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The Screwtape Letters

by C.S. Lewis

4.09 · rating details · 52,992 ratings · 3,742 reviews

A masterpiece of satire, this classic has entertained and enlightened readers the world over with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles, seen from the vantage point of Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to "Our Father Below." C.S Lewis gives us the correspondence of the worldly-wise old devil to his nephew Wormwood, a novice demon in charge of...more

Paperback, 209 pages

Published February 6th 2001 by HarperSanFrancisco (first published January 1st 1942)

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Oct 10, 2007

Joanie Rich rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: anyone who's not afraid of the truth

It's great to read fiction that gives you a punch in a gut! It's not often a book will hold up a mirror to you and show you some things you'd rather not see. The Screwtape Letters was that book for me.

Every Christian needs to get a hold of this book and read it through! It's helped me gain a deep understanding of how the forces of darkness try to undermine joy and truth. I'd especially recommend it to readers new to C.S. Lewis, as this is a good sample of his writing and a good place...more

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Sep 18, 2011

Cary Isaac rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: christian-fiction, favorite, 2011

This is my first book of C.S. Lewis outside the Chronicles of Narnia Series. I want to balance my reading list with good, wholesome and inspiring Christian books so I decided to try the works of Lewis and look for an e-book. Fortunately, I was able to find one online so I started with Screwtape Letters.

The Screwtape Letters is a series of letters written by Screwtape, a senior demon, to his nephew and a neophyte tempter, Wormood, about the different ways to tempt a newly converted Ch...moreThis is my first book of C.S. Lewis outside the Chronicles of Narnia Series. I want to balance my reading list with good, wholesome and inspiring Christian books so I decided to try the works of Lewis and look for an e-book. Fortunately, I was able to find one online so I started with Screwtape Letters.

The Screwtape Letters is a series of letters written by Screwtape, a senior demon, to his nephew and a neophyte tempter, Wormood, about the different ways to tempt a newly converted Christian they referred to as "Patient". Their objective is to secure the "Patient's" eternal damnation in hell. In this book, C.S. Lewis tried to describe the spiritual battles between Christians and the forces of evil in a different point of view.

At first, I felt uncomfortable reading the parts where Lewis referred God as "the Enemy" and Satan as the "Father" because being a child of God, I know it's the other way around. But looking at it as a literary piece, this is actually the spice of the story and this what makes the book special to me, that I really can't help but admire Lewis for his wisdom and creativity.

After reading the book, I was really enlightened and reminded of the truths that we humans should believe about God:

1. God loves us and He does not want anyone of us to perish but He wants us to have eternal life with Him and so He his Son to die for us and pay for our sins (John 3:16). In order to have eternal life, we have to accept Jesus in our life and believe that He is our Lord and Savior. By dying on on the cross, he redeemed us and provided the forgiveness of our sins - past, present and future.

2. God promised that for us who receive Jesus, He gave the right to be called His Children.No one can separate us from His love thus, our salvation through Jesus is assured and no one can take it away from us, not even Satan.

3. What Satan only wants from every human is to steal, kill and destroy. He is like a lion who is always looking around for prey, ready to devour anytime thus we should always be on guard. He will try all possible means for us to turn away from God.

4. God promised us victory. What Jesus did on the cross is already complete. Because of that, we are victorious in Christ so we have the power to win any battle including spiritual battle with the real Enemy. Therefore, we must not lose hope and stand firm on our faith that God has already given us the holy life through Jesus and all we have to do is to live it and stop doing the things that are not pleasing to Him. This book provided some examples of the unpleasant things that may seem insignificant but can eventually lead to our own destruction because the devil knows how to manipulate our thoughts so we really need to be careful.

5. Of course, the best way to defeat the Enemy is to lay down all our battles to God by praying and petition. The Bible said, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people (Ephesians 6:10-18). This is actually the passage that keeps on popping out of my mind the entire time I was reading the book.

