Friday Fiction Fix: "That Hideous Strength"

5/5 Stars, Favorite

While That Hideous Strength is the third book of the space trilogy, it's really not necessary to have read either Out of the Silent Planet or Perelandra prior to picking it up. In fact, you might benefit from giving yourself a month or two between reading the first two books and this one; if you pick it up right away, you might well be shocked, confused, or even flabbergasted by the sudden change in setting and story telling. 

Mark Studdock has always wanted to be liked--to be part of the in-crowd. When the opportunity presents itself to be at the center of a new group called N.I.C.E that seems to be taking over his university--even all of England--he can hardly refuse. Meanwhile, his wife Jane is having troubling visions that seem to indicate that N.I.C.E.'s intentions are anything but wholesome. Will the free West stand? Or will it succumb to celestial powers of darkness?

If someone came up to me and told me that they didn't like this book, I wouldn't fight them. The first 80 pages or so are dry and academic in flavor (though I promise they have relevance later on), only to yield the stage to a somewhat bewildering array of extra-terrestrial powers, Arthurian legends, and science-fiction horrors. This is not a book for the faint of heart, even if it were to remain politically correct by today's standards. 

And that, I suppose, is why this book is so near and dear to my heart--Lewis will manage to offend your modern sensibilities in some way in this book, all while framed in a fantastically mind-boggling setting. He tackles topics such as wanting to be part of the in-crowd, what people will sacrifice for power, the influence of the news media, and the role of husband and wife in marriage. I can pretty much guarantee that something in this book will make you angry. 

However, that anger is a gateway to opening up for discussion, thought, and discourse on some very relevant topics. That Hideous Strength is therefore one of my favorite books. Every time I've read it, I've found something in it that has stopped me in my tracks, made me run through a whole gamut of emotions, and reconsider a previously held viewpoint of mine. And that, to me, makes a spectacular book, even if it isn't for everyone. 

Recommended to: Fans of C.S. Lewis who are willing to have a profound suspension of disbelief and have some modern conventions sorely offended.