Más allá del planeta silencioso: Libro 1 de La trilogía cósmica

By C. S. Lewis

Más allá del planeta silencioso es la primera novela de la clásica trilogía de ciencia ficción de C. S. Lewis. Cuenta la aventura del Dr. Ransom, un académico de Cambridge, que es secuestrado y llevado en una nave espacial al planeta rojo de Malacandra, que él conoce como Marte. Sus captores planean saquear los tesoros del planeta y ofrecer a Ransom como sacrificio a las criaturas que viven allí. Ransom descubre que viene del «planeta silencioso», la Tierra, cuya trágica historia es conocida en todo el universo.

Out of the Silent Planet

Out of the Silent Planet is the first novel in C. S. Lewis's classic science fiction trilogy. It tells the adventure of Dr. Ransom, a Cambridge academic, who is abducted and taken on a spaceship to the red planet of Malacandra, which he knows as Mars. His captors are plotting to plunder the planet's treasures and plan to offer Ransom as a sacrifice to the creatures who live there. Ransom discovers he has come from the "silent planet"—Earth—whose tragic story is known throughout the universe!

• Language: Español
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Apr 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9781400232192

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.

Book preview

1

Apenas habían dejado de caer las últimas gotas del chaparrón cuando el caminante hundió el mapa en el bolsillo, se acomodó la mochila sobre los hombros cansados y salió del refugio que le había brindado un imponente castaño al centro del camino. Hacia el oeste, un violento crepúsculo amarillo se derramaba por una grieta entre las nubes, pero, sobre las montañas que se alzaban más adelante, el cielo tenía el color de la pizarra oscura. Caían gotas de cada árbol y de cada hierba, y el camino brillaba como un río. El caminante no perdió tiempo en el paisaje; partió de inmediato con el paso decidido de quien ha advertido que deberá ir más lejos de lo que había pensado. Esa, justamente, era su situación. Si hubiera decidido mirar atrás, cosa que no hizo, habría visto la aguja de Much Nadderby y lanzado entonces una maldición al hotelito inhóspito que, aunque obviamente vacío, le había negado una cama. El lugar había cambiado de dueño desde su última excursión a pie por la región. El anciano propietario bondadoso que había esperado encontrar había sido reemplazado por alguien a quien la cantinera había llamado «la señora», y, según parecía, la señora era una posadera británica de la escuela ortodoxa, que consideraba a los pensionistas una molestia. Ahora su única oportunidad era Sterk, en el extremo de las colinas y a unos diez kilómetros de distancia. El mapa indicaba que había una fonda en Sterk. El caminante tenía la experiencia necesaria como para no fundar esperanzas eufóricas en semejante dato, pero no parecía haber otra posibilidad a su alcance.

Caminaba con bastante rapidez, sin mirar a los lados, como alguien que trata de hacer más llevadera la marcha con una serie de ideas interesantes. Era alto, pero un poco cargado de hombros, tenía entre treinta y cinco y cuarenta años y se vestía con ese desaliño peculiar que caracteriza a un miembro de la intelligentsia de vacaciones. A primera vista se le podría haber confundido con un doctor o con un maestro de escuela, aunque no tenía ni el aire mundano del primero ni la indefinible vivacidad del segundo. En realidad, era filólogo y miembro de un college de Cambridge. Se llamaba Ransom.

Cuando dejó Nadderby había esperado pasar la noche en alguna granja acogedora antes de llegar al lejano Sterk. Pero esa zona de las montañas parecía casi deshabitada. Era una región solitaria, monótona, dedicada a la cría de nabos y repollos, con raquíticos cercos de arbustos y árboles escasos. No atraía visitantes, como la zona más rica que había al sur de Nadderby, y las colinas la separaban de las zonas industriales que se extendían más allá de Sterk. Mientras el crepúsculo caía y se iba apagando el sonido de los pájaros, el campo se fue haciendo más silencioso de lo que suele ser el campo inglés. El ruido de sus propias pisadas sobre el camino de grava se volvió irritante.

Había caminado de este modo durante unos tres kilómetros cuando vio una luz. En ese momento estaba muy cerca de las montañas y la oscuridad era casi total, así que alimentó esperanzas de encontrar una sólida granja, hasta que se acercó lo suficiente al origen de la luz, que demostró ser una pequeñísima y humilde vivienda de ladrillos estilo siglo XIX. Una mujer se abalanzó desde el umbral mientras él se aproximaba y casi lo embistió.

—Perdóneme, señor —dijo—. Creí que era mi Harry.

Ransom le preguntó si había algún lugar antes de Sterk donde pudiera pasar la noche.

—No, señor —dijo la mujer—. Antes de Sterk, no. Yo diría que pueden prepararle algo en Nadderby.

Hablaba con voz apocada y desganada, como si tuviera la mente ocupada en otra cosa. Ransom le explicó que ya había probado suerte en Nadderby.