This book only wants to point out that we need to recognize that just like Heaven, Hell is also real and Satan also exists. He is continuously looking for possible "recruits" and deceiving people by suggesting different lies in our minds to keep us from turning to God. But God is loving and gracious. He will never let His children fall if we will only remain in Him. God wants all His children to be reunited with Him in eternity, but sadly, not everyone can go to heaven because not everyone has accepted the Truth. He gave us free will to choose how are we going to live our life here on earth. So in every moment and every action of our lives, we are given two different options: to do His will or to follow our own will? And we need to choose well because one may be the highway to hell.

If you are looking for a book about living a Christian life, then I highly recommend this one but of course living a holy life according to God's standard can only be achieved if we continuously seek to know Our Creator more through reading his written Word(less)

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Jan 22, 2008

MelissaS rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone

I love this book - it really makes you think. For those who have not read it, the book is written as a compilation of letters from a "tempter," Screwtape, to his nephew, a "junior tempter" named Wormwoood. In the letters, Screwtape gives Wormwood adivce and counsel on how to best tempt his "subject" - a young man who converts to Christianity, and then falls in love with a Christian woman. Through the letters, you are constantly reminded and made to think about ho...more

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May 06, 2008

Keely rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, humor, reviewed, contemporary-fantasy, uk-and-ireland

If not for the fact that this is a satire in earnest, it would serve as a powerful absurdist invective against humanity. This book improved my view of Christians in general, but only because it points out that all the faults conspicuous in the rabidly faithful are equally well-represented in the uninformed agnostic, if less readily apparent.

The sharp weapon of Lewis's rhetoric tears down humanity through all its self-righteous hubris, denial, misdirected hopes, and easy mistakes. How...moreIf not for the fact that this is a satire in earnest, it would serve as a powerful absurdist invective against humanity. This book improved my view of Christians in general, but only because it points out that all the faults conspicuous in the rabidly faithful are equally well-represented in the uninformed agnostic, if less readily apparent.

The sharp weapon of Lewis's rhetoric tears down humanity through all its self-righteous hubris, denial, misdirected hopes, and easy mistakes. However, one begins to develop the impression, slowly at first, that Lewis has nothing to offer in return. There are scarcely words of alternatives, let alone improvements.

Lewis does give us a house which disgusts the devils and redeems the sinful, but this perfect representation of Christian values is just a lack of badness, not a profusion of goodness. It is 'suffused' by some sort of magical glow which infects the cat, but magical glows do not a life philosophy make. I got the impression that Lewis hoped to fill in the good parts later, but couldn't think of any.

Human beings have a cognitive bias for avoiding punishment, even to the point where they will avoid a small punishment rather than seek a great reward. Perhaps this fear consumed Lewis, as it does so many people. That would explain why his books seem more concerned with avoiding small errors instead of seeking out grand achievements.

Lewis said writing these letters was more difficult than any of his other books, and that he could not bring himself to write a sequel. I find little surprise in this, because one can see how, as the book goes on, Lewis more and more recognizes the failures of mankind but when he tries to express what makes him or his faith any different, cannot find anything to say.

The 'suffusing glow' becomes a metaphor for Lewis's own righteousness, but whenever Lewis isn't basking in his own self-righteousness, he is ridiculing someone else's. Lewis' rhetoric is most deficient when he scorns one of man's many faults, then calls it a virtue in the next chapter.

For example, the book begins with the demon advising that humans should be encouraged to think of things as being 'real' without ever questioning what that means. The term 'real life' is meant to act as a self-justification for assumptions, not as an introspective view. This is 'bad' because 'real' has no meaning beyond the opinion of the user, and hence it can be used to justify anything.

Then Lewis begins to talk about how the Christians should make sure to follow what is 'natural', but fails to define what 'natural' is supposed to mean. Like 'real', 'natural' can be used to justify any idea or position, but Lewis does not turn a skeptical eye to himself.

This can hardly surprise, as Lewis maintains a philosophy of Duality. Dualism presents the 'with us/against us' ideal by which any two groups may grow to hate one another despite the fact that they have relatively few differences. As long as one defines the other as bad, there is no need to define the self as good, as in the Dualistic system, there is only good and evil, and you are either one or the other.

