A Letter from an Old Narnian

Hark! Who goes there?

     Are you a Son of Adam or Daughter of Eve? A Faun, or a Centaur perhaps? Well, whomever you be if you like movies you’ll enjoy the new adventure The Voyage of the Dawn Treader! However, ye fans of the books be forewarned for the movie did not follow the escapade written by C.S Lewis! Read on, dearest explorer friend, for the review that follows this introduction be a very enticing one indeed!

    Narnia is the lively land hidden inside every child’s imagination, the place of kings and queens and castles and dragons, Talking Beasts and treacherous witches. We were there when Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy defeated the White Witch who cursed the land of Narnia for years of winter without Christmas (in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 2005) and we were there when Miraz tried to take over Narnia from Prince Caspian the only true heir to the throne (Prince Caspian 2008).  Now, brace yourselves, warriors, for these eyes of mine have seen the next great adventure brought from paper to picture!

    The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is about Edmund and Lucy and their cousin Eustace who manage to fall into a painting of a Narnian ship at sea. Fished out of the ocean they’re hauled onto the deck of the Dawn Treader, and reunited with Prince Caspian who has ruled Narnia now for 3 years. Caspian has set out on a voyage to avenge the seven lords whom his uncle had sent on an impossible mission aboard and whom are thought to be dead. So he takes the two Pevensies and their brat of a cousin with him and along the way they get into and out of many a scrapes.

    The movie was good but as I believe I’ve previously mentioned, reader, it did not follow the book! Details there were - like the ship herself and the sweetened sea waters near Aslan’s land - that were correct. However, other details were not quite right. But I won’t dig too deeply just yet; instead I will speak to you in two groups (assuming more than one kind of adventurer tis reading this).

    To my movie-watchers, Narnia; Voyage of the Dawn Treader is as epic as it gets! Tis the finest vessel ever to sail the seas between the Lone Islands and the edge of the world making it a must-see movie, and tis best to be viewed in the third dimension. However, beware! Parts are not suitable for younger eyes, like a certain sea-serpent and his demise, so I would be careful if I were you.

    Now, my fellow bookworms, if you read the book (as well you should) before you go to see the movie I warn thee, tis inaccurate and disappointment might befall you as it did I. The plot is warped and things were added where twasn’t before, like the use of the swords of the seven lords to break an enchantment at Aslan’s table. Naturally, my heart wishes, if I may be so bold, that they had kept true to the book like they did with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (and because of that, I think tis be the best of the three movies, for they deviated in Prince Caspian as well). However, dear reader, my heart also aches for what twasn’t in the movie. In the book, Aslan comes to the kids in the form of a lamb, but twasn’t so in the end of the film. This was probably the greatest disappointment, for the books have a beautiful Biblical thread, deeply seeded with Christian metaphors and symbolism, but that detail was lacking in the movie.

    I ask ye, if one does a movie after a book, does it not make sense to follow the book? If you deviate too much, does it not make the movie rather its own beast, separate from the book from which the idea was born?

    So as a movie Narnia; Voyage of the Dawn Treader was just as exciting as twas promised. However as a movie done after a book twas too many mistakes to be overlooked!

    We come now to the end, my friend, of this critique. I wish you fine travels and good fortune as you seek your next big adventure, and I will do the same!

    Long live Narnia! And long live Aslan!   

The Palm Tree Press

Book reviews:

Putting Her Heart into Ink

By the esteemed book critic: Nutmeg!

W

hat would you do if you had the power to read a book out loud and draw the characters out of its story? What would it be like to read aloud and actually hear fairies whispering, giants’ footsteps, or the creak of Captain Hook’s pirate ship? To see the flames of a fire-eater or really feel like you’re standing on the beaches of Treasure Island? What if you could call out your favorite hero, or even the villain?

    Well, that’s precisely what Cornelia Funke suggests in her book Inkheart. What a saga!! I couldn’t put it down and when I did I felt like I had fallen out of that world. I still suspect the fairies are in my bedroom, peeking from inside my lampshade or perched on my computer screen. Then, when I closed the book, it was like I could turn around and see a fire-eater following me. She did a great job of twisting reality and fantasy (which we all know I love). She breathed life into the story.

    The story of Inkheart is about a girl named Meggie and her father Mo, who has the ability to read aloud and draw characters out of his favorite books. But they learn it’s not a talent to be taken lightly, when Mo happens to read one of the evilest villains out of a rare book (also called Inkheart) and suddenly both their lives are in peril.

    Isn’t that EPIC!?!

     Cornelia packed this story so full of characters (who I didn’t want to say goodbye to) and they were so lifelike! Laced with back stories and ulterior motives and… well I don’t want to give tooooooo much away ;)

    There were some dark parts and a few dark characters, but even the dark parts have their place. 

    However, Cornelia’s writing style was simply scrumptious – full of lively similes and beautiful descriptions – It was very smooth to read which I enjoyed.

    In 2009 the story of Inkheart was brought to life on the silver screen and YES I saw the movie, too! It was very nicely done and really brought the magical aspects of the story to life. But it didn’t follow the book as much as I would have liked, which is my biggest pet peeve (when a movie done after a book doesn’t follow the author’s plot). Only because of that, I think the book is better.

    The story of Inkheart, the magic, and Meggie’s bravery prompts you to just try and read something aloud to see what you’re capable of. For me? It was a perfect read for a rainy day! And I’ve already started the sequel Inkspell so expect a review ‘cause it’s already equally as enchanting!!!!!