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Perelandra

(The Space Trilogy #2)

C.S. Lewis

3.99 · Rating details · 39,661 ratings · 2,322 reviews

The second book in C. S. Lewis's acclaimed Space Trilogy, which also includes Out of the Silent Planet and That Hideous Strength, Perelandra continues the adventures of the extraordinary Dr. Ransom. Pitted against the most destructive of human weaknesses, temptation, the great man must battle evil on a new planet Perelandra when it is invaded by a dark force. Will Pere

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Paperback, 288 pages

Published December 5th 2005 by HarperCollins (first published 1943)

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Dec 05, 2008 Manny rated it it was ok

Shelves: science-fiction, transcendent-experiences, story-review

"James, does the name 'Perelandra' mean anything to you?"

"Yes, I believe so. Poetic name for the planet Venus. Inhabited by two analogues of Adam and Eve, living in a state of prelapsarian bliss. All sounds rather pleasant."

"Very good, James. However, we've received intelligence that SMERSH have infiltrated an agent, who is going to try to tempt the Eve-analogue. We want you to stop him."

"Well, as a boy, I always did enjoy stealing the odd apple."

"Don't be flippant, James."

"I find it's the most ...more

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Feb 22, 2010 Stephen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fantasy, audiobook, sf-alien-planets-and-societies, 1930-1953

5.0 stars. I thought this was an AMAZING book. After liking Out of the Silent Planet, this novel blew me away. The theme of the book is a re-telling of the "Fall" of Adam and Eve using Venus (called Perelandra) as the setting. You can tell that C. S. Lewis was really "feeling" the prose as he wrote this and his passion for the work was evident throughout. I thought it read like lush poetry that was both powerful and emotional.

I was deeply impressed by this story and now look forward to reading ...more

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Feb 23, 2009 Douglas Wilson rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

Great. Also read in January of 1990. And also read in April of 2009. Also read in January of 1985. Also read in July of 1980. Listened to it again on audio in 2015.

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Aug 14, 2011 Michael rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

It is difficult to write a review about “Perelandra”. There is so much that could be said that it is hard to know where to begin. Its story is so rich, the imagery so beautiful, the underlying themes so profound and complex, its theology so full that no summary can do it justice. I would rather simply encourage everyone to read it and let each discover its joys for themselves. But since there is no reason for anyone to merely take my word for it, I will do my best to support my recommendation.

Th It is difficult to write a review about “Perelandra”. There is so much that could be said that it is hard to know where to begin. Its story is so rich, the imagery so beautiful, the underlying themes so profound and complex, its theology so full that no summary can do it justice. I would rather simply encourage everyone to read it and let each discover its joys for themselves. But since there is no reason for anyone to merely take my word for it, I will do my best to support my recommendation.

Though the characters and names are different, the story of “Perelandra” follows the basic outline of Milton’s “Paradise Lost”. Creatures made in the image of God arise on a world newly made. They live in the joy of sinless obedience until two visitors arrive from outside their world; the first to warn them of impending evil, the second to tempt them to disobey and fall. But whereas Milton’s herald is the immortal angel Gabriel, Lewis re-introduces his reluctant hero from “Out of the Silent Planet”, the very human Dr. Elwin Ransom.

There are other differences between Milton’s poem and Lewis’ novel. “Paradise Lost” is set on the Earth during the time of Genesis. Perelandra takes place long after the fall of Adam and Eve on a planet named Perelandra. Milton’s tempter is Satan in the form of a serpent. Lewis’ is the brilliant, but twisted Dr. Weston, the physicist from “Out of the Silent Planet”. But these are superficial and only thinly disguise the many similarities between these two great works of literature. It may be fair to say that just as “Paradise Lost” is a retelling of Genesis, “Perelandra” is a retelling of “Paradise Lost”.

Both Milton and Lewis dwell on what it might be like for men and women to live prior to the fall from grace. Such is the genius of both authors that they not only create a convincing image of pre-fallen humanity, they are able to communicate that image to their audience. Their understanding of what we lost in the original fall was so deep, and their longing to return so keen, that unspoiled worlds seem to flow from their pens as smoothly as ink. In one way, though, Lewis was able to do his great predecessor one better. Lewis was not constrained by the nature of Earth as Milton was. Lewis’ Perelandra is a world of many and varied delights, an otherworldly Eden. There are trees, the fruit of which are huge, shimmering, transparent orbs that burst at the lightest touch, bathing the passerby in a thrilling shower. Other trees bear fruits that are achingly beautiful to taste, both savory and sweet. There are fantastic and extraordinary creatures that rival the whimsy of Hieronymus Bosch. Perelandra is easily the most glorious world CS Lewis ever created.

