Perelandra

I finished reading Perelandra by C.S. Lewis, which he completed in 1943, as the second book in his Space Trilogy.  I previously posted on his first book in that trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet.

In this book, Lewis gets to explore the question - what would have happened if Eve had not given in to the temptation posed by Satan in the Garden of Eden?  In the story, the planet Perelandra (Venus) stands as a newly created planet by Maleldil (Jesus Christ - the Creator as the second person of the Trinity), who placed a woman (Tinindril - the Queen) and a man (Tor - the King) there in a fantastical Garden of Eden setting, where they are naked without shame.  None of it has yet been spoiled by the Fall.

Archon (Satan) comes as a man from earth, Weston, to tempt Tinindril.  We saw Weston before in Out of the Silent Planet, where, as an atheist, he sought to conquer Malacandra (Mars), but failed.  In the meantime, he converted to a spiritualist dedicated to the "Life Force"), and later shows signs of demon possession or control.

Water largely covers Perelandra, with many islands which float on the waters and undulate with the waves.

Perelandrian Island

 It contains one large fixed land, but though Tinindril and Tor visit it by day, Maleldil forbids their staying overnight and sleeping on the fixed land.  Weston sets out to convince Tinidril (Eve's counter-part) to disobey this command and to stay overnight and sleep there.

The Oyarsa (the angelic protector) of Perelandra, acting in concert with the Oyarsa of Malacandra (Mars) to summon and transport Elwin Ransom, the protaganist in Out of the Silent Planet, to help Tinidril resist the temptation by Weston, though he does not know this at first.  It proves a challenge as Weston is very clever - the Queen is very innocent - and Ransom often finds it difficult to explain evil to someone unfamiliar with it.

Eventually, Ransom succeeds, but you will have to read the book to find out how.  However, it involves a long, drawn out fight, with the future of Perelandra hanging in the balance.  Eventually, Ransom gets to see how a planet turns out when sin is rejected.  It also explores themes about the nature of God, the nature of mankind, the nature of good and evil, the sovereignty of God and free-will, among others, in a story setting instead of a theological setting.

Lewis, a medieval scholar, also incorporates much of the medieval cosmology in creating an imaginative setting for his story.

I will go on to read the last story in the Space Trilogy, That Hideous Strength.

Out of the Silent Planet

That Hideous Strength

The Lewis Tolkien Friendship