Book Review: Out of the Silent Planet

Part one of a sci-fi trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis, reflects Lewis' signature trait of showcasing Good vs. Evil in a fantastical land.

Copyrighted in 1938, the science is terribly inaccurate from today's perspective (I am a geeky person who cares about such things), and also takes a snapshot of life during that limited time of 'peace' between World Wars.

Lewis' writing style is reminiscent of the long-winded Victorian writers who had the capacity to make a sentence last a paragraph through the abuse of colons and semi-colons, with long narrative descriptions that could have easily been summed up in just a few words. It is occasionally fun to read this kind of style, just to see how it contrasts today's choppy, concise use of language.

But, take away all of the descriptions and narration, the story itself is then condensed down into the last four chapters where the heart of the tale really lives. Here he presents to us a commentary of the moral state of humanity and of how we conquer new lands and peoples to exploit all of the resources from the environment, etc. It is clear that what he feels is missing from our world is our connection to a higher power or entity. Our world, in comparison to Malacandra, is the domain of the Bent One, who has allowed fear and deception to reign over love and acceptance of diversity.

This book is definitely not written for children like the Narnia series, but it would be suitable for young adults. My recommendation score is low because I do not feel that this is a "must read" book; however, it is a "nice to read" book if you find yourself interested in exploring Lewis' books outside of Narnia.

Rating: 3 out of 5
Recommendation: 2.5 out of 5