I just read a fairy tale.
Yes, I am technically an adult, but this fairy tale is FOR adults.
Isn’t it fantastic?
C.S. Lewis has brilliantly written the Space Trilogy, featuring (in order) "Out of the Silent," "Planet, Perelandra" and "That Hideous Strength." It is the latter that I have most recently finished. This is my first read-through of the series, and—as to be expected from C.S. Lewis—it did not disappoint.
I recommend the entire Space Trilogy series, BUT each part is completely accessible as a standalone novel. (You won’t get all the references, as they do reference/relate to each other like any normal series would be expected to do, but you could certainly understand the story each novel is trying to convey.)
"That Hideous Strength" is a climactic end to the overarching struggle of the series, and the tension between good and evil seems to be a tad more personal as it finally focuses on Earth. The narrative most prominently follows a young couple, Mr. and Mrs. Studdock, as they suddenly find themselves getting in deep with separate sides of the struggle. The strain on a natural balance begins with their recent marriage and ends with a full-on conspiracy against humanity and all of Nature.
It is beautifully symbolic, incredibly satiric, and also—as one can always recognize in works by C.S. Lewis—theological.
One reason I love Lewis's theology is because it is so rarely offensive and, most often, simply blunt. He may get flowery in his writing, but he also keeps the simple truths simple. He's as honest as he can be. Even if you read something you don't agree with, you can tell what Lewis believes, as well as what he believes other people believe. This strange and fairly uncommon balance of views is what makes the satire so well-placed. Lewis, as an author, gives readers multiple views to try on for size. It's as though his books themselves are wardrobes. When you are able to follow his personal view up to its climax, you get a grand and endearing costume of a tale like That Hideous Strength, and in fact like the whole series.
I also love this particular novel because it is INCREDIBLY BRITISH. If you know or enjoy anything of Arthurian mythology, then you will enjoy this book. **MINI-SPOLER...ISH: Names and their meanings from the Arthurian tales hold direct significance in some major plot points. One example (relating to both "Perelandra" and "That Hideous Strength") is a new name for the character Ransom, who now goes by "Mr. Fisher-King." In Arthurian legend, the Fisher King or "Wounded King" is the last man (after a great many) to hold the responsibility of guarding the Holy Grail. A fan of Arthur can also recognize names like Pendragon, and even Merlin.
In conclusion, I love this book. I'm not sure which in the series is my favorite, because they're all so different, and they all fit different moods. "That Hideous Strength" is, in my opinion, the most action-packed novel of the three (although the leading two do certainly hold their own in this). The novel was humorous at times, and featured some of my favorite things in fairy tales (like friendly "wild" animals), while still being a scary shadow of reality. In seeing such a shadow, one looks with much more focus and clarity at the reality forming it.
If you read it, I think you'll really enjoy it.
I'll say it once again: the whole series has opened my mind to ways of understanding the real world that I did not have before reading.
