When C.S. Lewis wrote fiction, he created a world and then asked, "How would God choose to be revealed in this world?" The way Lewis reveals God in these stories is amazing. The first book in the trilogy will probably have the most familiar feel to an avid science fiction reader. The second will probably be the most appealing to the fantasy lover and those who are reading these books because they loved the Chronicles of Narnia. The third will probably appeal most to those who like Lewis' non-fiction works and works such as "The Pilgrim's Regress." The trilogy as a whole offers something for everyone who is a fan of Lewis' works, or any lover of science fiction/fantasy that enjoys thinking about theology and ethics while reading fiction. I've read that when Lewis died he had been working on a fourth edition of the Space Trilogy, but the trilogy is certainly complete and a great experience as is.

The Space Trilogy is CS Lewis's allegorical statement of theology and philosophy. Lewis was one of the most prominent Christian apologists of his time, but he always felt there was an audience he couldn't reach. This was his solution, and we are left with a masterpiece both in the world of fiction and the world of theology.

The hero of the books is Dr. Ransom, a philologist who is a good man, though not exceptionally heroic at first. The first book finds him captured and whisked off to Mars, where he encounters a society much more morally advanced than our own, and learns that the corruption of our planet is due to an evil influence (which we would call Satan). These higher creatures cannot grasp the concepts of war, murder, or any vice.

The second book finds Ransom transported to Perelandra, also known as Venus. This is Lewis's allegory of the garden of Eden, and here he encounters an unfallen woman who is being tempted into doing the forbidden. Here Ransom learns of the nature of sin, and of the temptation that (Lewis says) befell the parents of our own race.

The final book is quite different from the other two, and Ransom, this time on Earth, is battling an evil organization which is bent on penetrating the mysteries of the universe and purifying the human race. Ransom and his followers are aided by a power that has long slept, and together they battle the power of science gone haywire. We see, through their eyes, the evils of society and of so-called 'higher thought.'

There are many lessons to be learned from this wonderful trilogy, but there is also a remarkable story to be told. If you're a fan of fantasy and science fiction, a reader of Christian and theological works, or both, you will greatly enjoy the Space Trilogy.

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.

C.S. Lewis has said that he found it painful to write this book since it required him to spend days on end thinking upside-down. But it is lucky for us that he did, since the result is a book that both delights and enlightens.

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS documents the correspondence between Screwtape, a senior devil, and his nephew Wormwood, a novice tempter. Wormwood's mission is to win a soul for the underworld, and Screwtape offers him the accumulated iwdom of Hell on how to accomplish it. The result is a well-laid out map to the pitfalls to which we humans are all-too prey. Lewis' had great insight into human weakness, especially the uncanny way ou pride pops into almost every thought we might have. He is also alert to the ways our unquestioned assumtions can lead us astray. As Socrates said, the first step towards wisdom is to "know thyself" - and the tempters in this book do all they can to prevent that from happening.

Lewis, of course, is a Christian, but THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS are useful to any person who is seriously engaged on the spiritual quest. I read this book about once a year, and am always chagrined to find that Screwtape is still one step ahead of me! (And he is unfailingly eloquent to boot.)

This volume includes "Screwtape proposes a toast" which employs the same technique to discuss modern education. I find this a weaker part of the volume. It seems Lewis could have done more with the concept, but his arguments about the failings of modern education are much sharper in his book, THE ABOLITION OF MAN.

Still, this is an invaluable volume. It is the book that I most often give away to people - it is laugh-out-loud funny, and sadly all-too true.

Screwtape, a mid-level bureaucrat in Hell, is coaching his nephew, Wormwood--a recent graduate from the Tempters College fresh on his first job as the tempter to a youngish English man who still lives with his mother, but begins dating a young woman must as World War II breaks out. The first letter begins with Screwtape chiding Wormwood for allowing his "patient" to become a Christian.

