Perelandra, by C. S. Lewis, is the second book of C. S. Lewis’ space trilogy, following Out of the Silent Planet. Dr. Elwin Ransom, friend of the eldila, travels to Perelandra (Venus) on a mission of universal significance: stopping all wrong before it can start.

The Lady he meets there is one of the only two inhabitants, and much to Ransom’s surprise, she is very human in appearance, albeit a different color. She knows no evil, nor has the slightest inkling to disobedience, trusting that Maleldil (God) knows best, and wanting all that Maleldil wants.

Floating islands are her home, ground that moves and bends with the waves that travel beneath. Many friendly beasts live on these islands, and they are home to fruits that are more refreshing than can be described in words. The Fixed Land is forbidden, however; she may not spend the night on it, though visiting it during the day is perfectly acceptable.

Dr. Ransom finds himself intrigued by the Lady, enjoying learning from her about the ways of Maleldil, as she also learns from him. The King, it seems, has been missing for quite some time, and the Lady does not know where he is; thus, in search of him, she and Ransom climb to the top of the Fixed Land, hoping that they might see distant islands where the King might dwell.

Suddenly, an unknown object falls from Deep Heaven into the sea not far from the Fixed Land, a spaceship bringing none other than Ransom’s nemesis, physicist Dr. Weston. Weston brings with him a revolver, and Ransom, recalling Weston’s murder of hrossa on Malacandra, hurries to encourage the Lady to flee the Fixed Land, while he himself stands up to Weston. Leave she does, for she has no desire to break the commandment of spending the night.

Ransom is left alone with his enemy, and a philosophical, theological conversation ensues. Weston admits past mistakes, claiming new enlightenment that God and Devil are merely two parts of the same Force, which is manifested in him. Weston suddenly becomes sick and twisted and faints in apparent death. Ransom, horrified, tries to revive him, but to no avail.

Yet the next morning, Weston is gone, along with much of his things. Ransom travels by fish-back riding to one of the floating islands, where he finds Weston conversing with the Lady, questioning the commandment to not sleep on the Fixed Land, with the claim that Maleldil made that particular commandment for the purpose that she should break it and gain independence and wisdom.

Ransom finds Weston to be unlike himself, possessed the Evil One, tempting the Lady away from Maleldil. It is up to Ransom to rescue the Lady from the sin that Weston proposes. Through extensive bitter argument and lack of sleep, Ransom must fight against Weston, with the hope that the Lady, the Mother of her planet, might not fall to sin as Eve.

Thus unfolds an epic battle of man against demon, with philosophical questions filling the pages in a thrilling read that cannot be put down. C. S. Lewis has a masterpiece in Perelandra that nobody should miss!

Out of the Silent Plant, the first installment in C. S. Lewis’ space trilogy, is the tale of philologist Dr. Ransom, fellow at Cambridge college, and his altogether unexpected journey to the planet Malacandra.

We meet our friend at dusk on a British road in search of somewhere to spend the night. He soon finds himself climbing through the hedge around a dark house in search of a missing boy. Yelling brings him to the back of the house where, much to his surprise, he finds an old college associate, Devine, and his physicist partner, Weston, preventing the boy from returning home.

The ensuing uneasy conversation ends in the offer of a drink, which he soon discovers to be drugged. His attempt at flight fails, however, and he wakes in a small room, looking out at a very large moon in the skylight. Overhearing his enemies discussing his fate, he discovers this “moon” is the Earth, and he has been kidnapped for a Malacandra-bound voyage, at the end of which he is to be sacrificed by the inhabitants of said planet.

We then follow the story of Dr. Ransom’s mad-dash escape and journey through an inconceivable extra-terrestrial world, as he strives to learn the Malacandrian language, Old Solar, and protect this world from his enemies.

Out of the Silent Planet is a well-written, though at times lengthy, story of elaborate descriptions that strives to explain not only C. S. Lewis’s perspective of extra-terrestrial life, but also the fundamental nature of rational life and the place of good and evil in our world.

I have just completed a whirlwind tour of Narnia, reading all seven books of The Chronicles of Narnia, by C. S. Lewis, in less than four days (where one such day saw very little reading). The lengths of the books show surprising consistency: two at 216 pages, two at 217, two at 186, and one at 184, for a grand total of 1,422 pages. The back cover of each book reads:

“Here is your passport to a most extraordinary excursion into magical lands and enchanted happenings. If you’ve never been to Narnia, you can enter it for the first time with any of the books below ...

  but once you start, you’ll want to read every one of

The Chronicles of Narnia, by C. S. Lewis is among the best fantasy tales I have ever read, and certainly near my favorite. It is considered a children’s series, but by no means is it limited to young folk. I am in college now, soon to be 21, and this was the fourth or fifth time I have read it. The Chronicles of Narnia is a joy to read, no matter your age, and contains depth of insight into ideas that children would hardly notice, yet to an adult the ideas put forward are profound, certainly transcending the books themselves into topics that filled men’s minds since the beginning of time. If you like to think, these are books for you. If you just like a compelling, easy-to-read page-turner, few can beat The Chronicles of Narnia!

