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The Space Trilogy #2
Perelandra
When Perelandra first appeared--it is now, by popular demand, being once more made available in hard cover--Leonard Bacon wrote in The Saturday Review of Literature: "Mr. Lewis is beyond question one of the most exciting and satisfactory writers who has come to the surface out of the maelstrom of these turbulent times. That he should have done so is not to be wondered at. he has a powerful, discriminating, and, in the proper sense of the word, poetic mind, great learning, startling wit, and overwhelming imagination, a charming and disarming naiveté, and the capacity to express himself best described by saying: 'He can write.'"
All of these splendid endowments of the author are fully displayed in Perelandra, the second, but self-contained, volume in the celebrated trilogy of the interplanetary adventures of Dr. Ransom. Perelandra (the planet Venus) has as its first two human inhabitants the King and the Lady. evil, in the form of an earthly professor of physics, Dr. Weston, invades Perelandra. He is snakily intent on tempting the Lady in this new Paradise, but he faces in Dr. Ransom, a Cambridge philologist in Perelandra on his second interplanetary trip, a very powerful adversary. The Lady's difficult choice between ascending to perfection or following an older world to corruption is the nucleus of the suspenseful plot.
All of these splendid endowments of the author are fully displayed in Perelandra, the second, but self-contained, volume in the celebrated trilogy of the interplanetary adventures of Dr. Ransom. Perelandra (the planet Venus) has as its first two human inhabitants the King and the Lady. evil, in the form of an earthly professor of physics, Dr. Weston, invades Perelandra. He is snakily intent on tempting the Lady in this new Paradise, but he faces in Dr. Ransom, a Cambridge philologist in Perelandra on his second interplanetary trip, a very powerful adversary. The Lady's difficult choice between ascending to perfection or following an older world to corruption is the nucleus of the suspenseful plot.
222 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1943
2276 people are currently reading
27589 people want to read
About the author
C.S. Lewis
1,298 books46.7k followersLibrarian 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 University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.
Lewis was married to poet Joy Davidman.
W.H. Lewis was his elder brother]
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 University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.
Lewis was married to poet Joy Davidman.
W.H. Lewis was his elder brother]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,232 reviews
March 25, 2009
"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 effective way to prevent Original Sin."
"Hmf. That's as may be. You'll need to see Q before being mysteriously transported through the aether."
"I look forward to finding out what he's cooked up this time. Please give my regards to Moneypenny."
"I will. And James?"
"Yes?"
"Good luck."
Anyway, that's how I'd have done it. But C.S. Lewis had his own ideas.
"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 effective way to prevent Original Sin."
"Hmf. That's as may be. You'll need to see Q before being mysteriously transported through the aether."
"I look forward to finding out what he's cooked up this time. Please give my regards to Moneypenny."
"I will. And James?"
"Yes?"
"Good luck."
Anyway, that's how I'd have done it. But C.S. Lewis had his own ideas.
February 26, 2011
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 the last book of the trilogy That Hideous Strength. One final note, I listened to the audio version of this story read by Geoffrey Howard and I thought he did s SUPERB job with the narration. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
I was deeply impressed by this story and now look forward to reading the last book of the trilogy That Hideous Strength. One final note, I listened to the audio version of this story read by Geoffrey Howard and I thought he did s SUPERB job with the narration. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
May 27, 2021
Perelandra the second in C.S Lewis' space trilogy is mostly Christian theology in sci-fi guise. After breaking the fourth wall in out of the silent planet. Lewis sends his "IRL" friend Dr. Ransom (fake name) to Venus to battle evil on behalf of all that is good. that's the interesting hook.
But soon you will realize that it's just a retailing of the garden of Eden and want to spit the hook. I stuck with it because i am apparently a masochist and determined to finish the series like i was the Narnia series knowing some entries and parts will be overly Christian and repetitive to themes I'm very familiar with. but the story is very similar and Lewis' constantly eludes to that often. So it's like a retailing of a retailing with side notes. The Worldbuilding is undermined because Lewis' version of Venus is basically a watery Eden. After the extensive theological debate the action does pick up with a deadly showdown between Ransom and Weston so there's suspense. If you can stick through the constant lectures of the nature of good, evil, and freewill.
The last in the series seems to be about the apocalypse. Hopefully it's not just Lewis running around screaming were all gonna die during WW2.
almost forgot bad science! this has a lot of it!
But soon you will realize that it's just a retailing of the garden of Eden and want to spit the hook. I stuck with it because i am apparently a masochist and determined to finish the series like i was the Narnia series knowing some entries and parts will be overly Christian and repetitive to themes I'm very familiar with. but the story is very similar and Lewis' constantly eludes to that often. So it's like a retailing of a retailing with side notes. The Worldbuilding is undermined because Lewis' version of Venus is basically a watery Eden. After the extensive theological debate the action does pick up with a deadly showdown between Ransom and Weston so there's suspense. If you can stick through the constant lectures of the nature of good, evil, and freewill.
The last in the series seems to be about the apocalypse. Hopefully it's not just Lewis running around screaming were all gonna die during WW2.
almost forgot bad science! this has a lot of it!
August 21, 2011
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.
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.
September 22, 2015
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.
August 21, 2021
I loved Out of the Silent Planet and rated it five stars so I was really looking forward to this second book in the trilogy. For me it was a big, big disappointment.