Lewis and Milton also focus on the female as the vector of attack. Lewis wisely avoids speculation as to why this should be. There is no indication that the female is somehow inferior to the male. It is simply a matter of fact that in the history of Earth Eve was deceived, not Adam. It stands to reason that the tempter will follow the same plan.

The last great similarity between “Perelandra” and “Paradise Lost” I want to mention is the way language is used in the temptation of Eve and her Perelandrian counterpart, Tinidril. Both authors give their tempters brilliant speeches with which to seduce their prey. They are eloquent and persuasive, flattering but not obsequious. Their arguments are successful in making that which is forbidden seem attractive and disobedience seem heroic. The tempters are so eloquent that the reader is nearly moved to agree with them.

Which brings me now to two real and remarkable differences between “Paradise Lost” and “Perelandra”. First, unlike Eve, who’s story was carved in history long before Milton lived to set it to verse, Tinidril has a champion in the form of Ransom. He is by her side, fighting constantly against the influence of Weston. It is in their subsequent philosophical battle of words and ideas that Lewis explores a powerful theme. Ransom and Weston fight on uneven ground, with the advantage going to Weston. Ransom has reason and truth on his side, but is constrained by the absolute morals of Christianity and the rules of reason itself not to stray from those ideals. Weston is seductively irrational. He is utterly immoral and can lie in any and every way, twisting and distorting the truth to suit his ends. As the war becomes hopeless, Ransom is faced with a terrible conclusion; reason alone cannot defeat non-reason. A person who is dedicated to being irrational cannot be argued out of their position. There is no example strong enough to persuade them, no beauty in reason sweet enough. In the end, for truth to win over a lie, something extraordinary is necessary. The great example of our own world is the Cross. This is reflected in Perelandra in a surprising way.

The second great difference is the end. Ransom is successful in overcoming Weston, and Tinidril overcomes her temptation. She, along with the Tor, the Perelandrian Adam, passes the test that Adam and Eve failed. Together they “step up that step at which [our] parents fell.” Lewis takes the theme of unfallen humanity and extends it beyond what Milton conceived. He contemplates what life might have been like had we not fallen, for ourselves and the rest of creation. What would our stewardship of the world and its creatures have been like? How would our relationship with God and the spiritual realm been different? How would our transition from the physical realm to the Heaven have been different? These questions, and others like them, are asked, and answers are hinted at as the book ends with a verbal fugue that would rival the musical fugues of Bach.

“Perelandra” is a work of startling beauty that stings the heart of the reader. It was one of Lewis’ personal favorites (one supposes it still is) and it is easy to see why. In it, there is a glimpse of Paradise that stands equal to the work of Milton and Dante. If there is any justice in the literary world, it will one day take its rightful place in the literary canon by their sides.
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Sep 26, 2012 Megan Baxter rated it liked it

C.S. Lewis, I'm disappointed in you. And that's the first time that has happened. I don't share your religion, but it's never kept me from enjoying one of your books before. I have been in love with the Narnia books since first I read them. I enjoyed the first book in this series. I even enjoyed the start of the theological discussions in these books. And then I hated where they went.

Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can ...more

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Oct 31, 2009 Mike (the Paladin) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, favorites

My favorite of the trilogy. Excellent.

The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis is a classic early science fiction read while at the same time being a more than excellent allegorical story of Christian faith. I'd say that if you aren't a Christian that won't keep you from enjoying the books. The allegory aside you will still get wonderful time tested S/F classic.

This volume gives a sort of retelling allegorically of the Genesis story, but with a difference. This book is (in my opinion) more than simply we ...more

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Jun 10, 2016 Liam Degnan rated it it was ok

2.5 Stars .

So here's a fun fact: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were the best of friends (Lewis even dedicated The Screwtape Letters to Tolkein). Lewis wrote this series because of a contest him and Tolkien had, in which one of them agreed to write a trilogy about Space Travel, while the other would write a trilogy about Time Travel. For Lewis, this series was the result . . . Tolkien, unfortunately, never actually finished his book on Time Travel haha.

When they first met, Lewis was a staunc ...more

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Sep 27, 2017 Paul Christensen rated it liked it

Shelves: novels-and-sagas

Speculative theology, in the shape of a trip to the Morning Star
With a portrait of the devil that reminds of Poe’s M. Valdemar.

