That Hideous Strength

This is my favorite out of the Space Trilogy.

“That Hideous Strength” was a revelation for me. Out of C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy, this novel stands out as my favorite. Unlike “Perelandra,” which is heavily driven by its descriptions of setting, “That Hideous Strength” captivated me with its dynamic narrative, multiple points of view, and the intense build-up to the climax. Lewis masterfully balances the philosophical with the action, making the story compelling and thought-provoking. As I journeyed through this sci-fi trilogy, I found myself wishing there was more from Lewis on this subject. Five stars—I loved it.

This final installment of C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy is so different that it really just barely is connected to the other two books, until the last quarter of the book.

This is a fantastic book, though it was hard to get into.
I didn't like the characters for the first 2/3 of the book.
For the first 1/3 of the book, it was difficult to tell who were the “good guys” and who were the bad. Maybe all the way to the first 1/2, honest.y

But by the end of the book, you see that this is a social commentary that even in the 1940's or 1950's called out the progressive institution and their war against the values that Christianity holds dear. Honestly, that part of the book is shocking. How clear it is today what has been going on for the past century in the real world. Yet most people either don't see it, or are willingly on the side of the institutions. The Culture War that is so prominent in literally every facet of modern life was pointed out here. Clearly.

If you are a Christian, read this book
If you are in any way a moderate or conservative, read this book.
(It may be helpful to read the previous 2 volumes, but not entirely necessary until the last 1/3 of the book)

What a weird combination of horror, sci-fi and medieval history. I enjoyed parts of it, and other parts were a little too out-there for me; I couldn't decide between two stars and four, so it gets three.

Book Review: That Hideous Strength by CS Lewis (Space Trilogy #3) - the secretive organization N.I.C.E. is trying to take over the world. This is somewhat similar in feel to Orwell's 1984 (but written 4 years before 1984 was). This is more theologically explicit than most of Lewis' fiction, but that also makes it more interesting in many ways because it is interesting to see Lewis working through many of the real world theological issues of living as a Christian.

Click through for a full review on my blog at http://bookwi.se/hideous-strength/