That Hideous Strength

That Hideous Strength ends CS Lewis' science fiction space trilogy which is a more adult set of books than the later Narnian Chronicles like The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe etc. This one is set on Earth in a dystopian post-war setting and explores some of Lewis' Christian analogies and pseudo-astrological mythology. I read the Screwtape Letters, re-read the Narnia books and then the Hobbit quickly followed by the Lord of the Rings as a teenager. I remember completing Tolkein's major opus in a sort of lockdown during a storm on a short course at Warwick University. That was the perfect setting to disappear into fantasy. For those who only know the films they may be surprised by the completeness of the world which Tolkein, Lewis and others create. I enjoyed the battles and chases portrayed in the films but they are enriched by maps, songs, poetry and other weird characters like Tom Bombadil. Competing for this slot were Ursula K. Le Guin's Wizard of Earthsea and Christopher Priest's I Dream of Wessex.