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That Hideous Strength

(The Space Trilogy #3)

C.S. Lewis

3.89 · Rating details · 35,926 ratings · 2,140 reviews

The third novel in the science-fiction trilogy by C.S. Lewis. This final story is set on Earth, and tells of a terrifying conspiracy against humanity.

The story surrounds Mark and Jane Studdock, a newly married couple. Mark is a Sociologist who is enticed to join an organisation called N.I.C.E. which aims to control all human life. His wife, meanwhile, has bizarre prophetic ...more

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Paperback, 534 pages

Published December 5th 2005 by HarperCollins Publishers (first published December 1945)

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Feb 21, 2009 Douglas Wilson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction

Stupendous. Just great, and also read in January of 1990. Also read in May of 2009. Also read in June of 1985. Also read in July of 1980. Finished it again on an Audible version in August of 2015. And yet again in Audible in September of 2016. And one more time on Audible in July of 2017.

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May 17, 2007 Mandy Stigant rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites, fiction, scifi-fantasy

I finished it while 30,000 feet in the air. It was a night-time flight, and after I finished the last page i set it down, turned to look out the window and while my mind wandered and mulled on what i had just experienced with the book, I saw that we were skirting to the side of a storm. The lightning was bouncing from cloud to cloud and it wasn't unlike my thoughts and the way my heart felt; I was elated, and I couldn't think of anywhere I'd rather be when I finished that book -- short of outsid ...more

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Dec 22, 2021 Cindy Rollins rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reread, 2021

Read this with my Patreon this time around and continue to love this book. I will keep reading it until I am grown up enough to understand it all. Then I will go to Heaven and talk to Lewis about it.

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Jan 27, 2010 Stephen rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook, 1930-1953, science-fantasy

FIRST: A complaint from a member of my reading group who read the book ONLY because of the very cool bear on the cover:

In defense of Mr. Angry Bear, I must agree that while the giant, kick-ass bear on the cover may not be exactly false advertising, it is certainly in the category of misleading...similar to beer commercials telling you "drink this beer and hot people will be all over you” when the reality is closer to “drink enough of our beer and you will think the people all over you are r ...more

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Apr 22, 2010 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it did not like it

Shelves: libertarian, spirituality, novels, fantasy, fiction, ebooks, science-fiction

I have a love/hate relationship with C.S. Lewis. There's a lot I admire in his writing but enough I deplore in his worldview that even though I keep being drawn to his works, I can't call him a favorite. I mostly loved The Screwtape Letters and Narnia, which I read as an adult, adored Till We Have Faces (my favorite Lewis work), was moved by his book A Grief Observed and found Mere Christianity and the first two books in the Space Trilogy interesting. There was only one book by him until this on ...more

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Jul 18, 2021 Lee (the Book Butcher) rated it did not like it

the final installment of C.S Lewis' Christian sci-fi trilogy. This is one of the biggest flops of a trilogy i can remember. After out of the silent planet i was determined to finish the trilogy even if all signs pointed towards it finishing badly.

Out of the silent planet was such a promising start. Set on mars Lewis adds in Christian theology and sets the stage for an epic battle of good and evil. Perelandra was basically a retelling of Adam and Eve. In That hideous Strength Lewis takes us back the final installment of C.S Lewis' Christian sci-fi trilogy. This is one of the biggest flops of a trilogy i can remember. After out of the silent planet i was determined to finish the trilogy even if all signs pointed towards it finishing badly.

Out of the silent planet was such a promising start. Set on mars Lewis adds in Christian theology and sets the stage for an epic battle of good and evil. Perelandra was basically a retelling of Adam and Eve. In That hideous Strength Lewis takes us back to earth which let me be clear is a mistake on a grand magnitude. C.S Lewis appeal is his ability to create imaginative worlds. I will make a rule to never read works by him based on earth, that's of course if i ever read any of his works other than a Narnian reread again. First problem is his patented descriptive narrative style. that has teachers spouting the mantra "Show don't tell"! Second is it's almost related entirely in 1 on 1 philosophical debate. that right they sit around a talk ALOT, like all the time. all the interesting stuff happened off screen as it were. So there is interesting things happing but the reader only hears about it by the planning or discussing how they feel about it. That hideous strength is a big commentary on what at the time was modern marriage. The modern couple is Jane and Mark Studdock and they find themselves on different side of the battle of good and evil. The plot is basically a Nazi like party arises in England. but the group is not content with secular power and thing get weird. they are looking for merlin..... yeah merlin and Dr. Ransom is named the pendragon. The celestial powers are invoked and ends with Venus causing a animal orgy and our married couple reconnect. Its start out very secular then pseudo spiritual than all mysticism. If that sounds confusing it was. to make it worse Lewis' message is loss in a lot of pointless talk. leaving me (a average reader) sketchy on the beliefs he was tiring to convey. Which makes it a ultimate failure!

