The space trilogy - CS Lewis

Finished part 1 of the book - out of the silent planet. Didn't know CS Lewis actually wrote sci-fi. I'd liked sci-fi in the past but not sure why I kinda outgrew it. Story began with Ransom looking for an inn to stay the night but who ended up at a manor and was kidnapped by two guys Devine and Weston. He awoke to find himself on a spaceship, not knowing his destination. When the spaceship landed, he was told that he was on Malacandra, or what we know as Mars. It was then that he realized that he was to be offered as a human sacrifice to the sorns. He managed to escape during a Hnakra attack and ended up on the hrossa's land. There he was treated kindly by the hrossa and managed to learn the Malacandra's language, the eldil (which is uncannily like the Holy Spirit), and other creatures on Malacandra. He learnt that the hrossas are creatures of songs and poetries, agriculture, and fishermen; the sorns are the intellectuals, and the pfifltriggi are the makers of things/ sculptures. All three species lived in harmony and I really enjoyed the part where Ransom asked one of the hrossa if any one of the species had tried to harm one another. The hrossa was surprised at such a question, not understanding why there was ever a need to hurt one another. 

Ransom went on to explain about the concept of wants/needs and scarcity of resources, which we humans know best are recipes for evil and wars. 

The hrossa said that such a thing would never happen on their planet as there would never be overpopulation or scarcity of resources; resources are given whenever any species asked for them.

Ransom soon realized that the sorns were not asking for a human sacrifice but rather to get to know the race from Thulcandra (earth), the silent planet, the "bent" Oyarsa (the evil one) and about Maledil (the creator). Devine and Weston had mistakenly thought otherwise. I guess "bent" minds tend to think that others would harbour the same malicious intentions as themselves.

The story ended with a confrontation between the three humans and the Martians, with Ransom being the middleman and who was on the side of the Martians. They were eventually returned to earth unharmed. 

Although the plot doesn't seem like much, it actually holds a lot of philosophical and theological metaphors. I find it very clever. During the conversation with the Oyarsa (sorta like the chief/ elder of Mars), Weston declared that he wanted the human race to continue to survive, hence he would do anything to ensure that men have a place to live, even if that means killing off other species and conquering their planets. The Oyarsa went on to say that in order for men to survive on other planets, they would have to evolve into something else that may no longer resemble men. Weston said it was not the shape of men that he cared for. Oyarsa said if it was not the body of men that he cared for then it must be their minds. Still that was not possible as to love men's mind would be to love all species which possess minds similar to

Men's. clearly Weston did not love men as he was ever ready to kill Ransom, his own kind, to achieve his goals, and he had also killed three hrossa without batting an eye. Again Weston defended himself and said that he cared for the human race and what man begets (whatever that means). Finally Oyarsa said that all men innately knew the laws of pity, shame, and love of kindred but the evil one had made us forget all these except for the love of kindred in Weston's case. He exhibited this love albeit in a twisted and half-baked way, obeying it but not truly understanding it and hence getting it all wrong. 

Another part which just made me smile at the cleverness of it was this: 

"... You have spent all your time since then in flying from me...... To deliver you out of the hands of those two I stirred up a hnakra to try if you would come to me of your own will. But you hid among the hrossa and though they told you to come to me, you would not. After that I sent my eldil to fetch you, but still you would not come....." 

It just sounded very much like God talking to us. He chases after his lost sheeps, wanting them to return to him. But we run away from Him because of our fears (of what I do not know).still he pursues us relentlessly, sending sometimes a toss and turn in the storm so that we may turn to him for help. And Sometimes he sends us help in the form of other fellow human beings who will hopefully lead us back to him. 

I can go on forever in writing this book review. 

I don't know why we run away from God. Why do we fear to return to him? Or are we just too caught up in the webs of this world? Why do I fear living as much as I fear death? 

I guess the book stirs up a lot of questions about God, mankind, etc. and for that, I think it qualifies less as a sci-fic book and more of a theological/philosophical one. If however, I had not known about God and whatnots, then I may not have caught all these nuances and would have classified it as pure sci-fic.