Just finished THS for the first time

[wood-maid]

And my head is spinning! I read the first two of the Space Trilogy awhile ago, loved them both, and was expecting something similar when I got to That Hideous Strength. Surprise, surprise! Not what I expected. I was lost half the time - in that I felt like there were dozens of details that had more meaning than I was picking up. There were parts I enjoyed, though - Jane as a character I liked quite well and the way a lot of the NICE characters were portrayed was well done. Ransom was a little disappointing, though; he lost his "realness" and had a distant, prophet/sage-like air about him.
Maybe the book grows on you?

[A#minor]

I felt the same way the first time I read it. Overwhelmed.
There were parts that I think were over my head at the time. It's been several years, so I think I ought to read it again and see what my second impression is like.
I always liked Jane too. All the characters are strong though. There's such a wealth of description.

[Jimbiliah]

.. I read it when I was but a youngster, 12 or something. And I understood it fairly well. The only part I didn't quite understand was the ending, and some symbolism that my dad would later explain to me.

[VixenMage]

I loved THS... but I sympathize on Ransom. *sigh* I always loved him as a character, and then in THS, it was like *blink* what happened? Where'd Ransom go, and where'd the Director come from? I guess there's a lot in between Perelandra and THS that we don't see...

But overall... Couldn't put it down until it was done...

Glad you felt the same! ^^

[Bill]

[A#minor]

I never knew there were two different versions!
Lewis abridged it himself?

[Bill]

[Bill]

[Bill]

Help strange things are happening!

My last post was made at about 16.35 (Wardrobe time) but appears before the post which I am quoting!!!

Very strange.



Bill

[Sven]

The abridged edition was only released in paperback, and had a different title, The Tortured Planet. One of these days I'm going to go through the two versions at the same time and record the exact changes.



Gotta love that blurb on the cover: ...Super Race Dedicated to Evil! *pinkie to lower lip*

Edit: Actually posted after Wood-Maid's second post.

[wood-maid]

I never knew that either! I don't think my copy is the abridged edition - it has a preface, but not a forward, and the preface doesn't say anything about it being abridged.

[Bill]

[Sven]

I just checked Hooper's Companion, Bill, and you're absolutely right. The abridged version was published once in the States as The Tortured Planet (1946) by Avon and once in the UK as That Hideous Strength (1955) by Pan.

[rusmeister]

[David]

The first time I read THS I was a freshman in college and really did not have time to read it but got hooked. I remember saying, "This is a weird novel," then "This can't get any weirder." Then they raise Merlin from the dead and it does get weirder. However much taking the time to read it lowered my grades back then, it was worth the loss.