Lewis often falls back on this defense, showing how some men are bad, how he is different from them, and then assuming 'different' equals 'better'. He uses rational, skeptical argument to show how flawed his opponent is, but tearing down others is not the same as raising yourself up.

That being said, it would still be refreshing to meet a believer who had put as much thought and work into attempting to understand and explain themselves. It is rare to find thoughtfulness and skepticism, believer or no. Atheists and scientists can be just as troubled, flawed, and deluded as anyone else.

The lesson I will pull from this is that it is important for me to concentrate on myself and my own growth, because worrying about everyone else didn't help Lewis, and it isn't going to help me, either. I must not simply tear down those who are different from me, since this doesn't prove that I am right, any more than a bully proves his superiority by his insults and threats.(less)

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Apr 04, 2007

Stephanie rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Searchers who can take it

Let me preface by saying I do not follow any one religious path. I'm a searcher, and I'm not sure if I'll ever settle on one faith. That said, The Screwtape Letters, an intense rumination on good and evil, as told through the letters of one demon to another, is a work I feel everyone should read, if to do nothing but understand the true nature of evil. I'll admit, I picked up the book because I thought a tale told by a demon would be kind of cool... sexy in a dark fun kind of way. The experience...more

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Apr 25, 2011

Tina rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, christian, literary-fiction, 2011

Original post at One More Page

Ah Screwtape. I've heard so much about this book but I never got to buy it because the print copy was just too expensive for something so thin. I remember splurging on the ebook instead a couple of months ago, but true to form, it took me a while to read this. I know a Lewis book is never easy reading. What better time to read this one than during the Lenten season, right?

The Screwtape Letters is an epistolary novella that contains the letter...moreOriginal post at One More Page

Ah Screwtape. I've heard so much about this book but I never got to buy it because the print copy was just too expensive for something so thin. I remember splurging on the ebook instead a couple of months ago, but true to form, it took me a while to read this. I know a Lewis book is never easy reading. What better time to read this one than during the Lenten season, right?

The Screwtape Letters is an epistolary novella that contains the letters of a demon Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood with detailed advice on how to lead his assignment, a man only named as "the patient" to sin and eventual eternal damnation. In these letters, Screwtape tells Wormwood of particular human weaknesses and how they can exploit it, of religious weaknesses and how to make it their patient's downfall, of how they're just not in it for general mischief but snatching human souls from their Enemy.

I was discussing this book with a friend a few days before I finished reading it, and he told me that while he liked the book, he didn't have the heart to review it because it struck too many familiar chords. I could say the same for me, too. The Screwtape Letters is almost humorous in some ways, especially whenever Screwtape would scold Wormwood for messing up, but it's more chilling in more ways than it is humorous. Screwtape outlined ways on how Wormwood could lead his patient to eternal damnation, and the ways he listed were a little too familiar that it borders on being uncomfortable. I admit that it really made me think of the times when I fell for the same things -- the feeling of "owning" my time that I get mad at any interruption, or worrying too much about tomorrow instead of focusing on today, self-righteous thinking. This book poked a little too much at the parts of my heart that I try to not look at, and helped me see myself for all the ugliness with all the sin that I've fallen into. I remember cringing as I highlighted the parts of the book that struck me the most, like these:

It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds; in reality our best work is done by keeping things out. (p. 16)

There is nothing like suspense and anxiety for barricading a human's mind against the Enemy. He wants men to be concerned with what they do; our business is to keep them thinking about what will happen to them. (p. 25)

It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one -- the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. (p. 60)

Now you will notice that nothing throws him into a passion so easily as to find a tract of time which he reckoned on having at his own disposal unexpectedly taken from him...They anger him because he regards his time as his and feels that it is being stolen. (p. 112)

It's not that this book is not without hope -- in fact, it ends quite hopefully. But seeing it in the eyes of the "protagonists" it doesn't feel like it. This book is not really for fast reading -- each letter is meant to be read slowly and reflected on, maybe even discussed with other people of faith. Like other Lewis books, I think The Screwtape Letters is one for re-reading, because I'm sure different passages would hit people depending on what is the state of their life when they read this.

