Meh.
After adoring its prequel, “Out of the Silent Planet,” and remembering enjoying this when I was younger, I had high expectations for “Perelandra.” They weren’t quite met.
Lewis’ descriptions of the planet Perelandra were beautiful. He again created a beautiful, fascinating, and alien world. And like it’s prequel, it is delightful how Lewis developed an intricate metaphysics and expansion of Christian theology that elaborates on while remaining consistent with Christian doctrine. Even the innocence of the Green Lady, while initially charming and enlightening of Ransom’s preconceptions and common human assumptions, turns out to be a little cloying towards the end.
Even though Lewis’ writing and descriptions weren’t as smooth and effortless as in “Out of the Silent Planet,” I really enjoyed the first half of this book. But the second was painfully slow and preachy. There were long, grandiloquent monologues that go on for pages without delivering much interest value. The plot often grew awkward and poorly paced during Ransom and Weston’s verbal and physical fights. And the entire thing wound up feeling like a ham-handed attempt at an allegory, rather than the enchanting and satisfying tale Lewis typically delivers.