Esa horrible fortaleza: Libro 3 de La trilogía cósmica

Written by C. S. Lewis

Narrated by Pepe Mendoza

Esa horrible fortaleza es la tercera novela de la trilogía de ciencia ficción de Lewis. Ambientada en la Tierra, narra una terrorífica conspiración contra la humanidad. La historia rodea a Mark y Jane Studdock, una pareja recién casada. Mark es un sociólogo que se siente atraído por una organización llamada N.I.C.E., que pretende controlar toda la vida humana. Jane, por su parte, tiene extraños sueños proféticos sobre un científico decapitado, Alcasan. Mientras Mark se ve arrastrado inextricablemente a la siniestra organización, descubre la verdad de los sueños de su mujer cuando conoce la cabeza literal de Alcasan, que se mantiene viva mediante infusiones de sangre. Jane busca ayuda en relación con sus sueños en una comunidad llamada Santa Ana, donde conoce a su líder, el Dr. Ransom. La historia termina en una espectacular escena final en la sede de la N.I.C.E., donde Merlín aparece para enfrentarse a los poderes del infierno.

That Hideous Strength

That Hideous Strength is the third novel in Lewis's science fiction trilogy. Set on Earth, it tells of a terrifying conspiracy against humanity. The story surrounds Mark and Jane Studdock, a newly married couple. Mark is a sociologist who is enticed to join an organization called N.I.C.E., which aims to control all human life. Jane, meanwhile, has bizarre prophetic dreams about a decapitated scientist, Alcasan. As Mark is drawn inextricably into the sinister organization, he discovers the truth of his wife's dreams when he meets the literal head of Alcasan, which is being kept alive by infusions of blood. Jane seeks help concerning her dreams at a community called St. Anne's, where she meets their leader—Dr. Ransom. The story ends in a final spectacular scene at the N.I.C.E. headquarters where Merlin appears to confront the powers of Hell

• Language: Español
• Publisher: Grupo Nelson
• Release date: May 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781400233281

C. S. Lewis

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and have been transformed into three major motion pictures. Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) fue uno de los intelectuales más importantes del siglo veinte y podría decirse que fue el escritor cristiano más influyente de su tiempo. Fue profesor particular de literatura inglesa y miembro de la junta de gobierno en la Universidad Oxford hasta 1954, cuando fue nombrado profesor de literatura medieval y renacentista en la Universidad Cambridge, cargo que desempeñó hasta que se jubiló. Sus contribuciones a la crítica literaria, literatura infantil, literatura fantástica y teología popular le trajeron fama y aclamación a nivel internacional. C. S. Lewis escribió más de treinta libros, lo cual le permitió alcanzar una enorme audiencia, y sus obras aún atraen a miles de nuevos lectores cada año. Sus más distinguidas y populares obras incluyen Las Crónicas de Narnia, Los Cuatro Amores, Cartas del Diablo a Su Sobrino y Mero Cristianismo.

Reviews for Esa horrible fortaleza

[agentx216 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

What a terrible conclusion to a good series. The plot is slow and tedious, the story is weighed down by too many characters - many of whom are practically worthless to get to know, and is such a deviation from the other two that if it were not for about 10% of the book - I would not have known this was part of the Space Trilogy. It takes so long to get to the actual storyline for this book and the development of two of the main characters is about as interesting as listening to the description of paint drying. The story does not flow well and the jumps in locations and characters, plus a boring storyline, make following along difficult. None of the great philosophy or fun dialog is in this one like the other two. The conclusion to the series doesn't feel on par with the other two nor is it even close to epic as what was hinted in the previous two. There are no interesting characters in this book and there is hardly enough in here to classify it as science fiction. The book cover is more interesting than the actual story. If you liked the other two in the series and feel like you absolutely need to finish the trilogy, please trust me on this...you are missing nothing. You may find yourself, like me, just constantly looking how much left you have to finish before you can be done with it - not a good outlook for a book. Final Grade - D-

[drfuriosa · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The critique and sendup of academia is terrific, but Lewis's depictions of both women and marriage leaves much to be desired.

[hbuchana · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book grows out of Lewis' "Abolition of Man" as another way to present the apathetic tendencies of us all to a culture that is evolving in ways evil or good without a thought or consideration for the consequences, eternal consequences, that continually lie before us. We make choices that affect more than we know.

