Perelandra (Space Trilogy, Book 2)
The intrepid professor Dr. Ransom must take on an evil force to save a utopian planet in Perelandra, the second book in C.S. Lewis’s classic science fiction Space Trilogy, which also includes Out of the Silent Planet and That Hideous Strength.
In Perelandra, Dr. Ransom is recruited by the denizens of Malacandra, befriended in Out of the Silent Planet, to rescue the peace-loving planet Perelandra (Venus) from a terrible threat: a malevolent being from another world who strives to create a new world order, and who must destroy an old and beautiful civilization to do so.
Written during the dark hours immediately before and during World War II, C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy, of which Perelandra is the second volume, stands alongside such works as Albert Camus’s The Plague and George Orwell’s 1984 as a timeless classic, beloved by succeeding generations as much for the sheer wonder of its storytelling as for the significance of its moral concerns.
In Perelandra, Dr. Ransom is recruited by the denizens of Malacandra, befriended in Out of the Silent Planet, to rescue the peace-loving planet Perelandra (Venus) from a terrible threat: a malevolent being from another world who strives to create a new world order, and who must destroy an old and beautiful civilization to do so.
Written during the dark hours immediately before and during World War II, C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy, of which Perelandra is the second volume, stands alongside such works as Albert Camus’s The Plague and George Orwell’s 1984 as a timeless classic, beloved by succeeding generations as much for the sheer wonder of its storytelling as for the significance of its moral concerns.
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Community Reviews
Absolutely incredible! You have to know CS Lewis's style to enjoy it, but if you know him, you're in!
A richly imaginative and thought-provoking follow-up to Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra expands the scope of Lewis’s Space Trilogy from cosmic wonder to theological weight. While I enjoyed it overall, I didn’t find it quite as compelling or fun as the first book.
The same richness of invention and immersive storytelling is on display here. Lewis’s depiction of Perelandra (Venus) is vivid and dreamlike, a world of floating islands, golden seas, and unfallen innocence. However, the narrative suffers at times from a heavy-handed approach to its theological themes. The moral and philosophical points come across clearly enough through the story itself, but are often undercut by long, digressive passages, particularly the Un-Man’s pontificating on moral relativism. These moments risk stalling the narrative momentum and veer toward didacticism.
Initially, I was skeptical about the return of Weston as the antagonist. It felt contrived. But once it’s revealed that he’s no longer Weston at all, but a vessel for something much darker—the Un-Man—the choice makes more sense. The slow, creeping horror of this possession and the philosophical struggle that follows ultimately lands with weight.
What Lewis does best, and continues to do here, is evoke the spiritual stakes of human choices. His retelling of the Edenic temptation is both imaginative and emotionally resonant. And when the prose tips from the philosophical into the poetic, especially near the end, it reaches moments of genuine transcendence. Lewis has an unmatched talent for capturing the experience of the sublime and the ineffable, as he also does in The Problem of Pain, The Great Divorce, and The Last Battle.
While not quite as smooth or cohesive as its predecessor, Perelandra is still a compelling and rewarding work of science fantasy. For readers willing to sit with its weightier themes, there is much to admire and much to ponder.
Best Novel Finalist for 1944 Retro Hugo Award
Re-read it by listening to the audiobook, available via Hoopla Digital at https://hoopladigital.com/title/10028675
4 stars - I liked it but I didn't love it. Like Tolkien, I don't care for allegory and while this is very strange and seems creative, it also smells allegorical.
Re-read it by listening to the audiobook, available via Hoopla Digital at https://hoopladigital.com/title/10028675
4 stars - I liked it but I didn't love it. Like Tolkien, I don't care for allegory and while this is very strange and seems creative, it also smells allegorical.
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