My 16yo son has read every CS Lewis book I believe- even the obscure works. I asked him if we have this so he ran to his room to get it for me. He described it as “peak literature” lol! I love that kid

Hi Gavin I’m a university student in Sydney Australia studying English literature. I’m a first generation Chinese immigrant and I love the English language, but I find my English literature classes at uni to be very dry, (in your words, disenchanted). The materialist and atheist teachings are sometimes depressing. Your video on nihilism last year, and your book “Why God Makes Sense”, have helped me to understand the glorious hope we have in our Lord Jesus Christ, and for that I’m very grateful! Now, I’m trying to learn narrative apologetics, and I’m reading CS Lewis as if he’s my professor, haha! (Please let me listen too as you talk with CS Lewis in heaven, it’ll be so fun!) Like your Till We Have Faces video, forgive me for pausing this one as well to go read the book first. Although it might take me a few months to get to it. Thank you for your ministry! Love from Sydney

I don’t know how many times over the past few years I’ve been having conversations about current events and find myself saying, “And my boy Lewis predicted this in 1945.”

Reading this book felt like looking into a hundred different mirrors...it was scary. I'm a Christian, but I still know that I have so many little resistances and things I haven't surrendered, and this book helped me realize it. Please pray for me if you have time. God bless

I loved the entire Ransom trilogy but I think Perelandra was the best of the 3. Ransoms struggle against the enemy and Lewis's masterful depiction of the devil is haunting. When the devil cries to the sky "eli eli lama sabacthani!". Brrrr, chills every time!

"The arts can provide a sense of transcendence and glory which awakens the appetite to that which the gospel fulfills."...wow..That one is going into my notebook of most amazing quotes!!

Thanks for reviewing this great, under appreciated and prophetic book by C.S. Lewis. As the City Director of the C.S. Lewis Institute in Lewis’ home town of Belfast I was particularly pleased for you to shine the You Tube spotlight on this gem!

Brother I’m only 2:32 in and you’re just expressing my exact thoughts/appreciation for brilliant fiction such as LOTR and Narnia. You said it perfectly “the arts can provide a sense of transcendence and glory which awakens the appetite to that which the gospel fulfills”. That’s exactly what I sense when reading Narnia and LOTR. And also I’ve said and thought so many times how excited I am to meet and talk to CS Lewis in Heaven and how cool it would be to gather around him and let him go deep into new tales that Glorify God while doing so. New tales from Narnia, all his books, and completely new ones he’s yet to tell. The power of fiction is incredible in reaching unbelievers, and one day we will see truly how big of an impact books like Narnia and LOTR has had for the Kingdom of God. I am always so amazed and grateful for how deeply I resonate with you! You’re truly an inspiration and a great Mentor/guide brother. Keep it all up as always. And a final PS relating to powerful fiction. I’m not sure if Dan Simmons is a Christian at all like Tolkien and Lewis, but Dan Simmons clearly has a deep understanding/knowledge/wisdom for God and the Christian/Biblical Faith. So have you ever heard of or read the Hyperion series? (Please no spoilers in your answer, I’m only halfway through the 2nd book) BUT MAN IT’S A DEEP ONE, and a wild ride, and soo ahead of its time. So I’m curious if you’ve heard of or read Hyperion series?

I’m currently teaching this book and it’s two predecessors to my 9th grade LA class. Appreciated your insights. Your comments concerning the names of each character was particularly helpful;something I will set before my students.

There was a fourth criticism of the book that you kind of blew past. It is the criticism leveled by readers (and lovers) of the first two books of the Space Trilogy when they encounter it. And that's this: 'That Hideous Strength' seems at first utterly and completely disconnected from the trilogy. You go from fantastic journeys to other worlds, meeting new species, learning new languages, witnessing the Temptation of Eve retold, etc., to suddenly muddling about in the conference rooms of a backwater college for 200 pages. And worst of all, the main character of the trilogy is absolutely nowhere to be found until (spoiler!) exactly halfway through the book. And even then he is a shadowy, mystical figure locked away in a special house. This was maddening the first time I read it. What I had to learn is that what we considered fantastic on Mars and Venus was merely mundane to the people on those worlds. So when we return to Thulcandra, it will - by necessity - look mundane to US. Once I realized that, it clicked. And then I started seeing disembodied heads and mauling bears.

