Customer Reviews

Perelandra: Library Edition (Space Trilogy)

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Perelandra is quite the most hauntingly beautiful book this reviewer has ever read. From the moment Ransom, the principal character, enters Venus, we are treated to descriptive passages that have the ability to place in your mind an unforgettably beautiful world. Lewis' sweeping prose creates a remarkable vision of an Eden that knows no pain, and the book as a whole leaves the reader with a deep sense of joy and an appreciation of the loveliness of human life. Lewis is quite deliberately retelling the Christian story of temptation, and the theology espoused in the arguments between Ransom and the devil's advocate, Weston, watched with some confusion by Venus' "Eve", show a deep and profound grasp of the methods of evil, and the twisting, roundabout attempts to persuade her to disobey God. Within this story, Lewis disputes and gives an answer to the still prevalent assumptions of much of science fiction - that man must survive at all costs and extend his seed to the ends of the universe. The physical fight with Weston, told around more stunning descriptions of the natural beauty of Venus, suggest that evil is not all-powerful, and Ransom himself recognises the smallness of his actions against the great dance of life, which is the theme of the fast, moving conclusion to the work. Of the three novels that make up this sequence, Perelandra is by far the most thought-provoking, lucid, beautiful and complete. Lewis himself felt that this stand-alone novel was one of his best, and this reviewer encourages anyone who wishes to sample his adult fiction to get this book.

That wacky C.S. Lewis, thinking he can stick Christian ideals and
beliefs into a science-fictional setting. What gall. You know what
the funny part is? It actually works, which is something of an
accomplishment in itself. Y'see, this story continues from the last
book (Out of the Silent Planet) where Dr Ransom is sent to
"Perelandra" (Venus) where he finds a fantastic unspoiled
paradise populated by strange and quite friendly animals . . . and a
single green woman who seems rather innocent of the world (psst
. . . think "Eve"). No sooner do they get to chatting then
someone shows up who might just be the agent of the Devil, trying to
tempt "Eve" into disobeying "God" (not called God
but you get the idea) and Ransom has to figure out how to put a stop
to someone who is not only smarter, older and has lots more experience
at this, but managed to do it right once before. Arguments ensue.
People who have read Lewis have complained to me that he tends to
"preach" a bit too much, and I can see from this novel where
people get that idea from. But really it isn't that much of a
problem, for every couple pages of theological argument (cloaked in SF
terms, really) he slathers the page full of absolutely beautiful
descriptions of the planet, you can get lost sorting through all of
them. He really thought this place out and while it's nowhere near
the "real" Venus, my first rule of writing is chuck science
if it gets in the way of a good story. And in the end you have a good
story, it's good versus evil in the classic sense, yes, it's from a
"Christian" perspective but it mostly boils down to
"Devil=bad". There's plenty of other stuff to recommend as
well, the fight between Ransom and the Devil's advocate (couldn't
resist . . . sorry) is one of the most brutal fights I've ever seen in
a old style SF novel and Lewis manages to contrast the sheer brutality
of the fight with the beauty and splendor of the planet around them.
By the end it gets a bit on the metaphysical end of things, but all in
all an entertaining romp. Be prepared if you read the first book and
were expecting more of the same, this is a different tone entirely,
more philosophical and searching and definitely more than just a
science fictional retelling of the Garden of Eden story.

This is, without doubt, the best novel I've ever read. It even beats The Lord of the Rings trilogy. C. S. Lewis's power of description, psychological insight, and emotional intensity reach a height here that is unparalleled. But beyond such engaging writing, Perelandra gives us poetry in prose, reality in story, theology in fantasy, truth in myth. It is an evocative tale, so compelling that for a faint second I could have believed it was true, and that Lewis was describing real events, not fictitious ones! And that is because it is so deeply grounded in the reality of The Great Dance, the drama of creation and redemption which is being enacted upon the stage of humanity. The final pages of this book sent my spirits soaring. I can scarcely describe its impact upon me. Take it and read.

Shall we call Perelandra an ecological fantasy? A psycho-drama? A novelized philosophical symposium? An illustrated Bible story? Whatever it is, the undoubted "star" of the novel is the planet Perelandra. There, Lewis creates not one world, but several distinct ecosystems: his unforgetable floating islands, (in Surprised by Joy and his autobiographical allegory Pilgrim's Regress Lewis describes how islands have been his symbol for paradise since childhood), the Fixed Lands, an undersea world of mermaids, an environment of caves, and finally the wonderfully complex world of the hero's shifting consciousness. The inner dialogue before and during the climactic scenes falls nothing short of genius.