—Entonces no sé, señor, no sé —contestó—. Casi no hay casas antes de Sterk, no de las que usted busca. Solo está La Colina, donde trabaja mi Harry, y creí que usted venía de ese lado, señor, y por eso salí al oírlo, creyendo que sería él. Hace rato que tendría que estar en casa.

—La Colina —dijo Ransom—. ¿Qué es eso? ¿Una granja? ¿Me recibirían?

—Oh, no, señor. Mire, allí no hay nadie aparte del profesor y el caballero de Londres, no desde que murió la señorita Alicia. Ellos no harían nada de eso, señor. Ni siquiera tienen sirviente, salvo mi Harry que los ayuda con el horno, y él no entra en la casa.

—¿Cómo se llama el profesor? —preguntó Ransom, con una débil esperanza.

—No sé, señor, no sé —dijo la mujer—. El otro caballero es el señor Devine, y Harry dice que el otro caballero es un profesor. Mire, señor, él no sabe mucho de eso porque es un poco ingenuo y por eso es por lo que no me gusta que vuelva tan tarde a casa, y ellos dijeron que siempre lo mandarían a las seis, lo que no quiere decir que no sea suficiente trabajo por un día.

La voz monótona y el vocabulario limitado de la mujer no expresaban mucha emoción, pero Ransom estaba a una distancia que le permitía apreciar que la mujer estaba temblando, a punto de llorar. Se le ocurrió que su deber era llamar a las puertas del misterioso profesor y pedirle que enviara al muchacho de vuelta a casa, y solo una fracción de segundo más tarde se le ocurrió que una vez dentro de la casa (entre hombres de su propia profesión) podía muy razonablemente aceptar la oferta de albergue por una noche. Cualquiera que hubiese sido el curso de sus pensamientos, descubrió que la imagen mental de sí mismo llamando a las puertas de La Colina había adquirido toda la solidez de una decisión previa. Le dijo a la mujer lo que pretendía hacer.

—Muchísimas gracias, señor, realmente —le dijo—. Y si fuera tan amable, vea que pase por el portón de entrada y empiece a caminar hacia aquí antes de que usted se vaya; no sé si me entiende, señor. Le tiene mucho miedo al profesor y no se vendría una vez que usted le diera la espalda, señor, si ellos mismos no se lo han ordenado.

Ransom tranquilizó a la mujer lo mejor que pudo y se despidió después de asegurarse de que encontraría La Colina a su izquierda, a cinco minutos. La rigidez de sus músculos había aumentado y reinició la marcha lenta y dolorosamente.

No había señales de luces a la izquierda de la carretera: nada salvo los campos llanos y una masa de oscuridad que tomó por un montecito. Parecieron pasar más de cinco minutos antes de alcanzarlo y descubrir que se había equivocado. Estaba separado del camino por un grueso seto de arbustos y en él había un portón blanco: los árboles que se alzaron sobre él mientras examinaba la entrada no eran la primera hilera de arbustos, sino solo una más a través de cuyas ramas se veía el cielo. Ahora se sintió bastante seguro de que esa debía de ser la entrada a La Colina y de que los setos rodeaban una casa y un jardín. Empujó el portón y descubrió que estaba cerrado con llave. Por un momento permaneció indeciso, desanimado por el silencio y la oscuridad creciente. Cansado como estaba, su primera intención fue continuar el viaje hacia Sterk, pero se había comprometido con la anciana a cumplir un molesto deber. Sabía que, si uno realmente quería, era posible abrirse paso a través del seto. Él no quería. ¡Se vería tan tonto entrando con torpeza en la propiedad de un jubilado excéntrico (la clase de hombre que cierra las puertas con llave en el campo), con la estúpida historia de una madre histérica sumida en lágrimas porque han demorado a su hijo idiota media hora en el trabajo! Sin embargo, era evidente que tendría que entrar y, como uno no puede arrastrarse a través de un seto de arbustos con la mochila puesta, se la sacó y la lanzó por encima del portón. En cuanto lo hizo, le pareció que no se había decidido hasta ese momento: ahora debía entrar al jardín aunque solo fuera para recuperar la mochila. Se sintió furioso con la mujer y consigo mismo, pero se puso a cuatro patas y empezó a arrastrarse dentro del seto.

La operación resultó más difícil de lo que había esperado y pasaron varios minutos antes de poder ponerse de pie en la húmeda oscuridad del otro lado, con la piel ardiendo por el contacto con espinas y ortigas. Buscó a tientas el portón, agarró la mochila y entonces se volvió por primera vez para hacer un inventario de lo que lo rodeaba. Sobre el camino de entrada había más luz que bajo los arbustos y no tuvo dificultades en distinguir un amplio edificio de piedra más allá de una extensión de césped abandonado y descuidado. Un poco más adelante el camino se abría en dos: el sendero de la derecha conducía en una suave curva hasta la puerta de entrada, mientras que el izquierdo seguía en línea recta, sin duda hasta la parte posterior del edificio. Notó que este último estaba surcado por huellas profundas, ahora llenas de agua, como si hubiera soportado el tránsito de vehículos pesados. El otro, sobre el que comenzaba a acercarse a la casa, estaba cubierto de musgo. En la casa misma no se veían luces: algunas ventanas tenían postigos, otras bostezaban pálidas sin postigos ni ventanas, todas inhóspitas y muertas. La única señal de vida era una columna de humo que se alzaba tras la casa con una densidad tal que sugería más la chimenea de una fábrica, o al menos de una lavandería, que la de una cocina. Sin lugar a dudas, La Colina era el último lugar del mundo donde a un extraño se le ocurriría llamar para pasar la noche, y Ransom, que ya había desperdiciado tiempo explorándolo, con seguridad se habría alejado de no mediar su desafortunada promesa a la vieja.

