Out of the Silent Planet

WHAT
An anthropological account of a man visiting an alien planet. Learn about its flora, the native tribes custom's, how much they differ from us even in the way of thinking, and other textbook boring subjects.

ANALYSIS
This is not my kind of book. The prose is dry, the characters are not relevant. It is a novel where the “setting” is king, and I was not fond of its majesty.

Other reviewers point out that by the end of the book there is a message about mankind's flaws or something. I could struggle to get there, since its is a very short book. But I choose to spend my next two hours reading something else.

Read 2:40/ 5:50 46%

I don't read a lot of science fiction, but I'm starting to work my way through all of C.S. Lewis's fiction, which starts with this book. I really didn't think I was going to like it at all, as the first few chapters seem to be setting up a sinister plot, but once Ransom arrives on Malacandra, most of the book is actually just about his life on the planet, learning about the lives of the various beings that live there and describing the environment. The setting allows for exploration in the later chapters of the morality of humanity on Earth, as seen from the perspective of another planet. I enjoyed the world building and the allegory more than I was expecting to dislike the intrigue, but it's still not quite a favorite.

I love the otter aliens! I will say reading this really reminded me of just how different “classic” SF is from modern SF. It reminds me so much more ofStar Trek: a study of an alien population. Details of their language and culture. Realizations from the human protagonist that we, as humans, are flawed and need to do better.

In fact, Project Hail Mary, which I read recently followed a similar formula, which may be why I found it so refreshing? Either way, this was enjoyable, if simple, to read.

It took me awhile to get used to the pace and feel of this book. Perhaps it was in part because I expected Narnia in space. Out of the Silent Planet is not a children's story like the Chronicles of Narnia, however. Lewis takes a page out of Tolkien's play book in creating a Malacandrian language. (Malacabdria being the planet which the story takes place.)

The main point of this book, in my reading of it, is to bring to light the arguments of atheistic thought in light of the universe and how it has no reason. What I mean is that there is no purpose or moral. If there is no God, no designer, or ruler, if all is simply a matter of a natural development over time, any purpose or moral is imposed by a person or civilization for its own reason. This I believe Lewis illustrates from the perspective of creatures who live knowing God and the story of the fall of Lucifer. There are many other more subtle observations I have that being me to believe this novel is a Christian apologetics book, but they may be creations of my own mind, not is there time for that sort of thing in a short review.

I rate this as four out of five stars because it is a book I thoroughly enjoyed, but do not count it as an absolute favorite.

Out of the Silent Planet kicks off the Space Trilogy perfectly; the end is succint but Lewis opens the world up enough that the transition to the next book, Perelandra, is delightfully smooth. While all of Lewis' works are known to an extent, The Space Trilogy largely suffers in the shadow of The Chronicles of Narnia.

But its better, even though they are different.

Out of the Silent Planet prompts thought and explores life in a new world the way that Narnia never did. It is explicit and deep where Narnia only skips along the surface. Even so, Lewis retains–even multiplies–the beauty and wonder of Narnia throughout this first book. Every page is entirely worth the time it takes to read, and the experience of Out of the Silent Planet is sweet to remember.

Pros: describes space travel in a compelling, adventurous way; solid crafting of another world; the closing segment when CS Lewis provides his translation of human nature.

Cons: although I like CS Lewis a lot, I've always thought his dialogue was a little stuffy; never really “takes off;” I didn't quite grasp all the pieces he was trying to pull together from sci-fi, Christian mythology, and his own new ideas.

On the whole, there's a lot of books to read in this world, and I was unconvinced to finish the trilogy.

I thoroughly enjoyed Out of the Silent Planet. The pacing was excellent, keeping me engaged from start to finish. C.S. Lewis’s descriptions of the scenery were vivid and immersive, transporting me to the alien landscapes of Malacandra. His ability to paint such a detailed and imaginative world is truly commendable. I’m eagerly looking forward to diving into the next book in the series, Perelandra.

While the concept is interesting, it feels very dated. Not dated as in “1960's” SF. But rather more like 1860's SF would be. Like a retrofuturistic exploration of alienness that doesn't resonate with the way we think of things now. Kind of like an HG Wells book. Not that the writing or concept or characters were bad. Just not something I greatly enjoyed. Meh.

Short Review: Out of the Silent Planet by CS Lewis (Book 1 of the Space Trilogy or Ransom Trilogy) - This is a classic science fiction book (published in 1938) and written well before the Narnia books. Ransom, a college professor, is kidnapped by two deranged but brilliant men and taken to Mars as a hostage. Mars ends up being a near Eden like world that has not experienced the fall like Earth has.

My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/out-of-the-silent-planet/

On a recommendation from a friend, I decided to try this out even tho I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi media. The last cs Lewis book I tried reading I had to give up on bc it was incoherent in too many important areas. But this book is allowed to be a little out of this world, and it worked so well! Short enough that I'll be reading the rest of the trilogy promptly