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| That Hideous Strength (Space Trilogy, Book 3) | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 89 reviews)
Sales Rank: 11776
Category: Book
Author: C.s. Lewis
Publisher: Scribner
Studio: Scribner
Manufacturer: Scribner
Label: Scribner
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.4 x 0.8
ISBN: 0743234928
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.912
EAN: 9780743234924
ASIN: 0743234928
Publication Date: May 6, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The final book in C. S. Lewis's acclaimed Space Trilogy, which includes Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, That Hideous Strength concludes the adventures of the matchless Dr. Ransom. The dark forces that were repulsed in Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra are massed for an assault on the planet Earth itself. Word is on the wind that the mighty wizard Merlin has come back to the land of the living after many centuries, holding the key to ultimate power for that force which can find him and bend him to its will. A sinister technocratic organization is gaining power throughout Europe with a plan to "recondition" society, and it is up to Ransom and his friends to squelch this threat by applying age-old wisdom to a new universe dominated by science. The two groups struggle to a climactic resolution that brings the Space Trilogy to a magnificent, crashing close.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 84 more reviews...
 Goodness Garnished with Pantheism for a Fiercer Ride January 8, 2009
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Lewis, like his friend and fellow philologist Tolkien, dealt in the creation of realistic myth. This well paced novel culminates his Space Trilogy, commencing with Out of the Silent Planet and continuing with Perelandra, based on the theme of natural and beneficial order versus the illusion of unchecked, destructive "human progress."
While one may take objection to many of Lewis's ideas on religion - I myself do - the unseen world of the eldils, or angels - both good and bad - that he constructs is so grandiose and fascinating that I for one forgive him all offences.
The story opens quietly in a small English town, where a modern young woman - modern for 1945 that is - endures the frustrations of marriage to an underpaid fellow of a minor university. From this innocent beginning, the pair become entrapped by the machinery of a satanic group bent on world domination.
Step by step they are enticed into a satanic plan for world domination, yet, while the plot snares them with all the devilish menace that a reader could wish for, its grasp on their lives is achieved by everyday, believable manipulations: the threatened loss of employment, the flattery of recognition, the temptation of money, power and fame. Eventually the Satanists overreach themselves, and the novel culminates in an imaginative battle of good and evil, with both spiritual and brute physical forces on either side.
The writer George Orwell argues that the inevitable triumph of good over evil weakens the novel, but I don't agree. To me, its charm lies not in its ending but in the skill with which the story is told. It says much for this story, that though science has overtaken it during passage of half a century and more, its lives as though written today.
I particularly enjoy Lewis's construction of opposed hierarchies, and the subtlety with which both good and bad characters are drawn. But how remarkable it is that we are often drawn more to the bad characters! My favourite amongst these is Wither, an ancient villain, whose massive but crumbling intellect hides behind a facade of amiable vagueness as he schemes his way towards ultimate power.
Ending on this note, is it not strange and intriguing that a strong Christian apologist like professor Lewis should need to spice his calm beliefs with garnishes of magic, naturism and warlike demigods?
Graham Worthington, author, Wake of the Raven
A Stunning and Terryifying Look at a Planet Dominated by Evil---Earth! December 15, 2008
That Hideous Strength. That power of evil that desires to bring everything into submission to it. That draws men in to it, until they will have nothing else.
In this fantastic close to C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy, we continue to follow the activities of Ransom, as he and his friends fight a spiritual battle against the forces of evil. This time, the battle is on Earth, were a new organization, the National Institute of Coordinated Experiments (N.I.C.E), consults with demons through a terrible creature, and snakes its tentacles of influence into every aspect of England --- politics, religion, history, education, justice, and science --- all in the name of a better world. It also follows the struggles of a recently married couple, Mark and Jane Studdock, as Mark goes into the employ of N.I.C.E., and Jane joins the resistance.
This climactic book follows in the tradition of its predecessors(Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra), as it describes everyday occasions and phenomenal events with perfect imagery and cunning wit. You will be left wishing for more, and yet at the same time find yourself grateful that C.S. Lewis chose to give us a concise, refined, and matchless series in the Space Trilogy.
Ryan Robledo
Author of the Aelnathan:
Simply Incredible November 14, 2008
This is one of my favorite books of all time. I have read a number of the negative reviews, and I can see how someone who doesn't share the religious views of Lewis might be put off. If a reader is not at all open to the possibility of the supernatural then this book might be tough going. But for anyone who has wondered, "How might a political conspiracy actually take place?", this is a must read. Whatever religious or political views one holds, to think that the main stream media is not even the least bit managed from "up top" is naive.
 Amazing mind, not so amazing story August 22, 2008
The conclusion to the trilogy, "Out of the Silent Planet" and "Perelandra". It can be read on its own, but there are moments when it was helpful to have read the previous two. "Perelandra" is by far the best of the three. I was disappointed there was no closure to the story. Lewis makes mincemeat of our feeble minds. His insights are amazing and his concept of the world beyond is exquisite. The English dialect can be slightly aggravating.
The novel is centered around a university now owned and run by a group of intellectuals set out to change the world by the creation of a "new man". They created this new world order front to rid the world of undesirables, evoke a revolution upon the earth, and enforce a police state. The "worldly" Ransom is back, but not as one of the main characters. Instead, chosen is a man that is hired on by the university and his wife (who has dreams that are actually real), will together (though conditions separate them) create this "new man".
Wish you well
Scott
Strong writing June 30, 2008
Perhaps not the BEST of C. S. Lewis' works, but a good one nonetheless. I was introduced to the 'space trilogy' as a teenager by my father, a minister. He thought I would enjoy the SciFi aspect and maybe glean some ethical education in the meantime. He was correct. This was not the most fun of the trilogy to read, but a good ending to the trilogy. If you are looking for classic SciFi with good moral values, the 'space trilogy' is definitely worth a look.
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