Rating: 7/10
Release Date: April 1, 1938
Publisher: John Lane, The Bodley Head
Honestly, I did not find the first few pages of the novel very appealing to my taste. The introduction felt shallow as there was not much background given about Ransom nor his former classmate Weston, besides the fact that they shared a similar past in their youth. I am a huge fan of detail that builds up the quality of a story, which the introduction lacks.
One of my favorite things about this novel was specifically the fact that it was not difficult to understand. The way he describes the Malacandrian plants and creatures gave a clear image, almost as if a film was playing in my head. The description of the three races was not difficult to picture with the help of Lewis' simple vocabulary, also making it very enjoyable to read. There were a few new words introduced as the story progressed: words spoken by the Malacandrian races. The most commonly used ones such as handramit, hnau, and handra were constantly repeated during Ransom's stay with the hrossa and séroni, so they were easily memorized as I flipped through each page.
The theme that C.S. Lewis illustrates is revealed near the end of the book. Weston delivers a speech to the Malacandrian deity, Oyarsis, stating his purpose for their arrival on their red planet. Oyarsis points out the flaws of Weston's desires and how the hnau (people) of the Silent Planet have become "fallen". Lewis implements medieval mythology to not only make the setting filled with new and diverse characters, but to express a theme derived from his Christian faith. It is fascinating to see Lewis teach Christian lessons through this fictional novel.
The reason why I deducted three points out of 10 is because the content was not completely satisfying as a sci-fi novel. The setting does take place out of Earth and on Mars and there are aliens in this fantasy, but it seems more focused on philosophy rather than physics and science. It is simply the way that the author writes his stories, but usually this genre should be (in my opinion) focused on wit behind characters and filled with realistic science. The space travel, for example, between Earth and Mars is all false. It does not take 90 days to travel thousands and thousands of miles, especially in outer space. Lewis did say that all of the physics were made up in his story, but if one dedicates time to write a real sci-fi novel, then he should at least try to make it convincing and a bit more realistic.