Of course, this is still considered as fiction, but like all other Lewis books I've read, it's one that made me think. I can't help but remember Ephesians 6:12 as I read this book: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." The Screwtape Letters is a book that definitely needs to be read more than once.(less)

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Sep 12, 2007

Bagger rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

I have read this book twice before but after my worship pastor mentioned a quote that I had forgotten in one part of the book Wormwood writes his uncle Screwtape with great fear that his subject has begun going to church, his uncle quite easily assures him that the best thing to do is keep him in church, but keep him proud of the fact that he always attends the services or sits in the same area, as long as Wormwood keeps him in the building and away from God.
I think Lewis is one of those a...more

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Apr 15, 2009

Natalie rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: god-is-dead

If I didn't know anything about C.S. Lewis, and if he hadn't written a foreword to this book making his status as a Christian more than clear, I would have thought that this book was a satire.

Screwtape is an epistolary novel, a series of letters written by a senior devil of hell to his younger, more inexperienced nephew. The correspondence deals chiefly with advice to the younger devil, Wormwood, about how best to tempt his "patient" (the human to which he has been assig...more

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Mar 12, 2011

Jillian -always aspiring- rated it

Recommends it for: Christians in need of some reminders

Shelves: 2011-reads, thought-provoking, i-am-not-worthy, glad-i-gave-it-a-chance

But that is the cursed thing; the gods are strange to mortal eyes, and yet they are not strange. [The human] had no faintest conception till that very hour of how they would look, and even doubted their existence. But when he saw them he knew that he had always known them and realised what part each one of them had played at many an hour in his life when he had supposed himself alone, so that now he could say to them, one by one, not 'Who are you?' but 'So it was you all the time.' -from one o...more

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Sep 21, 2008

Wendy rated it

· review of another edition

I didn't particularly enjoy this book but am glad that I read it. In fact, at times the book made my skin crawl. For those who have not read it, the book is written as a bunch of letters from a tempter, Uncle Screwtape, to his nephew, a tempter in training, named Wormwoood. Screwtape tutors Wormwood on how to tempt the "patient" he is assigned. Through the letters, you are constantly reminded and made to think about how the adversary tempts us. What is poignant is that the cunning an...moreI didn't particularly enjoy this book but am glad that I read it. In fact, at times the book made my skin crawl. For those who have not read it, the book is written as a bunch of letters from a tempter, Uncle Screwtape, to his nephew, a tempter in training, named Wormwoood. Screwtape tutors Wormwood on how to tempt the "patient" he is assigned. Through the letters, you are constantly reminded and made to think about how the adversary tempts us. What is poignant is that the cunning and evil plans are not centered around obvious sins, that so often are what we think about when we think about temptation and sin. Instead, the tempters focus on much more subtle sins such as vanity, pride, distraction,insincerity, forgetting or being too tired say prayers,and how these can achieve the same goal as the more obvious sins which is ultimately to lead us away from God. That's how cunning and evil the devil is. He knows that by chipping away a little at a time he has a better chance at gaining us as his own.

You cannot read this book and not think of how pertinent it is to your life. It was a little frightening to find myself in the book as someone who has succumbed to some of these suttle temptations (many times). Perhaps thats why I didn't enjoy the read but still found it very insightful.

I found this "Beatitudes" in someone elses review (Jenelle) and thought it was great so I copied it from her review to mine. Really hit it home for me.

