Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic! Pushes the envelope of great fiction!
Review: A truly stunning book! Interesting how this book seems to be getting either 5 stars or 1 star. Like the story itself, there is polarization, no middle ground. This satirical comedy blends brilliant characters with an accelerating plot. The BEST thing is the true-life charecterization of the "bad guys" and the "good guys". Modern 2-D writers paint the bad guys as blatent, psycopathic killers from the get-go. Lewis' bad guys are killers in disguise: socially acceptable, educated sophisticates who have literally duped themselves and they all distrust and despise each other. The good guys (i.e., "fat Mrs. Dimble saying her prayers") are human, but trying really hard to do right. The second-best thing is all the spiritual/biblical parallels and symbols. It makes a powerful backdrop for Christians and a nagging echo, with a ring of truth, for atheists (or what Lewis called, "materialists"). The third-best thing was comedy. This was the funniest book I've ever read, but it's really not a comedy, no matter how you slice it. I can't remember the last time a mere book brought laughter to the point of tears and loss of bodily function (real-Merlin-fake Merlin and the banquet speeches at Belbury). Read 'em and weep.
Rating:
Summary: The Space trilogy concludes
Review: The final book in Lewis's Space Trilogy finds Dr. Ransom confronting a huge international organization bent on the submission of the human race and given to all kinds of strange scientific experiments and with one supreme goal--to eliminate all free thinking and emotion. This organization, the N.I.C.E., uses the press, government reform programs, and all kinds of propaganda to make them seem like the new heroes in England, while slowly they subdue the government and begin a takeover of the world. It's Ransom's job to stop them, though this time he has some followers and aid from a recently awakened power that has long slept. True to his style, Lewis makes this a very entertaining novel with a great underlying message. It is very well-written and teeming with symbolism that ultimately denounces the love of science over the love of God. This book is a great read--highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A different flavor...
Review: Typically Lewis in linguistic style and philosophical content. This is an excellent book to read in tandem to Lewis' "Abolition of Man." I have yet to read the first two in the series (out of the silent planet and perelandra), but this book is easily read as a stand alone. I am particularly impressed with Lewis' ability to explore outside the Judeo-Christian mindset and embrace the possibilities in other great concepts, literary traditions etc. His unusual rendering of gods and goddesses with a "Christian" slant, Arthurian characters and magical happenings are innocent and rich with creative "mojo" that is sorely lacking in most popular "Christian" writing. I read this book simultaneously with "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand and was startled and delighted to see some interesting parallels in thought.
Rating: 
Summary: Uneven characterizations, but a fairly good read.
Review: I only recently discovered the Trilogy, never having been much of a Lewis fan, and read them in order. Each book has its charms, but I especially enjoyed the way That Hideous Strength built on the "circles" of the Bad Guys, both at Bracton college and later at Belbury. Mark Studdock, a person possessing neither distinction, character, nor a talent for evil, has lived his life - and ruined it thereby - in a search for admission to 'the inner circle,' and any circle will do. He learns that each concentric circle, in addition to being more exclusive as he supposed, is also more evil and more banal. The characterization of Stoddock is superb. Likewise the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Dimble and a few other minor characters. The book is almost worth reading just to gain the acquaintance of Mr. Bultitude. Others are far less engaging. MacPhee - one of the most unidimensional characters I have ever read - is a continual annoyance. The whole build-up with Merlin, only to have him turn out completely powerless until "possessed" by the eldils, makes no sense to me at all. And then he - what? Explodes? Couldn't anyone have done that? And why do God and the angels need an Arthurian wizard, anyway? But the biggest disappointment was Ransom himself. He went from being a lifelike, engaging fellow, in the first two books, to an idealized shadow. We never really learn how he goes from being a Cambridge don to a wealthy landowner and "the Pendragon." Who are these people who bequeath St. Anne's to him on the condition that he take the name "Fisher-King?" How did he become the Pendragon? No explanation. This was hard to accept from such a brilliant writer. But that's not to say the book is unworthy of attention. I expect to read it again, probably soon, and will probably get more insights from it the second time through. I believe much of the problem the Trilogy has with readers of my generation is that it is always classed as Science Fiction, which it certainly is not. People read it expecting familiar formulas, and don't know how to react when it turns out to be religious allegory. They should read more carefully. As with most of what he wrote, Lewis intended to illuminate more than to entertain.