Never have I read a book that had so much going on and was still boring as shit! I would not recommend this to anyone. Happy to be done with it TBH. ...more

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Jul 18, 2007 Fr.Bill M rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-for-fun, fiction-apologetica-polemical

This is Lewis' best treatment of sex, and probably the best treatment of sex by anyone, cast in the form of a novel. It is sooooooooo retro on the modern scene that it will either shock or outrage most folks who read it for the first time in the modern context.

It is also some of the funniest stuff i've ever read in my life. Only a few paragraphs into a scene near the end of the book, which draws on the goings on at Babel, when the languages were confused -- well, it set off a laughing fit that l ...more

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May 28, 2009 John rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I've read "That Hideous Strength" several times, and it always has been my favorite of C.S. Lewis' space trilogy. But this time through, it captivated me in a way that it never has before. Only C.S. Lewis, with his combination of brilliance, scholarly knowledge, writing ability, wit and Christian world view, could have written this book.
It is Lewis' most satirical book, even more so than "Screwtape Letters." It is probably his most sophisticated fiction work with the exception of "Till We Have F I've read "That Hideous Strength" several times, and it always has been my favorite of C.S. Lewis' space trilogy. But this time through, it captivated me in a way that it never has before. Only C.S. Lewis, with his combination of brilliance, scholarly knowledge, writing ability, wit and Christian world view, could have written this book.
It is Lewis' most satirical book, even more so than "Screwtape Letters." It is probably his most sophisticated fiction work with the exception of "Till We Have Faces."
As he tells us in a brief author's note, this is the fictional complement to Lewis' "The Abolition of Man," which is a critique of the British educational system. This sounds like a deadly subject for fiction, but it isn't in Lewis' skillful hands. And although this book was written in the 1940s in England, the themes remain on target in the United States today.
It is helpful, but not necessary, to have read the first two books of the trilogy before reading "That Hideous Strength." The central character of those books, Ransom, plays a major role here as well. But the central characters in "Hideous" are a young, not-very-happily married couple, Mark and Jane Studdock.
In the battle between good and evil that occupies this book, Mark is drawn in to the side of evil, Jane to the side of good. "Drawn in" is the phrase -- neither makes a conscious decision or realizes that good and evil are involved until late in the book. I think Mark represents the young C.S. Lewis. And I think "Bill the Blizzard" Hingest, a character who disappears early in the book, represents the mature C.S. Lewis in this dialogue with Mark:
"I suppose there are two views about everything," said Mark.
"Eh? Two views? There are a dozen views about everything until you know the answer. Then there's never more than one."
The legend of King Arthur plays a significant role in "That Hideous Strength."
The subject matter of "That Hideous Strength" is grim, and even gruesome at times. Needed comic relief is provided by Mr. Bultitude. I won't say anything more about him, because if I did it would ruin it for you. ...more

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Feb 14, 2014 ladydusk rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, kindle

I read this on Kindle.

I really enjoyed this book. There was so much that Lewis had to say and show.

The evil was really evil, and the layers were peeled back slowly, slowly to the final climax. The evil is so evil it doesn't seem possible to defeat.

The good was really good. Waiting, abiding, sojourning, trusting God. That's generally a good plan.

I love, love, love that Lewis solves SciFi problems grounded in history. In Out of the Silent Planet he used Classical Astronomy. Here we see historical ...more

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Jun 11, 2014 Julie Davis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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

Good Story 206. Julie and Scott are appalled to find that N.I.C.E. bought the lot next door.

