Rating: 
Summary: Move Over, Huxley and Orwell.
Review: Lewis' apocolyptic vision of where mankind is headed hits far closer to the mark than the more widely read visions such as Brave New World and 1984. This is because Lewis recognizes that the evil lies not in technology or even politics but in the human heart.Lewis also shows a deeper understanding of how society functions -- as an investigative researcher I can vouch for the accuracy of his portrayal of how nefarious organizations manipulate the press, for example. He grasps what other writers never even seem to comprehend -- that it is the small choices made daily that lead down the path to Hell. As philosophy, as social commentary, or as a rolicking good story, That Hideous Strength is a compelling read.
Rating:
Summary: Truly "Fantastic"!
Review: Lewis apoligizes for a slow start in having to describe the "mundane". This, however, sets the stage for the fantastic. Never before had Greek mythology or the Arthurian legends held any appeal for me. This book happily marries these
themes to a worldly mindset out of control. Much time is spent on the introspect which accents the physical events in the story. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: That Hideous Strength is the best of the Space Trilogy
Review: It seems that people either like That Hideous Strength the best or least of the Space Trilogy. I think the reason is that That Hideous Strength is very different than the other two books. It took me a couple of chapters to realize that this book was not going where Perelandra and Out of the Silent Planet went, but when I realized that I could enjoy the book on its own merits. In fact, this is my favorite book in the trilogy. Although a Christian theme runs throughout the trilogy, when it is presented in That Hideous Strength it becomes more accessible. The evil in the book could and does happen. The basic good in the book is no less extraordinary (with certain exceptions). The adventures of Ransom on other planets in the first two books of the trilogy were to prepare him for the battle on Earth in That Hideous Strenth. An interesting phenomenon of this book for me was that when I was reading about Mark and the N.I.C. E. I longed for the story to switch to Jane and the group at St. Anne's. The people at N.I.C.E. were so disagreeable and petty and backstabbing that it made me realize what C. S. Lewis was saying about the nature of evil (or the devil). This book can be read for its story alone, but it is much more rewarding if you think about the ideas and beliefs present as well. Even if you are not religious or a christian the book can inspire you to think about what you believe in.
Rating:
Summary: The Best C.S. Lewis Novel--EVER
Review: I find it astounding to read that someone thought this was the weakest of the Space Trilogy, it was the only one of the books I could even get through. And I loved it, I re-read it every couple of years. As much as I loved the Narnia books this one is grown-up fun
Rating: 
Summary: Timeless cautionary tale.
Review: Many fans of Lewis' work rate this lowest in the Space Trilogy; it lacks "Out of the Silent Planet"'s wonder and "Perelandra" lyricism. However, for a look at where a situationally-moral, rationalist, humanist society is bound to wind up, it is priceless.
The main characters are a young couple who got married out of love and are finding it hard going in "the real world". The wife, Jane, has an unusual ability to 'dream true' and when her dreams start applying to her own life, she finds it unsettling. Her husband, Mark, a young don (or professor) is no help; he's too wound up in college politics and the possibility of a job with a new scientific foundation to pay much attention to her.
The story really begins moving when the foundation, called Belbury, begins moving in on everyday life. But, as always with Lewis, there is a moral opposite ready to stand against Belbury; in it, we find an old friend and several new ones.
This book is astonishingly accurate about where society is now -- as with some of Lewis' other observations (Screwtape's toast to the college comes to mind), it's hard to remember that Lewis wrote them nearly 50 years ago -- they're that close to current events and modern society
Rating:
Summary: Very, very Lewis
Review: As a story, That Hideous Strength is of a lesser calibre than Out of the Silent Planet or Perelandra, the other books in the Cosmic Trilogy. As an allogory and as an exploration of ultimate Truth, however, That Hideous Strength is a wonderful book; it is theology dressed up as a story and, so long as one acknowledges this, it is a deeply satisfying book
Rating:
Summary: Pugnacious ending to a fine trilogy
Review: C. S. Lewis wraps up his "Space Trilogy" right back on planet Earth where it is up to a cadre of ordinary folks, mythical beings, and brute beasts to thwart the forces of supreme wickedness. With the assistance of the Director--a man familiar to readers of the previous two books in the trilogy--this strange collection of characters is pitted against a vaguely-familiar, propaganda-driven totalitarian regime ironically called by the acronym NICE. This book is Lewis at his satirical best--an uppercut landed to the jaw of secular, anti-family, "post-christian" society. What is particularly striking about this book is who Lewis fingers as the advance-guard for the evil that sadly dominates on Earth, ever trying to extend its power: a bunch of place-seeking, ethics-free, jive-talking academics who have long left any pretense to reason and science behind. Instead, they are driven by a misguided altruism that manifests itself, ultimately, as complete misanthropy. In this regard, Lewis must be regarded as prescient. Anyone who has spent any time in American academia will immediately sympathize with the plight of the characters in the book who *dare* to stand up to the censorial, elitist, marxist/leninist, anti-religion, pro-death agenda so prevalent among the "progressive" leadership of the university. Lewis had these people's number fifty years ago. In short, this book is a fun read and though couched in humorous terms, is deadly serious at its core.
