The Space Trilogy is C. S. Lewis's foray into science fiction, but the other-worldly locations and experiences allow Lewis to explore our relationships with each other, society, and God.
In Out of the Silent Planet, Professor Elwin Ransom is kidnapped and taken to another planet. He suspects he is to be a human sacrifice. Once there, he escapes his captors and wanders the alien world, making friends with some of the creatures and being introduced to angelic beings who are able to reveal truths about his home planet and its captivity by a malevolent being.
Ransom is returned to earth, but has now a higher purpose. He is transported to Venus in Perelandra. Here, he meets a beautiful woman, a kind of Eve. When evil follows him to Perelandra, he believes he must convince the Lady to reject the arguments of evil, but an exciting and unexpected twist brings him physically into battle.
Finally, in That Hideous Strength, modernity is feeding the growing evil on our own Earth. Ransom leads a community of believers who make themselves available to the Oyéresu, the angelic beings, who (presumably) battle through intergalactic space and all of time on behalf of the one true God.
If you are interested in action, the theological and philosophical discussions will slow down the plot, but they are, of course, the main point as far as Lewis is concerned.
As always, I liked the books better once I read a paper my older son wrote for a philosophy class about That Hideous Strength. I also found this essay by Dr. Stephen Stallard interesting, especially his point about living in counter-cultural communities (churches, or perhaps, The Church), forming ourselves for our mission in the world, whatever that might be.
I may have mentioned before that C. S. Lewis is not my favorite author, and these books haven't changed my mind. However, I rarely regret reading anything he's written. There's always something I hadn't considered before.
I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links. I bought these three books years and years ago with a gift card.