Perelandra features the same MC, Ransom, who has now visited and returned from Venus (Perelandra). Whilst there he has fought a battle with the forces of evil to save this Eden like planet from the same fall which occurred on Earth when Eve was tempted by the apple. This is all good providing a great story, lots of opportunity for beautiful world building and, of course, this being Lewis, a vehicle for the author to expound on his own beliefs.
Unfortunately this was where it fell apart for me because once started he did not seem to know when to stop. There were long, very long, passages with Ransom debating Weston, then Weston with the Green Lady, then Ransom, Weston and the Green Lady and then even Ransom with himself. I appreciate that it was all very well written and deeply profound and maybe I just was not in the mood.
My predicament now is do I chance the third book, That Hideous Strength, or not.
Perelandra features the same MC, Ransom, who has now visited and returned from Venus (Perelandra). Whilst there he has fought a battle with the forces of evil to save this Eden like planet from the same fall which occurred on Earth when Eve was tempted by the apple. This is all good providing a great story, lots of opportunity for beautiful world building and, of course, this being Lewis, a vehicle for the author to expound on his own beliefs.
Unfortunately this was where it fell apart for me because once started he did not seem to know when to stop. There were long, very long, passages with Ransom debating Weston, then Weston with the Green Lady, then Ransom, Weston and the Green Lady and then even Ransom with himself. I appreciate that it was all very well written and deeply profound and maybe I just was not in the mood.
My predicament now is do I chance the third book, That Hideous Strength, or not.
May 20, 2025
What C. S. Lewis sought to achieve in his poetry, he certainly achieved in Perelandra! This is my favorite work of fiction by him. Below is my favorite quote.
"The cord of longing which drew him to the invisible isle seemed to him at that moment to have been fastened long, long before his coming to Perelandra, long before the earliest times that memory could recover in his childhood, before birth, before the birth of man himself, before the origins of time. It was sharp, sweet, wild, and holy, all in one, and in any world where man's nerves have ceased to obey their central desires would doubtless have been aphrodisiac too, but not in Perelandra." - C.S. Lewis
"The cord of longing which drew him to the invisible isle seemed to him at that moment to have been fastened long, long before his coming to Perelandra, long before the earliest times that memory could recover in his childhood, before birth, before the birth of man himself, before the origins of time. It was sharp, sweet, wild, and holy, all in one, and in any world where man's nerves have ceased to obey their central desires would doubtless have been aphrodisiac too, but not in Perelandra." - C.S. Lewis
November 19, 2020
This was my 3rd or 4th time to read this. Needed another refresh in preparation of leading discussion on it in my writing class. Maybe my favorite novel. A masterpiece, truly.
August 3, 2017
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 staunch atheist, and Tolkien a devoted Roman Catholic. As a direct result of his discussions with Tolkien, Lewis was later converted to Christianity. More than that, he became what many consider to be the greatest Christian Apologist of all time , and it was his Christian faith that became the point of influence for all of his main works of fiction and non-fiction alike - including the Chronicles of Narnia.
I have read almost everything that Lewis ever wrote. Narnia was my first experience with fantasy when I was very little. His non-fiction books like Mere Christianity and The Abolition of Man are a huge part of the reason I came to understand my own faith. The Great Divorce completely changed my life. He was a voice of reason where all of the other voices in my life spoke of empty religion. He showed me a God that I could know, rather than a God that I just had to try and appease. I committed to searching and finding the truth, and I found so much beauty as a result.
And it's with that much love that I can tell you these books are by far his worst haha. Lewis has a way of communicating ideas through fiction that is just not present in these books. He spends more time preaching to the reader through his characters than he spends delivering the story - you'd think this would make his message clearer, but the actual result is a bad story and watered down arguments and philosophy. It does not work at all.
This book tells the story of a man named Ransom who travels to a world where The Fall has not yet occurred. He witnesses and interacts with the Green Lady, who is the equivalent of Eve in the Garden of Eden in this world, free of and pain and evil. And then he has to watch as Weston (the villain of this story) comes in to corrupt her. And he has very little power to do anything about it.
It is actually a great concept, which is why I kept the 2.5 Star rating where it is. The points in the book where I could get into the story, and understand what was happening, were excellent . But they were so few and far between that it was spoiled for me. The majority of this book is dialogue in which Ransom preaches to you as the reader, or argues with Weston about good and evil, and it makes for some of the weakest presentations of ideas (in my opinion) that Lewis ever wrote. Ransom is not even a likeable character, so that made it even worse for me.
In seeking to create a world in this book that was entirely perfect, it seems like the reality of what was happening in this story was lost on me. None of it felt real - which is how I hope to feel when reading any type of fantasy or fiction, and that is extremely unfortunate. Had a lot of potential, but was definitely an unfortunate let-down. I tried continuing through book three, but I think I'm going to put these books down for good.
I still love Lewis. I'll just have to pretend these ones don't exist haha =].
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 staunch atheist, and Tolkien a devoted Roman Catholic. As a direct result of his discussions with Tolkien, Lewis was later converted to Christianity. More than that, he became what many consider to be the greatest Christian Apologist of all time , and it was his Christian faith that became the point of influence for all of his main works of fiction and non-fiction alike - including the Chronicles of Narnia.
I have read almost everything that Lewis ever wrote. Narnia was my first experience with fantasy when I was very little. His non-fiction books like Mere Christianity and The Abolition of Man are a huge part of the reason I came to understand my own faith. The Great Divorce completely changed my life. He was a voice of reason where all of the other voices in my life spoke of empty religion. He showed me a God that I could know, rather than a God that I just had to try and appease. I committed to searching and finding the truth, and I found so much beauty as a result.
