Rating: 
Summary: poetic mysticism
Review: A certain reviewer mentioned that this book wasn't very accessible ("hard to understand"). I can certainly relate. As a reader of philosophy, theology and classic literature I considered this to be a tantalizing author and book to be introduced to. Unfortunately I wasn't able to fully grasp his imagery, and felt the characters were often too unremarkable (or similar) to distinguish. At times this book drives deep a poignant message. The tragic elements of humanity, artificiality and the mystery of "bearing one-another's burdens" all occur to me. Unfortunately they tend to dissipate like vapors as one pursues them through the pages of Descent. I obviously enjoyed this book enough to give it three stars, but, in general, I was underwhelmed.
Rating: 
Summary: Hell has never been more poetically conceived
Review: Among the writers associated along beside C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien with the "Inkling" writers, Charles Williams' voice is arguably the most curious. Williams' seven novels discuss the triumph of a vibrant, mystical, rather unorthodox Christianity over the forces of occult despair. Williams was by instinct a poet with more than a bit of Tennison among his influences. His books are fairly easy reading, even though he alternates between rather vivid literary allusion and an idiosyncratic stream of narrative consciousness. In this book, he personifies salvation and damnation in characters who, despite all the odd phrasing and high flown prose, seem eminently human. The passage in which a character meets a final damnation is extremely effective, neither preachy nor filled with that sort of "tacky Mr. Scratch and his horrid fire" sensibility that some writing about the afterlife can have. This, along with the other six novels in the series (the series is linked thematically and stylistically rather than by plot), is certainly worth a read. In our time, we see a lot of Christian fiction which seeks to tell stories of salvation and damnation through the use of fantasy characters (Peretti and his imitators come to mind). Yet, Williams' work, consciously literary, willing to risk heterodoxy to make a point, and infused with a victorian poetic sensibility, consistently takes the reader to places that the modern works fail to glimpse. In short, Charles Williams is the real thing, and well worth a read.
Rating: 
Summary: Invoke the Doctrine of Substituted Books
Review: and instead read something slightly more coherent. Like Finnegans Wake. Or, if you must read Williams, either War in Heaven or All Hallows' Eve are much better. It's not that the book is all bad. After you get past the overwrought and near unintelligible prose, a subtlety of plot that borders on disregard of the reader, silly and unsympathetic characters, and some very naughty heresy, there are a few good things to be said of Descent Into Hell. For one, the picture Williams draws of lust, pride, and despair is outstanding. For another, some of his more subtle observations regarding the effects of sin on an individual are also excellent. And there may be an interesting observation or two about the Communion of Saints (although Williams adds a dash of heterodoxy to this concept as well). But mostly the book is just wacky. Sinners get a second (and maybe third or fourth) bite at the apple in the hereafter, the reality of hell is oddly diminished through Williams' apparent desire to draw a psychological portrait of its existence, a heretic is punished by the noble and pious Mary Tudor yet saved by God for relying on his malformed conscience, and daffy Golden Dawn freak-shows carry each other's burdens in an evident misunderstanding of the Church's spiritual treasury, how it is filled, and how it is put to use. I would recommend the book only to Williams completists. The middle third is hard slog but it picks up at the end. In a nutshell, it's not the best book for right-wing orthodox Catholic monarchists. But if you're a hippy-freak new ager with a taste for poorly drafted gothic novels, this might be right up your alley.
Rating:
Summary: Invoke the Doctrine of Substituted Books
Review: and instead read something slightly more coherent. Like Finnegans Wake. Or, if you must read Williams, either War in Heaven or All Hallows' Eve are much better. It's not that the book is all bad. After you get past the overwrought and near unintelligible prose, a subtlety of plot that borders on disregard of the reader, silly and unsympathetic characters, and some very naughty heresy, there are a few good things to be said of Descent Into Hell. For one, the picture Williams draws of lust, pride, and despair is outstanding. For another, some of his more subtle observations regarding the effects of sin on an individual are also excellent. And there may be an interesting observation or two about the Communion of Saints (although Williams adds a dash of heterodoxy to this concept as well). But mostly the book is just wacky. Sinners get a second (and maybe third or fourth) bite at the apple in the hereafter, the reality of hell is oddly diminished through Williams' apparent desire to draw a psychological portrait of its existence, a heretic is punished by the noble and pious Mary Tudor yet saved by God for relying on his malformed conscience, and daffy Golden Dawn freak-shows carry each other's burdens in an evident misunderstanding of the Church's spiritual treasury, how it is filled, and how it is put to use. I would recommend the book only to Williams completists. The middle third is hard slog but it picks up at the end. In a nutshell, it's not the best book for right-wing orthodox Catholic monarchists. But if you're a hippy-freak new ager with a taste for poorly drafted gothic novels, this might be right up your alley.