I was reading Lewis' Preface to Saint Athanasius' "The Incarnation of the Word of God" when I saw this in my notifications. Lewis is so important to me. Thanks for the videos on him!

Read this book in a literature class at Moody Bible Institute and was blown away at how insanely accurate it was in predicting the rise of scientistic thinking. Not to mention the finale is nothing short of thrilling.

Dr Ortlund, what a joy to hear your review of this weird and wonderful book. I sense your own wonder at the hilarity and shock that Lewis brings to these pages. One of my relatable favorites from the book was a discussion in the kitchen at St Anne’s: "The cardinal difficulty," said MacPhee, "in collaboration between the sexes is that women speak a language without nouns. If two men are doing a bit of work, one will say to the other, 'Put this bowl inside the bigger bowl which you'll find on the top shelf of the green cupboard.' The female for this is, 'Put that in the other one in there.' And then if you ask them, 'in where?' they say, 'in there, of course.' There is consequently a phatic hiatus." 😂

Im thankful someone is adressing this. So many people are chaste away from the faith because of this expectation of immediate conversion.

I LOVE CS Lewis! He was so important in shaping some of my understanding when I first became a Christian. My favourite book is “The Great Divorce”

Your comments in your conclusion...(of the experience of) the aroma of the joy of repentance...and...repenting and submitting to God is wonderful beyond your wildest dreams...yes!! I love the journey of the entire story, but over the years, that is the aspect I have come to treasure in it (and his other writings) most. 😊

Really facinating. Narnia grasped me as a child. The journey to the gospel was certainly not conventional, but grateful for what I now know. Thanks.

Gavin, your continual recommendations of books is breaking my book budget! I have loved Lewis for years, and have just recently found Trueman. Thanks for your ministry.

Thanks Gavin, that was an excellent analysis! It brings back memories. I read “That Hideous Strength” in 1977 in a Fantasy Literature class, which led to my reading of the rest of the space trilogy, then to “Mere Christianity” out of curiosity, which prompted my conversion to Christianity, and finally to my devouring of almost everything else he wrote. I haven’t read much of Lewis lately (mostly about him), but he definitely has shaped my theological thinking.

Hello Pastor, I can't state enough how much I appreciate your interest in building theological groundwork in evangelism. I understand that you are part of the reformed tradition and my greatest criticism of people with Calvinist Soteriology is how often I've seen people treat the gospel like a hot potato thrown into the laps of people like a litmus test for election rather than a sensitive seed to be watered like described in scripture. Your work is very refreshingly sensitive to brothers who struggled with doubts or had a slow working testimony. Although you may see it differently I believe you're helping prepare the soil of many hearts through your work.

Thank you! Even if this pod wasn't thoroughly erudite (and it was), even if you couldn't get to the meat of the book (and you did), even if you didn't talk about Merlin as a serious character in a thoroughly Christian book (oh ... that's right, didn't get there); this was so worth it. Someone else in the world thinks this is the best book ever! Gabe Smith's son is totally right; this is "peak literature." Now we need another 2 hours on how Jane Studdock's seer 'gift' is a pretty accurate portrayal of how the Holy Spirit often leads. Thank you so much Gabe!

I’m so happy you reviewed one of my very favorite CS Lewis books!

This was a fantastic video. The passage you quoted at the end is actually my favorite passage as well. When I read it the first time, I stopped and read it out loud to my wife because of how beautiful it was. And now that you’ve reminded me of it, I will be including it in my sermon on Sunday at Trinity Church in Kansas City, MO.

