“[T]he vast astronomical distances … are God’s quarantine regulations …”
So says the narrator in C.S. Lewis’ Perelandra.
I’m really bogging down in this book. While the previous novel in Lewis’ space trilogy was a decent adventure story this one is turning into a theo-psychological argument. Not exactly boring because Lewis writes well. But I am wondering why I’m bothering. Oh yeah. Because for years as a teen I shopped at a comic store called Perelandra and I’m still curious what that was all about. I’m not convinced I’ll really have an answer when I get to the last page. It’s just Christianity in space?
I remember one of Perelandra’s owners had the last name: Christ. He insisted Christ rhymed with ‘wrist’ – rather than ‘priced’, say.
“He knew now why the old philosophers had said there is no such thing as chance,” says the Perelandra narrator referring to the main character’s name – Ransom. Christ was a ransom, too?
2 comments:
Out of the Silent Planet is the best of the trilogy. I enjoyed both Perelandra and That Hideous Strength in parts but they're not as much ... fun, I guess is the word, overall as the first one.
I don't anticipate ever rereading these but I figure I'll get thru 'em.
Christ isn't any crazier than centaurs, I guess. Or gigantic oceans on Venus -- at least, now we've got a good idea how damn hot it is there.
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