Subió los tres escalones que llevaban al amplio porche, hizo sonar la campanilla de llamada y esperó. Después de un momento la hizo sonar por segunda vez y se sentó en un banco de madera en uno de los lados del porche. Se quedó así tanto tiempo que, aunque la noche era cálida e iluminada por las estrellas, el sudor empezó a secársele sobre la cara y un leve escalofrío le recorrió los hombros. Se sentía muy cansado y quizás eso fue lo que le impidió levantarse y llamar por tercera vez: eso y la inmovilidad sedante del jardín, la belleza del cielo estival y el ululato ocasional de un búho en las cercanías, que solo parecía enfatizar la tranquilidad de lo que lo rodeaba. Comenzaba a sentirse adormecido cuando pasó a un estado de alerta. Se oía un ruido particular: un ruido a forcejeo, que recordaba vagamente el encuentro de dos equipos de rugby alrededor de la pelota. Se puso de pie. Ahora el ruido era inconfundible. Gente con botas luchaba o forcejeaba o jugaba a algo. También gritaban. No podía distinguir las palabras, pero oía las exclamaciones como ladridos monosilábicos de hombres furiosos y sin aliento. Lo último que Ransom deseaba era verse envuelto en un incidente, pero la convicción de que debía investigar el asunto crecía en él cuando vibró un grito mucho más alto, en el que pudo distinguir las siguientes palabras:

—Déjenme ir. Déjenme ir. —Y luego, un segundo más tarde—: No voy a entrar ahí. Déjenme ir a casa.

Ransom se quitó la mochila, bajó los escalones del porche de un salto y corrió hacia la parte posterior del edificio tan de prisa como le permitían las piernas rígidas y los pies doloridos. Las huellas y los charcos del sendero lo llevaron a lo que parecía ser un patio, pero un patio rodeado por una cantidad inusual de dependencias. Tuvo la visión fugaz de una alta chimenea, de una puerta baja ocupada por el rojo resplandor del fuego y de una enorme forma redonda que se alzaba negra contra las estrellas, a la que tomó por la cúpula de un pequeño observatorio. Luego todo eso fue borrado de su mente por las figuras de tres hombres trabados en una lucha, tan cerca de él que casi irrumpió entre ellos. Desde el primer instante, Ransom estuvo seguro de que la figura central, a la que los otros dos parecían haber controlado a pesar de sus esfuerzos, era el Harry de la anciana. Le hubiera gustado decir con voz tronante «¿Qué le están haciendo al chico?», pero las palabras que le salieron en realidad, en tono muy poco impresionante, fueron:

—¡Eh!, ¡oigan . . .!

Los tres luchadores se apartaron de golpe, el muchacho berreando.

—¿Puedo preguntarle quién demonios es usted y qué está haciendo aquí? —dijo el más robusto y alto de los dos hombres. Su voz tenía todas las cualidades que le habían faltado tan lamentablemente a Ransom.

—Estoy haciendo una excursión a pie —dijo él— y le prometí a una pobre mujer . . .

—Maldita sea esa pobre mujer —repuso el otro—. ¿Cómo entró?

—Atravesando el seto —dijo Ransom, que sentía que un poco de humor venía en su ayuda—. No sé qué le están haciendo a ese pobre chico, pero . . .

—Deberíamos tener un perro —dijo el hombre robusto a su compañero, ignorando a Ransom.

—Deberías decir que tendríamos un perro si no hubieras insistido en utilizar a Tártaro en un experimento —dijo el hombre que no había hablado hasta entonces. Era casi tan alto como el otro, pero más delgado y, según parecía, más joven. Su voz le sonó vagamente familiar a Ransom, que hizo un nuevo intento de explicarse.

—Miren —dijo—, no sé qué le están haciendo a ese muchacho, pero ya es muy tarde y es hora de que lo manden a casa. No tengo el menor deseo de meterme en sus asuntos privados, pero . . .

—¿Quién es usted? —aulló el hombre robusto.

—Me llamo Ransom, si eso es lo que quiere saber. Y . . .

—Por Júpiter, ¿no será el Ransom que iba a Wedenshaw? —dijo el hombre delgado.

—Hice mis estudios en Wedenshaw —repuso Ransom.