Rating:
Summary: One of my "all-time" favorite books
Review: I have been a life-long C.S. Lewis fan, and first tackled this book when I was probably about 12, returning to it often throughout the years (I am now 32). One of my favorite passages concerns the descent of the Eldila (especially Jupiter) into St. Anne's, although I thoroughly enjoyed the work as a whole. It can be a bit slow-going in parts, and definitely is "British" in numerous of its references, but all in all it's a great end to the series and a very instructive and entertaining story. Two quick comments here: an earlier reviewer wondered why Merlin was necessary and couldn't anyone have taken his role upon themselves. Lewis writes in the book how Merlin was needed because in life he had opened himself to the influence of spiritual powers in a way others hadn't, and that "opening" was what made him uniquely suited to the needs of the situation in the novel. As to the other reviewer's comments about Lewis not knowing a thing about women, and his views on contraception, it would seem that a fairer statement would be that Lewis' views did not correspond to the reviewer's, rather than a condemning statement about his views. I say this especially since I know many women who have absolutely no problem whatsoever with the views Lewis articulates in the book. Happy reading to all!
Rating:
Summary: Eldils and Merlin and bears oh my!
Review: Silly heading, but nobody reads them anyway. I think. The third and last book in the trilogy (you did read the others, right?) and about as far from science fiction as you can possibly get . . . there's a definite shift, Lewis seems to be bringing in more fantasy and religious allegorical elements as the series continued, with the end result here. The tale is subtitled "A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups" and that's what it boils down to. If you're like me, you'll have read this right after reading the other two books (which were great, by the way) and you'll be immediately confused. Instead of focusing on the nifty Dr Ransom, you get a young couple Mark and Jane. Jane's having weird dreams that keep coming true and Mark isn't really paying attention because he's trying to get into the political "circles" as the local university where he works. However, little does he know that evil is lurking there and the folks are plotting some very dark things. Herein comes the good guys and after being introduced to lots o' supporting characters, some of which are interesting, some less so, you finally meet the man himself: Ransom. The problem I have, and this has been said elsewhere, is that he's apparently the "Pendragon" (but also the Fisher King . . . weren't they two different people?) but there's absolutely no explanation as to how that happened. Lewis probably figured it wasn't important and not relevant to the story itself, heck, Ransom's discussion of how he inherited the mantle of the Pendragon is basically tossed off in one sentence. The first half of the book mostly focuses on the college and the dread blokes there, but when Ransom and company shows up finally, things get very trippy indeed. Perelandra was a strange novel because of setting but I could deal with that, Lewis piles so much allegory on the plot that it gets almost ridiculous. And then Merlin shows up. That's right. Merlin. He's kinda fun actually but much like Ransom becomes, he's little more than a voice, you don't get any indication of his motivations. All that said though, this is a nifty way to end the series, the climax left me a little flat, especially after the buildup in the first two books (Merlin makes some stuff happen and the gods blow some stuff up) but Lewis' mastery of the English language saves this completely, this guy was passionate about this novel and you can tell, it crackles from every page and you can really feel it toward the end in almost every word. There's a nice "Britishness" about the book as well, a sense of the sheer age of Britain and its history. The ending is kind and gentle and you're left with a good feeling when you finish the book. If you don't like Lewis for his "preachiness" then stay far away if you don't like thinking, because he's using this more to illustrate a point more than anything else, but it's fine writing and a fine cap to an interesting series. And for those of you who started reading this series because it was science fictional, don't stop now, y'all could stand to read something different every once in a while. It won't hurt. Really.
Rating:
Summary: Uneven characterizations, but a fairly good read.
