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What are readers saying about Perelandra (Scribner Classics)?
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-30 11:46:35.
(Language: English)
  
Ransom's adventures continue. He is sent by the Eldils to Venus (a.k.a. "Perelandra") for reasons unknown to him. Perelandra is beautiful and unmarred in its Eden-like stage but after Ransom spends some time conversing with this healing planets "Eve" (which he calls the "Green Lady"), Satan (the "Bent One") makes his subtle and deceptive appearance by possessing (and destroying) Weston (Ransom's old colleague) and tempting the "Green Lady" (I'd like to add another parentheses here) to disobey "Maleldil" (God). Ransom then discovers his purpose on this planet. He is to be its Savior and defeat the "Evil One" to prevent a repeat of Earth's fallen humanity.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-05-31 10:26:15.
(Language: English)
My second favorite book.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-31 10:20:44.
(Language: English)
This book is a fantastic piece of theology about the nature of creation, love and sin.
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Jennie posted a review at 2009-07-30 09:03:53.
(Language: English)
I loved this book! Under the guise of light, entertaining fantasy reading, is a treasure-house of moral questions to ponder and advice subtly given. Half-way through reading it, I not only wanted to purchase my own copy, but was eager to read it for a second time! :)
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-30 07:25:06.
(Language: English)
And I thought Out of the Silent Plant was good! This book takes a new look at what might have been in the Garden of Eden, but makes even Eden infinitely better and, as Lewis might say, more "real" as God doesn't repeat himself. Like the first book in the trilogy there's not a lot of "action" per se, but the story is enthralling and the fantastic world of Perelandra becomes a real place in the reader's mind with Lewis's vivid, descriptive writing.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-11 02:31:21.
(Language: English)
One of the best books ever written. Takes science fiction (my favorite) to a whole other level.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-08 04:02:54.
(Language: English)
Lewis takes on an embarrassingly thinly disguised temptation allegory in the second book of his Space Trilogy. Lacking the inventiveness of Out of the Silent Planet and with more straightforward theological commentary, this novel felt more like a work of nonfiction than a book of fantasy. Lewis’s portrayal of Satan is exceedingly chilling: the protagonist follows a trail of dying frogs to find him calmly ripping their necks out with his fingernails. But there’s very little new things said here, and the 20-page description of walking through a cave is, frankly, boring. Skip it, and reread a Chronicle of Narnia instead.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-19 06:57:36.
(Language: English)
A solid sequal to the phenominal "Out of the Silent Planet." This book is more of a fantasy with science fiction elements, as opposed to a pure sience fiction. Nonetheless it is an elxcelent work, vivid, intense, and engaging. Highly recommended for fans of C.S. Lewis and or good literature.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-13 07:05:51.
(Language: English)
An astounding book offering philosophy within a beautifully written story of man functioning in his highest state!
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-01-25 04:20:15.
(Language: English)
A great sequel and arguably the best book in the trilogy. A brilliant read.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-09-14 01:11:55.
(Language: English)
'Voyage To Venus' (1943) by C.S. Lewis ****½ The second of C.S. Lewis's sci-fi trilogy featuring the interplanetary adventures of Dr Ransom is every bit as beautifully written and captivating as any of his books. It must also be one of the weirdest stories I have encountered full of freewheeling surreal acid-trip imagery and a strange mixture of new age mysticism invoking ancient gods and spirits of nature and often quite intense liberal christian philosophising. At times the astonishingly vivid descriptions of otherworldly landscapes, creatures and customs comes across as the work of some hallucinating proto-hippie at others Lewis is the very personification of earnest christian moralising, though always touched with enough human doubt to avoid outright bombast! If there is any flaw, though, it is that the christianity is so up front and undisguised here with the basic story being a retelling of the Garden of Eden myth set on the virginal planet of Perelandra (Venus) complete with a green skinned Adam & Eve. To this world are sent Ransom as an emissary of God and the scientist Weston who has been unwittingly possessed by Satan himself! There they must do battle for the soul of this new born world lest it suffer the same fate that befell Thulcandra (Earth). I was quite shocked at how disturbing and violent the action gets for Lewis with the depiction of the satanically animated Un-man with its wicked talons and its mind reading goading of Ransom as it picks away at his weaknesses calling to mind the demon's mocking of Fr Karras in 'The Exorcist'. Also the final pursuit into the Lovecraftian caverns deep under the planet and gruelling fight to the death is a sequence of such sustained horror I wouldn't have thought Lewis capable of it! So another great fantasy with a markedly more adult tone than its predecessor only slightly marred (for us unbelievers) by the rather unsubtle christian imagery.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-04-18 10:01:08.