Lewis was given a fair amount of criticism when these letters first were published in the "Guardian" in the 1940's. Most of this criticism was from somewhat dense people who didn't realize Lewis was joking. They actually thought Lewis was trying to get people over to the Devil's side. Lewis' intent was just the opposite.

I enjoyed the book, but found it somewhat scary. I am also a government bureaucrat and some of Screwtape's verbiage is very familiar to me!

The best insight I gleaned from the book was one passage where Wormwood is complaining his "patient" is not committing any large, grandiose sins. Screwtape advises his nephew that it doesn't really matter how bad the sin is, only that it is a sin. It helps Screwtape and his fellow minions if their "patients" don't realize the "gentle path, soft underfoot" on which they are traveling is really going downhill.

Makes you think.

I'm not usually a fan of "books on tape" but this is a case where inspired reading (more of a one-man performance) brings out nuances which don't come across on paper. Screwtape was the first C.S. Lewis book I read as an adult (after reading the Narnia books nearly 10 times apiece as a child). Though I'm not a Christian, I found a lot of inspiration in Screwtape. Lewis is so good at capturing the little games we all play and the avoidance techniques we all use. He writes so well about the redemption of souls, and the meaning of our spiritual side. I remember finding some of the wit in the book a little obvious. Not so with Cleese's reading! He has never done anything better. His comedic talents bring out the humor of the book, including some lines which weren't funny on paper. But his performance ranges far beyond the merely funny: the menace with which he says "I could show you a pretty cageful down here . . ." or the quiet hypnotic way he reads Lewis's lines about the road to Hell being "soft underfoot, . . . without milestones, without signposts" -- these things send a chill down the spine. My only regret about these tapes is that four of the Letters are not included. But the remaining letters are read in full with no abridgement. I literally wore out my first copy of these tapes and have ordered a 2nd set.

After having read several of Lewis' books, I read "A Grief Observed" which quickly became my favorite. It is his journal - and almost too personal - where you bear witness to Lewis' progress as he sloughs his way through the deep mire of sorrow and grief.

In the first pages of the book, he tells of going to God, seeking relief from the agony he feels in his heart over the fresh loss of his beloved wife, Helen Joy, only to find - the door slammed and the sound of the door being bolted and doubled bolted from the inside.

He rails against God and his faith is stirred to its core.

In the end, he finds his way back to God, but it is not an easy journey or a primrose path.

For all of Lewis' intellectual reasonings and scholarly attainments, I find "A Grief Observed" to be his best work because it comes from the very heart of a man seeking to find the answers to life's hardest questions. It is not a philosophical insight or an intellectual wrangling, but a spirit-filled work that lays bare the heart of a man who loved his wife completely.

This is an important book. Read it. You'll be changed.

I too thought I had great faith and discovered it was badly shaken when I lost someone close to me. I had prayed and still my loved one died. God had never let me down before. Now I realize God never left me and He has been my greatest comfort. C. S. Lewis shares his feelings so openly that we all can understand his pain and we can heal through knowing it is OK to grieve.
I am grateful that God is full of mercy and love.
I am using Write From Your Heart, A Healing Grief Journal, a Christian book to work through my own grief. I have healed a great deal and continue to each day.
May you all find peace in Him.

I have to admit, when I first started this book I was a little surprised. Wasn't this CS Lewis, the man who could take the most complicated issues of religion and explain them in a way that was simple yet easy to understand? Wasn't this the man who had an answer for everything? Didn't he have some kind of impenetrable armor? I guess not.

One thing became quickly apparent--Lewis was human. I cannot believe how incredibly candid, how open and honest he was. The death of his wife hurt him deeply and shook his faith, and he was man enough to admit it. The beginning of the book is filled with doubt and questions, yet slowly you can see the change take place. Lewis is rediscovering his faith, and is slowly coming to terms with his wife's death. It's beautiful.

Lewis obviously published this book because he wanted to help others through experiences such as his. He wanted this to be comforting, and comforting it is. He explores grief and loss like no other man can, and the result is this priceless little gem that helps us remember that it's okay to grieve.