And it's with that much love that I can tell you these books are by far his worst haha. Lewis has a way of communicating ideas through fiction that is just not present in these books. He spends more time preaching to the reader through his characters than he spends delivering the story - you'd think this would make his message clearer, but the actual result is a bad story and watered down arguments and philosophy. It does not work at all.
This book tells the story of a man named Ransom who travels to a world where The Fall has not yet occurred. He witnesses and interacts with the Green Lady, who is the equivalent of Eve in the Garden of Eden in this world, free of and pain and evil. And then he has to watch as Weston (the villain of this story) comes in to corrupt her. And he has very little power to do anything about it.
It is actually a great concept, which is why I kept the 2.5 Star rating where it is. The points in the book where I could get into the story, and understand what was happening, were excellent . But they were so few and far between that it was spoiled for me. The majority of this book is dialogue in which Ransom preaches to you as the reader, or argues with Weston about good and evil, and it makes for some of the weakest presentations of ideas (in my opinion) that Lewis ever wrote. Ransom is not even a likeable character, so that made it even worse for me.
In seeking to create a world in this book that was entirely perfect, it seems like the reality of what was happening in this story was lost on me. None of it felt real - which is how I hope to feel when reading any type of fantasy or fiction, and that is extremely unfortunate. Had a lot of potential, but was definitely an unfortunate let-down. I tried continuing through book three, but I think I'm going to put these books down for good.
I still love Lewis. I'll just have to pretend these ones don't exist haha =].
May 19, 2014
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 read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
January 9, 2024
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.
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.
May 17, 2025
The new world of Perelandra was not a mere repetition of the old world Tellus. Maleldil never repeated Himself. As the Lady had said, the same wave never came twice. When Eve fell, God was not Man. He had not yet made men members of His body: since then He had, and through them henceforward He would save and suffer. One of the purposes for which He had done all this was to save Perelandra not through Himself but through Himself in Ransom. If Ransom refused, the plan, so far, miscarried. For that point in the story, a story far more complicated than he had conceived, it was he who had been selected.
Perelandra is the second entry in the Space trilogy and it tells the story of Dr. Elwin Ransom who is now tasked to travel to the planet Perelandra by Maleldil Himself. When he arrives, he finds a planet covered in water with moving islands, seemingly abandoned with only strange animals inhabiting them. That is until he meets the Green Lady, the only human-like being present who is in search of the other human-like being, the King.
“And this, O Piebald, is the glory and wonder you have made me see; that it is I, I myself, who turn from the good expected to the given good. Out of my own heart I do it. One can conceive a heart which did not: which clung to the good it had first thought of and turned the good which was given it into no good.”
After a few conversations, Ransom is quick to parallel this Venus as a world where ‘Adam and Eve never sinned.’ The Green Lady knows nothing of death, the existence of millions of people or going against Maleldil’s will. She is simply in search of her husband. But Ransom’s arrival brings a chance of her growing in knowledge.
After days of conversing with the Green Lady and traveling to various islands, Ransom is still not certain the reason as to why he was sent to Perelandra. The place is essentially a paradise. That is until an old acquaintance reappears bringing with him a dark force. Ransom then realises that he has been sent as a representative of Maleldil to fight against the most destructive human weakness—temptation.
For now he realised that the word ‘human’ refers to something more than the bodily form or even to the rational mind. It refers also to that community of blood and experience which unites all men and women on the Earth.
I will be getting into spoilers from here on, so beware. This book was incredibly funny. The moment Ransom finds out he has to stop the Green Lady from falling into temptation and his thought process leads him to deciding he can’t beat ‘the devil’ through argument, so he lands on beating him physically. He thinks back to the Bible and can’t help but find it ridiculous that if an elephant had stepped on the snake when he started yapping, Adam and Eve would never have sinned. But Maleldil is like, “No, you’re right.” So Ransom goes ahead and beats Weston black and blue. Do you know what this means? It means C. S Lewis turned his best friend J. R. R Tolkien into Philologist Jesus and sent him to space to fistfight the devil. Iconic behaviour I’m afraid.😌
Let’s not forget this hilarious moment as well:
Here were two human beings, thrown together in an alien world under conditions of inconceivable strangeness; the one separated from his spaceship, the other newly released from the threat of instant death. Was it sane—was it imaginable—that they should find themselves at once engaged in a philosophical argument which might just as well have occurred in a Cambridge combination room? Yet that, apparently, was what Weston insisted upon. He showed no interest in the fate of his spaceship; he even seemed to feel no curiosity about Ransom’s presence on Venus. Could it be that he had traveled more than thirty million miles of space in search of—conversation? But as he went on talking, Ransom felt himself more and more in the presence of a monomaniac. Like an actor who cannot think of anything but his celebrity, or a lover who can think of nothing but his mistress, tense, tedious, and unescapable, the scientist pursued his fixed idea.
“The key of human destiny was placed in my hands. It would be unnecessary—and painful to us both—to remind you how it was wrenched from me in Malacandra by a member of a hostile intelligent species whose existence, I admit, I had not anticipated.”
“Not hostile exactly,” said Ransom, “but go on.”
“The rigors of our return journey from Malacandra led to a serious breakdown in my health—”
“Mine too,” said Ransom.
Weston looked somewhat taken aback at the interruption and went on.
