Perelandra

Title: Perelandra  (Space Trilogy, #2)

Author: C.S. Lewis

Summary:  Dr. Ransom returns, and this time he's got to go to Venus and save that planet!  The Oyarsa of Malacandra (referred to as Malacandra from now on, since there's an Oyarsa of Venus [Perelandra] and a twisted Oyarsa of Earth [Thulucandra]) sends Ransom to Venus in a coffinlike structure that melts upon his landing.  Perelandra is a land of floating islands that move in relation to one another.  Ransom meets a green Lady, who is the equivalent of Eve.  Weston suddenly arrives on Perelandra, trying to convince the Lady to live on the fixed land (which Maleldil had strictly commanded her not to do).  It's only Weston's body, though.  It is someone else inside.  The sleepless creature, Un-man, persists in his flattery and persuasion.  Eventually Ransom, with the support of Maleldil, physically wrestles with the Un-man.  Though hurt, Ransom pursues the Un-man to the fixed land.  There, he vanquishes Un-man - or so he thinks.  He's gotten into this chimney kind of structure by swimming through a crack in the rock, but he can't do it again.  So he climbs up.  Eventually the Un-man finds him again, but Ransom pushes him into a fire pit.  Un-man dies (and doesn't come back this time).  He is met at the top by the Oyarsas (Oyarsae?) of Mars and Venus, Malacandra and Perelandra.  The Lady and her King are also there.  The Oyarsas send Ransom back home in another coffinlike structure.  

Stars:  9.  The description, if possible, was even better than in Out of the Silent Planet.  

Violence: 8.  The fighting of the Un-man and Ransom was violent.  It wasn't graphic.  It just stated the wounds, and that in and of itself was bad enough.  They were pretty bad wounds.    

Romance: 6; the Un-man suggested that there was something between Ransom and the Lady, since they were both naked in all their associations.  However, that kind of relationship was apparently foreign to Perelandra, and it wasn't really even a wish in Ransom.  

Language: 0-1

Appropriate for:  Older teen/adult

Other: Its allegory was great.  Loved it.  However, it was a bit deep and tangled.  I have the feeling that in a couple of years or so I'll understand it better.