The Place of the Lion

Rating:
Summary: An amazing read
Review: I was so glad to find this book in print and available on Amazon; it's been 20 years since I read it as part of a C.S. Lewis Literature class at Cal State Fullerton, and the themes have stayed with me ever since. Reading this book put me into an almost dreamlike state, living the characters' experiences. The idea that archetypal Ideas could enter our world, consuming their physical shadows (our reality) and threatening humanity's existence, is depicted in the setting of a simple English village. Restoration of balance and order are the salvation of the world -- and keeping balance in my own life became a goal after I read this book.

Rating:
Summary: A stunning book for the philosophically inclined
Review: Living manifestations of Platonic archtypes invade the earth (a lion embodies courage, a butterfly beauty, etc.) in this supernatural thriller. The destiny of an uncharitable young woman, neurotically absorbed in her doctoral dissertation, hangs in the balance. This is a great read for anyone, but especially for those who struggle with balancing their intellectual pursuits and "the real world."

Rating:
Summary: A mystical thriller
Review: This is a book I have reread countless times, and it is always fresh. It renews my appreciation for reality, for the simple material world, and reminds me of the mystical potential lying beneath the surface we see. I especially enjoy the heroine's journey from self-absorption to concern and compassion, and the hero who rises to the occasion to rescue his friends and incidentally the world. One of my favorite books.

Rating:
Summary: "Difficult" with a capital D.
Review: This is the fourth Williams book I have read. For me, it's been the most difficult to understand, so far. One needs to be schooled (and schooled fairly thoroughly) in philosophy to fully appreciate what is going on here in The Place Of The Lion.
I am not, and don't.
A reader of this book also needs to know a bit about Williams himself. As a neo-Platonist he did not see God acting alone to create the universe, but as the creator also of sub-creators, which are traditionally known as the angelic hierarchies. For Williams, these were ever-present realities, ruling not only the great principles of creation, but also having the ability to burst in and effect the lives and destinies of men, whether on a group or individual basis. Here in The Place Of The Lion these universal powers are inadvertently stumbled upon by a Platonic meditation group led by a Mr. Berringer. Now, according to Platonic theory, behind the visible world lies the invisible world of Ideas. That is, behind every chair we observe, whether it is a King's throne or a leprechaun's toadstool, lies the Idea of "chairness". There is, so to speak, an eternal Chair from which all chairs proceed. This applies to everything in our world; a table is an instance of the Idea of tables, or of the Table; a man and a woman are cases in point of Maleness and Femaleness. In other words, if there is anything that may be called "unreal" says the Platonist, it is this transitory world of mere appearances which we live in.

The picture which Williams chose for The Place Of The Lion is this Platonic one. It so happens that on one occasion, Mr. Berringer's meditation is deep enough to cause a rupture in the divide between the outer and inner worlds. He is out walking in a condition almost of trance, deep in meditation upon the Platonic idea of strength and kingship, using the archetypal image of a lion. In this state, it so happens that his path is crossed by a real lioness which has escaped from a local circus or zoo. The animal attacks him but the remarkable result is that the lioness vanishes into thin air, and Berringer falls into a cataleptic trance, while the mighty figure of a maned lion is seen walking away - the very archetypal image on which he had been meditating.
Bizarre huh? It's only beginning. He now lies in a coma, and his home and the surrounding area become the place of severe archetypal activity. At one point, the archetypal enormous butterfly appears and all the normal butterflys of the world fly back into it. Totally wild.
I cannot begin to scratch the surface of all the very strange happenings that take place in the book, but I think overall it is meaning to say that man ought to be able to rule all of these forces. There is one man in the book that does, and the story ends with him as a second Adam "naming the beasts" and establishing dominion over them.
To "get it" and maintain interest in this book a reader should have a pre-familiarity with Platonic theory. It is by no means an easy read.

Rating:
Summary: A stunning book for the philosophically inclined
Review: This was the book that introduced C.S.Lewis to C.Williams and also influenced Lewis' "That Hideous Strength". Not many books can also claim to have inspired an album by a major rock/folk star. I'm refering to Bruce Cockburns' "Dancing in the Dragons' Jaws", a truly exceptional collection of songs.

Rating:
Summary: Full of potent imagery and symbolism.
Review: This was the book that introduced C.S.Lewis to C.Williams and also influenced Lewis' "That Hideous Strength". Not many books can also claim to have inspired an album by a major rock/folk star. I'm refering to Bruce Cockburns' "Dancing in the Dragons' Jaws", a truly exceptional collection of songs.