Part of me sees this devil trope as a vile, obnoxious leftist
Bent on destroying folkways (for he derides the Venusian deftness

Which makes them avoid a certain island, something the Left would call
‘Essentialist’). But, really, hard to know how Lewis would scrawl

If he’d lived to the current era. Would he have been a Christian cuck,
Or would he have gone full Fourteen Word ...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Nicholas Kotar rated it it was amazing

Whatever you might think of the quality of the currently popular fantasy books, comic books/movies, and long-form TV offerings, one thing is for sure. Dark and grim is king right now.

Of course, judging by the news, there are good reason for this. Things are not going so well in places like Ukraine, Syria, Iraq. This election is more a cheap reality show than the choosing of the leader of the free world. Suicides and drug use are on the rise. There are few heroes to look up to, and most of our w ...more

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Aug 15, 2007 Charles H rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: everyone

Perelandra is the second of C.S. Lewis's space trilogy. In that universe, it is the name of the planet Venus - a beautiful sinless planet with life at its dawn. Perelandra is a passionate and fierce ocean world with awesome storms, golden sunlight, millions of floating islands, and critters to inhabit them. On Perelandra live only two sentient creatures: the King and the Queen. They rule the world as Adam and Eve. A philologist named Ransom is sent from Earth as God's representative with an unkn ...more

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Dec 11, 2019 Elizabeth Dragina rated it it was amazing

I have finally fished this deep book. I'm still lost in the world and the depth of thought. . . .

It's not for the faint of heart or weak of mind. 😂

Perelandra is gorgeous and perfect fantasy. I miss the world so much.

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Nov 08, 2010 David Mosley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Read in the following years:
2007
2010 (January 31)
2012 (23-25 April)
2013 (29-31 March)
2014 (2-6 August)
2015 (19-27 August)

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Oct 01, 2018 Celeste rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics-i-ve-read, christian, sci-fi

Wow. Lewis crafted something so incredibly special in Perelandra. The theological depth found in Out of the Silent Planet, the first novel in this trilogy, was expanded and deepened in this second installment. However, the density of Lewis’s writing was much easier to navigate here, making for a more enjoyable story all around. It’s rare for a second book in a series to so far surpass the first book, but that is exactly what occurs in Lewis’s Space Trilogy.

Ransom, the hero of the trilogy, has a Wow. Lewis crafted something so incredibly special in Perelandra. The theological depth found in Out of the Silent Planet, the first novel in this trilogy, was expanded and deepened in this second installment. However, the density of Lewis’s writing was much easier to navigate here, making for a more enjoyable story all around. It’s rare for a second book in a series to so far surpass the first book, but that is exactly what occurs in Lewis’s Space Trilogy.

Ransom, the hero of the trilogy, has already visited Mars. While that visit was against his will, he gained so much from the experience that he leapt at the chance when the angelic being he met on the Red Planet issued a request for Ransom to explore the heavens once more, this time heading for Venus. What Ransom finds when he lands on Venus, or Perelandra as it is called by the angelic beings known as eldila, is unlike anything he could have imagined. Mars, or Malacandra, was a planet at the end of its life cycle, as evidenced by the harsh environment and the disappearance of an entire species of cognitive beings. Earth, or Thulcandra, is somewhere in the middle of its life cycle. Perelandra, on the other hand, is in its infancy, or at least at the beginning of a brand new stage.

Ransom enters into this beautiful, Edenic planet to find that only two cognitive beings residing on its surface, a male and a female. When he arrives, Ransom meets only the Queen, because she and the King have been separated for a time. As it turns out, that separation opens the woman up to be tempted and tested by another member of Adam’s race, sent to the planet due to his possession by a much darker force. Ransom watches in horror as Venus becomes like Eden in more ways than one. He does his best to counter the temptations and plead with the woman not to give in, but the decision is ultimately hers. Will this world’s Eve succumb?

Lewis’s world building here was stunning. The floating islands, the mighty waves, the flora and fauna completely unlike those of Earth in every way, the almost magical fruit, and the gorgeous golden dome of the sky were all intensely beautiful in their descriptions. Lewis creates in such a way that his creations are easy to visualize, even when they’re utterly alien in every way. I found the similarities and differences between Perelandra fascinating, both in appearance and in the form temptation takes. The man and woman on Perelandra are also the first new race to be created since the coming of Christ on our planet, which was an event that radically changed the universe. How will that coming effect the new life beginning on Perelandra? Because have an effect it certainly shall.