I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to his wife. By releasing this book, he showed the world just how much she meant to him. I cannot praise this book enough. With this short work, Lewis proves he really does have an answer (or at least the power to come up with one) for everything.

There's no doubt that "Till We Have Faces" is Lewis' most profound book. Its prose is masterful: spare, stark, the best writing Lewis ever did. He creates memorable, fully human characters, especially in Orual, daughter of Trom King of Glome. She is ugly, brutalized by her father, friendless until love enters her life through two characters: her Greek slave tutor and her youngest sister, Psyche. The novel becomes an examination of loves true and false, of manipulation of love, and of the power of grace to redeem and love the unloved and unlovely. I've read this novel at least a dozen times; it never grows stale. You needn't know the original myth to enjoy the book. I only wish more readers knew about this book--even many Lewis fans are unaware of this one. It will move your heart and make you think.

I bought Till We Have Faces based only on a familiarity with the Narnia chronicals that I read as a kid. Knowing nothing of the "classic myth of Cupid and Psyche", I let this book sit on my bookshelf for months before I opened it one rainy day. What a mistake! I was drawn in by Lewis' elegant, simple story of two sisters and how their relationship colors their lives. The plot and characterization are accessible to the casual reader, but the allegorical relationship to the ancient myth gives it deeper meaning. This is one of the rare novels which nourishes your soul while providing pure enjoyment.

CS Lewis has created a wonderful unique view of the Eros and Psyche myth and transported his ideas into an awesome creative story just for all of us! The original plot of the myth has always appeared very didactic to me, especially for women who need to find the strength inside themselves to conquer the seemingly undaunting tasks which are necessary for a joyous reunion with their heart's truest desires. I believe this story takes this one step further and makes the focus of the myth about the unveiling of one's soul into a new light. The story's three main women (Ungit included) all hold some piece of the vieled soul (i.e. the ugly and shameful elements) inside and the unconscious quest that Lewis puts them on in this story is to have these women uncover these shadows within themselves and bring them to light. That's what I got out of this book anyway. It's all there on the higher plane. I was very impressed with this intricate, subtle, beautifully crafted "double myth". That's what I'm calling it. You get the Eros and Psyche amazing story plus this wonderful new myth about wanting to find your true face. It's under there hidden with the dark and musty viel of fear-based thinking and belief systems. This book knocked my socks off...It's one of my favorites! Like the Fox says "How can they (the gods) meet us face to face till we have faces?" This means we need to uncover all our dusty negative agreements that sit in our soul and bring them out in the open. We need a cleansed face (soul) one that embraces clarity and balance, calmness and beauty. No zits, hopefully! CS Lewis has said this is his favorite piece he ever wrote...I totally agree. This book will give the reader a lot to think about if you really want it to, one needs to be patient and let it speak to the parts of you that are hidden. Open your dusty souls and READ IT!!

After reading the very first line, "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it," I realized that I had made a huge mistake beginning "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" half an hour before bedtime. More exciting and adventure-packed than the two preceeding books (in the original ordering, of course), "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "Prince Caspian", it is hard to put down.

The main characters that readers will recognize are King Caspian, Edmund, Lucy, and Reepicheep. Sadly, Peter and Susan have since become too old to reenter Narnia; but the story does amazingly well even without them. Here, Eustace, who will reappear in "The Silver Chair", is introduced for the first time. They are an interesting bunch, all providing something essential to the story, especially Reepicheep (whose character and personal history are developed further) and Eustace (who experiences a wonderful kind of redemption).

The Dawn Treader is a ship King Caspian built in order to fulfil an oath made on his coronation day to find the seven lords and friends of his father that his uncle Miraz had sent to explore the Eastern Seas. Every two chapters or so, the Dawn Treader stops at an island, where its crew and passengers have a small adventure-within-the-larger-adventure, discover the fate of each of the seven lords, and learn good moral lessons. For instance, one island, called the Dark Island, is a place where dreams come true. It may sound wonderful, until you realize that the dreams that come true are not the pleasant daydreams, but the nightmares. After the last island, the passengers even reach, or very nearly reach, the End of the World.