Rating:
Summary: Timeless cautionary tale.
Review: Many fans of Lewis' work rate this lowest in the Space Trilogy; it lacks "Out of the Silent Planet"'s wonder and "Perelandra" lyricism. However, for a look at where a situationally-moral, rationalist, humanist society is bound to wind up, it is priceless. The main characters are a young couple who got married out of love and are finding it hard going in "the real world". The wife, Jane, has an unusual ability to 'dream true' and when her dreams start applying to her own life, she finds it unsettling. Her husband, Mark, a young don (or professor) is no help; he's too wound up in college politics and the possibility of a job with a new scientific foundation to pay much attention to her. The story really begins moving when the foundation, called Belbury, begins moving in on everyday life. But, as always with Lewis, there is a moral opposite ready to stand against Belbury; in it, we find an old friend and several new ones. This book is astonishingly accurate about where society is now -- as with some of Lewis' other observations (Screwtape's toast to the college comes to mind), it's hard to remember that Lewis wrote them nearly 50 years ago -- they're that close to current events and modern society
Rating:
Summary: good and evil
Review: Lewis's writing seems always to be about the struggle
of good and evil. His "evil", as I see it, consists
of a separation from the joy of love and life, and a
descent into passionless, dull destruction and
time-wasting. While I am not a Christian, I deeply
appreciate his insights on how we get caught in habits
of this kind of evil, and drawn away from joy.
Lewis's portrayal in this book of the advancement of evil through individuals' petty efforts at self-aggrandizement rang true. It was frightening to watch unfold through nearly content-free board meetings and hall conversations.
There were also some choice insights in the course of the book about how we can help or hinder ourselves in being good. Lewis tends to be clear about the point that devotion to God (or goodness) has nothing to do with looking saintly every Sunday in the right sort of church, and everything to do with cultivating generous impulses, enjoying the life given to us, and being good to one another, without regard for personal status.
I enjoyed the first part of the story quite a bit, as both literature and spiritual exploration. When Lewis suddenly introduced Martians (I am wildly oversimplifying for the sake of clarity) the effect was ludicrously awkward, IMHO, but I was willing to let it go, particularly since he had in fact spent two previous books, only one of which I've read, presenting these entities in more context.
The ending, unfortunately, shared this awkwardness. After a book-long buildup, it seemed to all fly to pieces in a rather unsatisfying manner that felt less like a resolution than like Cecil B. DeMille pulling out all the stops and using all his ancient Roman and Biblical costumes, props, sets, and wild animals at once.
Some great bits, good spiritual insights, thought-provoking, but flawed as a novel. I recommend it if you can forgive that and want some thoughts about goodness and evil to chew on.
Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't Fit With The Rest Of The Trilogy
Review: Taken by itself - which can be done without much issue - this is a good book. However, when positioned as the third installment of the Space Trilogy, it is a square peg being placed in a round hole. There are a number of things about this book that break the harmony with Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra.
1. Dr. Ransom is not the central figure of the story. There are vague references to him earlier in the book, but it is at almost the halfway point that we see Ransom interact with the rest of the characters. Some may find this similar to the way The Two Towers is written, but the big difference between the two is that all but one of the characters in The Hideous Strength are brand new. Even Devine is going by a different name. At least in The Two Towers, you were reading about familiar characters for the first half.
2. The number of characters in this story is significantly large in comparison to the other two books in the trilogy. You meet as many characters in Bracton alone as you see in the entire length of Perelandra. That doesn't even take into consideration the characters at Logres and the N.I.C.E. This seems to take away from the cohesiveness of the Trilogy and almost detaches it from the other two stories.
3. The role of the Oyarsa is quite different. Given that the story is set on Earth, this is somewhat expected. However, never having them speak just doesn't seem fair after their involvement in the other two stories. Lewis should have let the Oyarsa from Mercury and Saturn impart wisdom as Mars and Venus did.
Again, this *is* a good book if you take it by itself. There are even some things related about the differences between men and women that are quite funny but true. Look for MacPhee's comparison of how the two sexes use nouns. Married people will get a chuckle. However, given that this is supposed to conclude a trilogy, it really fails in that regard. If you are expecting something that performs like Return of the King, you will be quite disappointed.
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