I love the idea of the human race not being alone in the universe, but instead being one cognitive group among many. How do our stories impact each other? It is so easy to let ourselves become the center of the universe and the star of the story when neither of those views have ever been true. We were created out of love and imagination, not necessity. When we remember that we are merely a small part of a much bigger story, God’s story, life takes on so much more meaning and depth and excitement to see where the story will take us. I think that the idea of other planets being peopled is a great way to remind ourselves that we aren’t the focus. Lewis presents that idea beautifully, and I can’t wait to see how he wraps up this tale in its final installment. ...more

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Feb 20, 2020 Cori rated it liked it

Shelves: audible-listens, sci-fi

I don't know if I was accurately anticipating what the contents of this book would be. The planet, Perelandra, is Venus. Lewis's world-building circulated around the concept of femininity and graceful beauty. And the plot recreated a rendition of Satan's temptation in the Garden of Eden.

The concepts and prose were gorgeous, as usual. And Lewis gives the reader so much to chew on. Honestly, this is a fairly slow book for a fiction/sci-fi novel, though not disappointing. Well worth the read. It j ...more

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Dec 29, 2010 Kat Hooper rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook

Originally posted at FanLit.

Perelandra is the second volume of C.S. Lewis’s SPACE TRILOGY and I liked it even better than Out of the Silent Planet, its predecessor. Cambridge professor Dr. Elwin Ransom is back on Earth and has told his friend Lewis about the adventures he had on the planet Mars and the supernatural beings he met there. When Ransom explains that there’s an epic battle between good and evil, that the planet Venus is about to play an important part, and that he’s been called to Ven Originally posted at FanLit.

Perelandra is the second volume of C.S. Lewis’s SPACE TRILOGY and I liked it even better than Out of the Silent Planet, its predecessor. Cambridge professor Dr. Elwin Ransom is back on Earth and has told his friend Lewis about the adventures he had on the planet Mars and the supernatural beings he met there. When Ransom explains that there’s an epic battle between good and evil, that the planet Venus is about to play an important part, and that he’s been called to Venus to do some unknown task, Lewis begins to worry about his friend. Yet he decides to help him get to Venus anyway, so Ransom goes and eventually returns to tell his tale, which Lewis has transcribed for us.

Venus is gorgeous — a lush conglomerate of archipelagos where the land floats on top of the water, so that walking on it is like walking on a waterbed. The sky is full of stunning colors that Ransom has never seen before; exotic trees delight the eye and yield delicious fruit. Other than the strange but friendly animals, Ransom seems to be alone in this world — until he sees a beautiful naked woman waving from a neighboring island. When he finally meets her, he discovers that evil lurks in this seemingly perfect world.

If you were able to ignore the Christian allegory in Out of the Silent Planet, you won’t be able to do so in Perelandra — it’s a parallel version of humanity’s awakening in the Garden of Eden and Eve’s temptation to sin. Evil is trying to gain a foothold and Ransom suddenly realizes what it would mean to bring “the knowledge of good and evil” into a sinless paradise. Ransom discovers that the Biblical admonition to resist temptation may be a spiritual truth on Earth, but at this time on Venus it’s a real physical battle and he has been sent to fight it, both with words and fists.

C.S. Lewis, a lover of words and mythology, writes beautifully about the alien paradise of Venus and the possibility that what is myth in one world might be truth in another. He also has much to say about good and evil, sin and obedience, madness and sanity, loneliness and companionship, science and the supernatural, predestination and free will, the nature of God and man, and humanity’s purpose in the universe. Some readers will accuse Lewis of preachiness, I’m sure, and that’s something that usually annoys me, but though Ransom’s introspections go on a little too long, I found it impossible to resist the beauty, logic, and concision of his philosophizing.

I listened to Geoffrey Howard narrate Blackstone Audio’s version of Perelandra which is just under 8 hours long. Mr. Howard narrates rather than performs the story, which I think is suitable. I’ll certainly be listening to him read the concluding volume: That Hideous Strength. ...more

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Jun 15, 2013 Alex rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi

"In the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost, here goes--I mean, Amen!" --Dr. Ransom, before throwing a rock in Satan's face.

The second book in C.S. Lewis' "Space Trilogy" was overall better than the first. My one caveat for tackling this trilogy is to prepare yourself for some hardcore contemplation of Christianity and its relationship to outer space--it's definitely not for everyone, but I'm enjoying it. Perelandra sees Dr. Ransom traveling to Venus (which is actually called Perelan ...more

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Jan 31, 2014 Julie Davis rated it really liked it

Shelves: a-good-story-is-hard-to-find-podcas

Good Story 204. Julie and Scott were supposed to do whatever God asked on Perelandra, but they were distracted by apples and fixed lands. They are now waiting for a new assignment.