===========
As with the other two books in C.S. Lewis's "space trilogy" I found this one difficult to get into and, yet, once I got past the indefinable point where it was no longer a struggle, I couldn't read it fast enough. Consequently this was a 24-hour book for me. It is a testament to Lewis's imagination and writing skill as to how different all three of the books are in this trilogy, while simultane ...more

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Mar 10, 2007 Alicia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I wrote my college essay on this book as it had the most profound influeI wrote my college essay on this book as it had the most profound influence on me in my teenage years. But that's not to say that it's a book aimed at young people. C.S. Lewis is known as a Christian writer and it's true that there are elements of Christianity in this book, as well as some very conservative ideas about women, I might add! But that's not what the book is really about. The hideous strength that Lewis writes ab ...more

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Aug 21, 2017 Sharon Barrow Wilfong rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

When I first read That Hideous Strength, it was my least favorite of Lewis' Science Fiction trilogy. Now I believe it is my favorite.

Evil forces have gathered for a showdown on Earth. We have seen some of this in the first two books but now the "bent" Eldil and their minions are showing their hand in hopes of destroying Earth.

It is insightful to see how much the evil Eldil hate mankind, because, of course, they hate mankind's Maker.

They are a pragmatic sort, however, and tell whatever lies, powe ...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Kat Hooper rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook

Originally posted at FanLit. Come visit us!
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

"Nature is the ladder we have climbed up by. Now we kick her away."

That Hideous Strength is the final volume of C.S. Lewis’s SPACE TRILOGY. This story, which could be categorized as science fiction, dystopian fiction, Arthurian legend, and Christian allegory, is different enough from the previous books, Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, that you don’t need to have read them, but it may help to vaguely famil Originally posted at FanLit. Come visit us!
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

"Nature is the ladder we have climbed up by. Now we kick her away."

That Hideous Strength is the final volume of C.S. Lewis’s SPACE TRILOGY. This story, which could be categorized as science fiction, dystopian fiction, Arthurian legend, and Christian allegory, is different enough from the previous books, Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, that you don’t need to have read them, but it may help to vaguely familiarize yourself with their plots. Generally, in the previous stories, Dr. Elwin Ransom has been to both Mars and Venus and discovered that the planets are governed by heavenly beings and that Earth’s governor is a fallen angel. These forces are at war and the fate of the universe is at stake.

In That Hideous Strength, Ransom is back on Earth and is preparing a group of people who can fight the forces of evil. This evil is manifesting as a corporation called the National Institute of Coordinated Experimentation (N.I.C.E.) which is trying to purchase some wooded property owned by Bracton College at the University of Edgestow in England. To do this, they’ve had to exert their influence over some of the “progressive” faculty by getting them to buy into their subtle message of saving the human race through (but not obviously yet) sterilization, selective breeding, re-education, and biochemical conditioning. The end-goal, though they only talk about this in the inner circle, is a future in which the working class is no longer needed to support the brains that run the world. NICE wants the talents of the progressive faculty on their side as they generate propaganda, but they also want to recruit some more ancient magic — they plan to dig up the body of Merlin, which they believe may be buried on the college’s property.

Dr. Mark Studdock, a sociologist and a new Bracton faculty member who doesn’t feel like he quite fits in yet, is tempted to join NICE when they offer him a high-status job. At first Mark is suspicious of the group and their recruitment methods and he’s bothered by the vague job description, but their insistence that they need him, their appeal to his vanity, and his low self esteem combine to make their offer seem attractive. Having left Bracton to join the NICE administration, Mark is unaware of the police tactics that NICE is using to make the college town comply with their new order. Meanwhile, also back at Bracton, Mark’s new wife, Jane, is having ominous visions. Thinking she may be going crazy, she seeks help and ends up among the group, lead by Dr. Ransom, which is fighting NICE.

One thing that C.S. Lewis does so well in this novel is to portray the slippery slope of Mark’s gradual slide into evil which is caused by a lack of his own moral compass. Though he doesn’t realize it at first, he is foremost a people-pleaser. He wants to increase his status in the eyes of both his colleagues and his wife, and though he’s not actually concerned about his character for himself, he wants others to admire him. Wanting to seem both successful (financially and professionally) and of good character, and without any moral grounding of his own, he has no idea how to behave in this situation and eventually succumbs to the pressure. When he becomes better acquainted with NICE’s tactics and plans, the cognitive dissonance he feels leads him to wholly embrace the evil. It doesn’t help that Mark discovers that even when he tries to be good, there is no natural law that the universe must reward him for it.