May 19, 2021
“Perelandra” is the second novel in the Space Trilogy by C.S Lewis. After falling in love with the first book in this series, this novel disappointed.
After his return from Malacandra, Ransom finds himself again secluded on a strange and isolated planet that goes by the name, Perelandra. As he tries to adjust to his new surroundings, he faces a bigger obstacle when he runs into his former nemesis, Weston, who appears to have dark and seedy plans for the planet. Ransom soon discovers that he has been appointed to save Perelandra, and in doing so, may also save his home planet and his entire species.
Lewis’ descriptive prose is engaging and beautiful. Immediately, I was pulled into the bright and colourful land of Perelandra, with its strange creatures and landscapes. Lewis was incomparably able to bring a fantasy world to life, in the way that only he can. However, that aside, I found the story started extremely well, but started to drag in the middle. I was eagerly anticipating getting to the end (and not for the right reasons), and if Lewis had not been the author, I would’ve probably added this book to my DNF pile.
Ransom is a great character, eccentric and intelligent, admirably finding a way to survive in the strangest of surroundings. I love his adventures, and the calm and almost astute way he has of exploring the world. It was great to see “Weston” (of sorts) return as well, as he played the perfect villain.
Lewis is known for his devout opinion on religion and Christianity in particular, and he makes no secret of it. The theme runs rampant (sometimes subtly, sometimes less so) in a lot of his novels, and this one was no exception. The inner themes in this novel of Creation, the idea of God and life itself are deep and thought-provoking, but combined with the lengthy soliloquies and speeches from most of the characters, it was a thick topic to process (especially for such a small novel).
Religion aside, I wanted more space exploration and less self-exploration. Perhaps it is the times we are living in, but deep reading was not what I expected going in. I absolutely will finish the trilogy off, as I’m curious to see where Ransom explores next, and I adore Lewis’ beautiful language. Lewis is a classic author for a reason, and I will forever be a fan. Perhaps next time, I will try and lower my expectations.
After his return from Malacandra, Ransom finds himself again secluded on a strange and isolated planet that goes by the name, Perelandra. As he tries to adjust to his new surroundings, he faces a bigger obstacle when he runs into his former nemesis, Weston, who appears to have dark and seedy plans for the planet. Ransom soon discovers that he has been appointed to save Perelandra, and in doing so, may also save his home planet and his entire species.
Lewis’ descriptive prose is engaging and beautiful. Immediately, I was pulled into the bright and colourful land of Perelandra, with its strange creatures and landscapes. Lewis was incomparably able to bring a fantasy world to life, in the way that only he can. However, that aside, I found the story started extremely well, but started to drag in the middle. I was eagerly anticipating getting to the end (and not for the right reasons), and if Lewis had not been the author, I would’ve probably added this book to my DNF pile.
Ransom is a great character, eccentric and intelligent, admirably finding a way to survive in the strangest of surroundings. I love his adventures, and the calm and almost astute way he has of exploring the world. It was great to see “Weston” (of sorts) return as well, as he played the perfect villain.
Lewis is known for his devout opinion on religion and Christianity in particular, and he makes no secret of it. The theme runs rampant (sometimes subtly, sometimes less so) in a lot of his novels, and this one was no exception. The inner themes in this novel of Creation, the idea of God and life itself are deep and thought-provoking, but combined with the lengthy soliloquies and speeches from most of the characters, it was a thick topic to process (especially for such a small novel).
Religion aside, I wanted more space exploration and less self-exploration. Perhaps it is the times we are living in, but deep reading was not what I expected going in. I absolutely will finish the trilogy off, as I’m curious to see where Ransom explores next, and I adore Lewis’ beautiful language. Lewis is a classic author for a reason, and I will forever be a fan. Perhaps next time, I will try and lower my expectations.
December 26, 2017
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 well written. It is in its way inspired. Personally I also find it the best in the (C.S.Lewis space Trilogy) series story wise.
If you have read the first in the series (Out of the Silent Planet) then you've already met "Ransom" and been introduced to the allegorical "pictures" or names used to represent God. Here Lewis takes a look at temptation and human reaction to it. He gives a view of the type of reasoning that allows us to lie to ourselves and justify actions we know to be, at best unwise and at worst wrong...even evil and deadly. He lays out a story in which we can see the the choices presented in Genesis and get a thoughtful take on them.
Highly recommended. I like the entire trilogy (each of which has it's own strong points) but I think I like this one best of the three. Just my opinion.
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 well written. It is in its way inspired. Personally I also find it the best in the (C.S.Lewis space Trilogy) series story wise.
If you have read the first in the series (Out of the Silent Planet) then you've already met "Ransom" and been introduced to the allegorical "pictures" or names used to represent God. Here Lewis takes a look at temptation and human reaction to it. He gives a view of the type of reasoning that allows us to lie to ourselves and justify actions we know to be, at best unwise and at worst wrong...even evil and deadly. He lays out a story in which we can see the the choices presented in Genesis and get a thoughtful take on them.
Highly recommended. I like the entire trilogy (each of which has it's own strong points) but I think I like this one best of the three. Just my opinion.
October 22, 2020
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/si-fi. I miss the world so much.
It's not for the faint of heart or weak of mind. 😂
Perelandra is gorgeous and perfect fantasy/si-fi. I miss the world so much.
December 20, 2023
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)
2007
2010 (January 31)
2012 (23-25 April)
2013 (29-31 March)
2014 (2-6 August)
2015 (19-27 August)
May 30, 2019
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 Words? (He did have a deal of pluck).
