This is the most un Lewis like of anything I have read of his. It really is in a class of its own. I suspected beforehand that it would remind me of Narnia, but in reality it was very different. How different C.S. Lewis makes this from his other works really impresses me and reinforces my belief that C.S. Lewis was a genius of literature as well as subtle allegory. The story is interesting and takes us to a truly unique world, one that now only exists in the reader’s imagination. As science fiction goes it is surprisingly grown up in that the projection of human feelings and traits are not direct. The Sorns are not warlike or peace like. They are different in ways that aliens truly should be. Though Lewis skilfully creates a world inhabited by many different creatures the book is really about a human and his interpretation of unfamiliarity. Science speaking Lewis avoids explanation as a bona fide way of not speaking garble, but includes subtle well conceived observations that lead the scientifically minded reader to believe that Lewis knew his stuff. One good example of this is the slow appearance of a gravity like feeling in the ship as it reached mars. Lewis new that the linear deceleration of ship would have felt like the slow onset of gravity.

Overall the direction of the story line is surprising and leaves the reader stuck somewhere between wanting the author to reveal where the story is going and wanting him to dawdle a little longer on some details. The Sorns for example could do with some development.

If you like H.G. Wells, you will like this.