Thanks for this video. It gave me a chance to think through why THS is my favorite novel. In all my reading, only Lewis has been able to touch that longing in me for transcendent joy so beautifully described in chapter 15, The Descent of the Gods. In the description of Perelandra, the angel represented by Venus, he writes: “And now it came. It was fiery, sharp, bright and ruthless, ready to kill, ready to die, outspeeding light: it was Charity, not as mortals imagine it, not even as it has been humanized for them since the Incarnation of the Word, but the translunary virtue, fallen upon them direct from the Third Heaven, unmitigated. They were blinded, scorched, deafened. They thought it would burn their bones. They could not bear that it should continue. They could not bear that it should cease.” Who writes like this?? Who even thinks like this?? As far as being too dark, had this book been written today, it would make the original THS look naïve. That’s because the fruit is ripening beyond, I think, what Lewis imagined. Other than Tolkein, I would so appreciate recommendations for other authors that come close to Lewis’s imagination. Charles Williams stands in the distance (in my opinion). Oh, and by the way, it’s a page turner.

I just finished Perelandra for the first time and am about to start That Hideous Strength, I will circle back to this video once I’m finished!

This book is fantastic! And so is Till We Have Faces.. LOVE Lewis!

Excellent video. I have a vivid memory of reading THS for the first time on a camping trip and being in awe of its prescience. Truly an underrated and amazing novel.

I'm a huge fan of your channel. I teach literature at a Christian school, and Till We Have Faces was on our curriculum. I read That Hideous Strength last year and found it such a unique mood and tone. Talking disremembered heads, transhumanism, woah!

Completely agree. I have been saying this and I’m glad to hear the someone else draw this parallel.

I have so many to comment on, but I can only say that this video will be a great blessing to so many.

This is so coincidental, I just finished this book yesterday! Loved the first two in the trilogy, but definitely came away mixed on this final one.

When I read That Hideous Strength, I kinda just accepted the weirdness lol. Totally worked for me. But when I hear you recounting some of it, I realized just how out there it sounds 😂 I love it.

I attempted That Hideous Strength in my teens and didn’t know what to do with it. I circled back to it a few years ago and read it alongside Abolition of Man and got a lot more out of it. You have some insights here that make me want to reread it. Thank you.

I have this book on audio. I've listened to it more times than I can count on two hands, as well as the other two books in the Space Trilogy, but the articulation you've given to breaking down this book helps me firmly grasp the concepts I senses in the book! The breaking down of the worldviews being held by the characters were shadows I saw today, but after hearing this, I see so much more quite clearly. This was so well done, this video is the first of yours I've seen. C.S. Lewis is my favorite author, so I'm looking forward to your other videos that discuss his other books. 😊

I totally agree! That Hideous Stength is eerily prescient

Would love more videos talking about the themes of Lewis.

Was so excited to come across this. I have read this book (the whole trilogy) 50+ times, listen to it on audio while walking/gardening...and quote it often, and more so as the years are reflecting it more and more! Thank you for this!

What a treat to hear Dr. Ortlund critique a great novel. Some of Lewis's social criticism is a little on the nose for my taste, but there's no denying that Lewis had a method to all the madness that takes place in the final chapters.

Your review piqued my interest in at least listening to this book! I appreciate how you applied evangelizing to those around us now. Especially the reminder to look for where a person is or has come from. Very helpful reminder as I pray daily for God to rescue the unsaved family, friends and others on my list.

Thank you for posting this! I just finished the book and wanted to hear someone else’s thoughts. It started out slow for me but it was so good. Lewis was such a fantastic writer and his books are a joy.

My opinion: Narrative driven stories, fictional or otherwise are actually MORE effectual on a person as it relates to influence, than any strictly academic endeavour. I think this is part of the reason the Bible is so influential. The arts have a MASSIVE pull on the mutually held beliefs of a society.

I love that book!!!!

