Out of the Silent Planet

When it comes to C.S. Lewis, I’ve tried to read pretty much everything he’s written. (No, I haven’t read his academic treatises or all of his letters…yet.) So when I picked up his science fiction trilogy for the first time several years ago, I was both surprised and delighted, for reasons I’ll discuss in a moment. I’ve written plenty of posts about Tolkien and other authors this year, but I wanted to end 2018 with this 3-part series on Lewis’ sci-fi trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength. In each post, I’ll look at the influences behind the book, what I loved about it, what surprised me about it, where it may daunt you, and why you should read it anyway. Check it out!

Influences

The first major influence on C.S. Lewis’ science fiction books was a man named Charles Williams. Although I’ve never read Williams’ novels or poems myself, I have read a bit about him as an author and a person, and boy, was he odd. He is said to have combined Anglican Christianity with some magical and occult beliefs, although I’m not sure how that’s possible. While Tolkien never approved of Williams (or of Lewis’ friendship with him), Lewis managed to see some redeeming qualities in the mind and writings of Williams.

After reading one of Williams’ metaphysical thriller novels, Lewis wrote to him to offer sincere praise and to invite him to a meeting of the Inklings (a small group of Christian writers), should Williams ever be in the area. When Williams did move to Oxford three years later, he joined the Inklings and began to share his works with the group. While Lewis was probably interested in science fiction long before this, the influence of Williams certainly pushed him to try his hand at this genre that is so unlike the rest of his works. Many people agree that the third book in Lewis’ science fiction trilogy bears the closest resemblance to Williams’ style, but I mention him at the outset because I think their friendship was a major catalyst in Lewis’ writing these books in the first place.  

What I Loved

One thing I loved about this book was Lewis’ descriptions. He describes the space ship and journey that transports the protagonist, Ransom, and the two villains, Devine and Weston, to Mars. When they reach the planet, he paints a verbal picture of the terrain, creatures, and climate. All of his descriptions are fresh and interesting, even if they’re not scientifically probable. I mean, it’s science fiction, after all. What do you expect?

I also loved the creatures he encounters on Mars. Not only are the three types of beings distinctly different from humans, but they are also distinctly different from each other. For example, the hrossa are big, fuzzy creatures that remind me of Wookies. They love poetry and hunting for the monster that lives in their lakes. The second type of beings, the sorns, are like  long, creepy humans in shape, but they are pale and feathered. They are the wise and scientific ones. The third beings,the pfifltriggi, are like a cross between a grasshopper and a frog. They are great at all things mechanical and artistic. But the main difference between these beings and humans is in their purity and simplicity. They aren’t competitive, selfish, angry, or dangerous. All those traits come with the men in the space ship.

What Surprised Me

I’ve already told you that I love the books, but I’ll be honest—they did surprise me at the beginning. First, they are a complete change of style and content from anything else I had ever read by Lewis. His Narnia books are written with children in mind, and his novel, Till We Have Faces, is historical, grave, and beautiful. Even his non-fiction feels like a lecture from a friendly British chap. But after having read so much of his other works, I initially felt like these three books came out of left field! When I read them through a second time, however, I was much better able to see the Lewis-esque touches throughout. His humor and irony are especially evident, and his love of language and theology can’t be hidden.

What surprised me about the first book specifically was Lewis’ condemnation of the western, Imperial mindset of Devine and Weston, the men who brought Ransom to Mars. He depicts one of them as a selfish, money-loving manipulator and the other as a self-righteous promoter of the rights of mankind over those of any other sentient beings. Their worldviews are not only stated but displayed by their actions, and Lewis’ disapproval is palpable. I began reading the book with the assumption that Lewis just wanted to set an entertaining story on another planet; however, I came to realize that he had a message to share as well.

Where It May Daunt You

In pursuit of an honest review, I’ve decided to include a brief section about where the books may daunt you. This, of course, is purely my own opinion and probably won’t be true for the majority of you. But as long as I’m bragging about the books, I may as well include some aspects that may throw you off when you begin reading them. For Out of the Silent Planet, you may be thrown off within the first few chapters if you’ve experienced Lewis only in the context of Narnia. These books bear very little resemblance to The Chronicles of Narnia, although they have great merits of their own.

You may also feel put out by this first book if you admire the depth to which Tolkien went in developing his elvish languages. Lewis dabbles in Martian languages in this book since the main character is a philologist, but he certainly didn’t write a whole dictionary full of words for it; that wasn’t his purpose. He includes enough of the Martian languages to be interesting and lend a bit of realism, which is good enough for me.

Why You Should Read It

So if you can put up with those minor caveats, then I think you will thoroughly enjoy the book as a whole. For one thing, reading Out of the Silent Planet and knowing that it’s written by C.S. Lewis is like experiencing a new surprise from an old, familiar friend. It’s exciting! Just when you think you know Lewis’ style, you’ll be back to square one with his science fiction persona. You should also read it because of the contrasting worldviews that I mentioned earlier. Lewis does a great job portraying the beliefs of the antagonists and the extreme actions they could lead to if left unchecked. It’s a novel and a cautionary tale in one.

So if you haven’t yet read these books, I suggest you find a copy at your local used book store soon. You’ll probably want to read them more than once, so get a good set! You may also enjoy the audio book version of the first one since it contains so many made up words–that way the narrator can figure out how to pronounce them out for you. I’d love to hear your thoughts about the books as well! Feel free to leave a comment, and tune in next week for a discussion about Perelandra, the second book of the trilogy and my personal favorite.

Check out the next post here!