I agree with the reviewer below that the beauty Lewis imagines brings it out and makes us notice the beauty around us. As one of Lewis' favorite writers, G. K. Chesterton, put it, "Nursery tales only echo an almost pre-natal leap of interest and amazement. These tales make the rivers run with wine only to make us remember, for one wild moment, that they run with water." As I walk through the bamboo groves of Japan, or remember skin-diving in Hawaii or camping in the Cascades, the effect that the bubble trees and night smells of Perelandra have on me similarly brings out the wonder of the earthly creation.

As in all of Lewis' works, scene and plot are also the vehicle for the expression of philosophical ideas. Lewis plays with speculation about the nature of primitive man, ideas about gender like the Chinese Yin Yang theory, and a scathing critique of monism. (If, like Jim Jones or the Bagwan Rajneesh, his villain were a real person -- if that is the right term for them -- I suspect he too might be quite popular.)

I note with amusement the complaint below that Perelandra is overtly Christian. Imagine that. The famous Christian apologist allowing metaphysics to muddy up his sci-fi novel. I wonder if people make the same complaints about Milton or Camus? Not that I am comparing Lewis to them -- "the same wave never comes twice" and Lewis can stand on his own in any crowd. Lewis may get a bit carried away at the end with his "cosmic dance" stuff; one of the book's few faults. But if you are not interested in ultimate issues of right and wrong, God and human choice, why pick up a novel by C. S. Lewis?

author, Jesus and the Religions of Man d.marshall@sun.ac.jp

This is the second volume of Lewis's space trilogy (begun in Out Of The Silent Planet and ending with That Hideous Strength) and an excellent one it is. People talk about the books being readable independently, but you'll get more out of them if you read them in their proper order. Lewis has a particular knack for imagining and describing how things would look to a person who had never seen them before, what in effect a "pure experience" would be like the moment when the sensation is trying to become perception, and a knack as well for reaching between soul and spirit to describe the inner subtle workings of human nature at a level most of us are normally unaware of until someone like Lewis describes them to us. The result makes for enjoyable reading, particularly in the context of a trip to another planet. Here Dr. Ransom is sent off by heavenly powers to Venus where another earthman, possessed of some diabolic force, is intent on bringing about the downfall of that race. Ransom is there to stop it. The story of the Original Sin is retold with imaginative variety, and the book has a particularly and undeniably Christian bent which may well affect the reaction of non-Christian readers. Lewis does a lot of philosophizing in this text, but not as much as in the final volume, That Hideous Strength, which is for that reason and others the weakest of the three. But here he is still at the height of his powers and in control of them.

C. S. Lewis wrote in the Introduction to his "Screwtape Letters" that one reason why he had not written a similar book about angels was that "every sentence would have to smell of heaven." In Perelandra, he has achieved that effect. The imagery and the sheer reason combine to make the most powerful and compelling picture of good vs. evil since the Book of Revelation. In Dr. Elwin Ransom we have a strong, good, yet thoroughly human hero; in Dr. Weston a chilling portrait of the real nature of evil. This is a book that should be read over and over again. It has something new to offer me every time I go back to it. C. S. Lewis wrote in his autobiography that his imagination was "baptised" by George MacDonald's Phantastes. For those seeking a similar imaginative experience, I wholeheartedly recommend Perelandra. For the whole experience I recommend the other two books of the trilogy, but Perelandra also stands on its own.

Though not as well known as Lewis's Narnia novels, he also wrote a series of three novels, featuring Elwin Ransom as the main protagonist, in the late 1930s and early to mid 1940s. Lewis wrote the novels due to his famous conversation with his close friend J. R. R. Tolkien, who both said there wasn't enough of their type of fiction in the world, so they would have to write their own. Lewis wrote the Space Trilogy, and Tolkien wrote part of an abandoned, unfinished novel called THE LOST ROAD. Ransom, a philologist, is actually modeled after Tolkien.

There's a story in one of Tolkien's letters (published in LETTERS OF J.R.R. TOLKIEN) where his daughter, Priscilla, was reading the trilogy during one of the holidays in the 1940s, and, according to Tolkien, quite sensibly came to the conclusion that PERELANDRA was the best of the trilogy.

The second book in the trilogy is PERELANDRA. In many ways, it is the richest of the trilogy in terms of spiritual depth. While OSP is more straight science fiction, and THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH social commentary, PERELANDRA is closely modeled on the Adam & Eve story in Genesis. This novel is something of a homage to one of Lewis's favorite, John Milton. It's a beautiful book, and raises the question of what exactly would happen if Adam and Eve had not fallen. And this time, instead of being kidnapped Maleldil sends Ransom there.