Just finished this book last week and loved it - I couldn't put it down once I got going! Thanks for sharing your thoughts

Wow. This video reminded me how much my own worldview has been shaped by Lewis - particularly, by That Hideous Strength, which I hated when I read it but finished out of loyalty to the earlier books of the trilogy. Nowadays I rarely think consciously about all the ideas I got from this book but they permeate my feelings all the time. I guess that’s a sign of a great book.

... it took me 30 years to come to Jesus Christ and - suffering was the only way for me to finally come; on my hands and knees, but - Lord almighty, Jesus Christ - I'm home! I live in Northern Protestant Europe where faith in Jesus Christ mainly vanished as a result of German 20'th century theology - or form criticism, reducing the Gospels to the literary level of the fairytales collected by the brothers Grimm... And, man - these theologians, disciples of Rudolph Bultmann, continue to haunt our universities... Coming to faith in Christ, CS Lewis has been absolutely instrumental in grasping the basics of our beliefs, say - summed up in mere Christianity, but, man - could Jack bring the gospel in an immensely wide variety of literary approaches! I'm listening to that hideous strength here on you tube now, and - I'll be in touch with regards to my impression! Lord almighty, Jesus Christ - stay with us! And Lord... Help us. Thank you, brother Kind regards Kim

This is my favorite book of Lewis' (and I've read all of his fiction among many of his academic works). I've reread it so many times; the themes do indeed strike at the heart of spirit of the age -- in fact there's a small preview of it in "The Pilgrim's Regress" with the giant who made everyone see-through. Thanks for this video! I also can't wait to talk with the man in the new heavens and earth!

This, Perelandra, and Abolition of Man were probably the three most influential books I read while in college. Absolutely love them, thanks for doing a great video on this great book!

Gavin. Royce here from Northwest Arkansas...wherever that is! Sending greetings to my successor at C.S. Lewis Institute Belfast, Stuart Horner...Comment below. Delighted to know that Stuart and I are being enlightened by same readings! Royce.

Dad read them to us as kids, still love this series!!

Thanks! I got this book a couple of years ago. Hope to read it this year. God bless!

I think this is CS Lewis' most underrated book.

My dad read it to me and my siblings when I was probably around eleven or twelvish... obviously the theme went well beyond what a child could appreciate, besides the humor found in the amiable Mr. Bultitude the bear. But I listened to the audio book again last year and loved it, finding so much relevance in the modern society I had since experienced in adulthood. Listening to the book helps draw you in. I don't think I could have gotten through the slow beginning any other way.

Read this book when I was younger. This video has helped me understand it so much better!

The space triology is my favorite work by C.S. Lewis. I’m glad you’re bringing it to more people.

Excellent video, just finished reading the book. It's a slow read, but well worth it and relatable to our time. I tried starting it several years ago but didn't get that far in. Reading Abolition of Man prior and seeing the alarming rate of govt/tech collusion really helped me appreciate the book's content more.

I love this book! I didn't realize it wasn't well received. Last winter I went and pulled it off my bookshelf to read again because it does seem we are living through this!

Gavin, I'm blown away by the breadth and depth of knowledge you have acquired on these topics. What would you suggest as a good route to get a healthy education on all these things?

Great read for sure. I enjoy all 3 books yet Perelandria is my favorite. Thanks for this. I have no one to chat about these with in my circle so it was nice to hear your opinions.

Thanks for this great introduction a commentary on That Hideous Strength

Great review! I love the SPACE TRILOGY and THS is me favorite of the three 👍🏻

Love Hideous Strength

I love the whole Space trilogy series. I also love Till we have faces, it was an assigned reading in school and my first time reading fiction from C.S.Lewis. I couldn’t put them down and highly recommend all of them

I struggled with this book when I first read it almost 20 years ago. My biggest hurdles were the slow pace and that it was so different than the first two books of the Space Trilogy. I wasn’t expecting it to be so… terrestrial. I picked it up and put it down several times, until I finally trudged far enough into it to get gripped by its characters. It was definitely thought-provoking and moving (although not as personally moving as Til We Have Faces). I’m thinking I need to go back and read it as I have a little better grasp of modern philosophy than I did then.