Though I compared this book to Homer's "Odyssey" in the title of this review, I must add that it can also be likened to John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress". This voyage is not guided by fate and devoid of reason, but is blessed by Aslan (who symbolizes Jesus) and is full of meaning and purpose. It does not merely represent the passage through life, but the passage through life _as a Christian_. That may be why one reviewer complained that this novel is overly preachy. Yet we readers are human, after all, and in need of being preached to now and then. Another thing that may surprise readers is the chivalry with which Lucy, the only girl on the ship, is treated by the men. Though it not "politically correct," as Eustace himself points out at the beginning, it has a certain rightness to it.

Remembering how the March girls in Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" played at being good in imitation of the character Christian in "The Pilgrim's Progress", only to realize that their game was really a way of life, I can say that it would be wonderful if children today could apply the allegories in "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" in the same way. Parents, take note: it is easier to ask a child, "What would Edmund tell you about forgiving someone who has done wrong, like Eustace?" than to launch into a weary sermon about forgiveness that they may not remember anyway. There are more archetypes in this book, and in all stories about Narnia, than C.S. Lewis himself must have realized: and children can only benefit from knowing them as they grow up.

Third in the series (as they were originally written), "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" is one of my favorite books in the Narnia series. Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia (Peter and Susan are now too old to come back) and they bring an unwelcome (and unwilling) guest. Eustace, their cousin, plays a bratty child who can't think of anything but leaving Narnia, until he undergoes a remarkable change (you'll have to read to find out!). The three children join King Caspian at the beginning of an ocean voyage to explore the seas to the East of Narnia, and experience an exciting series of dangers and marvels. This book has many similarities to the adventures of Ulysses in "The Odyssey" by Homer, under different circumstances. And once again, Reepicheep proves to be the fearlessly brave mouse whose actions give him much greater credit than his size.

This is the best of the Narnia series. C.S. Lewis allows the plot to get away occasionally from his strict form of Christian allegory. Moreover, the book is funny and episodic and exciting. And it's about getting to know yourself and changing what you don't like.

Unexplored waters and unknown lands create a magic of their own in which Lucy and Edmund and, especially, Eustace -- having magically found themselves on board the Dawn Treader --can come to terms with their weakness and strength. The Dark Island, where all dreams (not just good ones!) come true, Deathwater Island -- the place of greed, Dragon Island, where Eustace turns into a dragon (which, of course, he was on the inside all along), Ramandu's island, the sea people's land, the house of the Retired Star, and more, reveal what stuff these children are made on. What their mettle is may not always exemplary, but in this book at least, characters can change. Eustace can be un-dragoned and become a changed child (having dragon skin a foot deep ripped off by a lion would, I think, inevitably result in change). This is a book of deep, miraculous possibility. As a child, I read *The Voyage of the Dawn Treader* until it fell apart, and I've gone through another copy since.

My only criticism is this: C. S. Lewis, having loosened his strangle-hold on his constricting Christian allegory, occasionally seems to feel obliged to bring in something really ham-handed. It's most annoying. The most egregious intrusion occurs when the children encounter, in the middle of nowhere, a milky white lamb frying fish on the open grass. How the heck does a lamb fry fish? Where does he get fish? Where does he get the frying pan? Why do we *need* this for the plot? The Lamb of God (Christ), communion, fish. Cringe. It's all tossed into the pot and left somehow to be digested. There are fabulous Christian allegories; this is not one of them. I would to say that this is the only place in the entire series where C.S. Lewis' allegory truly and absolutely and utterly crashes and burns. But one Lamb doesn't stop this from being a great book. *The Voyage of the Dawn Treader* provides delight, wonder, and best of all, a promise of a second chance for every one of us.