—Me pareció reconocerte nada más hablar —dijo el hombre delgado—. Yo soy Devine. ¿No te acuerdas de mí?

—Por supuesto. ¡Tendría que haberme dado cuenta! —dijo Ransom mientras los dos se daban la mano con la pesada cortesía tradicional de semejantes ocasiones. A decir verdad, Devine era una de las personas que más le habían disgustado a Ransom en el colegio.

—Conmovedor, ¿no es cierto? —dijo Devine—. La vieja guardia se encuentra hasta en los páramos salvajes de Sterk y Nadderby. Entonces se nos hace un nudo en la garganta y recordamos las noches de domingo en la capilla del D. O. P. ¿No conoces a Weston? —Devine señaló a su compañero gritón y macizo—. Weston —agregó—. Ya sabes. El gran físico. Unta las tostadas con Einstein y bebe medio litro de sangre de Schrodinger en el desayuno. Weston, te presento a Ransom, mi viejo compañero de estudios. El doctor Elwin Ransom. Ransom, sabes. El gran filólogo. Unta las tostadas con Jespersen y bebe medio litro . . .

—No sé nada sobre él —dijo Weston, que seguía sosteniendo al desgraciado Harry por el cuello—. Y si esperas que te diga que me encanta conocer a esta persona que acaba de entrar por la fuerza en mi jardín, siento desilusionarte. Me importa un rábano a qué colegio fue o en qué estupidez está desperdiciando actualmente el dinero que habría que destinar a la investigación científica. Quiero saber qué está haciendo aquí y después no quiero volver a verlo.

—No seas burro, Weston —dijo Devine en tono más serio—. Su inesperada presencia no podría ser más oportuna. No te preocupes por los modales de Weston, Ransom. Bajo su fachada agresiva oculta un corazón de oro, ¿sabes? Supongo que te quedarás a tomar una copa y comer algo, ¿verdad?

—Te lo agradezco mucho —dijo Ransom—. Pero en cuanto al muchacho . . .

Devine se apartó un poco con Ransom.

—Es tonto —dijo en voz baja—. Por lo general trabaja como un castor, pero le dan estos ataques. Solo estábamos tratando de llevarlo al lavadero y dejarlo tranquilo una hora o algo así hasta que se calmara. No podemos dejarlo ir a su casa en ese estado. Lo hacemos con la mejor intención. Si quieres puedes llevarlo tú mismo . . . y volver y dormir aquí.

Ransom estaba perplejo. Toda la escena había sido lo suficientemente sospechosa y desagradable para convencerlo de que había caído en medio de algo criminal, aunque por otro lado tenía la convicción profunda, irracional, característica de la gente de su edad y clase, de que cosas como esas no podían cruzarse jamás en el camino de una persona común, salvo en las novelas, y mucho menos estar relacionadas con profesores o antiguos compañeros de estudio. Aunque hubieran estado maltratando al muchacho, Ransom no veía muchas posibilidades de librarlo de ellos por la fuerza.

Mientras esas ideas cruzaban su mente, Devine había estado hablando con Weston en voz baja, aunque no más baja de lo que podía esperarse en alguien que discute los preparativos necesarios ante un huésped inesperado. La conversación terminó con un gruñido de asentimiento por parte de Weston. Ransom, para quien una sensación embarazosa meramente social se había agregado a sus otras dificultades, se dio vuelta con la intención de hacer una observación. Pero Weston estaba hablando con el chico.

—Ya nos has dado suficientes problemas

Reviews for Más allá del planeta silencioso

[hobbitprincess · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

C.S. Lewis wrote the Space Trilogy, and this is the first of the books. I don't normally like science fiction, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Lewis creates an interesting planet that is explored by the main character, Ransom. He meets some interesting creatures and learns about his outlook on life and others as a result. He is sent into space by Weston, who appears in the second book also. He is not a pleasant character and will play a larger role in the next book.

[agentx216 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A nice early sci-fi piece by Lewis. While not dramatically hard sci-fi, Lewis' ability to include alien creatures in his writing style is similar and different to his Narnia series. It's a quick read with, of course, Christian undertones, that are continued to the rest of the trilogy. Lewis' human characters are archetypes and his alien creatures are really fun to get to know. Worth the read. Final Grade - B

[matke-261098 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Oh dear.Unlike many other readers, I loved the descriptions of Malacandra’s flora and fauna. They’re weird and wonderful. I also liked the interaction between Ransom and the Malacandrans. But…heavy-handed allegory and lots of preaching can get tedious. It’s really too bad that Lewis and E. R. Burroughs couldn’t have collaborated on books about Mars: Lewis for the writing and Burroughs for the exciting plotting.

