Book Review: "Out of the Silent Planet" by C.S. Lewis

As far as books go, Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis was not the best that I have read, but it was by far the most intriguing.

The story starts out somewhat slow, but begins to pick up relatively quick. As soon as the main character Ransom enters outer space, or "The Heavens" as he calls it, the story begins to move. Ransom's experiences on the planet Malacandra are vivid, quite imaginable, and richly detailed with a conceivable culture of sorns, hrossas, and pfifltriggis. And let's not forget the all-wise, Oyarsa.

Lewis' imagination goes beyond the scale of some and maybe even most of his other books. His descriptions of Malacandra, from the peoples even to the planet's grass, which he describes as "pink stuff, soft, springy, and faintly resilient, like india-rubber" are thoroughly thought provoking. The human and Malacandrian characters he develops throughout the story are nothing short of believable,

and frankly, ones you might like to have as friends.

But all great works still have their flaws. Like most of Lewis' works, the dialogue was very convoluted and some of it quite overdone. It seems that Lewis had to stretch really hard to create situations that facilitated an explanation of the ways of Malacandra. And as likeable as the hero Ransom is, it was difficult to get attached to his character. But I suppose that the subsequent books in "The Space Trilogy" shall delve into the person and history of Ransom much more.

Out of the Silent Planet is certainly not a book for everyone, but those who enjoy Lewis' works, will leave this book surely satisfied and possibly hungering for more. If anything, the greatest success of Lewis' Out of the Silent Planet was the ubelievable believability of this far-off place called Malacandra.