Clives Staples Lewis has created a mythical world which absolutely captures the human mind. The Chronicles of Narnia contain exciting plots, which all converge upon each other at the finally of the series: The Last Battle. Through out the books weaves the morals and beliefs of Christianity. These books do a wonder job of telling the story of the Bible, from the instantaneous creation of the world to the death of Aslan (Jesus). The way God cares about every one and desires us to enjoy life through Him, to the last battle and final days at the end of the world (of course Lewis did not know what was going to happen, yet it is still an interesting idea). In one of the best written books of all time, the land of Narnia comes alive with lovable and evil characters. The battle between good and evil is made abruptly apparent in this book as a small country goes through its history fighting for what is right. Light and darkness collide in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe as four kids explore the land which they will rule. For a time it appears as though the evil side emerges victorious; but it is found that the White Witch as not the ability to peer far enough back into the depths time. This book it one of the most important of the set, because contained in it is the most important message of all time. My father used to read the Chronicles of Narnia to me when I was younger, now I read them on my own. When he did this he stressed, Christianity is having the relationship with God, like the youths had with Aslan. I think these are very well written books and I would encourage any one to read. I uphold C.S. Lewis as a great writer of the centuries and I praise his books (all of them) as magnificant.

I was introduced to the writings of C.S. Lewis through the Chronicles of Narnia, which my mother gave to me when I was eight. I devoured them within a couple of weeks. Since then, my old set has become so dog-eared and worn out that I'm considering buying a new one.
C.S. Lewis blows me away with the depth of his insight into human character and relationship with God. The Chronicles are beautiful fairy tales, but all set within the context of a God-created world where Aslan reigns as a loving, self-sacrificing, and terrible savior. The characters are flawed, but extremely lovable. The richness of description of the world of Narnia make you feel that you know the place personally and that it is real. With action and adventure in each book, every one of them has something to say.

Lewis writes in a gentle, sensible voice, and avoids moralizing or preaching. The "allegorical" elements of the books never overshadow the story and adventure and the lovable characters.

There's not much more that I can say except to recommend these books highly. Read them! Read them now!

I would not read if these stories didn't exist, I would not write if these stories didn't exist, I would not appreciate literature the way that I do if these stories didn't exist. These seven adventures, written by a master of tales, inspired every imaginative process in my brain and brought out every emotion in my being.

The Chronicles of Narnia present a seemingly never-ending epic of immense proportions that bring forth various situations from victory to catastrophe, mystery to explaination, and life to death. We follow the wondrous journeys of four young children through the enchanting land of Narnia, a land you will never forget. Various supporting characters grace the pages, from Father Time, to Aslan the Lion, and even Reepicheep the Mouse, each giving beautiful insight and wonderful understanding. Never will you forget what takes place in these stories.

I highly... HIGHLY recommend these books for anyone who feels the need to be enchanted. If you read them as a Biblical allegory or not (and I didn't), these stories will do nothing less than touch your life.

The first book in the series of The Chronicles of Narnia, The Magician's Nephew is an excellent fantasy that pulls the reader in from the first word! Lewis weaves a fantastic tale that weaves fantasy and reality splendidly. The reader is drawn into Lewis' world of fiction with an amazing ease. Part of the seven book series, The Magician's Nephew is an excellent beginning to what will certainly become a fascinating, enthralling series.