[electrascaife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A British academic on a walking tour of the countryside (can you tell you're in a CS Lewis novel yet?) gets abducted by two other British academic types and taken in their spaceship (yeah, you read that right) to what turns out to be Mars because they think the Martians want a human sacrifice so that they (the British (and apparently evil) academic types) want the Martian gold. Walking Tour Brit escapes the Evil Brits and essentially carries on with his walking tour, just now on another planet. Then things get philosophical and somewhere in there he (Lewis) posits that angels are maybe actually see-through aliens. So yeah, it's a bit of a wild ride, and Lewis's ideas about what space is really like are honest-to-goodness hilarious, but overall I think the best description I can come up with is that it's a clunky predecessor to Mary Doria Russell's *much* more sophisticated and eloquently written The Sparrow. So, read this one for a laugh and go to Russell for the better, meatier stuff.

[librolindsay · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I remember reading this in middle school by recommendation of my mother since I loved the Narnia books. I remember being toally lost as I diligently trudged through this. That's about it.

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Great world-building but rather slow, and being Lewis, there is some definite allegory.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I first read this back in the early 1980s, but in reading it again, I find that I have NO memory of the details. My "memories" of the first reading made me give it a five star rating, but upon this reading I can only come up with three and a half.I was impatient with the descriptions of the planet; I couldn't see them in my mind, and what I did see was not appealing to me. Also there seemed to be a lot of pontificating. I did enjoy the interactions between Ransom & denizens of Malacandra. Rather an abrupt ending; did C.S. Lewis have a deadline?I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the early scifi, although the science of it is less a focus than the moral implications of the theory that humankind can conquer all and has the right to.

[drfuriosa · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a strange and interesting little book. Lewis touches on issues of language and understanding. He is (very) gently critical of colonialism and religious proselytism, but I bet it was probably a very liberal view for his day. Worth the read.

[jzacsh-533759 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Stopped 1/3 the way through. Can't take any more of this book. Old sci-fi... Sometimes it's just too unrelatable for me to enjoy, despite being an obsessive sci-fi reader.

[james.d.gifford · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I first read this in grade 8, and I loved it. I went back years later, and it's still great fun, but Lewis makes me want more from it. He's broad in his scope, and the book has some fairly clear allegorical expansions, yet it's still one of those books that's good enough to make me wish it was better...

[authorjanebnight · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Synopsis: Ransom is kidnapped and taken to another planet where he is to be given to the aliens who inhabit it, presumably as a sacrifice to their primitive Gods. Ransom escapes his captives and explores the planet. My Rating:3/5I didn't enjoy this book but I felt it was well written. C S Lewis is a great author and his stories are creative. This one just wasn't for me. This book was extremely slow and detailed about things such as the flora and fauna of the planet. I was bored through much of that though once Ransom starts interacting with the aliens I was engaged. I liked the parts of the book where he was interacting with the aliens and learning about their culture. The rest of this book was extremely descriptive which just isn't engaging for me. Lewis clearly had done research and it was clear that Ransom is an educated character who has a background in science. For the time this was written C S Lewis got a surprising amount right about space travel and science stuff (as far as I can tell).This plot was interesting and could have been really awesome if the book had moved faster and had more going on. This book feels more like a travelogue of the planet than a story. If you loved Narnia this probably isn't for you. I loved the story of Narnia though so much about it was sparse. There was enough content to make the book interesting and entertaining but not to drag. On the other hand, if you really like books that explore strange settings this book might be right up your alley. It wasn't for me but my brother, who I buddy read with, loved it. He will be continuing on with the series though I don't think I will.

[bell7_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Stumbling upon his old schoolmate Devine and a physicist named Weston, Ransom is brought along on a voyage to Mars - or, as the natives call it, Malacandra - in this examination of first contact and humanity.I first read this book probably when I was college age, before I started keeping track of my reading and reviewing every book. I remember my mom telling me that she hadn't liked the trilogy much, but liking it pretty well overall. I picked it up again having recently read Mere Humanity, an exploration by professor Donald T. Williams in the ways what it means to be human is explored in primarily C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien's works. So I confess on this reread, I was paying particular attention to what it means to be human or a moral, rational species even if inhuman. Not a lot happens in terms of plot, but it does delve into what it might mean if there is intelligent life elsewhere from a Christian worldview, that perhaps hasn't been "bent" to evil as humans are. Though it could stand on its own, I think it ends up laying a lot of the groundwork further explored in Perelandra and That Hideous Strength.

[al9g · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This one gets high marks from most people and perhaps I expected too much from it, but wasn't thrilled with it. I like C.S. Lewis - whether non-fiction, theology or fiction = but this one didn't grab me. This one is earlier than the Narnia series and perhaps not as overtly theological, but perhaps also not as engaging as Narnia. The story is intriguing, but is mostly narrative with little dialogue. It's not a bad read, but wasn't what I expected.

[minaisham · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

-- OUT OF THE SILENT PLANET is author's first book in a space trilogy. Protagonist is fictional philologist Dr. Elwin Ransom. In SILENT PLANET author travels unwillingly to Malacandra or Mars. In the trilogy Earth is referred to as Thulcandra. --

[empress8411 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I haven't read this in years, but it is actually just as a remember. More philosophy than adventure, it takes the reader through a world were sin doesn't exsist. It is an interesting idea. Not for the reader looking for action, but if you enjoy thought-provoking works, read it.