In contrast, characters who have a stronger sense of self, like Jane, have more concrete ideas about right and wrong and are not as easily influenced or corrupted. Yet Lewis doesn’t condemn Mark while wholly commending Jane. Instead, Mark’s inferiority complex seems heartbreaking, and Lewis makes Jane, an educated feminist, deal with her hatred of masculinity. Other good characters are forced to examine their own self-righteousness.

Another thing that is beautifully done in That Hideous Strength is Lewis’ melding of the ancient and new, especially in England’s history — the dark ages with its ancient forest magic, mythical creatures, and irrational superstition, and the new age of rationalism, science and technology. Lewis also speaks eloquently about the difference between organized religion and real spiritual experience. There are also some lovely literary allusions in That Hideous Strength; no fantasy literature lover is likely to miss Lewis’ reference to the work of his friend J.R.R. Tolkien.

That Hideous Strength is a deeply philosophical novel which, except for the mention of corsets, doesn’t feel dated though it was published in 1945. Some readers may not appreciate all the philosophizing, but I am always fascinated by C.S. Lewis’ ideas, finding them logical, enlightening, and superbly said. Some of these ideas can be found in his non-fiction works The Abolition of Man, Mere Christianity, God in the Dock, and probably others that I haven’t read. That Hideous Strength — in fact the entire SPACE TRILOGY — is a profoundly thoughtful and beautiful work of science fiction. I recommend Blackstone Audio’s version narrated by Geoffrey Howard. ...more

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Jul 28, 2013 Jacob Aitken rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, education, philosophy, apologetics, economics, alternative-research, beauty, heroism, fighting-the-new-world-order, illuminati

Easily Lewis's best work. This should be on the front shelves at every Christian book store. Lewis frighteningly predicted the rise of the scientific, planning state. For those who laugh at "conspiracies" of the New World Order, read this book and tell me I am wrong. Try it.

…..

…..

(Still here)

But unlike other books on the New World Order, Lewis advocates (or at least Dr Ransom does), fighting back. And not just fighting back with abstract ideas, but also with revolvers.

Lots of memorable moments: ...more

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May 25, 2020 Hannah rated it it was amazing

If you read only one book in the Space Trilogy, make it this one. In this one, the "space" travel involves eldils (angels) descending to earth, rather than men traveling to the heavens. It's a high-suspense story (borderline horror, at times) that slowly reveals the evil behind the sterile world of secular scientists and academics pursuing a "a better human race". It's also Lewis at his best in terms of showcasing his grasp of human nature, uncovering the pettiness and self-deception behind the ...more

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Sep 23, 2020 Jerry rated it really liked it · review of another edition

What a crazy, mind-bending story! I haven't encountered such a complicated account since I saw Christopher Nolan's Inception! I may have to read this one again! ...more

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Mar 18, 2019 booklady added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, adventure, classic, fantasy, worth-reading-over-and-over, mythology, favorites, fiction, youth, literature

May 1, 2019: Finished this last night. Listened to the first half and read the the second and I really needed to read it too, slowly, very slowly. I went back and reread passages over and over, thinking to myself, I should just quit and go back to Out of the Silent Planet or Perelandra. There is so much of both I do not remember. But then another voice in my head said, just go ahead and finish this and reread the whole trilogy from the beginning which is what I am going to do. Or listen to it, w ...more

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

The reader who comes to “That Hideous Strength” for the first time after reading “Out of the Silent Planet” and “Perelandra” could be excused for wondering how it fits in with the rest of the Space Trilogy. It bears little resemblance to its companion volumes. There is no journey through space, no exploration of strange, beautiful worlds, and no alien races. Dr. Ransom, far from being the central character, is absent from the first third of the book, Lewis makes no appearance at all, and nowhere ...more

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Nov 25, 2015 Jake McAtee rated it it was amazing

Better than I remembered.

