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Title: THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH by C.S. Lewis ISBN: 0-684-82385-3 Publisher: Scribner Pub. Date: 03 June, 1996 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.23 (47 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Gets better with each read
Comment: When I first read That Hideous Strength, I was too young to understand many of the themes presented, and in trying to enjoy it as simply a story, I finished it feeling confused. When I returned to it a couple years later, I found it incredibly in-depth and rich with wonderful themes, tying in earlier references from Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra as it built up to one grand conclusion.
This is NOT a light read, but if you have the patience to read slowly and savor each nuance, it is well worth it. It requires the same reading style that true fans of Tolkien's LOTR trilogy develop in order to absorb the masterful work properly.
I would not recommend this book to anyone younger than late teenage years or older, as many youth are not prepared to deal with the themes (that Lewis presents) in a matter-of-fact way, and are more likely to react strongly to dated attitudes towards women (sadly, many readers do remain that way even as they chronologically age). More mature readers are able to look past those as typical of the times in which Lewis lived, and learn from his full story, which is an excellent lesson for us all.
Rating: 5
Summary: Eldils and Merlin and bears oh my!
Comment: Silly heading, but nobody reads them anyway. I think. The third and last book in the trilogy (you did read the others, right?) and about as far from science fiction as you can possibly get . . . there's a definite shift, Lewis seems to be bringing in more fantasy and religious allegorical elements as the series continued, with the end result here. The tale is subtitled "A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups" and that's what it boils down to. If you're like me, you'll have read this right after reading the other two books (which were great, by the way) and you'll be immediately confused. Instead of focusing on the nifty Dr Ransom, you get a young couple Mark and Jane. Jane's having weird dreams that keep coming true and Mark isn't really paying attention because he's trying to get into the political "circles" as the local university where he works. However, little does he know that evil is lurking there and the folks are plotting some very dark things. Herein comes the good guys and after being introduced to lots o' supporting characters, some of which are interesting, some less so, you finally meet the man himself: Ransom. The problem I have, and this has been said elsewhere, is that he's apparently the "Pendragon" (but also the Fisher King . . . weren't they two different people?) but there's absolutely no explanation as to how that happened. Lewis probably figured it wasn't important and not relevant to the story itself, heck, Ransom's discussion of how he inherited the mantle of the Pendragon is basically tossed off in one sentence. The first half of the book mostly focuses on the college and the dread blokes there, but when Ransom and company shows up finally, things get very trippy indeed. Perelandra was a strange novel because of setting but I could deal with that, Lewis piles so much allegory on the plot that it gets almost ridiculous. And then Merlin shows up. That's right. Merlin. He's kinda fun actually but much like Ransom becomes, he's little more than a voice, you don't get any indication of his motivations. All that said though, this is a nifty way to end the series, the climax left me a little flat, especially after the buildup in the first two books (Merlin makes some stuff happen and the gods blow some stuff up) but Lewis' mastery of the English language saves this completely, this guy was passionate about this novel and you can tell, it crackles from every page and you can really feel it toward the end in almost every word. There's a nice "Britishness" about the book as well, a sense of the sheer age of Britain and its history. The ending is kind and gentle and you're left with a good feeling when you finish the book. If you don't like Lewis for his "preachiness" then stay far away if you don't like thinking, because he's using this more to illustrate a point more than anything else, but it's fine writing and a fine cap to an interesting series. And for those of you who started reading this series because it was science fictional, don't stop now, y'all could stand to read something different every once in a while. It won't hurt. Really.
Rating: 5
Summary: Pugnacious ending to a fine trilogy
Comment: C. S. Lewis wraps up his "Space Trilogy" right back on planet Earth where it is up to a cadre of ordinary folks, mythical beings, and brute beasts to thwart the forces of supreme wickedness. With the assistance of the Director--a man familiar to readers of the previous two books in the trilogy--this strange collection of characters is pitted against a vaguely-familiar, propaganda-driven totalitarian regime ironically called by the acronym NICE.
This book is Lewis at his satirical best--an uppercut landed to the jaw of secular, anti-family, "post-christian" society.
What is particularly striking about this book is who Lewis fingers as the advance-guard for the evil that sadly dominates on Earth, ever trying to extend its power: a bunch of place-seeking, ethics-free, jive-talking academics who have long left any pretense to reason and science behind. Instead, they are driven by a misguided altruism that manifests itself, ultimately, as complete misanthropy.
In this regard, Lewis must be regarded as prescient. Anyone who has spent any time in American academia will immediately sympathize with the plight of the characters in the book who *dare* to stand up to the censorial, elitist, marxist/leninist, anti-religion, pro-death agenda so prevalent among the "progressive" leadership of the university. Lewis had these people's number fifty years ago.
In short, this book is a fun read and though couched in humorous terms, is deadly serious at its core.
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Title: Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold by C. S. Lewis ISBN: 0156904365 Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: 09 July, 1980 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis ISBN: 0060652950 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 05 February, 2001 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis ISBN: 0060652942 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 20 March, 2001 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
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Title: The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis ISBN: 0060652934 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 05 February, 2001 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: The Weight of Glory by C. S. Lewis ISBN: 0060653205 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 20 March, 2001 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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