[dylanwolters · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

My rating isn't in regards to writing style or anything along those lines, but purely story. Lewis' writing is well and understandable. The story, however, I felt generally uneventful. I expected a good development and pacing but the novel as a whole was just bland. When you finally get the revelation where the author more directly explains everything you realize what it all was. Another metaphor about then-society and its relation to God. Now I understand this is C.S. Lewis and that's his thing. But I had been told by so many people that it wasn't like Narnia. It had more depth and something beyond that. So perhaps I was misled by the people I discussed the novel with earlier. The one star rating from me is primarily regarding the growing lack of interest I felt as the novel went on. I was never put off, per say. But it's hard to explain. Either way I don't think its a terrible adventure. Many parts of it are very creative and fun to read and think about. As such I also think this book may very well be someone else's cup of tea. So, honestly, unless you're like me and want more than a metaphorical adventure regarding mankind and God, I'd take a look.

[tromboneal-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good, but too old-fashioned and slow. If I were on a deserted island with no other books read, I'd enjoy it.

[kateprice88 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nearly everyone has read C.S. Lewis’s iconic series The Chronicles of Narnia. Despite Lewis being a fairly prolific author in his time, I’ve never read anything else by him, living in the delusion that there really wasn’t much more that he’s written, or, perhaps, anything worth reading. Recently, I stumbled upon the first and third books in his science fiction series at a used book sale. Out of the Silent Planet is a short but dense book that is absolutely worth reading.The main character of Out of the Silent Planet is Dr. Ransom, an academic who begins a walking tour of England and is searching for a place to stay the night when the story opens. Things quickly go downhill for him when he is kidnapped by a mysterious, aging physicist and brought to a planet called Malacandra. But Dr. Ransom isn’t too keen on being a human sacrifice and escapes into the wilds of this unknown world, his chances of ever making it home becoming slimmer and slimmer.Like Lewis's more famous series, this, too, is steeped in allegory, not all of which I am convinced I recognized. Despite just finishing this novel, I feel like I should reread it. More than that, I want to. Some of the allegory is hard to miss. But even then, I feel as if it were crafted more finely than some of his children’s series. While I love Narnia, it can feel as if you’re being hit with an allegorical sledgehammer at times when read as an adult. Maybe it was because it was my first time reading the book, but I felt that wasn’t always the case here.C.S. Lewis is a wonderful writer, his sentences lyrical, his descriptions near perfect. This is denser than the Chronicles of Narnia. Descriptions are more detailed, and there are more of them. The native tongue of the peoples of Malacandra is described and related in parts, but not quite to the sort of extent someone such as Tolkien goes.While I did love this novel, it is rather dense for being only 158 pages. A lot of a time is spent on Malacandra. And a lot of that time is spent with Dr. Ransom as he explores and gets to know the peoples and ways of this other world. There is forward momentum, but it can be bogged down in descriptions, beautiful and lyrical as they are. It also took me longer to read than many other novels take me, again despite the page count. While this doesn’t detract from the story in any way, it is something to keep in mind if you were looking for a quick read.Ransom beings as a likeable, but perhaps timid character. While likeable he does have his flaws. However, there is more character growth than I had initially expected. We see Ransom grow throughout the tale. The way he treats the Hross, one of the native peoples of the planet, changes. This is slight, and it takes several chapters, but it is there. Where he referred to the Hross as ‘its’ they become ‘he’s’ and ‘she’s’, real people with real lives and cultures instead of the very 19th century idea of the 'uncultured savage'. When we were first introduced to these peoples through Ransom’s eyes I was afraid the story would fall into this stereotype. It was something I really didn’t want to happen, partially because I have such fond memories of reading the Chronicles of Narnia. However, this really never happened. If anything, the opposite occurred.And the world building! Malacandra is a strange and wondrous place, at once so very unlike Earth, but pleasantly reminiscent at times as well. Its history, as much as we hear in this novel, at least, is rather fascinating. We learn a lot about the Hross, but I want to learn more about the two other races which inhabit Malacandra as well. I want more about the beginnings of the world, and the dead but still present surface world, an ever silent reminder of the horrors of the past and the fleetingness of life.The ending is rather brilliant as well. There is an epilogue, called a Postscript here, which is supposed to be part of a letter to the narrator of the story. The one or two times the narrator breaks the fourth wall begin to come into focus, and this narrator feels more like another character within the tale. There are hints of more to come, though I can’t begin to predict what would happen in the next book.Despite there being two more books in the series, the ending feels like a real conclusion. Sure, there are hints that there are more, or there could be more, but the ending is very satisfying. I would be completely happy if this were a standalone novel; it doesn’t necessarily need more. I really appreciate books like this. Too often I find books in a series just sort of stop instead of providing any real closure at the end. Also, if you are hesitant about dedicating yourself to reading yet another series, you don’t have to be. This can definitely be read as a standalone novel, and as it is the first in the series no background information or early world building will be missed.There’s something magical about discovering a ‘new’ book by an old favorite author. Out of the Silent Planet was a little dense, but a truly wonderful read. I’m definitely going to have to find a copy of Perelandra, the second book in this series. If you like C.S. Lewis’s other work, or like stories with a lot of in-depth world building, this is for you. If you don’t like heavily descriptive writing this book may not be the one for you.

