“Greater spirits than Malacandra and Perelandra will descend this time. We are in God's hands. It may unmake us both.”

C.S. Lewis’s conclusion to his science-fiction trilogy, That Hideous Strength, was published in 1945. Unlike the previous two novels, it is set on Earth and does not have Elwin Ransom as its protagonist: instead, PhD student Jane Studock is the main character.

Jane has been having strange nightmares, and when she seeks support she learns that they are not dreams at all, but visions. An evil organisation called the N.I.C.E. is hell-bent on enslaving the human race. Can Jane and her new friends stop them in time?

We will read through this novel, discussing the ways the novel fits into the work and ideas of the Inklings – including J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Owen Barfield – and analyzing its themes, characters, and meaning.

That Hideous Strength is the third part of Lewis’s Space Trilogy, but it can be read independently or in sequence with the other novels in the series.