In the last climactic chapter, he writes of a Great Cosmic Dance,
Which certainly isn't orthodox. So here he was taking a chance
By infusing Hermeticism into his science fiction,
And sure and profound is the ultimate musicality of his description.
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 Words? (He did have a deal of pluck).
In the last climactic chapter, he writes of a Great Cosmic Dance,
Which certainly isn't orthodox. So here he was taking a chance
By infusing Hermeticism into his science fiction,
And sure and profound is the ultimate musicality of his description.
October 31, 2019
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 writers are doing a decent job giving creative expression to a general sense of purposelessness and tension.
C. S. Lewis lived in a time that was perhaps even more uncertain than ours. World War II, the loss of almost an entire generation of men in England, the rise of both fascism and communism--I could go on for a while. But instead of merely reflecting the ugliness around him, Lewis was bold enough to imagine what it could have been like if the ugliness was cut off at its root.
Perelandra is just this kind of exploration. In this second of Lewis's so-called "Space Trilogy", Ransom (a protagonist loosely based on J.R.R. Tolkien) travels to Venus. This planet is younger than earth, and in terms of spiritual history, the fall of man has not happened. Not yet. Ransom finds himself the only person capable of preventing a man possessed by the devil from subverting a second Eve (this one with green skin).
The language in this book is lush, the imagery fantastic. The philosophy is compelling without being preachy. The conflict is real, and the danger of man's moral fall has never been more convincingly rendered. This is one of my top ten books of all time, in any genre.
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 writers are doing a decent job giving creative expression to a general sense of purposelessness and tension.
C. S. Lewis lived in a time that was perhaps even more uncertain than ours. World War II, the loss of almost an entire generation of men in England, the rise of both fascism and communism--I could go on for a while. But instead of merely reflecting the ugliness around him, Lewis was bold enough to imagine what it could have been like if the ugliness was cut off at its root.
Perelandra is just this kind of exploration. In this second of Lewis's so-called "Space Trilogy", Ransom (a protagonist loosely based on J.R.R. Tolkien) travels to Venus. This planet is younger than earth, and in terms of spiritual history, the fall of man has not happened. Not yet. Ransom finds himself the only person capable of preventing a man possessed by the devil from subverting a second Eve (this one with green skin).
The language in this book is lush, the imagery fantastic. The philosophy is compelling without being preachy. The conflict is real, and the danger of man's moral fall has never been more convincingly rendered. This is one of my top ten books of all time, in any genre.
August 31, 2021
I reread Out of the Silent Planet so that I could reread Perelandra. That’s how much I remember loving it.
Unfortunately, however, while Silent Planet raised its initial rating by half a star and rounded up on this reread, Perelandra lowered its own by two.
Don’t get me wrong: It’s not that Perelandra is so much worse than I remember it being. It’s just that I no longer find the elements that blew me away the first time all that astonishing anymore.
For context, Perelandra explores what could have happened if God had created sentient humanoid life on multiple planets, and if not all of those planets fell from their original, sinless states. Essentially, Lewis is asking what it would look like if God had created another Adam and Eve, on another planet, and if they had not committed the first sin of disobedience when tempted to by Satan. If the Fall, in fact, never happened.
Now, that’s a gutsy allegorical premise, on many levels, and I could get behind it in theory. Lewis could also write allegory quite well, so, again, it could have worked. The problem, for me, is not so much the allegory itself, it’s the exposition of that allegory.
Because, in this version of cosmic history, the cataclysmic introduction of sin isn’t averted because this Adam and Eve simply make their own, freewill decision to obey God and ignore the devil. Nope, in this version, God sends an earthly human to this other planet to kill the tempter for this Adam and Eve.
And who might that chosen human be?
If you guessed our original protagonist, Elwin Ransom . . . you’re right.
Do you -- do you start to see my issue? I just . . . I don’t know, man. If you’re going to consider the possibility of a “second Eden” which never fell to darkness, you can approach it from multiple equally valid theological angles. So, on one hand, I have no real -- meaning, insurmountable -- issue with how Lewis wrote this novel. I can see how he came to the conclusions he came to, for this, and none of them are technically wrong. But part of that, of course, is because I don't know if it’s possible for any one perspective on such a premise to be “technically wrong”. On an issue so speculative, there’s plenty of room for nuance.
So, since just about anything “could,” in theory, “go” for such a story, the question is not so much what you can do with it, but what would be best for you to do with it. And, in my personal opinion, reproducing the biblical Eden situation on another planet, but bringing in a human man to act as God’s “hands” in giving this extra-terrestrial Adam and Eve some “additional help” in resisting Satan’s temptation -- making that human man, essentially, a kind of divinely designated, “substitute messiah” for this other race -- is perhaps not the best thing to do with it. You feel me, fam?
Additionally, there’s the issue of, um . . . gender . . . intrinsic to this premise. Because he’s writing a speculative, semi-allegorical Eden fantasy, Lewis is saddled -- or rather, saddles himself -- with the responsibility of describing his idea of what an Eveian woman would be like.
This . . . is . . . a delicate situation for any male author to put himself in, and I think it may be especially precarious for a male theologian. And I question the prudence of doing so at all -- or, at least, of doing so in such detail and for so long as Lewis does in this book.