[p_s_patrick · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a science fiction novel that deals with quite a few issues, some of which are more science, others of which are more fiction, and several of which are neither. It is set in a small, traditional, fictional university town, which has to adjust to the arrival of a new major scientific institute which aims to take over the whole country. The two main characters are Mark, who is a research fellow at one of the colleges of the university, and Jane who is his wife. They do not have a happy marriage, and end up on opposing sides in the battle between good and evil. It turns out to be a bit more complicated than the science=bad vs nature=good dualism though, as the institute turns out to be something more like a political institute operating under the guise of science, while secretly controlled by aliens. Alongside this, they plan to resurrect Merlin and use his powers to their advantage. On the other side, Jane joins an opposition group who come from various walks of life, and are led by a mysterious character who also has interplanetary involvement. So what is it really about then? Partly it is making a point about freedom and oppression, about love and hate, and about the goodness of human nature against the will to power, humanism vs materialism. In feel it takes a bit of Kafka in the unfathomable bureaucratic and procedural corporate goings on, a bit of Orwell, a bit of sub-HG Wells science, a tiny bit of Tom Sharpe, and some traditional science fiction mixed with historical fantasy. While there are a lot of reasons this book could be criticised, it also has a few things to recommend it. Lewis does make a good point here about the danger of mankind’s thirst for power, with quite realistic portrayal of some of the character types that can be found. There are some excellent sections of descriptive prose, and some acute political and social observation. Indeed, it pre-empts Orwell in some of his details in 1984, though of course this is not surprising as the mechanistics of oppression and political power-mongering have their universals.In all, this was worth reading, but had many of the faults that typically put me off from reading science fiction – stretching of credulity, occasional cheesiness, and a few over blown clichés. However there is much more to this novel than that, and it certainly has its depths across several themes– religion, psychology, politics, love, science and nature.

[minaisham · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

-- Novel is final in Space Trilogy. Action occurs on Earth's terra firma & novel is more traditional than #2 PERELANDRA (setting is Venus) & #1 OUT OF THE SILENT PLANET (Mars). Philologist Dr. Elwin Ransom returns as a protagonist & introduces Mark & Jane Studdock as well as other "characters." The National Institute of Coordinated Experiments buys Bracton College. --

[darrell.newton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Although written for an earlier generation, this book still speaks to us today -- something nearly impossible to do with a near-future science fiction novel. Most tend to be outdated within thirty years.

Lewis does a great job blending both science and fantasy in this last book of his Space Trilogy. He draws upon medieval characters and mythic gods to evoke deep questions that cause the reader to pause and think.

The narrator Ralph Cosham breathed even more life into the story with his the adaptation of character accents. I especially enjoyed his performance of Mr. MacPhee.

Favorite Scene: After Jane Studdock joins Mother Dimble and Mr. MacPhee in the kitchen for the first time, she inquires about a term they used.

"What is 'women's day' in the kitchen?" asked Jane of Mother Dimble.

"There are no servants here," said Mother Dimble, "and we all do the work. The women do it one day and the men the next. What? No, it's a very sensible arrangement. The Director's idea is that men and women can't do housework together without quarreling. There's something in it. Of course, it doesn't do to look at the cups too closely on the men's day, but on the whole we get along pretty well."

"But why should they quarrel?" asked Jane.

"Different methods, my dear. Men can't help in a job, you know. They can be induced to do it: not to help while you're doing it. At least, it makes them grumpy."

"The cardinal difficulty," said MacPhee, "in collaboration between the sexes is that women speak a language without nouns. If two men are doing a bit of work, one will say to the other, 'Put this bowl inside the bigger bowl which you'll find on the top shelf of the green cupboard.' The female for this is, 'Put that in the other one there.' And then if you ask them, 'in where?' they say, 'in there, of course.' There is consequently a phatic hiatus." He pronounced this so as to rhyme with "get at us."

[cataloger623 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There are far better reviews of this novel read them for their deep insights into this novel.

That Hideous Strength is the third part of the only set of science fiction novels C.S. Lewis ever wrote. Although its part of a trilogy it stands well on its own. At its best science fiction allows the writer raise important questions and make comments on society. Hideous Strength does that skillfully. Lewis a devout Christian gives a unique perspective on the merger of social engineering with technological advances and theology.

Many would argue that Lewis is anti-science. I disagree with this view. The scientists in this book are viewed as pawns in the hands of the men trying to do social engineering. These men are in turn being manipulated by evil spiritual beings that are the ultimate puppet masters.

