and the people they encounter. I thought the most effective was the Dark Island, it was very atmospheric and in fact it frightened Billy a little bit;

How long the voyage into the darkness lasted, nobody knew. Except for the creak of the rowlocks and the splash of the oars there was nothing to show that they were moving at all. Edmund, peering from the bows, could see nothing except the reflection of the lantern in the water before him. It looked like a greasy sort of reflection, and the ripple made by the advancing prow appeared to be heavy, small and lifeless. As time went on everyone except the rowers began to shiver with cold.
Suddenly, from somewhere - no one's sense of direction was very clear by now - there came a cry, either of some inhuman voice or else a voice of one in such extremity of terror that he had almost lost his humanity.

Scary stuff!

I didn't enjoy this one as  much as The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, but it was still enjoyable. I think Billy liked it - it's a bit difficult to tell with Billy!

The Agatha Christie Blog Carnival for this month is live here. My review of The Murder at the Links is there.