Once again, there’s nothing (or not much) that is flatly wrong or unbiblical about his Eve figure. But, while revering her narratively, Lewis also emphasizes her naivete and her gullibility to an extent that is . . . dare I say, unnecessary? And troubling, considering the habits of sexism detectable in certain other of his works? It’s also . . . not great . . . that, while we only meet the Adam figure a few pages before the novel ends, Lewis takes the time to glorify him to the extent that he does.
I understand his interest in the magnificence of what a sinless Adam would be like, especially given the biblical comparison that names Jesus Christ our second Adam. I understand his interest in the magnificence of what a sinless image-bearer of God Almighty would be like. But . . . truly not trying to be petty, but . . . the Bible tells us that women are made in the image of God as well. So, without getting into a sticky biblical debate about gender, I think we can (and should) acknowledge that a sinless Eve would be just as great a marvel as a sinless Adam.
And Lewis does glory in the sinless Eve, as well -- he does dedicate quite a bit of time to her splendor, as well.
But he also explicitly states that, while this Eve figure is great, no one would think of paying her any attention if this Adam was in the same space, because he is so exponentially more radiant.
And that . . . that reads as a smidge icky, my friends. Just a smidge.
Remember, now, I absolutely loved this story when I first read it. I got really excited when I realized what Lewis was doing with the book -- how he was building it to this monolithic spiritual climax and infusing it with so much heady philosophical and theological speculation.
And that’s still cool, of course. I still love philosophical and theological speculation, and there are still bits of it in this book that I do enjoy and do find beneficial and compelling.
It’s just that, since I no longer appreciate all or even most of this speculation as much as I did at first -- since I no longer find this speculation very productive, or even very accurate -- I don’t get as excited about all the "trappings," for lack of a less depreciative term. (I’ve also realized that, on a purely recreational level, I enjoy the Malacandrian setting of Silent Planet more than I enjoy the Perelandrian setting of -- well, Perelandra.)
So, all in all, this book simply doesn’t do as much for me now as it did the first time I read it. And that is Perfectly Okay.
However, I will say:
“In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, here goes -- I mean Amen,” is still one of the single most epic lines I have ever read in my entire life.
Unfortunately, however, while Silent Planet raised its initial rating by half a star and rounded up on this reread, Perelandra lowered its own by two.
Don’t get me wrong: It’s not that Perelandra is so much worse than I remember it being. It’s just that I no longer find the elements that blew me away the first time all that astonishing anymore.
For context, Perelandra explores what could have happened if God had created sentient humanoid life on multiple planets, and if not all of those planets fell from their original, sinless states. Essentially, Lewis is asking what it would look like if God had created another Adam and Eve, on another planet, and if they had not committed the first sin of disobedience when tempted to by Satan. If the Fall, in fact, never happened.
Now, that’s a gutsy allegorical premise, on many levels, and I could get behind it in theory. Lewis could also write allegory quite well, so, again, it could have worked. The problem, for me, is not so much the allegory itself, it’s the exposition of that allegory.
Because, in this version of cosmic history, the cataclysmic introduction of sin isn’t averted because this Adam and Eve simply make their own, freewill decision to obey God and ignore the devil. Nope, in this version, God sends an earthly human to this other planet to kill the tempter for this Adam and Eve.
And who might that chosen human be?
If you guessed our original protagonist, Elwin Ransom . . . you’re right.
Do you -- do you start to see my issue? I just . . . I don’t know, man. If you’re going to consider the possibility of a “second Eden” which never fell to darkness, you can approach it from multiple equally valid theological angles. So, on one hand, I have no real -- meaning, insurmountable -- issue with how Lewis wrote this novel. I can see how he came to the conclusions he came to, for this, and none of them are technically wrong. But part of that, of course, is because I don't know if it’s possible for any one perspective on such a premise to be “technically wrong”. On an issue so speculative, there’s plenty of room for nuance.
So, since just about anything “could,” in theory, “go” for such a story, the question is not so much what you can do with it, but what would be best for you to do with it. And, in my personal opinion, reproducing the biblical Eden situation on another planet, but bringing in a human man to act as God’s “hands” in giving this extra-terrestrial Adam and Eve some “additional help” in resisting Satan’s temptation -- making that human man, essentially, a kind of divinely designated, “substitute messiah” for this other race -- is perhaps not the best thing to do with it. You feel me, fam?
Additionally, there’s the issue of, um . . . gender . . . intrinsic to this premise. Because he’s writing a speculative, semi-allegorical Eden fantasy, Lewis is saddled -- or rather, saddles himself -- with the responsibility of describing his idea of what an Eveian woman would be like.
This . . . is . . . a delicate situation for any male author to put himself in, and I think it may be especially precarious for a male theologian. And I question the prudence of doing so at all -- or, at least, of doing so in such detail and for so long as Lewis does in this book.
Once again, there’s nothing (or not much) that is flatly wrong or unbiblical about his Eve figure. But, while revering her narratively, Lewis also emphasizes her naivete and her gullibility to an extent that is . . . dare I say, unnecessary? And troubling, considering the habits of sexism detectable in certain other of his works? It’s also . . . not great . . . that, while we only meet the Adam figure a few pages before the novel ends, Lewis takes the time to glorify him to the extent that he does.
I understand his interest in the magnificence of what a sinless Adam would be like, especially given the biblical comparison that names Jesus Christ our second Adam. I understand his interest in the magnificence of what a sinless image-bearer of God Almighty would be like. But . . . truly not trying to be petty, but . . . the Bible tells us that women are made in the image of God as well. So, without getting into a sticky biblical debate about gender, I think we can (and should) acknowledge that a sinless Eve would be just as great a marvel as a sinless Adam.