Digory is a young boy who is upset because his mother is dying. When he meets Polly (his next door neighbor), he tells her about his mother and that he is staying next door with his spinster aunt and his bachelor Uncle Andrew so that they can take care of his mother. Polly and Digory soon become good friends and they discover a secret passageway that connects all of the attics in the houses on their row (in London). They stumble into the attic of Digory's Uncle Andrew and he tricks Polly into becoming part of an experiment for him. She puts on a yellow ring and travels to another world. Digory has no choice but to follow her when his Uncle Andrew tells him the secret of how to come back. Digory and Polly end up in the "Wood Between the Worlds," a type of portal to other places and times. Although Polly immediately wants to turn back, Digory convinces her to visit one of the other places first. They choose a pool of water that takes them to the deserted city of Charn, where they awaken Queen Jadis, an evil queen that is bent on leaving her own dead kingdom and conquering London. She attaches herself to Digory while they are trying to escape and they accidentally bring her back to London. Once there, she wreaks havoc on everyone and everything even though her magic powers are not as strong in this new world. Polly and Digory decide that they must return her to her world, so they travel back to the "Woods between the Worlds." Thinking that they have chosen the pool that leads to the city of Charn, they jump in only to find that they are in a new land and they experience the birth of the Land of Narnia. They experience everything to the birth of the sun and stars to the blessing of the first king and queen of Narnia. Digory is sent on a mission to retrieve the fruit of a special tree so that it may be planted in the center of Narnia to protect it from the Witch of Charn, who has hidden herself in the recesses of this new land. After being tempted to eat or [take] the fruit for himself, Digory brings the fruit to Aslan, the creator of Narnia, and he casts out the fruit so that it can grow into a tree. Aslan thanks Digory and tells him to take an apple from the tree and give it to his sick mother so that she might be saved. Polly and Andrew leave Narnia and Digory gives the fruit to his mother, who is healed. ...

A lot of people argue about whether The Magician's Nephew is book one or book six in the Narnia series. Either way, (I read it second-after The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and have now reread it after finishing the series) it is an excellent book. It is the genesis of all the adventures in Narnia; and is a masterpiece! A little boy named Digory and his friend Polly are sent to a place between the worlds by Digory's mad-scientist/magician uncle Andrew. From there they awaken an ancient evil, witness the death of one world and the birth of another. In telling the story, C.S. Lewis writes with both wit and skill. His grasp on human nature is both insightful and entertaining. This book serves as a parable for our own creation and fall. It is a book I recommend to people of all ages.

The Magician's Nephew is a fun and exciting tale. It depicts the adventures of two ordinary schoolchildren who are unwillingly thrown into an extraordinary situation. The story is a prequel to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and explains a number of things found in the other Narnia tales. The two protagonists are Polly, a nice and sensible girl, and Digory, an impulsive and adventuresome boy. I can't be certain but I have the feeling that Digory was patterned after Douglas Gresham, Lewis' step-son. Digory's mother is extremely ill and dying, just as Gresham's mother was. However, the parallel breaks down as the book nears the end. Every great story has a villain; this one has two. The first is Digory's Uncle Andrew, a self-styled magician. He symbolizes all that's wrong with our world; he's self-centered and very materialistic. It's his greed that initiates the whole adventure and, unwittingly, the chronicles of Narnia. The other villain is Queen Jadis, the ruler of a dying world. Her own rapacity for power thrusts her into the new and perfect land of Narnia with the intent of dominating it. There are moments of hilarity, mostly involving Uncle Andrew's encounter with a group of newly created animals. There are also moments of awe and wonder. Lewis renders a literary recapitulation of the creation event in the founding of Narnia that is both subtle and sublime. There is also a wonderful exchange between Digory and the witch expounding right and wrong, truth and falsehood. I highly recommend this book and encourage all parents to buy it and read it together with their children.

In this, the second book of CS Lewis's Space Trilogy, we find Dr. Ransom off on another interplanetary adventure, this time to Venus. Instead of finding himself on an 'old' planet, like he did on Malacandra, he finds that life on Perelandra (Venus) is relatively new; in fact, the woman he meets there is still in an 'unfallen' state. In other words, she is in a state of innocence much like Eve was in the Garden of Eden.

Ransom knows he has been sent to Perelandra for a purpose, but he does not know what that purpose is. He soon finds out. Weston, his old rival and former captor, shows up on the planet. Ransom soon discovers that Weston is possessed by an evil force, and calls him the 'Unman.' He then spends all his time trying to protect the woman and keep her from 'falling,' so that the fate of the new planet will not be like Earth's.

This book continues in the allegorical style set forth in the first part of the series Out of the Silent Planet, though Perelandra takes it one step further. This book is more of a religious work than the first one, though, and the moral implications set forth in Planet are both enlarged and expanded. More than just a story of the fall, this book details the true ramifications of the battle of good and evil. It dares explore such questions as why God allows temptation in the world and why we should make our will subordinate to his.

