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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
this was definitely one of the most bizarre series i’ve ever read...but i actually really enjoyed it
My favorite of the Space Trilogy, That Hideous Strength is an exploration of the sinister influence behind the attempts to defeat death and ascend beyond the need for a physical body.
As the continuation of the trilogy, we eventually meet Ransom again, still nursing the wound on his heel, in his mission to prevent the oyarsa of Earth, whom we know as Satan, from producing evil in the earth. This time, however, he takes more of a backseat, even in the narration, as two new viewpoint characters, Mark and Jane Studdock are introduced.
Jane eventually meets Ransom and joins herself to the side of good, but Mark sides with the N.I.C.E. (National Institute of Coordinated Experiments), where the evil one's methods are clinical, 'rational,' and exceptionally polished. We can see shadows of transhumanism and modern social planning in the halls of the enemy N.I.C.E. Fleshliness, to them, is the great weakness of humanity and the enemy of social progress. It is only by negating/removing the necessity of the body that humanity can evolve. This impulse is revealed to be influenced by the same demonic sources that animate the disembodied head from which the N.I.C.E. takes its orders.
For a fictional display of how 'scientism,' unrestricted by philosophical and religious thinking, leads to horrors yet unthought of, this book gives some great examples.
As the continuation of the trilogy, we eventually meet Ransom again, still nursing the wound on his heel, in his mission to prevent the oyarsa of Earth, whom we know as Satan, from producing evil in the earth. This time, however, he takes more of a backseat, even in the narration, as two new viewpoint characters, Mark and Jane Studdock are introduced.
Jane eventually meets Ransom and joins herself to the side of good, but Mark sides with the N.I.C.E. (National Institute of Coordinated Experiments), where the evil one's methods are clinical, 'rational,' and exceptionally polished. We can see shadows of transhumanism and modern social planning in the halls of the enemy N.I.C.E. Fleshliness, to them, is the great weakness of humanity and the enemy of social progress. It is only by negating/removing the necessity of the body that humanity can evolve. This impulse is revealed to be influenced by the same demonic sources that animate the disembodied head from which the N.I.C.E. takes its orders.
For a fictional display of how 'scientism,' unrestricted by philosophical and religious thinking, leads to horrors yet unthought of, this book gives some great examples.
I began this trilogy on a high, I loved the carefully guised fantasy as science fiction as we look at the sociological and linguistic elements of the people of Mars. But Perelandra was little more than allegory and was a miss for me and this one. I don't know what to call it dystopian. I thought it would be a cool exploration of how humans respond to the knowledge of alien societies and their development and unique worlds. Instead we get. What is this?
You are the man that crafted my passion for stories and I find being so unimpressed so saddening, also this is subtitled "A Modern Fairytale for Grownups" How? This book is inspired by his friendship with Charles Williams and might explain the departure from his normal style.
There is a fight against oppression and written at the closing of WWII and was reviewed positively by Orwell but he remarked that it would have been better without the mythology. I agree. It is a strange combination of science fiction and fantasy and the divine and it makes me wholly uncomfortable.
For his writing and exploring the darkness the world felt, I give That Hideous Strength two stars. It is not without its merits but it is by far my least favourite of his works.
You are the man that crafted my passion for stories and I find being so unimpressed so saddening, also this is subtitled "A Modern Fairytale for Grownups" How? This book is inspired by his friendship with Charles Williams and might explain the departure from his normal style.
There is a fight against oppression and written at the closing of WWII and was reviewed positively by Orwell but he remarked that it would have been better without the mythology. I agree. It is a strange combination of science fiction and fantasy and the divine and it makes me wholly uncomfortable.
For his writing and exploring the darkness the world felt, I give That Hideous Strength two stars. It is not without its merits but it is by far my least favourite of his works.
Although set in a fantastic version of the world, Lewis's conclusion to the Space Trilogy is about our world, today.
I absolutely loved this book. It got super creepy a couple times, but the story and characters worked so well together that I didn't want to put it down, even when it was creepy. My favorite character was Mr. Bultitude, but I won't spoil him for anyone. I highly recommend this series.
The third in the Space Trilogy, this book takes place entirely on Earth. The story starts rather slowly and builds bringing in more and more characters and themes. The plot takes place in a dystopian England "after the war" and involves morality, mythology, theology, science fiction, objectivism and subjectivism. A large cast of mostly new (to the space trilogy) characters are relatable and this book gives you a lot to think about. Not a quick read, partly due to the style of Lewis' writing and partly due to the underlying themes, I enjoyed this book, just not in the way I expected to after reading the first two parts of the trilogy which contained more action and fantastic locations.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
This was the best of the trilogy. It was a great story with deep conversations. It gets you to think about the world. It also was one of the best love stories I have read. It showed the side of newly married couples which is not often depicted in books. Lewis did a great job of making the human characters humans. Overall, I will be returning to this Trilogy again.
I wish there were a sixth star for this book.
A friend loaned it to me (I had read the first two in the Space Trilogy but didn't own the last) and I stayed up until 3:45 AM reading (making some effort of will to put it down at the end of every chapter and failing).
A few things I loved:
1. Lewis has a rare ability to write apocalyptic fiction that bumps up against normal life in an utterly believable way. The blending of mundane and fantastic is....it's wow. I watched it happen and in his hands it seems easy, but I've seen it attempted and fall miserably flat.
2. The technique of jumping back and forth between two or more narrative threads is common, but I've never seen it done so well. The multiple threads in this story don't just complement each other as narrative, but on the level of character and theme. And there wasn't one I was annoyed to go back to because they were all so good.
3. Lewis writes about the transcendent in the context of story in a way that isn't stilted, mushy, or awkward — it's exhilarating. It's clear that he enjoyed writing this story immensely, and felt at home with it, rather than preaching an external moralistic tale.
4. Lewis' depiction of evil is intensely real. As a result, it is horrifying and ugly. The preaching is visual, gut-wrenching, heart-reaching. Similarly, the conversions are completely convincing, because the characters themselves are well-drawn, and the externals which they recognize are equally well-drawn.
A friend loaned it to me (I had read the first two in the Space Trilogy but didn't own the last) and I stayed up until 3:45 AM reading (making some effort of will to put it down at the end of every chapter and failing).
A few things I loved:
1. Lewis has a rare ability to write apocalyptic fiction that bumps up against normal life in an utterly believable way. The blending of mundane and fantastic is....it's wow. I watched it happen and in his hands it seems easy, but I've seen it attempted and fall miserably flat.
2. The technique of jumping back and forth between two or more narrative threads is common, but I've never seen it done so well. The multiple threads in this story don't just complement each other as narrative, but on the level of character and theme. And there wasn't one I was annoyed to go back to because they were all so good.
3. Lewis writes about the transcendent in the context of story in a way that isn't stilted, mushy, or awkward — it's exhilarating. It's clear that he enjoyed writing this story immensely, and felt at home with it, rather than preaching an external moralistic tale.
4. Lewis' depiction of evil is intensely real. As a result, it is horrifying and ugly. The preaching is visual, gut-wrenching, heart-reaching. Similarly, the conversions are completely convincing, because the characters themselves are well-drawn, and the externals which they recognize are equally well-drawn.