A note on reading order:

Recent publishing of this series has changed the order of the books from their originally published order to the Narnian chronological order. To back up this decision, they use quotes by C. S. Lewis that can be interpreted in varying directions. I argue that this is a mistake. Even if Lewis did make a post-publishing comment that perhaps the books ought to be read in a different order, it is evident from having read them at least four times, in both orders, that it is better to read them, at least the first time, or when you haven’t touched them in quite a while, in the proper published order.

You see, when you read them in the Narnian chronological order (which places The Magician’s Nephew first) you quickly jump into the creation of a world which you know nothing about, with characters who have no history, and events that explain things in the other books that it is better not to know until after reading those books.

Think back to a time when you first met a good friend. Did you start by inquiring about his personal history, where she came from, who his ancestors where? Or rather, did you chat about common interests, learn about what she likes to do, and proceed to find out who he is through his actions and heart’s desires first, leaving ancestry for the future? So it is with Narnia and its literary characters.

The proper order (listed above) begins with the best possible introduction to the land of Narnia and its connection to our world, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which all other books reference. The second, Prince Caspian, builds on the story of the first, much more so than The Horse and His Boy as suggested by the chronological order.

Now, I dare not suggest that reading it in the chronological order is wrong; I have done so myself after having first read the original published order. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the latter is better and gives a much more fulfilling read.

Ballroom dance class is quite fun! The last two weeks have been spent learning the basics of Two Step, including the two step basic, free spins, outside and inside ladies turns, walking, and pivoting. I feel like I’ve got it down pretty well and can fairly easily lead it. We have just started learnign the Rhumba, which has a much more confusing basic step that I am not really all that solid on. We have also learned the New York (or New Yorker?) move for Rhumba, in addition to the Rhumba basic, and one turn. The last thing we were taught today was a second type of turn, but we had very little time to practice it. In any case, dancing is great fun, and I look forward to continuing my learning of Two Step, Rhumba, and eventually Jive, Cha Cha, Tango, Waltz, and some other things.

OK, so it it has been quite a long time since I updated this here site, and I have definitely slacked off. Initially it was computer problems that made it impossible to post, but I just got out of the habit after that and resolved to continue with regular posting upon returning from winter break for the Spring ‘07 semester. Well, in any case, I figure it’s about time I throw out an update or two, because certainly good things have happened to me in the last couple of weeks.

First off, I finished the fall semester without failing all of my classes! What a blessing! No, seriously, I really messed myself up as far as school goes last semester, partially due to lots of difficult coursework and overloading myself, and ended up looking at multiple failures. I am thankful to say that I only actually failed two classes, earning a D in a third one. My thoughts have often been on changing my major within the last month and a half, and these results certainly influenced this line of thinking.

As a junior in college, now five semesters through with lots of student loan debt waiting to be paid off, thinking about changing majors is a big deal. Why, it has near immediate financial consequences, as in going extra time, and makes one wonder, was all this time spent so far for naught? Nevertheless, I found myself looking at four primary options: aerospace engineering, meteorology, geosciences, and computer science. My current major is in physics, with a likely math major to go along with it. Hard stuff.

Geosciences was the first topic that I began considering seriously. I was studying noise-induced hearing loss and came upon a decibel chart ranging from virtually un-hearable sounds (like a mosquito flapping its wings ten miles away) to the loudest pressure waves in the world, which are found in hurricanes and volcanic eruptions. Volcanoes sounded particularly interesting. Think about the power involved! Amazing! The primary occupation that studies volcanoes is geologist or a related geology-related career. After mapping out the collection of geosciences courses I would have to take, I found that the major would take me at least an additional two years of courses, giving me a total of six years undergrad, which would almost definitely have to be followed by graduate school.

Meteorology is a topic that I have considered before, partially due to its relative ease and partially due to my interest in weather. Hurricanes and other powerful storms interest me. Could I help reduce the damage that hurricanes do and save lives? I could finish meteorology within the four-year plan, plus a course or two over the summer. Imagine being able to predict the weather, enjoy the sun, study lightning, or chase tornados! Meteorology would also be followed with graduate school.

Aerospace engineering leads to the design and construction of aircraft and spacecraft. I would love to learn how to fly. Building planes could be the next best thing. With a degree in aerospace, you can design the newest military technologies, send people into outer space, or create novel flying devices. What if you could develop a fully-maneuverable airplane that could fly within hurricanes to do reconnaissance for locating trapped people, taking wind readings, or even airlifting people to safety? This major would require a five-year plan, but a graduate degree would be optional.

Computer science is the study of computers and computer stuff. This includes, but is not limited to, computer programming, operating system development, artificial intelligence, robotics, and virtual reality. What’s not to love about that? Besides, I spend a ridiculous amount of time on the computer as it is, so why not get paid to do it? It would require at least an extra semester, though no graduate degree.

I was almost set on computer science when I rediscovered acoustics and audiology. I have a fascination with music and sound, and with noise-induced hearing loss. I am interesting in pressure waves and their effects on people, and their uses. The best way to pursue a career in acoustics or audiology from my current position is to finish my degree in physics and then go to graduate school. I also discovered that MIT has some free online courses, including one on differential equations, a topic I need to study and master but have had trouble with in the past. I can finish physics within four years.

And so, my plan is to stay the course and finish with physics, plus a math degree if it works out. I will certainly have to work hard and change my study habits, but I believe I can do it, and repare the damage I’ve done to my GPA and my confidence.