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That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis
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That Hideous Strength (original 1945; edition 2005)

by C. S. Lewis (Author)

Series: Space Trilogy (3)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
8,245881,044 (3.78)1 / 142
This is the final book of C. S. Lewis's acclaimed Cosmic (or Ransom) Trilogy, which includes Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra. A classic work of fantasy as much for the wonder of its storytelling as for its insights into the human condition, the trilogy stages an epic battle between forces of light and darkness across a canvas of other worlds. In That Hideous Strength, the brave philologist Dr. Ransom (modeled after Lewis's friend J.R.R. Tolkien) finds himself in a world of superior alien beings and scientific experiments run amok. There is a rumor that the powerful wizard Merlin has returned to the world of the living, and a sinister technocratic organization plans to use his power in their plot to "recondition" society. Ransom's fight for moral wisdom in a brave new universe dominated by science is a quest filled with intrigue and suspense.… (more)
Member:Cataloger623
Title:That Hideous Strength
Authors:C. S. Lewis (Author)
Info:HarperCollins Publishers Ltd (2005), 544 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:*****
Tags:belief, death, fantasy, occult-fiction, science-fiction

Work Information

That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis (1945)

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 The Green Dragon: Reading That Hideous Strength in July28 unread / 28Majel-Susan, July 2020

» See also 142 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 83 (next | show all)
What a gruesome story this is. Unlike Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, it takes place entirely on Planet Earth, which diminishes the reader’s ability to experience the same level of detached novelty and makes the reading that much more grim. I do recommend that the three books be read in order.

Most of the story is told from the points of view of Mark and Jane Studdock, who are in a stale marriage. Although neither of them is thinking actively of divorce, their fragile bond is no defence against the evil insinuating itself into their lives. (Readers will recognize at least one of the faces of that evil from the first two books.)

The couple is soon physically serparated thanks to the entrapment of one of them; as the point of view switches from one Studdock to the other, we get a close look at evil – and at the unlikely group that ultimately fights for good.

I first read the print version of That Hideous Strength at least fifteen years ago; I listened to the audio version, narrated by Geoffrey Howard (pseudonym of the late Ralph Cosham), several months ago. I was struck, this time, by how long Lewis takes to just get to the point. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; I just hadn’t remembered it from the first reading. Once we get there though, the Big Ending is quite the production.

The one real pain point is Lewis’ depiction of the only gay character as grossly sadistic. I would give a pass on this to just about any other author, considering the times, but not Lewis; he was a man of self-awareness and itrospection who should have been capable of looking past conventional opinion.

Fifteen years ago I would have given That Hideous Strength an unqualified 5 stars. Today, I’m giving 4 stars to the audio version – 3.5 stars for the story and another bonus half star as a nod to Ralph Cosham’s unparalleled narration. ( )
  CatherineB61 | May 31, 2023 |
The Space Trilogy is an example of a series that definitely needs to be read completely and in order. ( )
  ainsleytewce | Jan 28, 2023 |
That hideous book. Generally heavy handed. The bad guys talk about being post-truth -- an eerie fake-news foreshadowing. ( )
  Castinet | Dec 11, 2022 |
Final part of this classic trilogy by a great author. Narrator great. Also have Nook copy of the trilogy.

In this, the final book in C.S. Lewis's acclaimed Space Trilogy, which includes Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, That Hideous Strength concludes the adventures of the matchless Dr. Ransom. Finding himself in a world of superior alien beings and scientific experiments run amok, Dr. Ransom struggles with questions of ethics and morality, applying age-old wisdom to a brave new universe dominated by science. His quest for truth is a journey filled with intrigue and suspense. ( )
  Gmomaj | Sep 2, 2022 |
I liked this book better than the other two in the Space Trilogy (there's no space in this one though), but still not enough to give it four stars. It takes place mostly on earth so the scifi elements don't seem as dated as in the other two books where outer space is involved.

The beginning was really dull, with all the small English university and foundation politics. Lewis used this to introduce and develop most of the main characters. Everything he wrote may be true of the small university in the UK (or maybe everywhere, I'm no academic), but it seemed so petty and silly considering the monumental importance of everything that was at stake.

The middle part was pretty good with more action and tension, more people in real peril. The suspense leading up to the Merlin reveal was well done.

The end was a small problem for me. Once St. Anne's had Merlin in tow and the N.I.C.E had the impostor, all the suspense washed out and it was simply a matter of the mechanics of how the good guys were going to overcome the bad guys. Now I'm a take sides sort of reader, so this wasn't a problem for me, but the lack of suspense seemed to take the wind out of the novel.

As always, Lewis' prose is exquisite. Other than Mark and Jane, most of the characters are pretty much good or bad, one of the themes, of course, being you have to ultimately choose sides.

Unlike the other two novels in the trilogy, the scifi elements have dated better. One of my prejudices with old scifi is technology prognostication that didn't date well: computers the size of houses, everybody flying to work, etc. These just distract me; I don't know why. I don't have this problem with other fiction. ( )
  Gumbywan | Jun 24, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 83 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (13 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
C. S. Lewisprimary authorall editionscalculated
Craft, KunikoCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Howard, GeoffreyNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kannosto, MattiTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Nielsen, CliffCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pacey, StevenNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Powers, Richard M.Cover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Symancyk, BernardCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
THE SHADOW OF THAT HYDDEOUS STRENGTH
SAX MYLE AND MORE IT IS OF LENGTH.
(Sir David Lyndsay: from Ane Dialog, describing the Tower of Babel)
Dedication
To J. McNeill
First words
"Matrimony was ordained, thirdly," said Jane Studdock to herself, "for the mutual society, help, and comfort that the one ought to have of the other."
Quotations
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
The Tortured Planet is an abridged version of That Hideous Strength. Please do not combine them.
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Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
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This is the final book of C. S. Lewis's acclaimed Cosmic (or Ransom) Trilogy, which includes Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra. A classic work of fantasy as much for the wonder of its storytelling as for its insights into the human condition, the trilogy stages an epic battle between forces of light and darkness across a canvas of other worlds. In That Hideous Strength, the brave philologist Dr. Ransom (modeled after Lewis's friend J.R.R. Tolkien) finds himself in a world of superior alien beings and scientific experiments run amok. There is a rumor that the powerful wizard Merlin has returned to the world of the living, and a sinister technocratic organization plans to use his power in their plot to "recondition" society. Ransom's fight for moral wisdom in a brave new universe dominated by science is a quest filled with intrigue and suspense.

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