To fans of Milton, the story will seem somewhat familiar, and undoubtedly Lewis used much of Paradise Lost as a basis for this work. The fact that he published a preface to Milton's work the same year this book was written seems hardly coincidental. Still, this book teems with freshness and a unique insight that only CS Lewis can provide. This is a classic work by the master of Christian apology.

This book is truly amazing. Not only is it thoughtful and deep in its Christian allegorical sense. It is also something you can sit down with and get totally absorbed in; it must be the incredible description, or maybe the author's amazing talent--but whatever it is will allow you to forget everyone and everything around you for a while and feel like you're experiencing it, not just reading it. Mr. Lewis was definitely a genious. Out of the Silent Planet was wonderful, and That Hideous Strength was pretty good too, but no book in the world is comparable to Perelandra. Nobody can explain it well enough. You'd have to read it and see for yourself.

In Perelandra, Dr. Ransom continues his interplanetary travels, this time to Venus (Perelandra). Unlike his previous adventure, this one has him sent intentionally, on a mission. The sights and sensations that greet Ransom on Perelandra are described with the beautiful imagery characteristic of Lewis's writings. Floating across the Venetian seas on mobile islands, Ransom encounters one of the two human residents of this shrouded planet. Soon after his arrival, however, a sinister force arrives on Perelandra in the form of Weston, the scientist from the previous book. The encounters and conversations following between Weston, Ransom, and the Queen are a fascinating image of what the temptation in the Garden of Eden may have been like. Also, the discourses given in this portion of the book are deeply thought-provoking. For these reasons and for the excellent suspense, I highly recommend Perelandra.

C.S. Lewis has to be one of my favorite authors. His style of writing is amazing--he successfully describes and mantains a whole other world with its own unique landscapes and races. But, despite being wonderfully written in nearly all aspects, he creates a type of science fiction unique in itself. Never have I read a sci-fi novel like this, and verily, this one surpasses all. The book is complex in both terms of vocabulary (as Lewis sucessfully manages to create life-like characters in the profession of Philology and a Physics professor) and a difficult set of allegory. Certainly, the book is not for the weak reader looking for a book to half concentrate on. Nonetheless, the book is really inspiring, outlining an age old conflict of good and evil in a new way, and all the while establishing a solid foundation of religion...I won't go too far...I recommend that everyone reads this book!

It helps a bit to remember that this C.S.Lewis Sci-fi adventure was first published in 1943. Even though our knowledge of Mars (Malacandra) is slightly more defined now than in Lewis' day, his wonderfully creative imagination can still delight and captivate a modern day reader.

The novel begins with the carefree walking tour of the British countryside by a vacationing Cambridge college philologist named Ransom. By chance, Ransom runs into two crazed and evil (bent) colleagues who abduct him and drag him off via spaceship to the planet Malacandra. Fearing for his life, he escapes his captors and journeys through the waters, forests, canals, and strange countryside of the new world. Overwhelmed by the horrifying feeling of being alone in a place he knows absolutely nothing about, he encounters extraordinary obstacles, situations, and inhabitants throughout his amazing journey.

The book is a wonderful story of one man's amazing adventures in a new land; and, while learning about the strange and diverse customs of it's inhabitants, he delves into his own mind and examines thoughts of love, hatred, greed, superior beings, God, and the meaning of life itself.

It's a very captivating and refreshing book.

Don't let the allegory or "this is a story with a message" reviewers scare you away. Dr. Ransom, a linguist, (I often wonder if J.R.R. Tolkien was the inspiration for the persona) is kidnapped by a man who he once knew in academic circles, and sent to Mars. But this is not like other Mars-sci-fi books. It was published in the middle of World War II in England.

Ransom escapes being a planned human sacrifice on Mars and falls in with creatures that have cultures like the Cherokees (a Native American tribe for those of you on the net not from the Americas). He meets the planet's spiritual guardian, Oyarsa, and among other things learns that earth is referred to as the "silent planet," hence the title of the book.