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Just as with Out of the Silent Planet, I found the beginning of the book fairly uninviting. However, also just as in that book, having the audio helped me past that to the point where I was amazed at C.S. Lewis's imagination in the world of Perelandra. Simply astounding. I am also caught up in the story for its ...more

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May 25, 2020 Hannah rated it really liked it

I debated 3 or 4 starts on this one. I hesitate to be critical of Lewis, but of the 3 books in Lewis's Space Trilogy, this is still the one I like least. It's an Adam-and-Eve-in-the-garden story, and I just don't love the whole premise. My husband, however, who teaches Milton's Paradise Lost (which I have still never read, for shame), loves this one for Lewis's nods to Milton and the imaginative portrayal of a world unstained by sin.

I respect the imagination that created this story and I can app ...more

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Feb 02, 2019 raffaela rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-19, books-for-b, inklings, present-age, sci-fi

I had a similar experience with this one as I did with Out of the Silent Planet, which is to say I really enjoyed it. It was definitely slower and more intense than the first book, and had a very different flavor, but still very good in its own right. There's more here than can be grasped on a first reading, and so I will definitely be revisiting this at some point.

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Apr 21, 2009 Kathryn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: reread-books, 2012, 2009, 2000

I re-read this book (the second book in the Space Trilogy) for at least the second time as the September selection for my Sci-Fi Fantasy Book Club (meeting on the evening of September 11, 2012). It seems that every time I read this book (which is much more theology and fantasy than it is science fiction) that I like it more.

The main character from Out of the Silent Planet, Dr. Elwin Ransom, returns once again in this book; he is sent to the planet Perelandra (Venus) by the Oyrasa of Malacandra ( ...more

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Mar 30, 2008 Alana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

When I was a senior in high school, I decided to do my author paper on C. S. Lewis and choose to specifically emphasize this book. Of the three books in the space trilogy, this one would be my favorite. I love how Lewis takes a look back at what the garden of Eden might have been like while still avoiding being allegorical. I love how he throws in huge theological truths in a more understandable story form. There are points where I would differ from him theologically, but that does little to det ...more

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Jan 19, 2016 Y.K. Willemse rated it it was amazing

Five stars for the world building alone. C. S. Lewis had incredible ability to put himself in a completely foreign situation. The plot was sterling too, with a stirring face off between good and evil.

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Sep 19, 2016 Hufflepuff Book Reviewer rated it liked it

Shelves: cs-lewis, sci-fi, biblical-retellings, retellings

Interesting tale, dampened for me by too much physical description.

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Nov 20, 2011 Trice rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, scifi-fantasy, 2011

Maybe it's the audio version or maybe it's the timing, but this time around - my 2nd through the book - there are some thoughts that are really connecting at every level, in particular the horror of the Unman and of the Fallen and the understanding of the joy and freedom found in obedience to the one true God.

The one thing that's bothered me so far is that in a couple places Lewis almost seems to imply that we shouldn't be pushing for greater scientific understanding, or for space exploration. T Maybe it's the audio version or maybe it's the timing, but this time around - my 2nd through the book - there are some thoughts that are really connecting at every level, in particular the horror of the Unman and of the Fallen and the understanding of the joy and freedom found in obedience to the one true God.

The one thing that's bothered me so far is that in a couple places Lewis almost seems to imply that we shouldn't be pushing for greater scientific understanding, or for space exploration. This bother is balanced I think by the fact that this seems tied to the foundation for his narrative - because of the way he has set things up for this story to take place it binds him to this perspective, whether or not he would have agreed with this in our reality. He's set up a close variation on reality to talk about the Really Real.

With this series I find I need to shift my mindset to get into the story as the narrative could feel really dry - it is in the style of a scientist relaying basic facts and observations, and I find I need to get inside the voice to see what is happening and to understand the depth of the characters.

I love the Lady; and I love how Lewis' narrative is a sympathetic eye-opener into what Eve may have suffered - we don't know the details of what happened in the Garden of Eden, but we can know from our own lives that temptation and the words of the Deceiver are never as simple or obvious as they might seem in a tale told to us. I love, too, Ransom's discussion of his own name, talking about etymology and coincidence and meaning and the difference between why/how something develops and why/how it is the way it is in the Now. And to read Ransom's decision-making process is to read of real spiritual struggle, which I find reassuring somehow. How often we rationalize away Truth that we've discovered or Need that we see or possible action that we could take.

