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shadowfrost13's review against another edition
2.0
So truly disappointed in this sequel. I barely managed to finish, it was so slow and boring. I expected it would get better but didn’t, outside of some portions. The end was the worst of all. This book felt more like some alternative Christian manifesto than a sci-fi novel. Of course, Lewis has Christian themes in all of his fiction books, but this was mostly that rather than just having those themes included… on top of being so utterly boring. That said, the descriptions were just as beautiful and the characters just as interesting as the first book in this series, which is the only reason I didn’t give it a one-star rating.
brady2406's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
bonesmcgee's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
clownonthemoon's review
3.0
have to respect the escalation from colonizer-industrialist bad guy duo in book 1 to the literal devil as the antagonist in book 2
annatusindben's review
3.0
bible fanfiction in space where a guy beats up the devil with a rock. unfortunately not as fun as it sounds
crazcosmo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
jme985's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve been reading other reviews to try and articulate what it is precisely that I want to express in my dislikes for this book.
Ultimately, it boils down to a vast difference of opinion between myself and Lewis. I am not religious, and cannot relate to the ferocity to which Lewis holds to the literal teachings of the Bible, but I’ve gotten something out of his writing in other works, including that of the first book. Among a number of things, Lewis’s fixation on sex and gender in this book highlights to me this weird moral hangup Lewis has when writing about women. I don’t share his beliefs in the slightest and that disparity makes any of the more preachy moments (of which there are many) feel tortuous and awkward to get through. I have no problem with religious writing, I love Tolkien and many of Lewis’s other works, but in the case of Perelandra I found it instead to be a thinly veiled sermon - and one that to me felt too self congratulatory and self righteous to actually have anything meaningful to say even to those who do have a similar belief system.
It’s one of those books I imagine Christian’s read to feel good about being Christian, if that makes sense. Which isn’t a problem but it absolutely is not for me.
Plot wise I still greatly admire the imagination Lewis is capable of. The worlds he builds are fantastical and fun, but I found that the landscape took a heavy backseat to the philosophy here.
I also hated that Ransom was eventually just told to cut the middle man and kill Weston outright. The last fight in the book turned from moral debate to acting as a hit man for god. I just don’t understand why Lewis would seemingly imply that his moral beliefs - and by extension Christianity - are not strong enough to overcome the equivalent evil and instead it must be shut down by force. It felt weak to me.
In all likelihood I will read the third in this series simply to have it completed, but I’ve heard it’s much more of the same.
Ultimately, it boils down to a vast difference of opinion between myself and Lewis. I am not religious, and cannot relate to the ferocity to which Lewis holds to the literal teachings of the Bible, but I’ve gotten something out of his writing in other works, including that of the first book. Among a number of things, Lewis’s fixation on sex and gender in this book highlights to me this weird moral hangup Lewis has when writing about women. I don’t share his beliefs in the slightest and that disparity makes any of the more preachy moments (of which there are many) feel tortuous and awkward to get through. I have no problem with religious writing, I love Tolkien and many of Lewis’s other works, but in the case of Perelandra I found it instead to be a thinly veiled sermon - and one that to me felt too self congratulatory and self righteous to actually have anything meaningful to say even to those who do have a similar belief system.
It’s one of those books I imagine Christian’s read to feel good about being Christian, if that makes sense. Which isn’t a problem but it absolutely is not for me.
Plot wise I still greatly admire the imagination Lewis is capable of. The worlds he builds are fantastical and fun, but I found that the landscape took a heavy backseat to the philosophy here.
I also hated that Ransom was eventually just told to cut the middle man and kill Weston outright. The last fight in the book turned from moral debate to acting as a hit man for god. I just don’t understand why Lewis would seemingly imply that his moral beliefs - and by extension Christianity - are not strong enough to overcome the equivalent evil and instead it must be shut down by force. It felt weak to me.
In all likelihood I will read the third in this series simply to have it completed, but I’ve heard it’s much more of the same.
52wmckinney's review
5.0
The ending was a LOT, but overall this was what I was expecting and wanting from the second book of the trilogy. The way Lewis uses his story telling to enhance our understanding of our Christian faith through allegory is amazing. It's also fun to consider life on other planets and what that would mean for us as Christians. Overall, one amazing book.
ms_morri1's review against another edition
5.0
This is not just my favorite book in the series, it’s probably one of my favorite C.S. Lewis books. A wonderful tale of a new garden of Eden found on mars, an the lengths one man must go to prevent a second “fall of man.”
rebekahflora's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.5
I adore Lewis’ prose, and this trilogy is shaping up to be a really well-constructed fictional world, yet, strangely, I do think that the best-written parts of it are the most non-fictional. The sections of philosophy and theology are where Lewis thrives, and the setting is merely a vessel with which to orient us in the reading.