When people think of the fiction of C.S. Lewis, they generally think of the Chronicles of Narnia. They are great stories but I also highly recommend the Ransom trilogy, also known as the Space trilogy. These are Amazon affiliate links.
These books are much less well known, but in my opinion are more interesting stories. In addition to being science fiction rather than fantasy, the Ransom trilogy is definitely aimed more at adults than children. In fact, they are not appropriate for young children.
It begins with Out of the Silent Planet, with Dr. Elwin Ransom being kidnapped, placed on a spaceship, and taken to Malacandra, which he learns is Mars. He escapes his human kidnappers and connects with some of the native inhabitants of Mars. This is a planet where the inhabitants never committed an original sin.
In case you are wondering, the “Silent Planet” in the title is Earth, which is under the dominion of a fallen angel.
The story continues with Perelandra. Ransom, because of his experience with the powers on Malacandra, is chosen to travel to Perelandra (Venus) as their Adam and Eve have just appeared and a dark power possessing one of Ransom’s former kidnappers wants them to disobey Maledil (Jesus).
It gets pretty dark but it also has a lot of insight into human nature and the temptations we face.
The story concludes with That Hideous Strength. While the previous two books take place on other planets, this one takes place on Earth. This book is very different from the previous two. In fact you could read the first number of chapters with realizing that it is part of the Ransom trilogy.
Ransom is leading a community that opposes N.I.C.E., an organization that is being led by a dark power to solidify their hold on Earth. It also includes the story of an estranged couple as they seek to find their way.
Not everyone will like these books but I love them. Maleldil, as a representation of Jesus, has not caught on as much Aslan. But the cosmology that Lewis creates of planets under the guardianship of major angels, while also visited by other angels, all (or mostly all) under Maledil catches my imagination.
Lewis’s fiction is not near as tight as Tolkien’s. I get the impression that Lewis really did not know where he was going with this. In fact Perelandra seems to set up a very different story than what we get in That Hideous Strength.
The end result, however, is one that causes us to imagine what might have been. The trilogy, in addition to being a Christian response to H.G. Wells, is an invitation to theological imagination.
There are not many books that I have reread but this trilogy is part of that select group. I find that I pick up new things every time. If you have never read them before, I encourage you try them out.
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