(Language: English)
The second volume of Lewis’s space trilogy is a little slower of a read than the original work. We again meet Dr. Elwin Ransom, who this time journey’s to Venus (Perelandra) where he becomes a Christ-like figure who works hard to keep the unfallen world from meeting the same fate as the broken world he calls home. He spends his time fighting off the demon-possessed Weston, who works hard to convince Perelandra’s queen (original woman) to embrace sin. It’s a great tale that is quite heady in many spots. I’m sure if I read it over a few more times I’d find even more metaphorical gems—but I’m not quite sure I have the concentration for it at this stage of my life.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-12-21 10:31:43.
(Language: English)
This is my second time reading this book. I liked it the first time, but it was hard for me to read. I didn’t like it so much the second time, and it was still hard for me to read. It seems to me that the majority of this book is a fictional account of Genesis 3:1-5. The very end has an interesting description of gender and sex. Probably the best quote in the whole book, second-time-around, that I could relate to was this discussion as to whether or not the end of the world is the beginning of the world (Chapter 17): “I am full of doubts and ignorance,†said Ransom. “In our world those who know Maleldil at all believe that His coming down to us and being a man is the central happening of all that happens. If you take that from me, Father, whither will you lead me? Surely not to the enemy’s talk which thrusts my world and my race into a remote corner and gives me a universe, with no centre at all, but millions of worlds that lead nowhere …. Is the enemy easily answered when He says that all is without plan or meaning? As soon as we think we see one it melts away into nothing, or into some other plan that we never dreamed of, and what was the centre becomes the rim, till we doubt if any shape or plan or pattern was ever more than a trick of our own eyes, cheated with hope, or tired with too much looking. To what is all driving? What is the morning you speak of? What is it the beginning of?†“The beginning of the Great Game, of the Great Dance,†said Tor…. For in the conversation that followed—if it can be called a conversation—the speeches followed one another…. “The dance which we dance is at the centre and for the dance all thing were made. Blessed be He!â€
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-10-09 03:09:46.
(Language: English)
I am going to finish this book. I did not enjoy it as much as "Out of the Silent Planet". It is much much more philosophical than the first book, and not a quick read. I find myself PLOWING through the frustrating dialog between the un-man and Ransom. Even the fight scene was excruciating to read. There was one extraordinarily funny philosophical question. In the Garden of Eden; what if an elephant had stepped on the snake before it talked to Eve? Things that make you go Hmmmmmm... But I am almost done. One more to go. :)
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Steve posted a review at 2009-11-13 05:59:42.
(Language: English)
A fun read from an eclectic author. I don't know of any contemporary authors that can write as well, at least in this genre.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-28 05:19:29.
(Language: English)
This is just plain and simply the greatest, most imaginitive and thoughful book I have every read. It makes you wish you were there and it makes you grieve of what might have been. It has everything in it, space travel, aliens, spirituality, evil and good, love and war, battles and triumphs. PLease read this book...
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Christopher posted a review at 2010-08-05 12:52:59.
(Language: English)
Now here is the C.S. Lewis I remember and love! "Out of the SIlent Planet," the first book in the space trilogy, wasn't nearly as good as it was cracked up to be. But this one was fantastic. It had all of the elements that make up some of Lewis' best fictional work: allegory with a moral purpose and fantasy with a large dose of wonder. In this book, Lewis takes the tale of the downfall of man from the book of Genesis and wonders what would've happened if there had been someone there to challenge the devil before he had fully tempted Eve. Lewis also sheds much of the analytical prose that weighed down the first book and has wonderful elements that could be read straight from a self-improvement book, but still fits snugly into the story. Chapter 11 is absolutely amazing in that respect. Still, this book does make it's allegory a little too obvious as it goes along. In fact, halfway through, Lewis seems to give up on the allegory angle somewhat and actually talks about God and has his main character praying to God. All things considered, this is an amazing story, a vast improvement over the last one, and makes me excited to read the final one.
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Ketutar posted a review at 2010-06-25 03:31:32.
(Language: English)
Lewis' scifi trilogy is a fascinating read. Of course it is influenced by his Christianity, but there really isn't anything wrong with the Christian myths, if one sees them as myths. I like the second in series best, but the two others aren't bad either.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-09-09 07:26:30.
