Life on the Silent Planet: Essays on Christian Living from C.S. Lewis's Ransom Trilogy

by Rhys Laverty, Michael Ward, Holly Ordway

“This book opened up the Ransom Trilogy to me like no other. If you read only one book on Lewis this year, read this one.” - Joel Heck, Concordia Lutheran Seminary


Years before he wrote the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis published another fantastical fiction the Ransom Trilogy. Yet these three novels – Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength – have never enjoyed the same widespread popularity as Narnia or any of Lewis’s apologetical works, whether in mainstream culture or among Christians.

However, as the twenty-first century unfolds, readers are rediscovering the Ransom Trilogy as a vital and prophetic work for our cultural moment. Life on the Silent Planet is a groundreaking collection of essays, bringing together an accomplished group of scholars and writers to discover and apply the insights of these novels to Christian living, particularly focussing on the unique vices and challenges of modernity. Fraught topics such as gender, contraception, bureaucracy, and transhumanism, often overlooked or shied away from in contemporary Christian teaching, were diagnosed and anticipated by Lewis with startling clarity in the 1930s and 40s. This volume seeks to bring these insights, woven into the rich imaginative world of the Ransom Trilogy, to bear upon the realities of the Christian life, enabling Christians to think deeply, live faithfully, and tune themselves again to the music of what Lewis called “the Great Dance” of creation.

Genres: Cultural

307 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2024

Reviews

[Peter Bringe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very good. I read the Ransom trilogy last year, and this book helped deepen my understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of the trilogy. I am also glad that I read the trilogy so that I could appreciate and benefit from the essays in this book.

[Jacob Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely series of essays and very well done with very few essays lacking in meaningful insight. So they were challenging, convicting, and helped me remember how fantastic of a storyteller Lewis was.

"Lewis's heroes are, actually, rather ordinary Christians (and one skeptic) who live a quiet life in the English countryside, caring for things put in front of them that need care and seeking to live together under the law of love." (309-10)

[Logan Thune · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable and insightful book for any serious reader of the Ransom Trilogy. My three favorite chapters were from Ward, Redemer, and Ordway.

[Grayson Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of essays serves as a fantastic commentary and companion to the Ransom (NOT Space) Trilogy. Each of the 12 essays deals with a specific theme from one of the books, 3 from Out of the Silent Planet, 3 from Perelandra, and 6 from That Hideous Strength. For me the two most important aspects of the trilogy which are highlighted here are Lewis' understanding and use of Medieval cosmology and his views on masculinity and femininity, with the former very much informing the latter. Learning to read not just the Ransom trilogy, but Lewis' fiction in general with even just the those two things in mind will drastically improve your Lewis reading experience. That being said, the essays do cover a wider variety of themes, and all of them are helpful and worth reading.

Overall, this is a fantastic book to read if you've read the Ransom Trilogy. If you for whatever reason haven't read it yet, Life on the Silent Planet could be what finally convinces you.

[Elijah Echols · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unsurprisingly, an excellent collection of Ransom Trilogy scholarship out of Davenant.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent supplement to perhaps my favorite fiction series. The articles vary in quality, but most of the insights are enlightening, well argued, and they enrich the 3 beloved stories from Lewis. What I found most interesting was the insights into medieval cosmology and symbolism, like the masculinity and femininity of Mars and Venus respectively and how That Hideous Strength "marries" the two concepts in complex and delightful ways. (Maybe I need to read Michael Ward's Planet Narnia next).
My only critique is that some of the contributors apply Lewis' concepts to overly-specific modern cultural phenomenon that will leave the book dated in a number of years.
In the end, this book is certainly on the nerdy side for those interested in Lewis, but any committed lover of the trilogy will find it compelling and enriching.

[Danny Deffenbaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the essays were more academic than I was expecting, but I otherwise thoroughly enjoyed this collection; my appreciation for the Ransom trilogy has always been high, but this work has undoubtedly increased it.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ransom trilogy is finally getting the scholarly treatment it warrants--I hope this is just the start!

I saved these essays for treats, reading them throughout the year. Because a variety of authors contributed, not all were as academically rigorous as I would've wanted. But most were stellar. All provoked reactions: agreement, disagreement, discomfort. They all forced me to challenge or analyze my own thoughts. An essay collection should be exactly this--something you have to chew on and dialogue with.

One last note: I do not for the most part enjoy reading That Hideous Strength, but I very much love reading about it. This was no exception.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent series of essays on Lewis’ Ransom trilogy. So many good essays to apply some of the concepts Lewis buries in this series. My favorites include Markos’, Colin Redeemer’s, and Bethel McGrews. All worthwhile

[Andrew Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The essays are a little uneven because they are all by different authors, but I found the collection enjoyable overall. For those who have read the Space Trilogy and been confused by the mix of genre and gender, this book is a great help.

[Joel Newberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding.

[Matthew Hinman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful consideration of Lewis' Ransom trilogy. I appreciate the thinking and I expect to revisit this book again next time I re-read the works. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys the trilogy.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of essays looking at lessons on Christian Living from C S Lewis's Ransom Trilogy. Michael Ward is the superstar essayist, but other stand out essays come from Louis Markos, Joe Rigney, and Christina Hale.

Well worth reading. I loved it.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stellar collection of consistently high-quality essays that unearth the riches of Lewis' Ransom trilogy. I came into the book with a deep love of the trilogy already, but I suspect this would be helpful for anyone, even those who do not love the trilogy as much as I do.

Video review here: https://youtu.be/_NFeqvN54Rk

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent volume on CSL's Ransom Trilogy (which the authors convinced me is a far better name than the "Space Trilogy"). The chapters were almost universally strong, and some of them were outstanding. Perhaps the best praise is that, despite having just reread the Trilogy, I'm tempted to go back yet again with new eyes to find even more themes and ideas in Lewis' world....

[Richard Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful reflections on modern western life rooted in Lewis's Cosmic Trilogy.

What is it to be NOT the LORD and master but rather a humble creature in God's creation?

I'll likely read this a second time and may write more thorough thoughts then.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've now finished reading 'Life on the Silent Planet' and am able happily to report that it's very very good indeed, and if you have any interest in Lewis's Ransom Trilogy you should get it for yourself or ask your library to order it. I'm no judge of my own contribution, of course, but the other eleven chapters are all really solid: insightful, thoughtful, well written, illuminating not only the Trilogy and its author, but also the larger topics under consideration, which are simultaneously timely and of perennial concern. Congratulations to editor Rhys Laverty and the crew he expertly wrangled: Louis Markos, Colin J. Smothers, Holly Ordway, Bethel McGrew, Christiana Hale, Colin Chan Redemer, Jake Meador, Susannah Black, Joe Rigney, and Joseph Minich.