Description: "Unlike more popular works like the Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis's Ransom Trilogy is lesser-known and often perplexing. Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra take readers on adventures through the heavens; That Hideous Strength delves deep into topics much closer to home. In the process, these books allude to everything from H. G. Wells and the World Wars to Medieval cosmology and Arthurian Legend; therefore, there is much to be gained from an introduction to Lewis's broad and eclectic interests. Written to be accessible and useful to fans and scholars alike, A Compass for Deep Heaven provides the background information, historical context, and literary insight readers need to navigate the cosmos of Lewis's science fiction. It does not merely inform; it shows how these contexts clarify key messages and reveal the real-world warnings hidden there" --
Review Quotes:
"A dynamic and engaging fieldbook for interstellar travel, A Compass for Deep Heaven is an accessible resource for reading Lewis in his personal, religious, literary, vocational, and historical contexts. Beyond its utility as a resource for readers--a 'Compass' for navigating Lewis's cosmic fiction--this volume is a superb example of learning as scholarship. C. S. Lewis was a writer and thinker carefully formed by mentors, and he spent most of his life shaping the writing and thinking of others, so it is only fitting that a Lewis studies resource will emerge out of collaborative discovery. Well-written and carefully edited, A Compass for Deep Heaven succeeds in equipping curious readers for the adventure of reading these challenging books."
-- Brenton Dickieson, curator of A Pilgrim in Narnia
"A Compass for Deep Heaven is a carefully-crafted and beautifully-edited
volume of ten fine essays that explore a common theme: the mythological,
philosophical, scientific, theological, ethical, and literary influences behind Lewis's science fiction. Each chapter references and builds on the others,
offering multiple layers of critical and popular analysis. Detailed references and a good glossary provide added value. This useful Compass has already found its way onto the recommended reading list in the Romantic Theology program at Northwind Seminary."
-- Michael J. Christensen, author of C. S. Lewis on Scripture
Most of the students in my C. S. Lewis seminar over the last three decades came to the class having read at least some of the Narnia books. Few had read any of the Space Trilogy, and many had never even heard of it. They needed much more help to get their heads around what Lewis was doing there than they did for Narnia or the popular apologetics. But now we have a book that collects under one cover a lot of the kind of help they needed. A Compass for Deep Heaven would make a great supplemental text for a course on Lewis or
a great read for the fan who wants to go deeper into those books."
-- Donald T. Williams, Professor Emeritus of Toccoa Falls College and author of Deeper Magic: The Theology behind the Writings of C. S. Lewis