Your voice possess a beautiful tone to it and that makes what you say winsome. As for the book, Thank you for your explanation..I found it so weird and gave up but maybe, after listening to you I’ll try again. Please do more commentaries with even more quotes.

Wow I just watched a couple of your videos and I must say you got me I want to know more especially because I recently surrendered to God and was baptized last Sunday. I really felt the holy spirit in me, the call of God and the hunger to know more about him, about any connection of the bible with history, philosophy, geography, everything I can know, I reached a point where I just want the truth and nothing but the truth, I just feel like I'm struggling with praying for God to guide me so I know how to move on, what youtube channels, books and sources in general besides the bible, or rather , how to complete the bible to learn, understand and defend my faith, so that I can preach not only the scriptures in the best possible way but touch the hearts of unconverted people, my family, friends and at least all the people close to me . For example, recently I have also had an extra motivation trying to better understand the faith of a friend who is supposedly a deist but does not even know how to define God and I struggle a bit trying to make him see that, to question things better and that he not be left alone with his last conclusion, which is: I will only be good and do what is good for me, (consequently he also says not to blame God for anything bad that happens to him as well as the good), that he does not need or he doesn't want to follow any religion, to the point that he begins to think that the Bible is not relevant and its importance is almost null (because he even doubts that) and tells me that the Bible contradicts itself or that God in his eyes is bad, at least the God of the Bible, as he says. For all of the above, it motivates me in a much more academic aspect in knowing and being able to find the answers to better guide people and increase my faith, my love for God and serve him in the best way despite my mistakes and stubbornness. Thanks God i found your chanel, i feel you´re going to be a great source of knowledge and motivation in my just recent conversion to Christianity.

THS is my all time favorite book. The modern fairytale concept I think is brilliant and it’s essentially a prophetic book about the age in which we live. I listen to it once a year and then look forward to hearing it the remainder of the year.

This book blew me away on first reading! Also, while reading it for the first time I was getting into a music album by Becoming the Archetype called Dichotomy and I looked at the album cover and I was so struck by the similarity of the image and to the themes in the lyrics what is in the book and it turned out that book inspired them!

Just purchased these books right now on Amazon due to this video. Thank you.

Love it! I have that exact edition. 😁. I just finished a reread of Out of the Silent Planet and am currently rereading Perelandra. I love rereading and seeing how great books strike me at different seasons of life. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

This series of books along with Til we have faces and the pilgrims regress are my favorite bedtime stories. I listen to these audiobooks in a round robin every night. I hear something new each time to ponder. His other academic works are also my favorite food for thought.

Francis Schaeffer said every Christian should read it every 5 years.

Dang, man! Some of your best work here. I love That Hideous Strength so much. It's been an inspiration for my own fiction. As an artist and a writer, I often feel like Sisyphus - like my work is kind of a waste of time and I should be out evangelizing, so it's nice to be reminded that I'm engaging in evangelism through my art and fiction.

Just read all the three books. Wonderful

Hi, just finished Space Trilogy and loved all of it. I didn’t want it to end and so I found you. I really enjoyed your critique! Lewis is my fav as well and your explanation was so good I subscribed! Thank you and keep it going!

I’m looking forward to reading it. I’m currently reading Out of the Silent Planet for the first time. It’s great so far!

Brilliant, and helpful. Thank you

Thank you for this reccomendation! Sounds like a great book! Lewis is great!

Well, although I have read this book quite a few times, I don't think I have ever noticed any of the literary points Gavin made. I just loved the plot and characters and setting. I'm amused by my apparent lack of literary critical ability 😊and grateful I don't have to sit an English Literature exam😅!

