Book Review: "Out of the Silent Planet" by C.S. Lewis

By Bethany Olson

How does an author lead a character to overhaul his elitist perceptions of himself and his world? By sending him to a different world, of course!

The Pedestrian traverses a wide, empty landscape in England, when he realizes that the sun is about to set and he still has a much longer way to go.

He approaches a rundown, hedge-surrounded house, where he is surprised to find an old school fellow of his whom he never fully trusted. A scientist also resides in the house. Once invited in, the Pedestrian (named Ransom) is offered a drink and a place to rest.

Ransom reveals his errand: Being a former soldier who is disenchanted with his old longing to be a hero, and who is now a professor (currently on vacation), Ransom is taking time away from his responsibilities to wander wide expanses. No one knows where he is, and no one would miss him if he did not return, he says.

Instantly upon hearing this information, the old school fellow retrieves a second, different drink for Ransom. Ransom sips—hallucinates—realizes he’s been drugged—awakes in a small metallic room under a ghostly celestial light—and finds that the old school fellow and the scientist have deviously taken him captive. He gleans from overheard whispers that they are traveling to another planet where they plan to surrender him to an unearthly creature—at the creature’s request.

First published in 1938, Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis explores humanity’s knee-jerk instinct to hurt others for one’s own benefit. It is only by observing another planet’s set of racial and social differences that Ransom’s own becomes clear. People on Earth either acculturate or destroy others in war, evidence of a strong elitism against those who are “different” or “lower” than themselves.

For having been published long before space travel was an actuality, Out of the Silent Planet is incredibly imaginative and believable: It reads almost as though Lewis went into space himself. For having been published long before the development of many social rights we know today, the book is amazingly progressive, even by today’s standards.

For the adventurers and thinkers, this book is an invaluable addition to your mental collection. Read to find out if and how Ransom escapes his predicament. And for you wordsmiths, build your word base with unusual terms such as “ineluctable”; “vermiculate”; “loquacious”; “ken”; “august”; and “desideratum” (you’ll be surprised to find that the readability is still very smooth). For all booksmiths, read to experience Ransom’s planet and find out why it is so silent.