Lewis has several things to say about mankind's wish to colonize the galaxy and beyond - - which are all negative, and amazingly contemporary for readers today.

Many fault the technology Lewis envisioned as dated, but I find hints of Lewis' sci-fi ideas in other stories - - such as the most recent First Contact. Dr. Ransom finds the purpose of his life on earth crystallized on Mars. You may find your purpose here crystallized as well - - but at the least, you will read a highly entertaining, and unusual story.

I only recently discovered the Trilogy, never having been much of a Lewis fan, and read them in order. Each book has its charms, but I especially enjoyed the way That Hideous Strength built on the "circles" of the Bad Guys, both at Bracton college and later at Belbury. Mark Studdock, a person possessing neither distinction, character, nor a talent for evil, has lived his life - and ruined it thereby - in a search for admission to 'the inner circle,' and any circle will do. He learns that each concentric circle, in addition to being more exclusive as he supposed, is also more evil and more banal.

The characterization of Stoddock is superb. Likewise the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Dimble and a few other minor characters. The book is almost worth reading just to gain the acquaintance of Mr. Bultitude.

Others are far less engaging. MacPhee - one of the most unidimensional characters I have ever read - is a continual annoyance. The whole build-up with Merlin, only to have him turn out completely powerless until "possessed" by the eldils, makes no sense to me at all. And then he - what? Explodes? Couldn't anyone have done that? And why do God and the angels need an Arthurian wizard, anyway?

But the biggest disappointment was Ransom himself. He went from being a lifelike, engaging fellow, in the first two books, to an idealized shadow. We never really learn how he goes from being a Cambridge don to a wealthy landowner and "the Pendragon." Who are these people who bequeath St. Anne's to him on the condition that he take the name "Fisher-King?" How did he become the Pendragon? No explanation.

This was hard to accept from such a brilliant writer. But that's not to say the book is unworthy of attention. I expect to read it again, probably soon, and will probably get more insights from it the second time through.

I believe much of the problem the Trilogy has with readers of my generation is that it is always classed as Science Fiction, which it certainly is not. People read it expecting familiar formulas, and don't know how to react when it turns out to be religious allegory. They should read more carefully. As with most of what he wrote, Lewis intended to illuminate more than to entertain.

Many fans of Lewis' work rate this lowest in the Space Trilogy; it lacks "Out of the Silent Planet"'s wonder and "Perelandra" lyricism. However, for a look at where a situationally-moral, rationalist, humanist society is bound to wind up, it is priceless.

The main characters are a young couple who got married out of love and are finding it hard going in "the real world". The wife, Jane, has an unusual ability to 'dream true' and when her dreams start applying to her own life, she finds it unsettling. Her husband, Mark, a young don (or professor) is no help; he's too wound up in college politics and the possibility of a job with a new scientific foundation to pay much attention to her.

The story really begins moving when the foundation, called Belbury, begins moving in on everyday life. But, as always with Lewis, there is a moral opposite ready to stand against Belbury; in it, we find an old friend and several new ones.

This book is astonishingly accurate about where society is now -- as with some of Lewis' other observations (Screwtape's toast to the college comes to mind), it's hard to remember that Lewis wrote them nearly 50 years ago -- they're that close to current events and modern society

The final book in Lewis's Space Trilogy finds Dr. Ransom confronting a huge international organization bent on the submission of the human race and given to all kinds of strange scientific experiments and with one supreme goal--to eliminate all free thinking and emotion. This organization, the N.I.C.E., uses the press, government reform programs, and all kinds of propaganda to make them seem like the new heroes in England, while slowly they subdue the government and begin a takeover of the world. It's Ransom's job to stop them, though this time he has some followers and aid from a recently awakened power that has long slept.

True to his style, Lewis makes this a very entertaining novel with a great underlying message. It is very well-written and teeming with symbolism that ultimately denounces the love of science over the love of God.

This book is a great read--highly recommended.