One thing I found strange is that, for all Ransom seems very aware of spiritual forces on Thulkandra (Earth), he seems almost oblivious to their reality when he is on Perelandra. In some ways this was a good reminder for how we often rationalize away our own understanding of this as well, but it seemed inconsistent somehow.

I really wish I could have heard the Inklings' discussion of this one! My, what did Tolkien think of Ransom being a philologist???

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as a very minor, very peripheral note, rereading (/listening) to this now, I'm reminded of a special Babylon 5 episode that I saw 3-4 years ago - takes place a bunch of years after the events of the series - in which the commander of B5 (it's a woman, which I don't remember clearly from the end of the series, but anyway) gets help from a priest on the station to deal with a guy they have in the brig. It ends up (spoiler alert if you're going to go out and look for this) that he is possessed by the kind of being that was known as a demon on Earth. The confrontations were pretty impressive in a certain way, and she makes this dramatic tell-all speech to explain that they know what he is and understand that he and the others like him were cast down from the physical heavens and imprisoned on Earth by the older beings for some now unknown and horrible crime. Now I'm thinking it wouldn't surprise me if Michael Straczynski (or whoever wrote these follow-up episodes) was riffing off Lewis' Perelandra. ...more

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Oct 28, 2013 Kris rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: c-s-lewis-related, favorites, books-owned

Absolutely amazing, life-changing book. Full of beautiful descriptions in tightly packed prose, built to hold great philosophical questions, all inside of science-fiction. I really felt it deserved quiet, meditative surroundings in order for the reader to properly take in all the ideas. I often grew impatient and frustrated because I wanted to finish it in this sort of surrounding, but I could never have that while reading for college.

While I can see how some readers might feel bogged down with Absolutely amazing, life-changing book. Full of beautiful descriptions in tightly packed prose, built to hold great philosophical questions, all inside of science-fiction. I really felt it deserved quiet, meditative surroundings in order for the reader to properly take in all the ideas. I often grew impatient and frustrated because I wanted to finish it in this sort of surrounding, but I could never have that while reading for college.

While I can see how some readers might feel bogged down with the description, Lewis never failed to surprise me with his new ideas and brilliant approach to everyday conundrums. People have pointed out that the plot is weak, but I don't think it's supposed to be built around plot. The preface to this story is Ransom telling the character Lewis about his adventures, and I think it kept this tone throughout. There's obviously going to be down time during the plot, or chapters full of only thoughts, or long dragging conversations with no ending. That's life. But it's the critical approach to deep ontological/theological/naturalistic questions that kept me going. Ransom felt like an everyman character, because he is. The Lady seemed like an overtly innocent child who wanted to please her master, because she is. Weston as the Unman truly creeped me out, because I think Lewis wanted him to have that effect upon us.

The book has a setting that reflects its purpose: long rambling thoughts full of seemingly small questions, like the soft islands gently floating about in an always-changing sea; broad sweeps of description containing tiny bits of detail, like Weston plucking out words to twist them to his purpose while at the same time sweeping aside all else he sees fit. I don't know how else to describe this book, because I've literally (correct usage of the word) never read anything quite like it.

An eye-opening and awe-inspiring piece that definitely outdoes the previous book: Out of the Silent Planet, and I'm wondering how in the world he can top this with That Hideous Strength. Everyone should read this book, especially if you believe in Christianity. Especially if you love fantasy and myth. Especially if you love great questions. ...more

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Apr 21, 2012 booklady rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-on-books, crime, literature, romance, adventure, classic, autobiography, fantasy, mythology, fiction

C.S. Lewis was a ‘contexualist’, that is, he very much saw, put and took things in their given context. As such, to properly appreciate the second of his Space Trilogy, Perelandra, it’s important to set the novel within the time period in which it first came to be.

Perelandra was published in 1943 when England had been at war for 4 long years and still had 2 more ahead of her, not to mention years of recovery after that. ‘A Voyage to Venus’ – as it is sometimes subtitled – was designed for a ver ...more

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Nov 30, 2015 johanna rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-worlds-and-creatures, christianity, mum-owns-it, british-lit, old-scifi

brain feels stretched

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Feb 05, 2018 Angela Blount rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-i-own, sci-fi, classics, faith

A classic piece of speculative science fiction, drawn with a deep theological bent.

"...and it will seem to you the master movement. And the seeming will be true. Let no mouth open to gainsay it. There seems no plan because it is all plan: there seems no center because it is all center."

