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That Hideous Strength,
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Lucia
I think THS is a different kind of book. Personally, I find it *brilliantly* "cohesive," and, for me at least, more readable by far than Perelandra. So, I myself have not yet managed to slog through Perelandra, was not very impressed by Out of the Silent Planet, and would rate the third book in the Space Trilogy the highest of all. So yes, I am surprised...if THS does not have the highest ratings...
Note: I read The Abolition of Man first, which is basically That Hideous Strength as discursive philosophical argument, and I think that definitely helped me digest THS.
Note: I read The Abolition of Man first, which is basically That Hideous Strength as discursive philosophical argument, and I think that definitely helped me digest THS.
Anodos
This book is really a mish-mash of two very different stories and genres that ultimately combine. I think it's the most memorable and thoughtful of the trilogy, but the least well-written. Mark's side of the story is a sublimely written Kafkaesque nightmare that just feels awkward alongside Jane's fairytale journey. I rate it equally high as Perelandra as both are interesting but flawed in different ways.
Kim Ross
the last one was written after ww2 ended....
Anna
Finished it this evening after several failed attempts. I agree that it lacked coherence, and some parts of the novel are just strange ramblings, making it hard to figure out exactly what is happening. C.S. Lewis is one of my all time favourite authors, and I generally find his non-fiction books very giving, insightful and easy to understand, despite their age, the same goes for the novels eg. 'Till We Have Faces'. But I don't think the space trilogy is of the same quality. I liked the sub-story about the marriage though.
Mark Seeley
I was somewhat compelled to pick up for the second time This Hideous Strength after reading Alan Jacobs recent work, In The Year of Our Lord 1943. I was also reflecting on how Lewis would compare to Walker Percy's Love In The Ruins. Both are prophetic about our current times. I am finding this second go around with the Lewis book to be more obtuse.
I would agree with whoever mentioned below that That Hideous Strength is a more imaginative narrative to the more philosophical The Abolition of Man. Both are dealing with the same dangers and temptations of modern culture. Lewis was a medievalist.
I would agree with whoever mentioned below that That Hideous Strength is a more imaginative narrative to the more philosophical The Abolition of Man. Both are dealing with the same dangers and temptations of modern culture. Lewis was a medievalist.
Colleen Rieth
I found this book difficult for the first 150 pages. I couldn't see the connection to the other books at first. I attribute a bit of this to my modern attention span. After page 150, things began to tie together and I became amazed at the way everything was linked together. It was a slow start but by the end, I had changed my mind about it 100%.
I think part of the slowness of the first part came about because of the vague language of the people at Bracton and the confusion about what was happening. A good deal of this was a demonstration in the art of deception. I understand Lewis' literary reasoning but it was a challenge to get through. The richness of the earlier books returns toward the end of the story.
I think part of the slowness of the first part came about because of the vague language of the people at Bracton and the confusion about what was happening. A good deal of this was a demonstration in the art of deception. I understand Lewis' literary reasoning but it was a challenge to get through. The richness of the earlier books returns toward the end of the story.
Alysande
I loved the first two books but struggled through THS too. You are definitely not alone.
Tricia
I tried my second go at this 3rd book in the trilogy having reread both Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra. I personally love the 2nd book slightly more than the first one, but that is definitely a matter of preference. I like the theological/philosophical verbal sparring between the characters and the "what if" set up of the plot. But That Hideous Strength is like wading through mud for some reason: it might be that it is set on Earth and not as interesting to me, perhaps as Jonathan referenced. Plus it's longer! I'm tabling it, perhaps indefinitely because it has crushed my reading momentum in the latter half of last year.
Jonathan Moore
I never finished THS. If you like books about life as a professor in England in the 30's, I guess it's OK. I agree with Lucia: Perelandra wasn't great, either, it was very heavy-handed with its message, but at least it wasn't boring. Out of the Silent planet was the best, by far.
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