That Hideous Strength is Lewis's plea to look at scientific advancement and social engineering in the light of mans fallen nature. On every level Lewis asks the reader to see how evil spiritual forces can distort and counter the best intentions on those unaware. Lewis believes that unless a person an active makes choice to follow the good in the person of savior, a being of light. That persons lack of choice will put him into hands of the father of lies a being of the darkness. This not explicitly stated. The turn to evil is not one dramatic event. It is a series of small decisions that occur as person seeks their personal gain at the expense of others. This is story of Mark. Similarly the path to the savior, the light is made in the small decisions where one see their own nature as vile. They recognize their need of a savior and they make small choices against their nature in response to the savior. This is the story of Jane.

On a corporate level evil is personified in the N.I.C.E, organization high organized highly focused on its goal of sweeping social change. N.I.C.E is clearly evil but many of its members are unaware of its villainy. These people see N.I.C.E’s purposes as good or neutral while being ignorant of it being anything but nice. In contrast the corporate forces for good are not presented as powerful or extremely organized or focused. The Director i.e. Professor Ransom from the earlier books, does not lead but suggests direction. He directly a motley crew of unremarkable and in one case openly skeptical individuals. Merlin's status and place in the spiritual forces of good is confused at best at first. At one point Ransom believes Merlin would reused by forces of evil. Yet in the end he gets redemption. Lewis uses this contrast between forces of good and evil to show goods ultimate triumph.

As social commentary That Hideous Strength holds up well. It can be said that Lewis foresaw the merger of man with machine. His arguments against post modernism, i.e. the belief that there is not one overall social story or theory that explains the human condition, is still relevant . Lewis actively believes that the bible's story of mankind achieving redemption from evil via the death of Jesus still explains much if not all of the human condition. Although Lewis wrote in pre feminist movement times he none the less anticipated it and none less argued for the traditional roles between men and women in marriage.

Beyond the social commentary Lewis writing is just good. Hideous Strength seamlessly combines various writing genres. Latin quotes on top Arthurian legends and epic poetry. There is not one wasted word in this novel. You may disagree with Lewis' point of view but you will love reading it.

[vanjr-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have read the space trilogy at least 3 times and always felt this book was so different and difficult that it did not fit in the series. However the last time I read it the picture of academics really resonated w me. Maybe it had to do with age but I really enjoyed . I will be reading this trilogy again.

[trgllylibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well-written, but full of poorly-disguised philosophical commentary by Lewis. If you are familiar with Christian theology and Lewis's view of natural law, you will quickly recognize the reason why he wrote each scene. I appreciate this book more as a study of the practical ramifications of philosophies than as a work of fiction.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Well, there's a few hours of my life I won't get back. Finally, I thought, this will be the payoff for making it through Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandia. Wrong! The premise started out OK, but nothing ever happened. An absolute letdown and waste of time.

[aliceap-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ransom is back again (yay!) leading a rag tag bunch of Brits in a crusade against the evil forces seeking to destroy humanity as we know it. The two main characters introduced in this installment weren't especially likable but I think that was one of the points Lewis was trying to make (no spoilers here!). And there's a special guest that had me wriggling (wriggling!) with delight. There were definitely dark themes in this one such as violence and gore but if you've been following the series this was to be expected at the pinnacle of the drama. Instead of being set on a distant planet the action takes place on Earth, specifically England. I was happy with the conclusion but sad at the same time because I had grown to love Ransom and because the action wasn't immediately centered on him I felt a bit jipped.

[dinadansfriend · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

clive Lewis did not classify his books in the "Ransome" trilogy as Science Fiction. So, it's fantasy, and I'm okay with it. Lewis was a writer intensely involved in the religious life of his audience, and I find him one of the few writers in a "Christian" bookstore that I can stomach. It's Sturgeon's Law, in the religious world. In this novel, the issues are huge, and the peple focussed on all have something to say. It is worth reading even if you are a hard S-F fan.

[matthewgray-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Again from Lewis this is excellent, brilliant and insightful.

[ludiegrace · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

First read this in the fall of 2008, but there are parts toward the end that I definitely did not remember, in fact can hardly believe I would have read and not remembered...it definitely got better on the second read, or I'm better able to appreciate it. For instance, I'm sure the parts on marriage and gender didn't hit me so hard the first time I read it. It's jarringly counter-cultural in that respect. A masterpiece overall.