The main plot of the novel has Ransom, who was kidnapped last novel, actually being sent to Venus. Lewis does away with the problem of spaceships this time around, having angels just take his protagonist there. He finds himself in a world of vast oceans, with floating islands that are actually behave like film or foam on the ocean, undulating and taking the shape of each wave. He soon meets the Green Lady, who is unfallen. Her husband is on another of the floating islands (they had become separated when they were on different islands which drifted away from one another).

Eventually, Weston arrives, the villain from the previous novel, and we find that Ransom must prevent him from corrupting the Green Lady, to prevent another Fall into Sin. Weston is an agent of Satan, and so wants to bring sin into Venus as well.

The majority of the novel focuses on Ransom and his efforts to protect the Green Lady from the Un-man, which Weston actually becomes after shortly arriving on Venus. Weston actually becomes demonically possessed, and ultimately must be stopped at all cost. Ransom is stripped, both physically and symbolically, having to rely on Maleldil (Jesus) to help him.

SPOILER:

Eventually, Ransom and the Un-man swim to an underground chamber, with the Un-Man biting Ransom's heel. This wound that will never fully heal, an allusion to Arthur and the Grail myth as well as the scripture in Genesis saying man will crush the serpent's head, and the serpent will bruise mankind's heel. In the end, Ransom puts the Un-Man to death, and so prevents Venus from having a second fall. The Green Lady and her husband are united.

END SPOILER

The descriptions of the floating islands and Ransom's experience on Perelandra in the first section of the book before he meets The Green Lady, along with the ending section of THE LAST BATTLE from Narnia where they are in heaven, to me is the most beautiful passages that ever came from Lewis's pen.

One fault that this novel does have it the ending seems to be rather preachy, but otherwise this is a first class novel, and for many readers this will be one of Lewis's most spiritually rewarding novels. Only in THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS does he deal so accurately and directly and with such psychologically insight on the problems of temptation and accountability.

While this novel is technically termed "science fiction", this is much more a spiritual track of our times than straight science fiction. The book is closely modeled upon Milton's PARADISE LOST.

For myself, the best way to read this book is reading it in conjunction with two other books, an unofficial trilogy, if you will. Because PERELANDRA is so closely related to PARADISE LOST, you should read that as well. Also read Lewis's literary criticism A PREFACE TO PARADISE LOST, in which he expertly discusses Milton's work. Lewis is a brilliant literary critic, and PREFACE is one of the best critical works on the PARADISE LOST ever produced.

My own unofficial trilogy:
1. Paradise Lost. (John Miltion)
2. A Preface to Paradise Lost (C. S. Lewis)
3. Perelandra

Overall, many readers will find PERELANDRA Lewis's most spiritually satisfying of the three novels. The characterization is strongest in this novel, as Lewis is only dealing primarily with three characters, and we really get to know all of them quite intimately. The novel is also focused mainly on evil in an unfallen world and what one must do to save that world. Until Lewis wrote TILL WE HAVE FACES in the late 1950s, the novel which he felt was his true masterpiece, he long felt this book was his best, and placed it second best after FACES. This was Lewis's favorite in the Space Trilogy and for good reason. It's probably the best (though my personal favorite is THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH).

I was riveted to the first episode of Space Trilogy (Out of the Silent Planet), so it was with great anticipation that I proceeded into Perelandra. The hardcover version has excellent binding and is of good quality.

In this tale Elwin Ransom is summoned to Venus, which is in a pre-fallen Edenic state. The Devil follows, possessing the body of Ransom's deceased foe Weston in order to tempt the Venereal Eve. It becomes clear to Elwin that he must act to thwart Original Sin on Venus.

The author is a well-known Christian, and this tale builds on basic themes of Christianity.

I found the book to be more philosophical in nature, compared to Out of the Silent Planet, but still a very good tale.

There are so few traditional science fiction details that the book doesn't read like a work of that genre (no space battles, no details on hyperdrive or warp technology). Instead it is an adventure, that unfolds to show the main character (and the reader, who easily slips into the protagonist's shoes) hidden secrets of the universe.

Very thought provoking, and a must read for any Christian.

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.

I agree with many of the other reviewers that this book is definitely the best of the trilogy. It is a thought-provoking novel that gives a clear vision of human nature, how our sinful nature came to be, and how it can be defeated. In Perelandra Lewis uses a less confrontational genre (the fictional novel) to deal with deep philosophical questions like "If sin is bad for people, then why does God put that forbidden fruit-tree in the garden of Eden and allow sin into the world?" And the explanation he offers in this novel is deeply satisfying. Overall, this book is a great read. Lewis is definitely the master of writing fiction that is both beautiful in literary style and philosophically interesting.