And Lewis does glory in the sinless Eve, as well -- he does dedicate quite a bit of time to her splendor, as well.
But he also explicitly states that, while this Eve figure is great, no one would think of paying her any attention if this Adam was in the same space, because he is so exponentially more radiant.
And that . . . that reads as a smidge icky, my friends. Just a smidge.
Remember, now, I absolutely loved this story when I first read it. I got really excited when I realized what Lewis was doing with the book -- how he was building it to this monolithic spiritual climax and infusing it with so much heady philosophical and theological speculation.
And that’s still cool, of course. I still love philosophical and theological speculation, and there are still bits of it in this book that I do enjoy and do find beneficial and compelling.
It’s just that, since I no longer appreciate all or even most of this speculation as much as I did at first -- since I no longer find this speculation very productive, or even very accurate -- I don’t get as excited about all the "trappings," for lack of a less depreciative term. (I’ve also realized that, on a purely recreational level, I enjoy the Malacandrian setting of Silent Planet more than I enjoy the Perelandrian setting of -- well, Perelandra.)
So, all in all, this book simply doesn’t do as much for me now as it did the first time I read it. And that is Perfectly Okay.
However, I will say:
“In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, here goes -- I mean Amen,” is still one of the single most epic lines I have ever read in my entire life.
September 2, 2023
February 2022 Review
Still one of my all-time favorites of Lewis. In this read I was looking for themes to write on. There's so much. The paradox of temptation amidst free will and providence. The effects of Malacandrian history. The interactions between good and evil. The beginning considers the spiritual from a very fleshy and earthy perspective, and by the end Lewis is deep into the etherial, numinous, and timeless. Of course, this book is a proto-The Magician's Nephew. This novel was written around the same time as A Preface to Paradise Lost. Much has also been written about how this is Lewis's answer to Milton's Paradise Lost. There is also much of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in here. I now also see whispers of Frodo and Golem's fight in Mount Doom. More a thought experiment than a novel, I love this fantastical depiction of paradise.
February 2014 Review
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.
Still one of my all-time favorites of Lewis. In this read I was looking for themes to write on. There's so much. The paradox of temptation amidst free will and providence. The effects of Malacandrian history. The interactions between good and evil. The beginning considers the spiritual from a very fleshy and earthy perspective, and by the end Lewis is deep into the etherial, numinous, and timeless. Of course, this book is a proto-The Magician's Nephew. This novel was written around the same time as A Preface to Paradise Lost. Much has also been written about how this is Lewis's answer to Milton's Paradise Lost. There is also much of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in here. I now also see whispers of Frodo and Golem's fight in Mount Doom. More a thought experiment than a novel, I love this fantastical depiction of paradise.
February 2014 Review
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.
April 5, 2025
I read this on Kindle.
I liked this. I liked the story (not quite as well as Out of the Silent Planet, but so be it). It didn't sustain my attention the whole time - maybe because from the beginning, I knew Ransom would return to Earth.
I didn't understand all of it. Some of the arguments and details seemed minute (although we know that big issues are made of small ones).
What did I like then? I loved the descriptions. The lush imaginative descriptions of Lewis' conception of Perelandra. The fruit and trees and water of Perelandra could almost be tasted. I loved the Queen and King. Perelandra and Malacandra were spectacular. The worship service was a glimpse into heaven.
My pastor preached on Sunday about Jesus as priest and showed how Adam was to be a priest in the Garden, serving and protecting from outside interference like that of the devil. I loved how this story tied into that idea. Ransom was sent to act as that intermediary in an Edenic land to crush the serpent's head.
2019 - we listened on our way home today. The kids and I all enjoyed it.
2025 - [Audible] So good. I really loved this reading this time. I was able to hear so much more of the argument between Weston and Ransom and follow the logic of it. There's a whole block of Chapter 6 I want to quote and probably will. And, also, "Love me, my brothers, for I am infinitely superfluous ..." Spectacular.
I liked this. I liked the story (not quite as well as Out of the Silent Planet, but so be it). It didn't sustain my attention the whole time - maybe because from the beginning, I knew Ransom would return to Earth.
I didn't understand all of it. Some of the arguments and details seemed minute (although we know that big issues are made of small ones).
What did I like then? I loved the descriptions. The lush imaginative descriptions of Lewis' conception of Perelandra. The fruit and trees and water of Perelandra could almost be tasted. I loved the Queen and King. Perelandra and Malacandra were spectacular. The worship service was a glimpse into heaven.
My pastor preached on Sunday about Jesus as priest and showed how Adam was to be a priest in the Garden, serving and protecting from outside interference like that of the devil. I loved how this story tied into that idea. Ransom was sent to act as that intermediary in an Edenic land to crush the serpent's head.
2019 - we listened on our way home today. The kids and I all enjoyed it.
2025 - [Audible] So good. I really loved this reading this time. I was able to hear so much more of the argument between Weston and Ransom and follow the logic of it. There's a whole block of Chapter 6 I want to quote and probably will. And, also, "Love me, my brothers, for I am infinitely superfluous ..." Spectacular.
August 15, 2007
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 unknown mission. When he arrives, he finds the queen alone and soon another guest from Earth arrives. It is the devil's representative--the age old serpent in the form of another man. Thus begins a battle between Ransom and the Devil over the soul of the Queen. The fate of Perelandra hangs in the balance...