[snukes-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not quite as captivating as the first two books, but a good read and a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Unlike the other two books in this trilogy, this one takes place firmly on Earth. There is a great battle brewing between the powers of good and evil. Parts of this book are interesting and very readable, but Mr. Lewis' attempts to describe his ideas of God and the essential nature of men tend to slow the pace of the novel. I did like Mr. Lewis' conception of Merlin.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the final book in Lewis’ Space Trilogy; it follows Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, but deviates from the first two because it is set on Earth. A young married couple, Jane and Mark are at the heart of the novel. Mark is offered a job at a strange organization called N.I.C.E. (National Institute for Co-ordinated Experiments), whose goals are vague and never quite explained to him. At the same time Jane begins to have troubling dreams. Without intending to, the pair ends up on opposite sides in a battle for power in England and eventually the entire world. Jane decides to see a counselor, Miss Ironwood, about her nightmares and finds out they aren’t dreams, but premonitions. Meanwhile Mark is being asked to do small things that challenge his belief system and each tiny step in the wrong direction takes him farther from his wife. In a strange way it reminded me (a tiny bit) of The Dark is Rising series. Both use aspects of the Arthurian legend and set their stories in the 20th century. Both have forces of good and evil fighting against each other in a vague but continuous battle. But where The Dark is Rising pulls you in with great characters, Hideous Strength holds you at arms length with ideas and a cast of dislikeable individuals. BOTTOM LINE: I wanted to finish Lewis’ space trilogy, so I’m glad I read this one, but I don’t think that it’s up to the same standard of the previous books. The pacing is off, the characters fall flat and the final showdown was weak.  

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I have a love/hate relationship with C.S. Lewis. There's a lot I admire in his writing but enough I deplore in his worldview that even though I keep being drawn to his works, I can't call him a favorite. I mostly loved The Screwtape Letters and Narnia, which I read as an adult, adored Till We Have Faces (my favorite Lewis work), was moved by his book A Grief Observed and found Mere Christianity and the first two books in the Space Trilogy interesting. There was only one book by him until this one that I had dropped mid-read because I found it just too exasperating--and that was The Abolition of Man. Significantly, he cites that book in the Preface saying he delineated in that essay the point he was making through fiction in this book. I noted in the first two books of the Space Trilogy that for all they might seem to fall into the science fiction genre, both books are actually anti-science fiction. In the first book Out of the Silent Planet, the hero, Ransom spoke of the purpose of the book as "a change-over from the conception of Space to the conception of Heaven." (And I prefer Space--greatly.) The thrust of the first two books is against the humanistic message of science fiction itself and the books decry the very idea of space exploration and colonization. That's very much a line that is continued in That Hideous Strength, but that isn't what caused me to put the book down deciding not to torture myself further. Yes, the anti-science, anti-technology line irked me. As did the evident contempt for all those who aren't believers in Christian orthodoxy--let alone atheists. And as an American and (small "r" and "d") republican and democrat I bristle at Lewis' evident fondness for the whole class system from how you address servants to the belief in the curtsy as an essential social skill to the love of monarchy--and what may seem quaint in that respect in Narnia just seemed at its most noisome here. But no, what really got to me was the attitude towards women. I've defended Lewis in reviews against those who have called him sexist based on Narnia. Truly, Narnia has wonderful heroines. Even compared in terms of current science fiction and fantasy what struck me was how important and strong were his female characters and how gender balanced were his cast of characters in a very testosterone-laden genre. But it really was just really too much in The Hideous Strength. The contempt heaped on "emancipated women," characters like Hardcastle that seem to signal that just being in an nontraditional profession for a woman means you're perverted and a fascist. And Jane. Oh, Jane. You know where I couldn't take it anymore? It was the "Pendragon" chapter. Here's two quotes: She said at last, "I suppose our marriage was just a mistake."The Director said nothing."What would you - what would the people you are talking of - say about a case like that?""I will tell you if you really want to know," said the Director."Please," said Jane reluctantly."They would say," he answered, "that you do not fail in obedience through lack of love, but have lost love because you never attempted obedience."And...Jane said, "I always thought it was in their souls that people were equal.""You were mistaken," he said gravely. "That is the last place where they are equal. Equality before the law, equality of incomes - that is very well. Equality guards life; it doesn't make it. It is medicine, not food. You might as well try warming yourself with a blue-book.""But surely in marriage . . . ?""Worse and worse," said the Director. "Courtship knows nothing of it; nor does fruition. What has free companionship to do with that? Those who are enjoying something, or suffering something together, are companions. Those who enjoy or suffer one another, are not. Do you not know how bashful friendship is? Friends - comrades - do not look at each other. Friendship would be ashamed . . .""I thought," said Jane and stopped."I see," said the Director. "It is not your fault. They never warned you. No one has ever told you that obedience - humility - is an erotic necessity. You are putting equality just where it ought not to be.No, just no. And yes, there were things I liked that make me wish I could tolerate this novel better. There's a reason after all I keep coming back to Lewis. He's a great writer with truly striking, shapely prose and at his best has a prodigious imagination and a winning sense of humor and a great way of infusing fiction with ideas--sometimes all too blatantly--but often brilliantly. Even here there were things I relished. His depiction of the process for instance by which Mark Studdock was corrupted was terrifically done. And I had to smile at the way he named his characters--very Dickensian. Some of those on the villain's roll included Lord Feverstone, Miss Hardcastle, Mr Frost, Withers, Steele, Curry. And you can't get better than the acronym for the sinister organization of baddies--N.I.C.E. And it's not as if I disagree with all of Lewis' message--the whole scenario of controlling humanity in the name of "Order" and scientific principle was chilling and resonated with me. I loved how Lewis was working in the Arthurian theme into a story set in mid-twentieth century England. And as I love the Arthurian genre, that was very much a highlight and it took a lot to finally break me away from that. But after that encounter between Jane and Fisher-King I thought it was time to part company before the urge to tear my book in half and start shredding the pages took hold of me--especially since this was about twice the length of the two earlier books. I couldn't imagine being able to get through the rest with my sanity intact.