Lewis strikes a balance between continuation and stand-alone in this, the second book in his space trilogy. Unlike the first book, Out of the Silent Planet, he doesn’t pay tribute to the style of H. G. Wells--an ...more

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Dec 03, 2014 Jenny rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, reread, read-with-dad

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. While in the midst of reading this, I gave in to one of my new favorite GR pastimes and read two-star reviews of this book. People criticized Lewis's Christian themes, his allegorical usage of Adam and Eve, his lack of dialogue, over-reliance on description rather than on action, and the decision to avoid sin by committing sin (i.e., avoiding a Fall by committing murder). And it bothers me, even though it shouldn't, because EVERYONE knows that Lewis was a Christian, that his books are Christian While in the midst of reading this, I gave in to one of my new favorite GR pastimes and read two-star reviews of this book. People criticized Lewis's Christian themes, his allegorical usage of Adam and Eve, his lack of dialogue, over-reliance on description rather than on action, and the decision to avoid sin by committing sin (i.e., avoiding a Fall by committing murder). And it bothers me, even though it shouldn't, because EVERYONE knows that Lewis was a Christian, that his books are Christian themed, that even when they're not Christian, they are, so if you're decidedly anti-Christian, he is not an author that you should willingly read. Lewis explicitly states that his characters are not allegorical. They're referred to in the book as Perelandrian versions of Adam and Eve. When have allegorical characters ever been described as allegorical? I thought the point of allegory was to cover meanings with seemingly unrelated events and characters. So, not only did Lewis say that his characters aren't allegories, but he also wrote in the novel that the Lady and the King were the first man and woman of Venus just as Adam and Eve were the first man and woman on Earth, which would make for terrible allegory. Yes, there wasn't much dialogue, and there were a lot of descriptions, but there also are extremely important dialogic scenes and intense action. Now, Ransom does know that he has to commit murder in order to free the Lady from temptation, but he's killing a body that has already been claimed and taken over by the enemy. He's not killing Weston, and he's not killing the enemy. He's destroying a body that was being used to bring sin into a PreLapsarian world to avoid another Fall.
Okay, now that that's done...
I really enjoyed this book. I am a Christian, and I appreciate Lewis's musings on spirituality and his descriptions of the universe as being a uni-verse (as Madeleine L'Engle wrote), everything connected, nothing the center because God is always the center and connects us all. We're all important because we all come from Him, and nothing separates anyone from Him unless they choose to separate themselves. I also like the plot itself, the concept, the character of Ransom, and his internal conflicts listening to the enemy and trying to remain convinced of what he believes in and firm in his faith. I like that Lewis tries to rebuff and counter modern notions of science. He grapples with the uncertainty principle, the idea of entropy, the practice of reducing everything to mathematical principles in order to explain away the "need" for God. He even talks about Super String and M Theory before they even existed, seeing that the universe consists of ribbons/cords and talking of "dimension added to dimension"! He mentions World War II and its universal implications. He connects the actions of his book to contemporary ideas and problems. He confronts the possibility of questioning one's faith while ultimately remaining convinced of what you believe from the beginning.
The book as a work of fiction is not the best. It's well-written, of course, but it does move slowly. But as a work not classifiable (like Tolstoy writes of his own War and Peace--it's not history, it's not fiction, it's not philosophy--it's a book called War and Peace), including fiction, truth, spirituality, and philosophy (in every sense of the word--the love of study, of knowledge, of the deepest things), it's excellent. Lewis writes beautifully and tells a story.
I highly recommend this book to Christians or to readers who don't mind Christian imagery and ideas, who won't criticize a Christian writer for being a Christian writer. It is science fiction in some senses, but it's less about space travel than it is about Lewis's conception of the universe as a whole and his understanding of Life, Light, and Truth.
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I have all the same feelings upon this reread as I did upon reading it the first time. It is too long and does drag, but the story and the ending are excellent for me, and I enjoyed reading it a second time, this time with my dad. My dad liked this book better than Book One--he said the story was better.
So, on to a reread of Book Three, this time with my dad as well.
Oh, side note, don't read an emotional book out loud to someone else. The truths that Lewis discusses in this book were threatening to bring tears to my eyes, but I really didn't want to cry in front of my dad! He would make fun of me, just like he teased me for ~~bawling silently~~ demurely hiding my tears during Fantine's famous song sung by Anne Hatheway in Les Miserables. ...more

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Oct 18, 2009 Amy rated it liked it