Screwtape Counterfeits
1. Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend an hour once a week with their fellow Christians — they are my best workers.
2. Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked — I can use them.
3. Blessed are the touchy who stop going to church — they are my missionaries.
4. Blessed are the trouble makers — they shall be called my children.
5. Blessed are the complainers — I'm all ears to them.
6. Blessed are those who are bored with the minister's mannerisms and mistakes — for they get nothing out of his sermons.
7. Blessed is the church member who expects to be invited to his own church — for he is a part of the problem instead of the solution.
8. Blessed are those who gossip — for they shall cause strife and division that please me.
9. Blessed are those who are easily offended — for they will soon get angry and quit.
10. Blessed are those who do not give their offering to carry on God's work — for they are my helpers.
11. Blessed is he who professes to love God but hates his brother and sister — for he shall be with me forever.
12. Blessed are you who, when you read this, think it is about other people and not yourself — I've got you too!
(less)

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Aug 16, 2007

Andrew rated it

this review first appeared on [http://intraspace.blogspot.com]

cs lewis strikes again! not that i should be surprised, he is widely regarded as one of the best christian writers of the 20th century.

this book is the record of letters sent by senior demon screwtape to his nephew wormwood. wormwood is on assignment trying to turn a new christian away from God. the more experienced screwtape gives advice to the young demon. this in turn gives us an insight into the way humans ...more

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Jul 04, 2007

Lisa rated it

Recommends it for: everyone

This was my first C.S. Lewis book - I kept meaning to read the Narnia Chronicles, but never got around to it. Now I'm completely addicted to his writing, and plan to read many more of his books.

The Screwtape Letters is written from the perspective of an advanced demon (Screwtape), writing to his nephew, Wormwood. It takes a minute when you start the book to wrap your brain around the point of view - but once you realize what is going on, it really makes you think from different an...more

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Dec 18, 2007

Samuel Barlow rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone

This book really opened my eyes to the ways Satan tries to entrap people into sinning. Some sins were rather obscure, but most were very common that I myself am struggling with. I just realized that I do have a choice no matter what happens and that is all that counts. Once you no longer desire to do evil, you win, Satan loses. That is the adventure in this story. Screwtape and Wormwood, the tempters, are finally thwarted when the Christian, their subject, dies in righteousness (from what I...more

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Sep 26, 2007

Elaine rated it

· review of another edition

I drudgingly read more than halfway though this book simply because I LOVE "Mere Christianity," and I was hoping it would get better. After I realized that I wasn't even really reading it anymore (because I was so bored), I decided to quit, at least for the time being.

I like the idea of the book, and there were some good one liners, but for some reason, the actual content and format just didn't do it for me. I was bored and disappointed because I know this is supposed to be...more

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Feb 03, 2011

Alberto rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: escritores-favoritos, por-el-gusto, ficcion

El tema es fabuloso, y sobretodo por la forma como Staples Lewis aborda su sensibilidad de escritor y narrador, para lograr sentir lo que su personaje, un demonio, puede estar sintiendo, viendo y aconsejando a su sobrino, otro demonio pero aún inexperto.

El libro se presenta así para abrir boca: “En lo que se refiere a los diablos, la raza humana puede caer en dos errores iguales y de signo opuesto. Uno consiste en no creer en su existencia. El otro, en creer en los diablos y sentir ...more

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Jan 28, 2011

Ron rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: humor, christian-fiction

An absolute stitch, but make no mistake it also contains profound insights about our relationship with evil.

In many ways a more accessible statement of Lewis' beliefs than the contemporaneous, but denser Mere Christianity.

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Feb 11, 2009

Benson rated it

· review of another edition

Such an interesting book! I actually listened to this on disc during my daily commute and I will listen to it again to glean more from it. Very thought-provoking approach to understanding how temptation works and what tactics the devil uses to drag mortals down to his misery.

One take-away I valued, even though it has no doctrinal foundation, was the thought of having a specific demon assigned to me by the Father Below to get to know my every flaw and strength and exploit that know...more

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Sep 01, 2011

Patrick rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, classic, spiritual-religious

Full review at The Bookish Pinoy

I would highly recommend Screwtape Letters to those who are looking for ways to see this world from a new vantage point. I imagine that even non-believers should find the things described here pretty much interesting too. Bottom line is, you don’t need to be a Christian to enjoy reading The Screwtape Letters. If you’re like most people who just wants to live a good and rewarding life, then this book is for you. However, a good life does not necessarily...more

