Rating: 
Summary: Certainly the most beautiful read of them all
Review: When I say 'all,' I am merely referring to the antecedent and latter of the three books that compose Lewis' famed 'Space Trilogy.' I had never considered myself to be a fan of science fiction; however, as I am a fan of Lewis, it was nearly obligatory that I read his famous 'Space Trilogy.' I found myself approaching the first book, 'Out of the Silent Planet,' with a marginal amount of reluctance. But, as I ventured further and further into the core of the book, my heart instantly grew fond of the ever-mesmerising style which has made Lewis a master of the pen. Although very impressed and delighted with 'Planet,' what awaited me within the pages of 'Perelandra' was nothing short of literary bliss. Writing himself into the story as a friend of Dr. Elwin Ransom, Lewis captivates his audience after mere pages as he travels to Ransom's own home. What commences after he arrives is perhaps Lewis' most beautiful work in print. As Dr. Ransom travels to a second distant planet, Perelandra, we (the audience) are assaulted with pellucid imagary and chilling realities that are not easily shaken after the last page is turned. 'Perelandra' is a world of fantasy; a world of fantasy which personafies the struggle of good and evil and offers a lucid and tangible potrayal of the Fall of Man. A MUST read for any science-fiction or Lewis connoisseur. A thrilling book and a truly delightful read!
Rating:
Summary: Christian science fiction?
Review: When Lewis writes, the idea actually makes sense.The book retells the Eden story, but one that went the right way. I was surprised at a few things in this book, including the eventual relationship between god and man on Lewis' other planet. I was also surprised at how completely Lewis focussed the story on the Eve figure and her dealings with the 'snake'. The Adam figure really never appeared until the last few pages, once she had been through the hard part. It's hard to remember that this story was written almost 60 years ago, during World War II. Back then, the protagonist's physical conquest of evil probably had a very noble meaning. Today, it looks quite different when our hero whips himself into a religious frenzy, then batters another man to death, spending a day or more inflicting increasing levels of injury before bashing his face in with a rock. It is chilling to see the hero justify this by declaring the other human to be an 'Un-man', so not worth human consideration. It is even more chilling that he experiences less feeling at brutally murdering his one-time compatriot than at the taste of an unusual fruit, judging by the amount of text spent on each. I just can not read today's headlines and see the act as wholly virtuous. On a more positive note, Lewis' apparent idea of sin does strike a chord with me. Given that evil is a different thing, one of the gravest sins in Lewis' world might be in the modern phrase, "It's not my job," or worse yet, "I don't get paid enough to do that." Many necessities are no one's job, but necessary nonetheless. No, there is no pay for many moral and requisite tasks - if anything, the doing may cost the doer dearly. Need and duty are the issues. Lewis barely wastes breath on the idea of fairness. The book, of course, is a classic. Like so many, it must be read in the spirit in which it was written; modern values only corrupt its original intent. I like the book for itself, but I also appreciate the contrast it shows between Lewis' time and our own.
Rating:
Summary: Complicated but worth it!
Review: While "Out of the Silent Planet" spends most of its time in world-building and "The Hideous Strength" is a wonderful handling of depravity, "Perelandra" is the great philosophical/theological book. The topics are extremely deep so it is sometimes hard to follow, but well worth the effort. This is were he deals with some of the real "why" questions asked through the ages, like "Why was eating a piece of fruit such a big deal?" "Why did God even put the tree there in the first place?" "Why create the universe, and how does it all fit together?" etc.
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