Shelves: c-s-lewis

It was good and gave me a lot to think about, you can tell its by the same author as Narnia :D

Perfection is not an easy thing to grasp hold of. The very notion of good seems completely unfathomable, much less flawlessness. What might the world have been like before sin? What would it be like to think and live in absolute innocence?
C.S. Lewis takes a stab at these questions and more in his fascinating sequel to “Out of the Silent Planet” and second book in the “Space Trilogy”, with “Perelandra It was good and gave me a lot to think about, you can tell its by the same author as Narnia :D

Perfection is not an easy thing to grasp hold of. The very notion of good seems completely unfathomable, much less flawlessness. What might the world have been like before sin? What would it be like to think and live in absolute innocence?
C.S. Lewis takes a stab at these questions and more in his fascinating sequel to “Out of the Silent Planet” and second book in the “Space Trilogy”, with “Perelandra”.
Protagonist Edwin Ransom is back, a little grayer in the beard and wiser in space travel from his last experience as an unwitting voyager to Malacandra years earlier. When the Oyarsa of Malacandra comes with orders that he is to help protect Perelandra (Venus) from the Bent-Oyarsa of Thulcandra (Earth), he willingly agrees. He soon finds himself in the midst of an “oceanic paradise”, a planet entirely of ocean, floating islands, and strange animals; completely without sin. The only two inhabitants of it is a green-skinned woman, Tinidril, Queen and future Mother of all (like our Eve) and her husband, Tor, the King (like our Adam). Though Tinidril, or the Green Lady, features frequently in the story, Tor doesn’t make an appearance until the end. It is Tinidril who comes upon Ransom after he has arrived; a woman completely sinless and pure who talks with Maleldil. They are soon joined by Ransom’s old antagonist, Weston, though a much more demon possessed version. A battle for good and evil soon begins, as Weston, in his new demonic-self, works to convince the woman to disobey Maleldil and stay a night on the ‘fixed lands’, the one thing forbidden. In a race to prevent sin from entering Perelandra, Ransom must deal with resisting temptation and fighting blatant evil with truth.
To be honest, I found several things quite awkward, especially the fact that no one on Perelandra wears any sort of clothing (including Ransom). The book is incredibly visual, encouraging you to observe and imagine which leaves the visualization of naked people way to noticeable. Though Lewis makes a point of explaining Ransom never even thinks of lusting or seducing his companion, I know I’m not the only one who found it incredibly uncomfortable.
Perelandra is a beautiful planet, but the writing has a tendency to get overly descriptive and tedious, losing you in a mouthful of adjectives. The plot also has a tendency to not go anywhere, dragging scenes out even after they’ve made their point. I also found the Green Lady frequently difficult, flat and lacking in much depth. Her bland innocence, especially during the debates and near the end, loses her initial appeal.
One thing I did really like was the description of growing older and wiser. While trying to explain to Ransom how she is ‘much older’ today as opposed to yesterday, Tinidril says, “It is very strange to say one is young at the moment one is speaking. But to-morrow I shall be older. And then I shall say I was young today…this looking backwards and forwards along the line and seeing how a day has one appearance as it comes to you, and another when you are in it, and a third when it has gone past. Like the waves…But waves do not always come at an equal distance.”
Published not long after “A Preface to Paradise Lost”, many critics like to point out the similarity between the famous poem and Perelandra in topics, many themes include the nature of sinless personality, Satan’s dreariness, and the resisting of temptation. It is also fascinating to note that Lewis based Ransom after his great friend J. R.R. Tolkien!
Though this is arguably not one of his best works, few authors can bring as much satisfaction and good sense into a book as C.S. Lewis. Though lacking finesse and frequently tedious, it is a truly fascinating and stunning book. His willingness to approach the ideas and explore Genesis chapter 2 in a whole new way, creates a refreshing and surprising experience. In the end, I have to say I really liked it. It’s a very certain sort of book, the kind of story that makes you think but leaves you much better off in the end because of it. I certainly didn’t agree with everything he said, but I enjoyed reading it and strongly recommend it.
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About C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge ...more

Other books in the series

The Space Trilogy (3 books)

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The Chronicles of Narnia (Chronicles of Narnia, #1-7)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia, #3)

The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia, #6)

Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia, #2)

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Quotes from Perelandra

“Whatever you do, He will make good of it. But not the good He had prepared for you if you had obeyed him.” — 219 likes

“The world is so much larger than I thought. I thought we went along paths--but it seems there are no paths. The going itself is the path.” — 64 likes

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