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Nov 19, 2008

Lauren rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: anyone searching for a deeper faith - regardless of religion

I often say that almost all of my theology comes from reading "The Narnia Suite," which I read for the first time at the age of eight, and more than a dozen times thereafter. I was particularly taken with The Last Battle, in which some people are very surprised indeed to learn that those they thought wouldn't be admitted into Aslan's Land because they fought on "The Wrong Side" of the aforementioned last battle, were in fact instantly admitted because it was their intention ...more

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Mar 10, 2008

Jennelle rated it

This book is very interesting. Two Devils: Screwtape (a learned Devil) and Wormwood (a devil in training)are writing letters back and forth to each other on the best tactics in capturing a human soul. C.S. Lewis claimed that "the book was distasteful to write, and he vowed never to write a direct sequel" I think it was distasteful for him to write because he must have felt that he was thinking like the adversary. It really makes you stop and think. It's a fairly quick read. I was in...more

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Feb 28, 2008

matt rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fictions-of-the-big-it, won-t-read-again

I'm not a big fan of Clive Staples Lewis, either of his writing or his philosophy. I wouldn't even really commend the book's principles....it does quite a bit to make one think that the entire world is a paranoid conspiracy run by ACTUAL satanic beings, trying with their every effort to sabotage one's mind.

Like, there's a part when the senior demon reminds the novice demon that a good place to be able to get a foothold into someone's thoughts is to infiltrate them while they...more

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Feb 13, 2008

Danielle rated it

Shelves: fiction, danielle-recommends, my-favorites

So intelligently written-- C.S. Lewis sees right through you and highlights your every human foible and self-justification through the eyes of a "junior tempter." Such an inspiring book, though. You finish it with the feeling that despite our many weaknesses, good can conquer evil in the most trying battle--that of our countless daily choices between little sins or being a little better.
I love this book for the way it helped me see that even mundane decisions matter. No matter ho...more

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Feb 05, 2008

Sarah rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, christianity, fiction, reviewed

Not quite what I was expecting. I've been told many times over the years how funny "Screwtape" is, and while I admit it's got a very humorous side, there's also something very dark and insidious about it (no doubt made more so by Joss Ackland, whose velvety, malevolent voice was reading the audiobook).

As a non-Christian, I find Lewis' take on faith surprisingly hypocritical at times: he criticizes those who have their own take on Christianity as merely taking a long road t...more

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Apr 01, 2008

Melissa rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: my family

Recommended to Melissa by: Michael J. Teh, general authority who quoted it in General Confe

Shelves: classic-literature

My favorite thing about this book is that it is so fun to talk about with others that have read it. It is a book that will be worth reading again and again and learning something new about myself each time I read it. I am coping a review from MelissaS from CT. I just copied it because it is exactly what I'm thinking and I don't see the need to repeat the work.

"I love this book - it really makes you think. For those who have not read it, the book is written as a compilation of...moreMy favorite thing about this book is that it is so fun to talk about with others that have read it. It is a book that will be worth reading again and again and learning something new about myself each time I read it. I am coping a review from MelissaS from CT. I just copied it because it is exactly what I'm thinking and I don't see the need to repeat the work.

"I love this book - it really makes you think. For those who have not read it, the book is written as a compilation of letters from a "tempter," Screwtape, to his nephew, a "junior tempter" named Wormwoood. In the letters, Screwtape gives Wormwood advice and counsel on how to best tempt his "subject" - a young man who converts to Christianity, and then falls in love with a Christian woman. Through the letters, you are constantly reminded and made to think about how the adversary tempts us. What is truly excellent about the book, though, is that the cunning plans are not centered around obvious sins, that so often are what we think about when we think about temptation and sin. Instead, the tempters focus on much more subtle forms of sins - vanity, pride, distraction, insincerity, forgetting God, and how these can achieve the same effect as more obvious sins ... to lead us away from God. Ultimately, the tempters in this story do not care what sins are committed by their subjects - so long as they accomplish their goal of separating people from God, and leading them to the adversary. In fact, they seem to prefer the more subtle means of leading people astray, as they sense that this is a more hidden and thus secure way to accomplish their ultimate design.