[ljrei77 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic close to a brilliant sci-fi series. Lewis managed to write a rather compelling story while incorporating his very strong beliefs on humanity in the "Christian Light". I read this book for a class that focuses on human nature. Lewis addresses several problems and aspects of human nature in this book without the plot suffering.

[ameliaiif · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Hmmm, starting out with Out of the Silent Planet, I was relatively drawn in and interested in the premise...with Perelandra, things got a little more exciting...now with That Hideous Strength, I have to say I'm pretty weirded out. This last installment of Lewis' Space Trilogy was, as usual, heavily allegorical, but the actual "story" just didn't do it for me. I really liked the concept of N.I.C.E and The Head was pretty cool/weird, but everything else just didn't work. I think it may have to do with the fact that this book switches directions pretty sharply from the other two (Ransom is in this book, but he's certainly not the main character). The climax of the book was just bizarre and something I'd never expect to read from C.S. Lewis. Don't get me wrong, I like Mr. Bultitude, but I'm a little scared of him, too (and if you've read this book, you'll likely know why). Fairy Hardcastle was pretty interesting--she reminds me of Dolores Umbridge for some reason...but I just couldn't help but miss Weston! It doesnt seem like the Space Trilogy without him... Anyway, we got through half of this book in class, so the good news is that it really didn't take me very long to finish this...but unless you just really, REALLY like C.S. Lewis (which I do, by the way), I would consider skipping this series. It's okay, but certainly not NARNIA. Oh, and if you really want a good C.S. Lewis stand-alone book, check out The Screwtape Letters!

[macii_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is BY FAR my favorite book in the Space Trilogy and my favorite Lewis fiction from my "Summer of Lewis."The tone and presentation reminded me of Daphne du Maurier's "Rebecca" (but even better!)."That Hideous Strength" begins with new characters in the setting of academic circles. Readers might be a little disappointed in the length of time before encountering Dr. Ransom--but he's there and wonderful!In Lewis' book, evil begins subtly. Something as small as laughing at someone else's expense or ignoring your conscience just once. Something so insignificant can help numb us to further wrong and has the potential to spiral out of control.The best part for me was the interweaving of Arthurian legends. SWEET!Random thought: Could King Arthur been a King David type?You won't get this until you read the book, but here's my favorite line:"Those who have forgotten Logres sink into Britain."I speed through the book because I couldn't stand waiting to see what happened next, but was really upset to see it end. I told my husband I was very disappointed because I didn't readily have any Lewis fiction to read--but it would have been hard to pick anything up after this book. I needed to let it all soak in, you know?