[razinha-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is not a full review of his book...more of a recall of some of the many other times I tried to read this book. I found the three thin paperbacks of Lewis's Space Trilogy I owned at a used bookshop in Connecticut more than 30 years ago after failing to get into the library copies when I was younger. I rediscovered them - and attempted vainly to read them - each time after packing and unpacking them through 14 moves, only to lose them in a fire in 2013. I tried more times than I can remember to read them, but never succeeded.

Just. Couldn't. Get. Into. Them...

Or, more accurately, couldn't get into this one. I finally forced myself to read it, and I discovered carrying around the negligible weight all those years was a waste. His writing is tedious, his science poor (yes, I know...1938), but really, the book doesn't even hold its own against the pulp from the era that I've read. The phrase about the devil in the details is ironic and appropriate, given all the other ... material ... Lewis wrote. He was far too preachy and obvious for an intelligent reader.

I kept the books because Lewis's trilogy is called a classic, and classic science fiction that I wanted dearly to someday read. I read and really liked the Narnia books as a child, but found them immature when reread as a teen and incredibly shallow, naive, and comically transparent as an adult. Some young fiction does okay for adults, and some, like Narnia, does not. None of Lewis's books I've read can hold up to any rational thought, so if they aren't entertaining, then they have no value. Please don't troll me with Screwtape (read it...unfortunately) or any of his other apologetic attempts...he's quite unconvincing.

It took me forty years to final power though this book. I doubt I have eighty more for the next two.

[scottcholstad · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I’ve liked and disliked several of C.S. Lewis’s works over the years and if I remember correctly, I read his space trilogy as a young boy, but remember nothing of it. So my wife picked up Out of the Silent Planet at a used bookstore for me just for the heck of it and it was an interesting read. Talk about old school sci fi, this was OLD school! Published in 1938, I believe, I had a hard time reminding myself that there was no realistic was Lewis could have known anything about spaceflight or Mars, the main locations in the novel, so it’s unbelievably dated, but it’s not really his fault.In this book, Dr. Elwin Ransom, a Cambridge philology professor, is kidnapped by two greedy snobs who have a spaceship and have traveled to outer space before. Ransom is taken to a planet called Malacandra by the alien species that live there, though we later learn it is actually Mars. As Mars, it is not red and deserted and dusty. It is bright and sunny, with oceans and streams, plenty of vegetation, jungles, mountains that get increasingly colder the higher you climb, dangerous animals, and several sentient alien species. He is completely enchanted by the beautiful scenery, escapes his captors, meets these aliens who are nothing like humans in appearance or action (for the most part), learns about the origin of these species on Malacandra and Earth (the silent planet) and, ultimately, reflects on the broken nature of humanity. The climactic scene leads him to the final show down which proves to be a meeting with the angelic “god” of the planet where Ransom’s linguistic abilities allow him to act as translator for the two other humans who see Malacandra as simply a stepping stone in humanity’s ongoing greatness and evolution into the stars. We see Ransom struggling with the challenge of expressing some of the more bizarre elements of his kidnappers’ philosophies in a way that will make sense to the Malacandrians. It never really does and ultimately, it doesn’t to Ransom either.The book is short and, generally, entertaining, if a bit lightweight. It drags at times, quite a bit actually, but the dialogue can be quite good at times and the philosophies discussed are intriguing. I was worried that Lewis, a devout Christian, would go all “religious” on me, but he didn’t proselytize, for which I was grateful. I suppose, however, if one wanted religious symbolism, one could find it. Lewis was himself an academic and not a scientist at that. The thought that he could write “serious” science fiction in the 1930s is rather humorous. Nonetheless, this is a valiant effort and worth a read, especially as it’s so short. Three stars.

[stevierbrown · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The prose may feel a little dated to some 21st century ears, but in some ways that is quite nice, and who is to say that in the future we may not return to a more formal and genteel form of language.
But the important point is that the story feels real and engaging and certainly ahead of its time.
It is interesting that a lot of the author’s own philosophical and Christian perspectives are expressed in fairly subtle form throughout, but you really wouldn't expect anything else; it's there if you want to see it. But Lewis could be understated be and this is ultimately sci-fi, so if religion is not your thing and you are not looking for it, it's inclusion really won't 'spoil' your enjoyment of the book.