(Language: English)
Though it starts slow, this book may be one of the greatest ever written. Intellectually challenging, breath-taking verbal imagery, and unmatched imagination. Simply put, C.S. goes there. The magnitude of the circumstances that he describes is unreal. To boot, the last 20 pages of the book compose a monologue of such epic proportions that I honestly could not fathom what I was reading. FAVORITE QUOTE: "In the plan of the Great Dance plans without number interlock, and each movement becomes in its season the breaking into flower of the whole design to which all else has been directed."
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Aaron posted a review at 2010-08-26 09:48:26.
(Language: English)
This is the only novel I ever bought that I actually took out a highlighter and started marking up passages. It had so much to teach about who God is and who man is while still telling an interesting story. I was in awe through much of the book.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-19 08:22:35.
(Language: English)
A great read that sucked me right into the trilogy!!!
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-02-11 08:27:42.
(Language: English)
if you can get though the lull in the middle of the book your in for a treat.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-07-11 02:05:10.
(Language: English)
Upon re-reading this book I found it far more enjoyable than the first read through. Sure its wordy as nobody's business, sure it has so much description you sometimes want to scream, but it also has some very thought-provoking and incredibly insightful material on the nature of humanity, of God, Satan, spirits - good and evil, sin, spiritual warfare and free will. The Un-man oozes creepiness. Read it now. 8/10
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-09-19 08:18:31.
(Language: English)
Imagine you set for yourself the task of writing a story in which your characters were Mars, Venus, Adam, and Eve. Oh, and God. You're not writing an allegory. You're not writing a farce. I can't imagine how awful my own version of that story would be. That's why you should read Lewis's. Not everyone will like this book. The story has very few characters, who do a lot of talking. The action is narrated indirectly. No small amount of time is taken up in the description of landscapes, sensations, and thoughts that defy description. It is difficult to say how the book can be so excellent through (not despite) these qualities. My best formulation is that Lewis is unparalleled in his understanding of the ancient mind. This gives his writing a resonance with ancient writings (including Christian and Jewish scriptures) that I can't say I've found anywhere else. Must be read to be believed.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-08 03:29:33.
(Language: English)
(warning: plot reveals) as well as faith. the second of a famous trilogy, this story really grabbed me. i enjoyed better than the first which is not the usual or norm. it is so hard for a sequel to outdo the original, but i feel that this book triumphed in that respect. imagine the garden of eden and its inhabitants. imagine them never betraying their rule and Creator. imagine them living on in perfect harmony for ages. now change that thought and put them on another world where sin is not even a concept. death, dishonesty, pain, and so on...they have no meaning, not part of the vocabulary. sweet, right? well this story has that setting, with an imperfect earthling thrown in the mix. actually several. some playing devil's advocate, earth-form of the devil and the first temptation while a lone adventurer and hero of the story tries to aid in keeping the blissful world as is and lessen the shock of his and his fellow earthlings polutant poisoned presence. i love that. i have often wondered what is space travel is not allowed due to some worlds still living sin free for eternity. this book explores that concept as well. not totally faith based or "religious" but the same ideals are still there. perfect "untamed" and "savage" (the two inhabitants are nude, they know it not) world invaded by greedy, dishonest, and power-lust filled individuals from another world who has long since lost, forgotten, and reveled their perfection. a debate starter for sure. or simple conversation piece. another in a "not able to put down". true that on occassion it gets wordy, but it has purpose. not just text to fill pages and make the requirement, but largely and heated debated issues on faith, philosophy, and morals make up the written word. as well as questions about imperfection interacting with perfection, old venom attacking fresh blood. (metaphors are awesome, sorry.) but yea, this was flippin' awesome. it explored a concept i have tempted (no pun intended. read the book and you'll know why i write this) to conceive and explore. i doubt that one could read this and not find some sort of enjoyment, rather it be your dislike for the faith comparisons or moral dilemmas depicted or distasts in fantasy/sci-fi or enjoyment at the different take on an old argument: nature vs nurture. are we the way we are because we have grown to it, or has it always been destiny? all of that sort of thing. enjoy! i know i did simply wonderful to read. c.s. lewis does a great job and leaving you wanting more. his awesome and fantastical characters gets you thinking about life, death, religion, science, humanity, sin, redemption, hope, etc. fantasy science fiction has not had a better and fuller author.
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