Review of "Out of the Silent Planet" (1938) C.S. Lewis
This is book one of the Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis. It is also known as the Ransom Trilogy or Cosmic Trilogy. This story begins with the unusual travel of Elwin Ransom, a college professor of philology (study of languages). Ransom is on a hiking trek through the midlands of England. He stops at a cottage to seek a room. The owner agrees to allow him to spend the night if he will go get her son from his workplace at an estate nearby. That is when Ransom’s adventure really begins.
The estate is owned by Devine, a man that Ransom knows and does not like. Devine is working with Professor Weston who has invented a spaceship. Devine encourages Ransom to have a drink with him which includes a drug. The two men kidnap Ransom and take him on their trip to Malacandra (Mars).
Devine and Weston intend to offer Ransom as a human sacrifice to the sorns who are the inhabitants of Malacandra. However, Ransom escapes into the wild. Lewis goes into great detail about the differences between Earth and Malacandra.
Ramsom eventually discovers Hyoi, one of the hrossa which also inhabit the planet. He learns the culture and language of the hrossa. He also discovers that a large amount of gold, called “sun’s blood,” is available on Malacandra. He deduces that this is the reason that Devine and Weston have made this trip.
During a hunting trip with the hrossa, Ransom meets an eldil which is described as a creature of light and appear to be Lewis’ depiction of an angel. The eldil wants Ransom to meet the Oyarsa which is the eldil ruler of the planet or the arch angel. Ransom refuses as he wishes to complete the hunting trip with Hyoi. Meanwhile, Devine and Westen are searching for their sacrifice when they come across the hunting party. They shoot and kill Hyoi. Ransom is told by the hrossa that Hyoi’s death is a penalty of his refusal to do as the eldil requested.
Ransom begins his journey to visit the Oyarsa. On his way he discovers that the seroni are also a peaceful race as he is joined on his journey by a sorn. He is taken to Meldilorn, home of the Oyarsa and hears how there are Oyeresu for each of the planets. He is told that the four inner planets of our solar system have intelligent life forms. He is also told that the Oyarsa of Earth, Thulcandra, has turned evil and has been bound to that planet by maledil, the ruler of the universe.
While Ransom is with Oyarsa, Devine and Westen are brought there by the hrossa for killing three of their clan. Oyarsa tells Devine and Westen that they not wanted on Malacandra and allowed to leave in their own spaceship. Ransom is offered the opportunity to stay on Malacandra, but he chooses to return to Earth. Oyarsa gives him a task: to prevent Westen from further evil. Oyarsa causes the spaceship to disintegrate once it lands back on Earth.
This is an excellent book for children who enjoy science fiction. The trilogy was written through an agreement that Lewis and Tolkien made with each other to write a trilogy in a genre in which they did not normally write. Tolkien wrote the Ring Trilogy. There are many similarities between these two trilogies. Lewis and Tolkien communicated often with each other while writing these books.
Some terminology in the "Old Solar" language is used throughout the trilogy (this information found on Wikipedia):
· Field of Arbol — the Solar System
· handra — a planet or land
· Malacandra — Mars
· Perelandra — Venus
· Thulcandra — Earth, literally “The Silent Planet”
· Glund or Glundandra — Jupiter
· Viritrilbia — Mercury
· Lurga — Saturn
· Sulva — The Moon
· hnau or 'nau — a rational being, capable of speech, intellect, and personhood, and containing a soul
· Eldil, pl. Eldila — an Angel
· Oyarsa, pl. Oyéresu — (Title) Ruler of a planet, a higher-order angel, perhaps an arch-angel.
Caution to parents: C.S. Lewis does use some language and images that were not considered inappropriate in the British culture [e.g. smoking and drinking were common adult activities even among Christians—this is the same reason Tolkien’s hobbits and other creatures of Middle Earth participated in both of these activities].
The estate is owned by Devine, a man that Ransom knows and does not like. Devine is working with Professor Weston who has invented a spaceship. Devine encourages Ransom to have a drink with him which includes a drug. The two men kidnap Ransom and take him on their trip to Malacandra (Mars).
Devine and Weston intend to offer Ransom as a human sacrifice to the sorns who are the inhabitants of Malacandra. However, Ransom escapes into the wild. Lewis goes into great detail about the differences between Earth and Malacandra.
Ramsom eventually discovers Hyoi, one of the hrossa which also inhabit the planet. He learns the culture and language of the hrossa. He also discovers that a large amount of gold, called “sun’s blood,” is available on Malacandra. He deduces that this is the reason that Devine and Weston have made this trip.
During a hunting trip with the hrossa, Ransom meets an eldil which is described as a creature of light and appear to be Lewis’ depiction of an angel. The eldil wants Ransom to meet the Oyarsa which is the eldil ruler of the planet or the arch angel. Ransom refuses as he wishes to complete the hunting trip with Hyoi. Meanwhile, Devine and Westen are searching for their sacrifice when they come across the hunting party. They shoot and kill Hyoi. Ransom is told by the hrossa that Hyoi’s death is a penalty of his refusal to do as the eldil requested.
Ransom begins his journey to visit the Oyarsa. On his way he discovers that the seroni are also a peaceful race as he is joined on his journey by a sorn. He is taken to Meldilorn, home of the Oyarsa and hears how there are Oyeresu for each of the planets. He is told that the four inner planets of our solar system have intelligent life forms. He is also told that the Oyarsa of Earth, Thulcandra, has turned evil and has been bound to that planet by maledil, the ruler of the universe.
While Ransom is with Oyarsa, Devine and Westen are brought there by the hrossa for killing three of their clan. Oyarsa tells Devine and Westen that they not wanted on Malacandra and allowed to leave in their own spaceship. Ransom is offered the opportunity to stay on Malacandra, but he chooses to return to Earth. Oyarsa gives him a task: to prevent Westen from further evil. Oyarsa causes the spaceship to disintegrate once it lands back on Earth.
This is an excellent book for children who enjoy science fiction. The trilogy was written through an agreement that Lewis and Tolkien made with each other to write a trilogy in a genre in which they did not normally write. Tolkien wrote the Ring Trilogy. There are many similarities between these two trilogies. Lewis and Tolkien communicated often with each other while writing these books.
Some terminology in the "Old Solar" language is used throughout the trilogy (this information found on Wikipedia):
· Field of Arbol — the Solar System
· handra — a planet or land
· Malacandra — Mars
· Perelandra — Venus
· Thulcandra — Earth, literally “The Silent Planet”
· Glund or Glundandra — Jupiter
· Viritrilbia — Mercury
· Lurga — Saturn
· Sulva — The Moon
· hnau or 'nau — a rational being, capable of speech, intellect, and personhood, and containing a soul
· Eldil, pl. Eldila — an Angel
· Oyarsa, pl. Oyéresu — (Title) Ruler of a planet, a higher-order angel, perhaps an arch-angel.
Caution to parents: C.S. Lewis does use some language and images that were not considered inappropriate in the British culture [e.g. smoking and drinking were common adult activities even among Christians—this is the same reason Tolkien’s hobbits and other creatures of Middle Earth participated in both of these activities].
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