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5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Series, Sep 11 2006
Out of the Silent Planet
C.S. Lewis
This is the first book in C.S. Lewis's amazing Space Trilogy. These books are far less known than Lewis's Narnia series or even his Mere Christianity or The Screwtape Letters, yet it is just as good as any of those writings and goes to show the versatility of Lewis as an author.
This first book begins with our hero, Dr. Ransom, out for a walking tour in the countryside, dressed in that shabby way for which professors are renowned. His foes are his former schoolmates Devine and Weston. These men believe they need a human sacrifice, and by capturing Ransom they have their victim, for they have made a spaceship and are taking Ransom to Malacandra the red planet.
Once on Mars, Ransom escapes his captors, meets many species, and finds out that on Mars there has been no "fall" and Ransom from Earth or the Silent Planet is a bit of an oddity. People from earth are considered to be "bent" in nature, from the original sin of the fall.
Follow Ransom as he treks across a strange world, and must find the courage to risk it all to save not only an alien race, but also, possibly his own soul.
This is a first book in an amazing series. Try it - you won't be disappointed.
Perelandra
C.S. Lewis
This is the second book in C.S. Lewis's amazing Space Trilogy. This book was written as a sequel to the immensely popular Out of the Silent Planet but Lewis also wrote it so that the story can stand on its own. So if you haven't read the first you can start here.
This book takes place some time after the first, but we are not sure how long. Ransom has received a summons to Venus, a planet that is just beginning its inhabited life. This planet's 'Adam' and 'Eve' are on the planet and they must choose to obey God or to reject his law and face a "fall" as has happened on earth.
Ransom must face his old foe Weston, and try to save a planet from great evil. Can he navigate this watery planet; can he negotiate the intricacies of human weakness, temptation and corruption? Can he conquer himself and help others to learn obedience?
This is a great creation story. Try it - you won't be disappointed.
That Hideous Strength
C.S. Lewis
This is the third and final book in C.S. Lewis's amazing Space Trilogy. This book was written as a sequel to the immensely popular Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra but Lewis also wrote it so that the story can stand on its own. So if you haven't read the first, you can start here.
That Hideous Strength, unlike the first 2 books in this series, where Ransom leaves earth and fights evil in space and on other planets, the battle in this book takes place on earth.
Ransom must lead a group of faithful believers against National Institute for Coordinated Experiments or N.I.C.E., an organization that believes that Science can solve all of humanity's problems. He must battle the people in this organization, super aliens trying to invade and control earth and use its population against other planets and against God.
On top of all of that, Merlin has arisen from his long sleep and has arisen in England's time of greatest need. But the question is, who will find him first - N.I.C.E. or Ransom and his team? The fate of the world, and possibly the universe, rests on this question.
Lewis called this story an adult's fairy-tale. It is a mix of sci-fi and fantasy, and a book that will keep your attention as you raptly turn the pages to find out where Lewis will lead you.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Looking from the outside in..., Mar 26 2002
By A Customer
I tackled these books after a recommendation and reading the Narnia books. Though a little hard to understand occasionally, very insightful. I enjoyed them. They are a little slow getting started, but worth the effort. This was almost a chilling look at humanity and the human condition, not only from a religous outlook but even from secular morals. There are insights for both sides of the fence.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Battling between good and evil, Jan 7 2002
The theme throughout these three books is man's battle (or, rather, intelligent life's battle) between good and evil, with some very obvious, but not stifling, religious overtones also found in CS Lewis' nonfiction work. For adults who absolutely adored the Chronicles of Narnia set, this trilogy takes you through the battle between good and evil in a more sophisticated manner. Granted, these are not nearly as easy to read, but adapting to the more complex (sometimes slow-moving in Hideous Strength) writing style was quick.If you are primarily interested in religious fiction, and have the patience to read books with more complexity than, say, the Left Behind series, you will like these allegorical journeys through the fall of man. If you are primarily interested in SciFi, CS Lewis takes you to other worlds (Silent Planet, Perelandra) and introduces beings from another Earth-time (Hideous Strength) with an original twist of the good vs. evil storyline. All three books can be read on their own, however I found that "That Hideous Strength" would have been difficult to follow without the background provided in either "Out of the Silent Planet" or "Perelandra". Regardless of the individual readability of the 3 stories, I started with the 1st book (Out of the Silent Planet) not sure I would enjoy it, and ended up finishing all 3 within a week or two.
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