[justchris_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

That Hideous Strength takes place back on Earth. This the story of the final battle between good and evil happening under everyone's noses in the guise of the new research institute N.I.C.E. (National Institute for Coordinated Experiments). Ransom and Devine do eventually appear with new names later in the book. The former is easy to figure out, the latter must be explained to us. The protagonists are a young, newly married couple: Jane and Mark Studdock. She is a housewife who thinks she's going to finish her dissertation; he's a young faculty member at a small college. The description of politics in academia is great, and doubtless quite true to life minus the sinister activities of the evil organization masquerading as progress. Actually, this could make a good movie, because the people and conversations and activities at N.I.C.E. are a cross between Jacob's Ladder and The Firm (by John Grisham), or perhaps The Devil's Advocate (the one with Al Pacino). Lewis ties this into the Arthurian legends with the resurrection of Merlin, whom both sides are seeking. I think this story is generally well done and is a fairly convincing presentation of two people who can't accept what's happening to them as part of a rational world, but who also aren't honest with themselves or each other about their motivations and fears. The descriptions of evil intentions masquerading as social progress (or social engineering) in this novel are chilling reminders of the rhetoric of infamous regimes in real life. And the subtle, apparently harmless mechanisms designed to corrupt Mark Studdock are also interesting. So in general, I liked this story. The one point that really annoyed me was Merlin condemning Jane Studdock for failing to conceive the savior, because that really was her purpose in the final battle, after all, to get pregnant at the appointed time. Really. But still an interesting story.

[zathras86 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

That Hideous Strength is very different from the two earlier books in Lewis's "Space Trilogy," but for the most part I found it enjoyable in a different way. As always Lewis has a spot-on grasp of character and I found it almost painfully easy to empathize with Mark's slow, unintentional slide into terrible company at the beginning of the novel. By choosing flawed, human protagonists, Lewis gets away from some of the problems of Perelandra. The morals are more subtly presented, and there is less pervasive hero-worship of Ransom since he has become a secondary character in this book. I continue to admire the sincere empathy with which Lewis exhibits towards the sinners in his novels; it is a far cry from the holier-than-thou tone taken by many religious authors, and the difference is a welcome one.

[ex_ottoyuhr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I once heard of this book being nicknamed 'That Hideous Novel.' I don't have very much trouble understanding why. Lewis, who was primarily an author of theology and apologetics, never really developed a personal style or voice in writing fiction. All his novels are written in someone else's style, but his favorite touchstones are H.G. Wells (_Out of the Silent Planet_, _Perelandra_) and J.R.R. Tolkien (_The Chronicles of Narnia_), so when he switches over to Charles Williams mode for this book, it's a rather rude surprise. He does it well, of course, but I would almost say that that only makes it stranger.By the way, if you've never heard of Williams, he was the third of the major Inklings after Tolkien and Lewis. You've probably never read anything he wrote, and you probably don't consider him very influential, but if you read this book, you'll realize that he probably had the largest influence of the major Inklings -- you can tell when someone's pastiching Tolkien, but Williams, or at least the style of _That Hideous Strength_, is _everywhere_.

[the_awesome_opossum · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a very strange end to the Space Trilogy; there are hardly any sci-fi elements at all compared to the other two books, and the theology is very comparatively nuanced and subtle. CS Lewis seems to have more fun with mythology than religion here - much of the book focuses on the unlikely hero of Merlin, and the "final battle" is a rather unfocused concept. The book still has a well-drawn cast of characters to recommend it, and some very thrilling and scary parts, but there is also a lot of politics and chatter that I didn't feel were necessary. Still trying to figure out why Lewis ended the trilogy in such an irrelevant way

[musicmom41 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

wisewoman gave a wonderful description of the book in her review. I would only add two things: (1) I think the characters she refers to as "superfluous)" help us to see how Lewis viewed people of different--even sometimes "'quirky"--personalities--as part of the richness of humanity. (2) This story has some horrifying elements in it. Although it is fantasy (which takes place entirely on earth) some of the ideas of evil seem frighteningly like some of the things we see in our society today—only we may be more subtle.

[marient_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book is the third in a science fiction trilogy by Lewis. The evil is trying to take over the world and a small group of people resist. A modern fairy tale.

[lossealasse · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best books Lewis ever wrote, this showed much of Charles William's influence, which married to Lewis's superior style and storytelling skills makes for a remarkable and incredibly good book. A kind of metaphysical thriller, with an unusual view of the cosmos and some good political commentary, the book is quite an experience.

[arctic1stranger · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is my favorite of all of Lewis's works. I read it at an important time in my life, and this brought all of Lewis's other works into a sharper focus for me. Too many times I have Withers-types, and now recognize their vagueness as a type of evil.

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Definitely not my favorite Lewis. Aptly described by as critic as a Charles Williamsnovel by Lewis.