[karin7-11 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Dr. Ransom, philologist, is kidnapped and taken to a different planet called Malacandra by two greedy men, one who is greedy for gold and the other to take over this planet for mankind. Ransom overhears a conversation on the spaceship, so makes his escape at the first opportune moment. He is befriended by a sapient life form and begins to learn the language and culture of the hrossa until trouble ensues.

CS Lewis, unlike most scifi writers, writes from the premise that God and angels exist but that evolution doesn't, which puts a very different spin on this book as compared with books by authors such as Arthur C. Clarke.

I was somewhat ambivalent about much of this book as we know so much more about our nearby planets as compared with when this book was written. However, there were some redeeming qualities to this book despite it's lack of plausibility, such as the questions of what make us essentially sapient beings ruled by spirit beings (or even just what those beings are, so I'm giving it a 3, even though over all it is just so-so to me. At this point I don't plan to read the sequels.

[bmeredithe · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Odd but engaging - written with a higher content of knowledge than current fiction.

[jennaelf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Without my previous experience with the essays of Owen Barfield and the context of intellectual movements at the time, I might not have enjoyed this book as thoroughly as I did. I definitely want to read it again simply to explore the philosophies that are touched upon...

That said, as a narrative, it is still an interesting and engaging story.

[vanjr-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have read CS Lewis space trilogy at least 3 times! Each time I have favorited a different book. I will be reading this again.

[stige_3 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Narnia for adults. Man goes to space with cartoon villain and meets up with god. Also, how can he hear silent 'H'?

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

During the school holidays, Ransom, a Cambridge philologist on a walking tour meets an old acquaintance. It would be stretching things to call him a friend. The old acquaintance has a mysterious associate, and these two men drug and kidnap Ransom. He awakens on a spaceship bound for Mars. Overhearing the men’s plans to deliver him to the Martians, he determines to escape if an opportunity presents itself. It does, and Ransom flees for his life, finding shelter among one of the peoples who populate the strange planet that its inhabitants call Malacandra. The Malacandrans don’t seem to understand English, but happily the philologist Ransom is equipped to learn their language. As his understanding of the language grows, Ransom learns about the social structure, philosophy, and beliefs of the Malacandrans. He also gains a new perspective on Earth’s human race.The story reminds me more of Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels than of Lewis’s Narnia trilogy. Maybe I’m connecting the hrossa and the “h” sounds that start their words with the Houyhnhnms encountered by Gulliver during his travels.I’ve read Lewis’s Narnia series multiple times and I’m very familiar with its symbolism. This is my first exposure to his space trilogy. I think I need to finish the rest of the trilogy and then re-read it at least once to understand Lewis’s message. It’s obvious that there is a relationship to Christian theology, with God-like, Christ-like, angel-like, and Satan-like beings. I don’t think that the message is complete in this novel, and Lewis must have already worked out a plan for the entire trilogy. The end of this book hints at more to come.

[jsburbidge · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It may be useful to keep in mind that this was published in 1938. At that time Lewis had two (2) published works -- his major study The Allegory of Love and an earlier minor work, The Pilgrim's Regress. At that time, all of his apologetic work was in the future -- it began with his radio talks during the war -- and the Narnia books were not even thought of. It's worth noting that although glancing references are made to Christianity (mainly the background of the fall of the Oyarsa of Thulcandra), the discussion between Ransom and the Oyarsa of Mars regarding the Incarnation is dropped out of the book and merely hinted at. If you read this knowing what an average reader would have known in 1938 any religious element would have passed you by.This has a serious theme of responding to a strain of Wellsian and Campbellian (Campbell had just started as the editor of Astounding at the time) human-triumphalist SF. What Lewis did in response to this was very clever: he picked up what he would later call the "mediaeval model" of the cosmos from the high middle ages (specifically Bernardus Silvestris), twisted a few words to add an extra hint in that direction (ousiarches -> Oyarses and eidola -> eldila), adjusted a bit for the absence of crystalline spheres keeping the planets on their courses, and dropped his Wellsian scientist into it, using an onlooker loosely based on his friend J.R.R. Tolkien as a point of view. Fireworks ensue: Lewis had a keen ear for shades of meaning and the core scene in the book, where Ransom translates for Weston, is both funny and devastating.While doing this, he let his imagination free to imagine a world which was unfallen and dying, in the lesser gravity of Mars. The description of Mars, and the seroni and the hrossa, took over much of the book.Lewis' prose is a cut above the normal SF prose of the period, and indeed of any period; the "otherness" of the cosmos is vividly imagined; and the work makes a serious point about man's place as a non-triumphal, non-conquering figure in the cosmos. (In Perelandra, several years later, he was much more explicitly Christian and he makes the effects of the Incarnation make mankind obviously pivotal in a different way; but that is not yet visible in OOTSP.) This is a deserved classic.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I can only hope that the trilogy gets better. Far too much description for me and far too little in the way of character development and interaction.

[iamjonlarson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The first half is interesting if a little dated. The second half makes up for the dated sci-fi setting by a really interesting philosophical look at the spiritual realm of Earth from an otherwordly perspective.