Ep. 47 — Into the Silent Planet (an introduction to C.S. Lewis’ “science fantasy” novel)

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In this episode Steve and Ben explore Malacandra — the destination of C.S. Lewis’ protagonist Ransom in his science fiction(-ish) novel Out of the Silent Planet!

What are the connections J.R.R. Tolkien had in Lewis’ writing of the book?

What are some of the science fiction and fantasy novels Lewis read in his childhood and adulthood that influenced the book? And how much did they influence him?

What was he writing against? And what was he writing it for?

Out of the Silent Planet was written before C.S. Lewis was C.S. LEWIS, and was his first published work of prose narrative fiction (unless you consider the allegorical Pilgrim’s Regress). It is one of his lesser read novels, but is also a cornerstone for not just Christian fiction but science fiction in general.

So join Ben and Steve as they make the journey to Malacandra and back . . .

Some links:

Ben referenced his appearance on The Wired Homeschool: The Wired Homeschool Episode 71 — Comics and Graphic Novels in Homeschooling with Ben Avery

Join our Goodreads discussion of Out of the Silent Planet here: Strangers and Aliens Book Club

Our blog post about the book: BOOK CLUB: Out of the Silent Planet

Buy the book on Amazon: Out of the Silent Planet on Amazon

Support Strangers and Aliens by visiting our sponsor, Audible — get your free audio book (yours to keep, no matter when you cancel) by going here (and remember, Out of the Silent Planet is one of the books you can download!): Audible Free Trial