Perelandra by C.S. LewisMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Colorful and philosophical, this book grips you if you're willing and ready to embrace difficult theology and repels you if you're looking for pure sci-fi action and simplicity. It is less about space travel--more about untainted creation, the strong arguments for rebellion, and the overarching presence and will of Maleldil (i.e. God Himself).
I read this, the second in C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy, for the first time as a requirement in high school. Still remembering certain descriptions, I charged into it now, more than a decade later, expecting to love it as I did then. However, different aspects of the novel pierced my adult conscience, and I'm grateful that I read it at two very different points in my life. As a teenager, I was awed at the thought of innocence being above experience (of sin)--and not equated with ignorance. As an adult, I felt Ransom's frustration as he argued against the appeal of disobedience and, later, against the hopelessness of death. Obviously, the themes within this book reach readers regardless of their maturity level. So in this sense as well as in others, it is timeless.
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