Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader—Movie Versus Book

It’s no secret that The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is not at all a cinematic book. There’s no real antagonist and everything happens in generally self-contained episodes. That makes great reading, but not-so-great viewing.

Because of that, it should come as no surprise that something had to be changed to make things flow a little better as a movie. The key here, of course, is if the changes are so vast that the movie is no longer The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Please note that this review will contain spoilers, so stop reading now if you want to go into the film completely spoiler-free. Read the rest of this entry »

Bookmark: Narnia

Part of our Read-a-Thon 2010 highlight posts.

Narnia. It almost doesn’t seem possible that there are people who still haven’t read the books, but I know that good books get lost in the shuffle sometimes. If you’ve never read this seven book series, you’ve missed a real treat. The storylines are beautifully written, the characters fun, and some of the symbolism is really incredible.

If you’re interested in reading these amazing books (which are a nice, small, easily readable size), I’d recommend that you begin with either The Magician’s Nephew, or The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Personally, I’d say start with The Magician’s Nephew. It comes first in chronological order, and is also my second favorite. Read the rest of this entry »

The Magician’s Nephew

Our rating: ****

While Digory and Polly, two friends, are exploring their London homes, they accidentally get into the study of Digory’s Uncle Andrew. Uncle Andrew is (or what he fondly imagines himself to be) a magician and he sends first Polly and then Digory into the woods between the worlds. Where they enter yet another world and find a witch, who they accidentally take back to London. In the scramble that ensues, they manage to get the witch, Uncle Andrew and several other people into a world that is just being created. The world that contains Narnia.

This is one of my favorite Narnian books. The tale of Narnia’s creation is definitely a classic. Good friends, Aslan, interesting adventures and some very funny parts. Definitely a must read.

The Silver Chair

Our rating: ****½

Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb are called to Narnia for a special purpose. King Caspian, now old and nearing death, has no heir to the royal throne. His only son, Rilian, disappeared years ago. Aslan assures Jill and Eustace that the prince is still alive and must be found. Guided by signs from Aslan, Jill and Eustace join Puddleglum, the gloomy marshwiggle, to embark on a quest to rescue Prince Rilian from the evil witch who is holding him captive.

The Narnia stories are more than books, they’re old friends. Every time I re-read them it’s like visiting a very dear friend. The Silver Chair is one of my favorites.

The Horse and His Boy

Our rating: *****

When Shasta, a slave in Calormen tries to escape to Narnia, he is shown the way by a Narnian horse, Breehy-Hinny-Brinny-Hoohy-Hah. Bree for short. Traveling with them are Aravis and her horse, Hwin. On their way, Shasta is mistaken for a runaway prince, and Aravis uncovers a plot against Narnia and its neighbor, Archenland. In the race to save Archenland, Shasta and Aravis must cross the desert and alert King Lune to the threat of invasion.

This is one of my favorite Narnia books. I like it a little better than The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe, but not as well as The Magician’s Nephew and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Plenty of action, enough tense moments to allow you to enjoy it, (but not enough to scare you silly) and some great characters.