Over the past couple of years I’ve been on a run of reading science fiction. It began with C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy. These three superb stories predated his excellent work with the Narnia Chronicles. The books are: Out of the Silent Planet (a trip to Mars), Perelandra (a trip to Venus), and That Hideous Strength (set on Earth).
Lewis does a superb job of tapping his studies in medieval history including creating an “old solar language” for this series that was spoken throughout the solar system by the various creatures and spirits. He’s a consummate storyteller. It makes for fascinating reading.
You may also want to explore C.S. Lewis still further. For example, the Screwtape Letters is an extraordinary insight into the tempter. My daughter Brooke and I have tried to listen to the audio book on a road trip. But we found it too challenging to just breeze through it while riding down the highway. You’ll probably need to actually read this short book.
In the past few weeks Hillsdale College has launched an online course titled An Introduction to C.S. Lewis’s Writings and Significance. Episode 5 is Lewis’s Fiction: The Space Trilogy—A Cosmos of Old Wars and New Battles.
One of my takeaways from the series is that Lewis felt that ‘imagination’ must be the foundation for ‘reason.’ He felt strongly that it is the shaping power of stories on the imagination that form the basis for reason.
I recommend the entire series and Hillsdale College for that matter. My daughter, Kyla, graduated from this exceptional school founded in 1844. It is one of the very few colleges that have refused federal funds throughout their history.
After Lewis’s space trilogy I moved on to the works of Arthur C. Clarke. The first was Childhood’s End. I had watched the SyFy channel’s mini-series with the same title that is an excellent adaptation. But I usually really appreciate both the large and small differences that are almost always present in the book.
My next read was Rendezvous with Rama which is an exceptional story of intercepting a space ship from another world. It’s a fascinating tale with interesting takes on the various aspects of the science and technology displayed throughout the book from both alien and solar system based spacecraft.
I also recommend Clarke’s novel Glide Path that is not science fiction but rather a novel written around his experiences in World War II in the Royal Air Force developing radar-based ground controlled approach for aircraft landing. This one I find fascinating with its tales of electron tubes, magnetrons, waveguides, and soldering irons. It is a really fun read and well connected to the world of amateur radio.
Now I’m on to reading most of the science fiction works from Poul Anderson, beginning with Tau Zero. Besides the great storytelling, I really like the attitude he displays throughout his writing — people seeking fresh horizons and demonstrating their need to make their own way. He’s decidedly libertarian, which suits me perfectly.
All these books I’m finding and reading on an iPad and occasionally on an iPhone. I subscribe to Scribd, the online ebook service. For a monthly fee, I have access to ebooks, audiobooks, and a few more items. The monthly fee allows unlimited downloads. It works great and sure beats the library for selection and seriously beats the bookstore on price.
As just one example, I love listening to books as I’m driving across country. They really come in handy on our trips to Amarillo, Michigan, the Dayton Hamvention, and others. My Scrib subscription really came in handy then and seriously beats the prices on iTunes for audiobooks. Amazon’s Kindle offers a similar service.
Hope you find some good reads this summer. BTW you may also be interested in my PathForeWord blog posts on reading — Holiday Reading and Reading Heritage and eBooks.
