That Hideous Strength

Not my favorite of the space trilogy (Perelandra wins that award) nor my favorite of Lewis’s fiction (toss up between Til We Have Faces & The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe), but yet beautiful in its own right. I was satisfied by this conclusion to the trilogy.

This last installment in Lewis’s Space Trilogy was undoubtedly a slow burn. It felt almost as though there would never be any sort of real action or plot points that tied into the two preceding books, and would instead discuss college politics and the dangers of large corporations for the entirety of the book. Thankfully this wasn’t the case, and the vast amounts of information we were given on the inner machinations of any large collective of people proved to be absolutely necessary to the finale toward which Lewis was building. The conclusion was very satisfying, and provided wonderfully solid links between all three books in the trilogy. However, I must confess that I didn’t really enjoy this book. I appreciated it. I felt that my mind was well fed by the content, and that my faith was reinforced by the spiritual elements present. I in no way regret reading it. The entire trilogy was fairly academic in tone, but this last installment was almost overwhelmingly so. I have spoiled myself as a reader since graduating from college, choosing almost exclusively to read books that are fun and edging toward mindless. It’s like I’ve built my intellectual diet around Lucky Charms instead of oatmeal, choosing something that satisfies my mental sweet tooth but leaves my hungry again too soon instead of feeding myself something that will stick with me and actually help me become a stronger, healthier person. While I recognize the error of my ways, it’s now incredibly difficult to curb my craving for sugary, empty calories. In closing this novel, I have officially read all of Lewis’s books. I’m sure there are a few essays out there that I have missed, but I can safely say that I have loved everything that Lewis penned, including That Hideous Strength. While it might not be a book I go back to time and again like some of his other works, Lewis created something in this trilogy that was powerful and thought-provoking, for which I have tremendous respect. I too, like Ransom, hope desperately to visit the unmoored islands of Perelandra one day, and I rest confidently in the knowledge that such a day will come. If you’re a fan of classic science fiction, or classic novels of the Christian faith, or both, I highly recommend this trilogy. It will provide you with food for thought long after the sugary fluff of other novels has faded from your mind.

Fantastic end to the series. Everything came together perfectly. Looking forward to a reread in a few years :)

A review from my old blog... (a review of the whole trilogy) I am not much of a science fiction aficionado but I gave these books by C. S. Lewis a try because I love the Chronicles of Narnia so much. I didn't really like these books. I never really got into them. the plot of all three of them while connected in some ways really had nothing to do with each other and really didn't seem all that connected within the books themselves. I did enjoy the books but the plot took such a turn that often I really didn't understand the story. I guess I'm still not much for science fiction and found myself very disappointed especially when comparing those books to Chronicles of Narnia which I absolutely love.