Review: I only recently discovered the Trilogy, never having been much of a Lewis fan, and read them in order. Each book has its charms, but I especially enjoyed the way That Hideous Strength built on the "circles" of the Bad Guys, both at Bracton college and later at Belbury. Mark Studdock, a person possessing neither distinction, character, nor a talent for evil, has lived his life - and ruined it thereby - in a search for admission to 'the inner circle,' and any circle will do. He learns that each concentric circle, in addition to being more exclusive as he supposed, is also more evil and more banal. The characterization of Stoddock is superb. Likewise the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Dimble and a few other minor characters. The book is almost worth reading just to gain the acquaintance of Mr. Bultitude. Others are far less engaging. MacPhee - one of the most unidimensional characters I have ever read - is a continual annoyance. The whole build-up with Merlin, only to have him turn out completely powerless until "possessed" by the eldils, makes no sense to me at all. And then he - what? Explodes? Couldn't anyone have done that? And why do God and the angels need an Arthurian wizard, anyway? But the biggest disappointment was Ransom himself. He went from being a lifelike, engaging fellow, in the first two books, to an idealized shadow. We never really learn how he goes from being a Cambridge don to a wealthy landowner and "the Pendragon." Who are these people who bequeath St. Anne's to him on the condition that he take the name "Fisher-King?" How did he become the Pendragon? No explanation. This was hard to accept from such a brilliant writer. But that's not to say the book is unworthy of attention. I expect to read it again, probably soon, and will probably get more insights from it the second time through. I believe much of the problem the Trilogy has with readers of my generation is that it is always classed as Science Fiction, which it certainly is not. People read it expecting familiar formulas, and don't know how to react when it turns out to be religious allegory. They should read more carefully. As with most of what he wrote, Lewis intended to illuminate more than to entertain.
Rating: 
Summary: A memorable tale.
Review: Shall I throw this book across the room because its plot hinges on forcing its heroine to accept her "proper role" as a woman in the mainstream Christianity of the era in which Lewis wrote it? Or shall I enjoy it on its own terms? I had to make up my mind about that as soon as I realized where the author was taking me, and at that point I put it aside overnight. With bookmark removed, because I intended to return it whence it was borrowed without reading further. I found my place again the next evening, and I kept on. I'm glad I did. While certainly I didn't wind up persuaded that birth control is an evil that prevents "preordained" conceptions from taking place, nor did I buy for a minute the notion that Jane Studdock could only gain both salvation and happiness by abandoning her doctoral thesis for a life of childbearing, I found the rest of the book thoroughly entertaining as a dark science fantasy. Lewis's wit more than redeems the rather heavy-handed allegory that the plot doesn't pretend to cloak. He takes myth and Christian doctrine, and settings and characters from his own time and place, and weaves it all together into a fast-moving and memorable tale. If he had only known the first thing about women, instead of sounding always like a bachelor uncle...or if only, as in "Out of the Silent Planet," he'd had the good sense not to attempt writing them as major characters.
Rating:
Summary: By far, the best of the three
Review: This final book in Lewis' space trilogy is very different from its predecessors. It starts a lot more slowly, but builds to a higher crescendo. The characters are more nuanced, less like cardboard cutouts labeled "good" and "evil." Finally, more than the others, the ending is clear, timely, and very satisfying. It's hard to describe this book, but try to picture Orwell's 1984 rewritten from a Christian view. The world had not reached Orwell's nightmare, but was headed decisively in that direction. The leaders of that putsch had all too familiar an appearance, and were ready to make every use of people uncertain of their own morality. The end of the book, just a few pages following the end of the conflict, took me quite by surprise. (No, I won't give it away.) In retrospect, though, it makes a lot of sense. Lewis was acutely aware of mankind's combined nature, physical and spiritual, with no need for distinction to be made. In other writings (if I remember correctly), Lewis stated the importance of physically kneeling to pray because of how the physical act of kneeling affected the mind made from that physical body. I am quite sure that the ending was written to be as devout as Lewis could possibly make it, and it is a very beautiful vision of sacred duty. This book is immensely more mature a work than the two that preceded it. The others create context for this one, but this stands very well by itself. If you have patience with its slow start, you may be happily surpised.
Rating:
Summary: Ranks with the best of good versus evil fiction
Review: As author of Project 314, I have a deep appreciation for the way that Lewis pits good vs. evil. In his space trilogy, Lewis ranks with Stephen King (The Stand), and Tolkien's ring series in the way that he reaches deeply into his imagination to allegorize the moral dilemma of man. From a scientific standpoint he is ahead of his time. Imagine Lewis' amazement at the way we keep bodies alive today!
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