You cannot read this book and not think of how extremely pertinent it is to your life. C. S. Lewis has thought deeply about the things we do each that lead us away from God, and he articulates them very well. As you read the book, you are in a constant introspection of your own life, and the things that are put before you daily that lead you away from what we all desire - a close, personal, consistent, and deep relationship with God, that leads to happiness now and the hereafter. I love this book!"

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Jan 06, 2008

Kipi rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: All believers

Recommended to Kipi by: Allan Stanglin

Shelves: christianity, read-in-2008, fiction, 5-star-reads

I picked up this book because Allan is always referring to it, and I thought it would be easier to have an intelligent conversation about it had I actually read the book. Now I can say that I wish I had read it years ago. It is an easy read on the surface, but there is so much more to it. Lewis was a brilliant writer, and this book, written from the perspective of an "Under Secretary" tormentor, will make the reader view his/her life and Satan's work in the world in a whole new way. Th...more

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Jul 01, 2010

Hope rated it

Shelves: classics, clive-staples, reviewed, 2010-reads, greatest-writing-and-voice, angels-and-demons

This was the sort of book that makes you think very hard while it frightens you a bit, and then you can't help but breathe a sigh of relief when it's finished, acknowledging that it was indeed a great piece of literature, as well as acknowledging the genius that was C. S. Lewis.

I'd have to agree with Lewis, though, that it was a stifling book. There really was a smothering quality to it. Lewis said, "The world into which I had to project myself while I spoke through Screwtap...more

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Jan 18, 2008

Rachel rated it

· review of another edition

(written 11/02)

This was basically a big game of reversing everything around to the perspective of a devil, who delights in our demise. The premise was exciting, even in letter form, but I quickly tired of it. Lewis's staunchly Christian viewpoint is very well-argued (though still not enough to convince me of the actual existence of hell & it's "devils," even metaphorically). I found the following quotes fun to roll around in my brain though.

praying "not to w...more

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Aug 27, 2008

Megan rated it

· review of another edition

I sometimes got really bogged down in the language (C.S. Lewis is significantly smarter than me, obviously) but really enjoyed it overall. I feel like I learned a lot about myself by reading this book. To me, whether or not there are actual "demons" standing over my shoulder is a little bit irrelevant. The things I do that are un-christian and self-sabotaging could be put there by a devil or they could be my own inventions, but either way they are getting in the way of what I really...more

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Jun 03, 2008

Clair Simpson rated it

Recommends it for: Anyone

I really liked this book because it gave me an idea of how gulible the human heart can be. We can be turned aside from following Christ sooo easily! C.S.Lewis really captured the sinful nature of man and brought it to light. But, and I like this the most, the man in this story rose above it. We see him being surrounded by the "populars" but he doesn't slip under and become one of them. He is polite but does not conform.That is one of many circumstances that he looks to God and not to m...more

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Aug 21, 2007

Andrew Kubasek rated it

Shelves: completed

A downright chilling book about the evilness of human tendencies. Told through letters to a devil-in-training from its uncle, the book reveals how easily the devil can get his fingerprints on our lives. I wouldn't recommend this book to non-Christians, as it's all about leading a Christian life and how the devil is always nipping at our heels. It is a well-written book, though, and raises some interesting points about how we should live our lives. The main thing I learned from this book is t...more

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About C.S. Lewis

Clive Staples "Jack" Lewis was an Irish writer and scholar. Lewis is known for his work on medieval literature, Christian apologetics, literary criticism, and fiction. He is best known today in secular culture for his series Chronicles of Narnia.

Lewis taught as a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford from 1925 to 1954, and later was the first Professor of Medieval and Renaissanc...more

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Books by C.S. Lewis

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #2)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia, #5)

The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)

Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia, #4)

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“She's the sort of woman who lives for others - you can tell the others by their hunted expression.” — 619 people liked it

“Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts,...Your affectionate uncle, Screwtape.” — 216 people liked it

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