More than you might think - Rated 
This book is curious, at the very least because at the time it was published there was a mild fuss over the possibility that Lewis was referring to parallel organizations and individuals quite close to hand. I am aware of at least two communities of Christians who bear an astonishing resemblance to those in the book; and this intrigues me greatly. Were those communities real distant cousins of St Annes?
...and whether or not that is true, his ability to puts words and music to some of the most vexing characters you may ever meet is extraordinary. I never get tired, for instance, of Lewis's depiction of Wither, and Frost is even more strange; both are characteristically mundane and quite terrifying. Close to central to the book' focus is the idea that any individual can unwisely decouple themselves from the warmth and happiness that accompanies the human experience in exchange for knowledge and power. In this case, obviously, you would say "forbidden knowledge and power", but by examining this in extremis, we can read this both as entertainment, and as admonition for lesser and more common problems in our own cosmos.
Well, to more detail. Lewis's story here is/was tremendously ahead of it's time - dreams of a hideous experiment, ostensibly concerning rehabilitation engineering (which is the proper term) whose consequences spill out far further into destructive metaphysics and politics, would work well in the 21st century in the hands of any of the contemporary directors (though I'm not sure they would interpret the main content of the book so very well), but regardless, there is here an acute pace and imminent feeling of decision and action that overbears nicely into the current frame; it's not really suitable for children but teenagers will lap it up.
Arthur? Merlin? Eldils? Words whispered to a pet bear? ...and that is another piece of marvellous descriptive prose; that part where Mr Bultitude's world view and whose pre-Adamite furry mind shows him to be quite a formidable character... The happiest of endings, where Mr Bultitude the bear finds a mate, everyone finds each other, and the angels dance?
Take your pick. I have no idea if Lewis honestly meant these things by allegory or something more literal; he always seems to write far beyond anything I ever experienced (or at least, so I think most of the time) but there are strange things in the world to be sure. And we are there, embedded into that world; as evidence for that, gaze into a mirror some time. We are all stranger than we know.
Great - Rated
This is the third and final book in C.S. Lewis's amazing Space Trilogy. This book was written as a sequel to the immensely popular Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra but Lewis also wrote it so that the story can stand on its own. So if you haven't read the first, you can start here.
That Hideous Strength, unlike the first 2 books in this series, where Ransom leaves earth and fights evil in space and on other planets, the battle in this book takes place on earth.
Ransom must lead a group of faithful believers against National Institute for Coordinated Experiments or N.I.C.E., an organization that believes that Science can solve all of humanity's problems. He must battle the people in this organization, super aliens trying to invade and control earth and use its population against other planets and against God.
On top of all of that, Merlin has arisen from his long sleep and has arisen in England's time of greatest need. But the question is, who will find him first - N.I.C.E. or Ransom and his team? The fate of the world, and possibly the universe, rests on this question.
Lewis called this story an adult's fairy-tale. It is a mix of sci-fi and fantasy, and a book that will keep your attention as you raptly turn the pages to find out where Lewis will lead you.
Best characters, weakest plot - Rated 
Serials can be subject to the law of diminishing returns, and that is certainly true to an extent here. That extent is the plot, which remains resolutely silly in order to accomodate some (admittedly very valid) points about expediency and power against morality and indeed humanity. What makes this book compelling is the magnificent characterisation of the married couple Mark and Jane Studdock, taking opposite sides in a particularly bitter struggle between the Hideous Strength and its opponents, and who take up whole chapters describing struggles within themselves and their uncertainty about their relationship. Not for those who like light reading, but for purists and fans of the other two books who want to know the ending, this is definitely worth reading.
fascinating conclusion to the space trilogy - Rated
This novel is a wonderful conclusion to CS Lewis' space trilogy, which began with Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra (also published as Voyage to Venus). I use the word 'wonderful' in it's fullest original meaning i.e. full of wonder.
That Hideous Strenght was one of the first SF books I bought and is at least in part responsible for the five crammed bookcases which now house my collection.
Lewis has blended classical, Arthurian, medieval legend and allegory for the climax to the story of Ransome.
The book is suffused throughout with Lewis' Christian beliefs and philosophy but don't let that put you off - as an agnostic bordering on atheist myself I can assure you that it doesn't detract from the book.
A jewel - Rated
C S Lewis was one of the finest writers of fantasy before the term was coined; in the wake of his friend J R R Tolkien's "The Hobbit" the field expanded from Wellsian Martians and Morlocks to encompass parallel and imagined worlds rather than grim futures. This book, the third in the trilogy about Ransome and Weston, takes the Pendragon myth as its central theme, and explores the impact on a nightmarish Orwellian "modern" Britain of the return of Merlin. While Lewis's (1945) views can appear reactionary, his love for England and its open arms and acceptance of other cultures and influences (barring totalitarianism of either wing) is evident throughout. More humourous, more adult, less bible-bashing than Narnia. A truly wonderful book.
|
