Perelandra is the second book in the Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis and it continues the story of Ransom. It opens with Lewis traveling to visit Ransom only to arrive and find Ransom preparing to leave. He has received word that he is to travel to the world known as Perelandra, what we call Venus, in order to help the inhabitants with something, though the something remains unknown, and he wishes for Lewis to help take care of his estate while he is gone as he is unsure how long he will be gone. Upon arriving at Perelandra Ransom finds himself wandering through some kind of weird mysterious and majestic forest. He finds himself puzzled by the world around him as the land itself moves and the nothing seems remotely familiar. Before long Ransom meets a woman known as the Green Lady who seems confused about why he is there but is willing to keep him company even as she continues her search for her lord. However, things quickly get tricky when Ransom discovers that his old adversary from his trip to Malacandra, Weston, has now arrived on Perelandra claiming he has also been sent to help.
Much like with the previous book the Christian overtones and imagery are blatantly obvious, even more so actually in this book. I am not saying that as a bad thing but merely a statement of fact. It actually implies that Perelandra is still in a parallel of the Garden of Eden and is facing the same choices humans on Earth had faced previously. This alters the perception of the story somewhat from science-fiction to this weird blend of sci-fi and fantasy with heavy Christian overtones. It creates a very interesting feel in doing so and one that is drastically different from most science-fiction people would be familiar with. The book also dives farther into the mysterious workings of the various angelic or divine beings in this universe though as it does explore more of the potential origins for the various current statuses of the different planets. In doing so it also inadvertently explores the idea of different choices creating different outcomes and the parallel of certain events. This book is definitely more complex than people might think and is also incredibly multi-layered. By doing so it also probably would prompt most readers to really think about what they are reading and what they think and believe in the process. The plot itself is remarkably simple and seriously echoes certain parts of Christian mythology and beliefs but also does a great job of transplanting those ideas and plotlines to a science-fiction setting which is not necessarily easy to do. Overall, a very interesting book and one that I am happy to give four out of five stars.
This is a science-fiction novel with heavy Christian overtones so if you enjoy that genre and don’t mind the Christian overtones than I suggest you consider trying this one out. While you can read it without reading the first book I would suggest you read the previous book anyway for a better understanding of their vocabulary and the theology that they explore. The book does explore some complex and somewhat mature topics but is not necessarily explicit or vulgar so it could easily be read by most teenagers if they are interested. An interesting and complex book but also one that I hope you will at least consider trying, even if you are not Christian. As always feel free to share your thoughts in the comments if you decide to try this one out.