Rating:
Summary: Timeless Truth Visits Suburbia
Review: Ask any minister what part of the Apostle's Creed elicits the greatest number of questions from parishioners. He or she will say without hesitation, "He descended into hell." This is a puzzling phrase for us. If we want to have a Biblically accurate and theologically sound understanding of the most difficult phrase of the Apostle's Creed, we may wish to turn to The Book of Confessions. Or John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion. Or we might want to read this novel, by one of the most dazzling Christian novelists of the past (Twentieth!) century. Charles Williams should be better known that he is, as a brilliant scholar, inventive writer and faithful Christian of modern times. A forceful, inventive and compelling person, Willams was a member of the famous "Inklings"-the creative Oxford University Christian writers whose company included C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. The setting of the book is an affluent suburb of a large city where a group of interesting residents have prevailed upon one of their most famous neighbors, a world-renowned playwright, to produce his newest play. We meet them all as the rehearsals are taking place-and we learn that each person is on a spiritual journey fraught with dangers, toils and snares. There is love and lust, loss and confusion, the meaning of life and the meaning of work, all wrapped up in the preparations for performing the play. If Shakespeare is to be trusted, all the world's a stage... Williams uses the metaphor of the play to portray life, in this world and the next. So we have the world of "The Hill" (their neighborhood-but could it be any suburban enclave), intersecting with the world of the play. We also have a larger challenge. For, as he does in all his novels, Williams reveals the intersection between the "real world" and the spiritual realm. Past and present at times merge. Memory and hope combine. People make choices that will affect their lives for all eternity. Sometimes, without thinking. We meet the wise and kindly playwright, Stanhope. The eminent and ambitious historian Wentworth. The beguiling and mysterious Mrs. Samile. The fear-stricken Pauline, whose perils help us grasp the key to the most famous verse in Galatians... "Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ." For that passage alone, the novel is unsurpassed. But you will also not want to miss Wentworth's Choice. Classic Christian truth portrayed unforgettably. If you are of a literal bent, you may find it hard to wrap your mind around some of his images. Don't give up! Allow yourself to be guided by a pro, into a world you may not have visited before. Read this book slower than you are accustomed to read novels. Intersperse its reading with Biblical study on the same concepts: wholeness, healing, Christian love, jealousy, anger, fear, faithfulness, joy, life and life eternal. (Note: This novel is one of a series that also includes these titles, by the same author and from the same publisher: All Hallows Eve, War in Heaven, Many Dimensions, The Place of the Lion, The Greater Trumps).
Rating: 
Summary: a message deeper than the blackest pit
Review: Charles Williams is probably the least known of the four great Mythopoeic Masters--C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, and J.R.R. Tolkien being the other three. There is perhaps no better introduction to the works of this remarkable man than "Descent Into Hell." Williams did not write "easy" books. His work is full of obscure allusion and even more obscure vocabulary. His prose is possibly even worse than that of MacDonald. "War and Peace" probably reads more quickly than a 200 page novel by Williams. Bearing all this in mind, there are probably a million better authors than Williams on his best day. Where Williams stands out is in his thought. I doubt there have even been a handful of authors who have ever expressed an idea over the whole course of a novel as well as Charles Williams did. "Descent Into Hell" showcases two pillars of Williams' thought: Co-inherence and Substitutionary Love. To simplify, these terms respectively mean (or suggest) that humanity is fundamentally, mysteriously linked and that it is possible to literally bear the greatest burdens of another. "Descent Into Hell" is also about the pitfalls of being self-absorbed. Williams shows what a great danger this self-centeredness can be on both the physical and spiritual level. Charles Williams is a truly eye-opening author. All that I have read of his work has changed me in some way. I give "Descent Into Hell" a strong recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: Even Williams' 2nd Best book is fantastic
Review: Charles Williams is the least-known of the Inklings (the others are CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien). That in no way makes his fiction any less profound, well-crafted, or poignant. His best work, The Place of the Lion, is a sort of Gnostic horror fiction with deep theological implications. Descent into Hell is a more straightforward look at a professional man who sets himself on the low road in high gear with a small intellectual compromise precipitated by vanity. As his descent progresses, he is given many chances to step aside from the path of narcissism and pride which becomes his ruin. Meanwhile, those around him choose harder but more rewarding routes.
One of the 20th century's most important works of Christian fiction, Descent into Hell is just superb. It will have even the deepest-thinking or most cynical reader stimulated and bemused.
Such books do not always stay in print and they also are potentially important for the course of our lives. For both reasons, I say "Buy it before it's too late!"
