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philosopher_kj's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Colonisation and Gun violence
Minor: Alcohol and Excrement
clevermird's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Clearly, whoever put together my list of the "great classics" was thinking ahead. After the long, somewhat archaic Moby Dick, they suggested something lighter and more accessible with The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. However, while I agree that the book is a classic and well-deserving of being "one of the greats", I've read it many times, the last of which was less than two years ago. So I decided to replace it with another work by the same author. His most famous non-Narnia work, The Screwtape Letters, I read even more recently and most Lewis is firmly in the realm of non-fiction.
But then my eyes landed on the so-called Space Trilogy. Equipped with Project Gutenburg access and a vague memory of my grandmother liking the books when I was a kid, I stepped into Out of the Silent Planet completely blind. What I found surprised me greatly.
Professor Ransom, a talented linguist, is on a walking tour of England when he runs into an old schoolmate who seems to be working on a mysterious project in a secluded house. Accepting the offer of tea, Ransom finds himself drugged, kidnapped, and packed onto a space ship headed for planets unknown, while his captors clearly plot some kind of sinister fate for him at their destination.
This book was a lot of fun. Ransom was a very likable protagonist. He's no hero, no great and inspiring leader, and realistically freaks out at some of the situations he's thrown into. Yet rather than stay in a panic, he keeps pulling himself out because he's just such a nerd. After the initial horror of his kidnapping, for example, he soon adjusts to what's going on and forgets to be particularly scared because he's in *space* and it's *cool*. The aliens are genuinely alien and some of the descriptions of the fantastic landscapes are quite inspiring.
Perhaps the most surprising thing, however, was the thematic undertone and how modern it felt, for lack of a better word. I'm used to reading older literature having messages that didn't age well, but some of the central themes of this one - that going to another place where people already live to take their things and exploit their natural resources is bad (even if those people do not look or talk like you) and that evil ideas dressed up in pretty words are still evil - feel very relevant and wouldn't be out of place in a scifi novel published last year. Not revolutionary, but still surprising in a book written in the 1930s.
Not that everything was perfect. The story drags a fair bit in the second act and I would have liked a bit more character development. I also wasn't a fan of the meta element introduced in the last few chapters, which I felt weakened my enjoyment significantly.
Still, I had a lot of fun with this book and am cautiously optimistic to see how this relatively self-contained story will progress in the next two books.
But then my eyes landed on the so-called Space Trilogy. Equipped with Project Gutenburg access and a vague memory of my grandmother liking the books when I was a kid, I stepped into Out of the Silent Planet completely blind. What I found surprised me greatly.
Professor Ransom, a talented linguist, is on a walking tour of England when he runs into an old schoolmate who seems to be working on a mysterious project in a secluded house. Accepting the offer of tea, Ransom finds himself drugged, kidnapped, and packed onto a space ship headed for planets unknown, while his captors clearly plot some kind of sinister fate for him at their destination.
This book was a lot of fun. Ransom was a very likable protagonist. He's no hero, no great and inspiring leader, and realistically freaks out at some of the situations he's thrown into. Yet rather than stay in a panic, he keeps pulling himself out because he's just such a nerd. After the initial horror of his kidnapping, for example, he soon adjusts to what's going on and forgets to be particularly scared because he's in *space* and it's *cool*. The aliens are genuinely alien and some of the descriptions of the fantastic landscapes are quite inspiring.
Perhaps the most surprising thing, however, was the thematic undertone and how modern it felt, for lack of a better word. I'm used to reading older literature having messages that didn't age well, but some of the central themes of this one - that going to another place where people already live to take their things and exploit their natural resources is bad (even if those people do not look or talk like you) and that evil ideas dressed up in pretty words are still evil - feel very relevant and wouldn't be out of place in a scifi novel published last year. Not revolutionary, but still surprising in a book written in the 1930s.
Not that everything was perfect. The story drags a fair bit in the second act and I would have liked a bit more character development. I also wasn't a fan of the meta element introduced in the last few chapters, which I felt weakened my enjoyment significantly.
Still, I had a lot of fun with this book and am cautiously optimistic to see how this relatively self-contained story will progress in the next two books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Xenophobia, and Kidnapping
Minor: Alcohol, Death, and Gun violence
casualk's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Death and Gun violence
jessthanthree's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Misogyny, Colonisation, Death, Kidnapping, and Gun violence
readingwithmeredith's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Kidnapping
natanbcpc's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I really like seeing how Lewis imagined space travel back in his time. I also like seeing his critique of colonialist ideas (although maintaining some of them in the main character).
I find that, like in Narnia (my favorite book series), he focuses more on the worldbuilding than on the characters. There are also Christian themes in the story, although a little less explicit than in Narnia.
I find that, like in Narnia (my favorite book series), he focuses more on the worldbuilding than on the characters. There are also Christian themes in the story, although a little less explicit than in Narnia.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
cerilouisereads's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Death, Kidnapping, Xenophobia, and Violence
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