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CS Lewis' Space Trilogy Book Discussion


Seven77

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Done to Chapter 8.  

I’ll wait.

Slow at first.  It does pick up

Keep in mind when this was written and it’s not about the “hard science”.   The sci-fi is a tool to put the characters into action and conflict.  

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As I was sending this book to my Kindle device, turns out I had already bought this trilogy last year with intentions of reading it someday. Lol. Wasted $2, but found out I have all three books already. 

Finished Chapter 1!

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A little background to the trilogy-- CS Lewis wrote Into the Silent Planet after a conversation with his friend J.R.R. Tolkien, who had already written the Hobbit but had not published it. I read that they had a kind of friendly competition to write fantasy that somehow spoke about the dignity of the human person created by God to combat all the ideologies that were coming up and them that were destructive and dehumanizing. Anyway, the e-book version didn't have any introduction. I just remember reading this somewhere.

I also just finished chapter 1 and want to share some of my thoughts. Please don't read this till you finish chapter 1

Thoughts on Chapter 1 

So, we just met the main character, Ransom, who happens to be  a philologist--as was Tolkien. That's interesting. It's an important fact that we should keep in mind---a philologist study languages and has an idea of how people communicate with each other. I think that's going to come in handy on his adventure that seems almost imminent now that he's in this strange house. Something weird is going on. Where were they, Weston and Devine, really trying to send the boy? Maybe he's not that smart, but he's scared of going back into wherever they asked him to go, apparently, as their guinea pig. Even though Ransom knows something suspicious is up, why is he sticking around ? About Ransom himself, he seems like the sort of person that you can trust to do the right thing.

 What do you guys think so far?

 

Edited by Seven77
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Chapter 1 thoughts:

Ransom seems like he has interest in doing the right thing, but avoids conflict as much as possible. This is evidenced by the fact that even though he didn’t like the guy from school, he was still friendly and cordial instead of confronting him on any issue he had with him. 

Ransom also seems to always assume the best in people, even though he’s smart enough to know it’s probably not the wisest thing to do.  

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And it seems that right now, he's really tired and just wants to rest...  even though he doesn't really trust the guy,  he's really hoping for the best. 

By the way, can we get the title of this thread changed to something like  CS Lewis' Space Trilogy Book Discussion?

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A couple of things. 

I’m really curious about WHY Devine and Weston had to bring another person for the Aliens. 

Whats the symbolism of them being naked in the space ship and the sense of euphoria when in the light? Is it a metaphor for Eden?

It is notable that Ransom is the one operating with the least amount of knowledge(as we the readers are). D and W have been there before, they built a hut, and the inhabitants of Malacondra have interacted before.  It will be interesting to see what their various perceptions and assumptions are of each other.   Are Sorns bad as R was told?   What was the creature in the water?

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