Perelandra – my favorite C. S. Lewis book

What is your favorite book by C. S. Lewis?  

My favorite is Perelandra.  Yes, I know that millions love The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, and The Chronicles of Narnia.  So do I. Allow me to share why I value Perelandra.  I’ll do so with general strokes, not details that would ruin the surprises.

Starter Questions

• What would it be like to visit a planet shortly after God created it?
• What were humans like before the Fall?
• What was Eve thinking when she talked with the snake?
• Why is there evil?  Does God know what He’s doing?

Basic Plot

A university professor named Ransom is sent by God to Venus, which Lewis calls Perelandra.  Perelandra is an exquisitely beautiful place, a feast for the senses.  First, Ransom learns about the geography, the plants, and animals.  Then he meets a Lady who is alone, isolated from her husband for a time.  She is the reason for Ransom’s interplanetary journey.

The Lady faces a decision.  Her Creator has given one simple command.  A tempter slyly entices her to disregard God’s will and chart her own course.  Ransom has been sent to advocate for obedience and innocence.  The bulk of the book is the ethical debate between Ransom, the woman, and the tempter.

An Ethical Thriller

I admit the book starts slowly.  Feel free to start with Chapter 3.  Lewis’s lengthy descriptions can go on at times, but the details help us imagine the exotic environment of a pristine planet.   Despite these drawbacks, from the moment Ransom meets the Lady, Perelandra is a dramatic ethical thriller.  

Some critics claim that the ethical debate is heavy and mind-boggling.  That’s like complaining that Mount Everest is high and challenging.  Remember: THE FATE OF AN ENTIRE PLANET HANGS IN THE BALANCE.  The three-pronged debates between Ransom, the Lady, and the tempter address every question ever asked about evil and the sovereignty of God.  By moving the debate to another planet, Lewis demonstrates how real, intense, and pivotal was the choice faced by our First Parents.

The Cherry on the Cake

The final chapter contains a section called The Great Dance.  If Lewis had omitted it, Perelandra would still be a superb story.  However, in my opinion The Great Dance is the most mind-stretching, soul-satisfying, beyond-all-superlatives piece ever written — outside the pages of the Bible! Whenever I need a reminder of the magnificent glory of of our Creator God, I read The Great Dance.

These are the reasons I treasure Perelandra. Give it a read. Even if you don’t put it at the top of your list, you will gain rich insight into the significance of Genesis 1-3.

P.S. – Perelandra is the middle book of C. S. Lewis’s so-called science-fiction trilogy. To understand and appreciate Perelandra, you don’t have to read either of the other two.