Rating:
Summary: Williams starkly portrays the choice between heaven or hell
Review: Charles Williams was certainly an intriguing and brilliant writer and I agree with the reviewer who concluded her review by describing him as the real thing. He had an influence on CS Lewis as one of the Inklings (Tolkien , Lewis and Williams are probably the three best known members of the group). Genius though he was, William's has been overshadowed by Tolkien and Lewis. Nevertheless his books are worth investigating if this offering is anything to go by. Regarded as the key to his thought, Descent into Hell is a tour-de-force, containing a wealth of (at times explosive) imagery. As the other reviews have noted, it focuses on two characters in particular - Pauline Anstruther and Laurence Wentworth. The story centres on the production of a play by a poet called Peter Stanhope, who becomes a friend of Pauline by reason of her having a part in the play. Pauline confides in Stanhope and discloses to him a secret fear she has had for many years. She is offered by Stanhope the choice of giving her fear to him and letting him bear it for her. This then leads to a climactic point in the story when Pauline has to offer to bear the burden of one of her ancestors. Here we see the old medieval notion of substitution, which is the central theme of Descent into Hell. At this point Williams misunderstands the Christian teaching on substitution, giving his characters the part of Saviour-Redeemer (which is unique to Jesus Christ). I mean by this that he portrays his characters as bearing burdens which Christ alone can bear. See the books recommended at the end of this review for an example of how CS Lewis at one point (in his personal life, not his writings) was influenced by William's doctrine of substitution (Lewis greatly admired William's as a writer and speaker). The character of Wentworth in the story reveals how compulsive a fantasy life can become. Choosing to take to himself an insubstantial fantasy of the woman he desires, he becomes increasingly in-coherent, and enclosed in himself - finally falling into the hell of self, an abyss of non-being. I recommend anyone reading this book to also study two chapters from the writings of Leanne Payne - a chapter entitled Incarnational Reality - The Key to Carrying the Cross in her book - The Healing Presence, and also the appendix of Real Presence entitled The Great Divorce, by the same author.
These chapters will shed light on some of the erroneous extremes in William's writings and thought.
Rating:
Summary: Descent into hell and a glimpse of heaven
Review: Charles Williams was one of 'The Inklings', the Oxford literary group which included J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. This highly distinctive novel, first published in 1937 and still in demand, is one of his finest. Imagine if you will a writer whose own imagined world encompasses that of Homer, the bible, Shakespeare, and Dickens all together, coherent and integrated - myth, the supernatural, and the rich tapestry of everyday life. But this writer has all the modern novelist's technique at his command, and deploys his resources to ask one question: what happens if the supernatural - ghost, archetypal monster, and wizard - simply invades the world of the natural? Seamlessly enters it, and forces the participants, living in the material world, to deal with this new reality? In an older critical parlance, what happens when the Marvellous meets the Probable? Roughly speaking, this is what makes a Charles Williams novel. The invaders of this reality are powers, mythical and mystical, very Tolkien. But Tolkien creates his own private world, with its own myths, and even languages. And should a ghost try to appear in a modern realist novel it would not be taken too seriously before we are back to the action. Williams can be unsettling, so I find I have to be 'on good form' myself to take it in and process it. 'Descent' is both a realistic novel of the 1930's London suburb of Battle Hill, with several well drawn main characters, and also a ghost story of sorts. A minor playwright-poet helps a young woman conquer her fear of self-haunting by her own image - her Doppelganger - which is in a sense, her most true self. His method is to literally take her fear onto himself by substitutionary love, the act must be freely accepted by the young woman. A famous historian and author struggles with the haunting of inner destruction, due to a lifetime of self-centredness and self-deception - a slow spiritual implosion. A ghost or two timeslip in and out of the action, inadvertently 'haunting' the ordinary residents of Battle Hill. Then all returns to normal - it is just the definition of 'normal' which is now changed forever for the protagonists. The reader should be prepared for some patches of purple prose of a truly royal hue (dubbed the Williams 'clotted glory' by some commentators), and the need to consult the dictionary in places, which to me add greatly to the fun. One of those rare novels which rise above mere entertainment to a clearly life-enriching level, without ever preaching. This novel is particularly intense and vigourous and it puts into words experiences that many people have, perhaps not often in their lives but ones which they would like to be able to express. Williams captures them on the page with unique skill. Charles Williams is the potent intellectual forerunner of the Frank Peretti spiritual warfare novels, and the currently popular apocalyptic 'Left Behind' novels by LaHaye and Jenkins. Even the success of David Haggith's scholarly-popular analysis 'End-Time Prophecies of the Bible' shows the strength of the current popular taste for this genre. The C. S. Lewis novel closest in style is probably 'That Hideous Strength', where Merlin brings down the curse of Babel on the villains.
Rating:
Summary: Not Williams' Best Book
Review: Charles Williams was one of the 20th century's most underpraised great writers. His books have phenomenal depths -- more even than his pals to whom he is often unfairly compared, Lewis and Tolkien (Lewis admired his novels, Tolkien did not). He's far different from them, and that they were friends and hung out together has unfortunately yoked the three together, while they should all be experienced separately. If you are a reader of Williams already, you need to read this book. If you're just starting, try War in Heaven or All Hallow'S Eve. Follow War in Heaven with Many Dimensions, which is a sequel of sorts. A book admired by Dorothy Sayers and C.S. Lewish, The Place of the Lion, has unchartable depths and require too much knowledge of a casual reader, so then he should start Descent into hell, which is one of the strangest of his peculiar but wonderful works.
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