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Jul 16, 2020 Wreade1872 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 1940s, science-fiction, dystopian, supernatural

"...and great words like castles came out of his mouth."

There were several times i came near deducting marks here. The main characters didn't really do anything in the story. There's a big exposition dump in the epilogue which feels like it should have been in the prologue. Half of it is hilarious and i don't think its meant to be and then there's the female question which we'll get to.

Nevertheless, this is some of the best writing i've seen from Lewis. Filled with memorable characters and gre ...more

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Nov 23, 2017 ValeReads Kyriosity rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

June 2021 — I think I need to give this a break for a few years (I hope it won't be more than a few more years) till it's not so very, very current-eventsy. I find it very oppressive at places.

Oh, and I wanted to flag this great little sentence: "MacPhee, who had been carefully shutting up the snuff-box, suddenly looked up with a hundred Covenanters in his eyes."

* * * * *

July 2020 — A few things that stood out this time through:

1) I love the little touches of history Lewis gives to the college ...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Jacob Aitken added it · review of another edition

This is easily human literature's finest hour. CS Lewis, in what is easily his masterpiece, gets in one's face about the reality of the New World Order and of the possibilities of real, effective Christian resistance to it.

But the true evil is not democracy. It is diabolical, to be sure, and monarchy is definitely to be preferred, but the true battle takes place on "the unseen world."

Lewis puts "spiritual warfare" in a rather direct, most uncomfortable light. Christians piously prat about spir ...more

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May 02, 2020 Cori rated it it was ok

Shelves: audible-listens, faith, sci-fi

Yay! And with that, I've reached my goal for 2020 in regards to number of books read. But I've only just started my actual goal which is to read through all of C.S. Lewis's published works. I think I'm about a quarter of the way through that part of my goal.

Anyways, this book. I can honestly say this is the first C.S. Lewis book after which hitting about 2/3 of the way in, I really wished I didn't have to read.

I greatly appreciate the concepts and sheer brilliance behind his writing here. The ...more

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Sep 13, 2016 Laura rated it liked it · review of another edition

I read this the way I've read almost all of C.S. Lewis' writing: first, by sheer determination even though it makes only a little sense to me; then re-reading a second time with appreciation. I almost always start his books, admire his ideas but realize I'm pretty puzzled by most of it, and then go back and re-read the book and realize how brilliant it really is.

Even though it is the last book in his trilogy, as a non-fantasy reader I think I should have started here. This is the least fantastic I read this the way I've read almost all of C.S. Lewis' writing: first, by sheer determination even though it makes only a little sense to me; then re-reading a second time with appreciation. I almost always start his books, admire his ideas but realize I'm pretty puzzled by most of it, and then go back and re-read the book and realize how brilliant it really is.

Even though it is the last book in his trilogy, as a non-fantasy reader I think I should have started here. This is the least fantastic book of the trilogy and contains the most recognizable setting (a modern university full of intellectuals who value objectivity, embrace materialism, and worship science) and features the most relatable characters (like Jane! Finally a girl I can relate to!)

Set in a fictional British university, we first meet Mark Studdock--a young professor trying to climb the ranks of academia not by his knowledge or skill, but by getting chummy with the 'in' crowd. Unbeknownst to him, the in-crowd has recently aligned themselves with an organization called N.I.C.E., an acronym which disguises their real intentions to apply science to all social problems and to sterilize the planet and re-educate people in order to promote the all-powerful human above the disorder of nature. Meanwhile, his wife has been experiencing--rather against her will--prophetic dreams that lead her towards a group of people who are opposed to N.I.C.E. and all that it stands for. Mark and Jane clearly symbolize the objective approach and the subjective approach, and their marriage represents the necessary unity between these two approaches that makes us human. I'm not going to pretend I got all the symbolism in this book (that is something I'd love to keep discussing with other fans of Lewis' work!) but I did recognize the way this story fleshes out ideas found in The Abolition of Man. I doubt anyone could fully appreciate this novel without at least some knowledge of Lewis' argument in The Abolition of Man and his essay on the Inner Ring http://www.lewissociety.org/innerring.php though I do think the story stands on its own merits. I'm sure there is hardly a thesis about this book that hasn't already been written, but this book begs to have an essay or two written about it.

