I am not a science fiction fan. But I love these three books.
Several years ago my wife and I read C. S. Lewis's "Space Trilogy." Written in the 1940s, these three novels sparkle with Lewis's economical prose. Lewis seems to be able to describe in one page what other writers say in four.
The main character of all three novels is Dr. Ransom, a Cambridge philologist who enjoys walking tours through the backroads of England.
In the first book, "Out of the Silent Planet", Ransom is kidnapped into a spaceship and taken to Mars (Malacandra), where he narrowly escapes death as a human sacrifice.
In the second book, "Perelandra", he visits Venus, a watery planet with adventures in store.
The third book, "That Hideous Strength", details a largely unseen spiritual battle for the control of Great Britain.
The mental images conjured up by Lewis's storytelling are both fascinating and lingering. Thoughtful readers glimpse deeper realities beneath these fantastic tales.
After finishing the trilogy, we read Frank Peretti's "This Present Darkness", and (no insult to Peretti) we knew we were going from a great writer to a lesser one.
These tales are timeless. I hope you'll read them for yourself :)