Good review. I just finished this excellent book. I really like how you speak about conversion to non believers. My awakening came in different pieces. From warning to realizations. Thank you

I second the recommendation of Caral Truman's book. I read it about a year ago and am still digesting it 😂

Hi Dr. Ortlund, thanks again for the fantastic video! This once again resonated with me deeply and I'm definitely going to have to read the space trilogy very soon! I'm finishing up narnia again right now :) Transhumanism seems to be a creeping theme in our society (or perhaps not creeping but im just noticing it more now) and so these discussions I find super helpful. Like you mentioned, my phone seems to excercise a strange influence on my life and I'm also considering finding ways to get rid of it. Anyway, thank you again for the excellent video!

This video is very exciting! I read TWHF after watching your video on that and love it. Been wanting to read That Hideous Strength for a while, especially after listening to a podcast episode of Parker's Pensees on Lewis. Also, can we agree that sneaking Tolkien into every video is a necessity now?

Really interesting. I want to read this book at some point. Currently reading Brother Karamazov. Would love a video like this for that book.

I read it decades ago. So nothing that's happened in the last (crazy) dozen years that has been unfathomable to me. It's brilliant.

I haven't read this one but the way you describe definitely reminds me of the novels of Charles Williams as you point out.

I loved this series. I don’t read a lot of fiction, but this book was outstanding. I know it’s strange but I’m perfectly ok with entertaining the idea the spiritual world being around us. This book just presents a possibility of how it works. Thanks for not being overly critical of it

Wow great insights brother!

Thanks, Gavin! Sounds fascinating! Would you recommend reading the first two books of the trilogy prior to reading this one?

Read this a few years ago so the plot was a bit fuzzy for me, so thanks for the refresher. I so appreciate your thoughts on it. I'm an aspiring pastor and I really want to be able to bring people to see the joy of repentance as you described it and as Lewis writes about it. Much appreciated, brother.

Subbed man. Amazing delivery and content brother.

I love reading Lewis' fiction books. I always get the feeling that it's more than "just a story", which i find in few other books. In my first readthrough as a teen I loved Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra was boring to me and That Hideous Strength was just strange. xD The second time through I was absolutely fascinated by Perelandra but still didn't know what to to with That Hideous Strength. It is really dark and I feel like I didn't quite understand it. Can't wait to read it again and this video has given me some themes to look out for. I will also look into The Abolition of Man. Thank you :)

Thank you so much for this deeply perceptive and comprehensive review of my favorite Lewis work of fiction. You speak to my experience in reading it, which I do periodically. I've never been more terrified than I was when reading it the first time. I knew I was being led toward the meeting with something horrible. Of course, I was right. What a joy to see your great appreciation for the book and for the author. 🎉

I really appreciate your take on this - some of Lewis' most insightful concepts and observations are found in Hideous Strength.

The three criticisms of this book are exactly what I love about this book!

Great analysis. Thanks!

Gavin I have a request. Since you said you’re wanting to do more book recommendations could you do a video of your top 10 favorite fiction books? Thanks for your consideration brother. God bless

I read the Space Trilogy for the outer space elements since I love sci-fi. After reading OotSP and Perelandra, I was excited for the final, longer book. The first bit of the THS was totally frustrating since there was no outer space elements. However THS turned out to be my favorite book in the series! While reading it in 2012, it felt like I reading a undercover expose on 2012/modern culture and the dark machinations of the world. Highly recommended!

I'll bet you and Francis Schaeffer would get along. He tries to address the obstacles in modern-day evangelism through his tact of "pre-evangelism". I wonder if you've heard of it?

I love Lewis’s spiritual science fiction adventures. Mixing the mundane with the magical and supernatural seems perfectly the way it must be in real experience. The Space Trilogy includes wonderful tonalities of van Gogh, Mozart, Zappa, the Moody Blues, Chagal, Gaugin, Jesus, a holy mixture which I don’t see in modern mainstream Christianity, much less in American Republican Evangelicals, these days, to their great detriment. I am so glad to discover open-minded adventurous Christians like Lewis and you!

Thanks for the great video. Lewis is also my favorite author. I’ve personally had trouble with his fiction sometimes in that I am acutely aware that I am reading CS Lewis, which can take away from engagement with the narratives. If that makes sense.