Using my Lewis formula (read, then re-read), I think I ought to go back and re-read the whole trilogy again so I can experience the brilliance. It's a good thing all of his works deserve a second reading anyhow.

(Why 3 stars? I've decided the stars are there for me, to determine how much I enjoyed a book, not to reflect how brilliant the book actually is. Purely subjective. Hence, a three.) ...more

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Jul 26, 2020 M Brady rated it really liked it

I’m disappointed in the lack of actual “space” in this final installment of the “space trilogy”, and found the long stretches about Merlin to be mostly totally unnecessary nonsense. Too much Latin monologging, etc, and not enough likable characters in general (although Ransom is actually a lot richer and more likable than he was in the previous books).

HOWEVER—I enjoyed many of the “philosophical discussions”, and thought that the VILLAINS (of which there are many) had incredibly rich, varied, a ...more

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Jul 25, 2017 Mike Fendrich rated it it was amazing

This is probably my 3rd or 4th time reading this book. If Lewis understood anything, he understood the arid desert of modernity and its absolutely crippling effect on what it means to be human (among many, many, many!! other things). The most fascinating theme of the book is the opening of Mark and Jane Studdock's eyes to a life beyond abstraction and "complete objectivity", (reason alone). Can't recommend it highly enough. ...more

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Nov 12, 2008 J. Wootton rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: best-of

Easily the best of the Ransom Trilogy; a masterwork. Can also be read as a stand-alone novel. I recommend you preface it with The Abolition of Man.

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Oct 23, 2009 Brandy Painter rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, favorites

Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant! How many times can I use that word or one of its synonyms in describing anything written by C.S. Lewis? Not enough. This book, the third in the Space Trilogy, is the best of the three.

That Hideous Strength deals with a Britain on the verge of dystopia. An organization known as the N.I.C.E. is moving to take over the nation and its strength will usher in the hideousness referred to in the title. Like in most dystopian novels there is a small group of individuals w ...more

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Jul 25, 2007 Emilia P rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: everybody and their mom

Shelves: real-books, churrrch

That Hideous Strength is the final book in the C.S. Lewis's Ransom trilogy. The first two books find Ransom on Mars and then Venus, exploring their flora and fauna,meeting their inhabitants and speaking with their eldils, which are somewhere between the planets spiritual essence and its guardian angel..while we discover how (the Christian) God works on other planets.

This third book finds Ransom back on earth, preparing for an interplanetary response to the threat of apocalypse, which is about to ...more

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Mar 24, 2018 Carol Bakker rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: cs-lewis, onmyshelf, christian, fairy-tale, england, scifi, 2018

You have done what was required of you. You have obeyed and waited. It will often happen like that.

It took me a hundred pages to connect. And I don't love it like my friend who told me today she reads it once a year. I often debate myself (in the midst of reading a book). Is this a 4 star or 5 star book? I was convinced it was a 4 star book ... but after I finished it, I believe it deserves 5 stars.

That Hideous Strength made me think of a plenitude of other works: Jeeves and Wooster; Harry Pott ...more

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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)

Books by C.S. Lewis

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)

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 That Hideous Stre...

“There are a dozen views about everything until you know the answer. Then there's never more than one.” — 166 likes

“Don't you like a rather foggy a in a wood in autumn? You'll find we shall be perfectly warm sitting in the car."
Jane said she'd never heard of anyone liking fogs before but she didn't mind trying. All three got in.
"That's why Camilla and I got married, "said Denniston as they drove off. "We both like Weather. Not this or that kind of weather, but just Weather. It's a useful taste if one lives in England."
"How ever did you learn to do that, Mr. Denniston?" said Jane. "I don't think I should ever learn to like rain and snow."
"It's the other way round," said Denniston. "Everyone begins as a child by liking Weather. You learn the art of disliking it as you grow up. Noticed it on a snowy day? The grown-ups are all going about with long faces, but look at the children - and the dogs? They know what snow's made for."
"I'm sure I hated wet days as a child," said Jane.
"That's because the grown-ups kept you in," said Camilla. "Any child loves rain if it's allowed to go out and paddle about in it.” — 70 likes

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