Archive for February, 2009

Wormwood, a demon apprentice, has been given his first earthly assignment—secure the damnation of a young man who’s just become a Christian. He seeks the advice of an experienced devil—his uncle Screwtape. Their correspondence discloses the psychology of temptation from the other side. Invaluable insights on temptation, pride, the power of prayer, and the ultimate victory of faith over the forces evil. 160 pages, softcover from Zondervan.

If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable Western world, over the edge of the Wild, and home again, and can take interest in a humble hero (blessed with a little wisdom and a little courage), here is a record of such a journey and such a traveler. The period is the ancient time between the age of Faerie and the dominion of men, when the famous forest of Mirkwood was still standing, and the mountains were full of danger. In following the path of the humble adventurer, you will learn by the way (as he did) – if you do not already know all about these things – much about trolls, goblins, dwarves, and elves, and get some glimpses into the history and politics of a neglected but important period.
For Mr. Bilbo Baggins visited various notable persons; conversed with the dragon, Smaug the Magnificent; and was present, rather unwillingly, at the Battle of the Five Armies. This is all the more remarkable, since he was a hobbit. Hobbits have hitherto been passed over in history and legend, perhaps because they as a rule preferred peace and quiet to excitement. But his account, based on his personal memoirs, of the one exciting year in the otherwise quiet life of Mr. Bilbo Baggins will give you a fair idea of the estimable people now (it is said) becoming rather rare.

The first volume in J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic adventure The Lord of the Rings. In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, (as told in The Hobbit). The Ring eventually passes to Bilbo’s young nephew, Frodo Baggins. The fearsome Ringwraiths were searching for the Ring. Frodo Baggins knew they were seeking him and the Ring he bore, the Ring of Power that would enable evil Sauron to destroy all that was good in Middle-earth. Now it was up to Frodo and his faithful friend, Sam. With a small band of companions to carry the Ring to the one place it could be destroyed, Mount Doom, in the very center of Suaron’s dark kingdom.

The second volume in J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic adventure The Lord of the Rings. Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the Ruling Ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord by destroying it in the Cracks of Doom. They have lost the wizard, Gandalf, in a battle in the Mines of Moria. And Boromir, seduced by the power of the Ring, tried to sieze it by force. While Frodo and Sam made their excape, the rest of the company was attacked by Uruk-Hai. Now they continue the journey alone down the great River Anduin — alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go.

The third volume in J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic adventure The Lord of the Rings. As the Shadow of Mordor grows across the land, the Companions of the Ring have become involved in separate adventures. Aragorn, revealed as the hidden heir of the ancient Kings of the West, has joined with the Riders of Rohan against the forces of Isengard, and takes part in the desperate battle of the Hornburg. Merry and Pippin, captured by the Orcs, escape into Fangorn Forest and there encounter the Ents. Gandalf has miraculously returned and defeated the evil wizard, Saruman. Sam has left his master for dead after a battle with the giant spider, Shelob; but Frodo is still alive – now in the foul hands of the Orcs. And all the while the armies of the Dark Lord are massing as the One Ring draws ever nearer to the Cracks of Doom.

This book begins the adventures of the remarkable Dr. Ransom. Here, that estimable man is abducted by a megalomaniacal physicist and his accomplice and taken via spaceship to the red planet of Malacandra. The two men are in need of a human sacrifice, and Dr. Ransom would seem to fit the bill. Once on the planet, however, Ransom eludes his captors, risking his life and his chances of returning to Earth, becoming a stranger in a land that is enchanting in its difference from Earth and instructive in its similarity.

The second book in C.S. Lewis’s acclaimed Space Trilogy continues the adventures of the extraordinary Dr. Ransom. Pitted against the most destructive of human weaknesses, temptation, the great man must battle evil on a new planet – Perelandra – when it is invaded by a dark force. Will Perelandra succumb to the malevolent being, who strives to creat a new world order and who must destroy an old and beautiful civilization to do so? Or will it throw off the yoke of corruption and achieve a spiritual perfection as yet unknown to man? The outcome of Dr. Ransom’s mighty struggle alone will determine the fate of this peace-loving planet.

The final book in C. S. Lewis’s acclaimed Space Trilogy, which includes Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, That Hideous Strength concludes the adventures of the matchless Dr. Ransom. The dark forces that were repulsed in Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra are massed for an assault on the planet Earth itself. Word is on the wind that the mighty wizard Merlin has come back to the land of the living after many centuries, holding the key to ultimate power for that force which can find him and bend him to its will. A sinister technocratic organization is gaining power throughout Europe with a plan to “recondition” society, and it is up to Ransom and his friends to squelch this threat by applying age-old wisdom to a new universe dominated by science. The two groups struggle to a climactic resolution that brings the Space Trilogy to a magnificent, crashing close.