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bass_clarinet's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Very interesting book, kept me turning the pages. Definitely dense, Clive Staples Lewis might have been experiencing existential dread while writing this book, and it shows. Can't wait to read the next and last in this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, and Torture
Minor: Blood
clevermird's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Professor Ransom is back, and this time he's headed to Venus!
Some time after his first adventure to the planet Malecandra (Mars), the professor is sent on another stellar journey. But rather than a helpless captive, this time he's an ambassador, sent to prevent some kind of evil from befalling the young, paradisaical world of Perelandra. Arriving in a crystal coffin, he finds himself in a world of endless oceans, golden skies, floating islands, and a young queen who is curious about the stranger that has just arrived in her world. But Ransom is not the only one with an interest in Perelandra and soon another visitor will arrive who wants nothing more than to destroy everything.
This book was a large change from Out of the Silent Planet and not, in my opinion, for the better. While the fantastic descriptions of alien landscapes remain, they're expanded on here to the point that they somewhat take over the book. Similarly, as much as I loved the philosophical debate that forms the climax of Silent Planet, here the discussions go on for chapters, to the point that they somewhat blur together and at times it became a struggle to keep from skimming the endless paragraphs of high-concept dialogue and abstract descriptions. And while I enjoyed the Christian themes and allusions in the first book and I don't mind them being stronger per se, the level to which the story hinges on them changes it from adventure sci-fi with philosophical undertones to an actual Biblical allegory, which was not what I was expecting and at times feels a bit on-the-nose and heavy-handed.
Nonetheless, once I adjusted to what the book actually was, Perelandra wasn't bad. I found the villain a genuinely disturbing depiction of what demonic possession might look like and the concept of the world and its creatures to be just as fascinating and creative as those in Silent Planet, if not more so.
I didn't dislike this book, but I think it's a very different audience than the first of the trilogy.
Some time after his first adventure to the planet Malecandra (Mars), the professor is sent on another stellar journey. But rather than a helpless captive, this time he's an ambassador, sent to prevent some kind of evil from befalling the young, paradisaical world of Perelandra. Arriving in a crystal coffin, he finds himself in a world of endless oceans, golden skies, floating islands, and a young queen who is curious about the stranger that has just arrived in her world. But Ransom is not the only one with an interest in Perelandra and soon another visitor will arrive who wants nothing more than to destroy everything.
This book was a large change from Out of the Silent Planet and not, in my opinion, for the better. While the fantastic descriptions of alien landscapes remain, they're expanded on here to the point that they somewhat take over the book. Similarly, as much as I loved the philosophical debate that forms the climax of Silent Planet, here the discussions go on for chapters, to the point that they somewhat blur together and at times it became a struggle to keep from skimming the endless paragraphs of high-concept dialogue and abstract descriptions. And while I enjoyed the Christian themes and allusions in the first book and I don't mind them being stronger per se, the level to which the story hinges on them changes it from adventure sci-fi with philosophical undertones to an actual Biblical allegory, which was not what I was expecting and at times feels a bit on-the-nose and heavy-handed.
Nonetheless, once I adjusted to what the book actually was, Perelandra wasn't bad. I found the villain a genuinely disturbing depiction of what demonic possession might look like and the concept of the world and its creatures to be just as fascinating and creative as those in Silent Planet, if not more so.
I didn't dislike this book, but I think it's a very different audience than the first of the trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
Moderate: Animal death and Violence
kfrickle's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
I read this book through audio. It was long in the descriptions, and I found myself zoning out throughout the book. However when the plot was advanced, I found the book interesting. The theology in it was interesting to read but again I was zoning out because it also was very descriptive and long winded. Maybe this would be a better read if listening into chunks or reading the print version of it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death
steveshooman's review against another edition
Animal cruelty
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty
cerilouisereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Animal death, Death, and Violence
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