September 23, 2020
The great story that started in Out of the Silent Planet continues here. Though C. S. Lewis may be best-known for his Narnia stories, he proves here he isn't a one-trick pony.
April 4, 2023
I continue to think that Perelandra is one of the best things that C.S. Lewis has written and makes for a strong philosophical novel of the era but with an entirely unique atmosphere. It is a book full with meaning. Though it isn't my favourite thing to read and reread, it is always a rich experience when I do.
August 25, 2021
Probably my least favorite of Lewis’s books. But I read it to prepare for my Patreon reading of That Hideous Strength during this school year.
February 21, 2020
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 just requires a fair bit of work, on my part, to get through.
Sections of it were surprisingly dark and got under my skin a bit, although not in a bad way. They were appropriate for the allegory.
I'd rate this book a PG-13 for some incredibly minor swearing, nudity (although not sexual), and aforementioned dark sections and violence.
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 just requires a fair bit of work, on my part, to get through.
Sections of it were surprisingly dark and got under my skin a bit, although not in a bad way. They were appropriate for the allegory.
I'd rate this book a PG-13 for some incredibly minor swearing, nudity (although not sexual), and aforementioned dark sections and violence.
August 31, 2016
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 very different audience than today; I tried to put myself in those surroundings as I listened to this book. It wasn’t easy and I can’t say I was very successful, but I did try once it occurred to me.
Mostly it helped me appreciate the parts of the book which tend to be more descriptive and less narrative. My reasoning was that a 1940s audience would be able to enjoy good dialogue and character interaction through the medium of film, but only well-written fantasy books took them completely into other worlds, i.e., gave them ‘escape’ from the horrors they were living with day-to-day.
As such, I expect, had I been living in Great Britain in 1940s I would have enjoyed Perelandra very much and read it repeatedly when it came out. Seen from my own perspective almost 70 years on, I listened to it with my husband on our recent drive back to St. Louis to spend Father’s Day with my Dad. We also both enjoyed it very much. We stopped the CD player numerous times to discuss various things about the book; the stories in Genesis; C.S. Lewis and various other topics that came to mind. All in all, a thought-provoking read.
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 very different audience than today; I tried to put myself in those surroundings as I listened to this book. It wasn’t easy and I can’t say I was very successful, but I did try once it occurred to me.
Mostly it helped me appreciate the parts of the book which tend to be more descriptive and less narrative. My reasoning was that a 1940s audience would be able to enjoy good dialogue and character interaction through the medium of film, but only well-written fantasy books took them completely into other worlds, i.e., gave them ‘escape’ from the horrors they were living with day-to-day.
As such, I expect, had I been living in Great Britain in 1940s I would have enjoyed Perelandra very much and read it repeatedly when it came out. Seen from my own perspective almost 70 years on, I listened to it with my husband on our recent drive back to St. Louis to spend Father’s Day with my Dad. We also both enjoyed it very much. We stopped the CD player numerous times to discuss various things about the book; the stories in Genesis; C.S. Lewis and various other topics that came to mind. All in all, a thought-provoking read.
January 18, 2022
4.8 Stars
"Perelandra" is the second book in C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy and a marvelous adventure. I enjoyed this book far more than "The Silent Planet." The Silent Planet was a story of discovery, of exploring a new world (Mars/Malacandra) that was much different than ours and unstained by sin. But "Perelandra" is an epic story of good versus evil that is masterfully filled with Biblical imagery and themes of redemption. Perelandra is a parable of Genesis 1 and the temptation of Eve. The central conflict of the story is between the hero, Ransom, who is sent to Venus (Perelandra) for an unknown purpose by God (Maleldil), and Weston who is eventually possessed by the demonic Bent One (Satan). What progresses throughout the story is a grand story of good versus evil, of temptation, of trusting in God, of sacrifice and suffering, of redemption, and glorification. The last two chapters of the book were glorious, a beautiful picture of the restoration that God will bring to all things at the end of time.
Perelandra by C.S. Lewis is a marvelous story and a reminder that most of the times stories bring us much closer to reality than logic and reason. Lewis's book is beautiful and good, compelling, and a reminder of God's marvelous world and the restoration that He will bring to all things!
"Perelandra" is the second book in C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy and a marvelous adventure. I enjoyed this book far more than "The Silent Planet." The Silent Planet was a story of discovery, of exploring a new world (Mars/Malacandra) that was much different than ours and unstained by sin. But "Perelandra" is an epic story of good versus evil that is masterfully filled with Biblical imagery and themes of redemption. Perelandra is a parable of Genesis 1 and the temptation of Eve. The central conflict of the story is between the hero, Ransom, who is sent to Venus (Perelandra) for an unknown purpose by God (Maleldil), and Weston who is eventually possessed by the demonic Bent One (Satan). What progresses throughout the story is a grand story of good versus evil, of temptation, of trusting in God, of sacrifice and suffering, of redemption, and glorification. The last two chapters of the book were glorious, a beautiful picture of the restoration that God will bring to all things at the end of time.
Perelandra by C.S. Lewis is a marvelous story and a reminder that most of the times stories bring us much closer to reality than logic and reason. Lewis's book is beautiful and good, compelling, and a reminder of God's marvelous world and the restoration that He will bring to all things!
July 1, 2022
Another masterful work by legendary author C. S. Lewis.
September 19, 2012
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.
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.
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