Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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88 of 89 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Thought Provoking Christian Science Fiction, August 15, 2000
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.
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70 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The battle of good and evil--CS Lewis style, November 1, 2002
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.
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41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Battling between good and evil, January 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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