This posthumous collection centers on an unfinished sequel to Out of the Silent Planet, titled The Dark Tower. In this narrative, Elwin Ransom and a group of academics witness a different reality through a device called a chronoscope. They observe a stingman, a creature with a poisoned barb that transforms victims into mindless workers. The story focuses on Ransom’s attempt to understand the displacement of time and the physical mechanics of a world ruled by a terrifying, clockwork hierarchy. Additional short stories in the volume feature a man encountering a blind unicorn and a satirical take on advanced surveillance technology.
Readers of speculative fiction and fans of the Space Trilogy use this book to examine Lewis’s discarded narrative ideas and his evolving views on scientism. It attracts those interested in the bridge between medieval cosmology and modern science fiction. The audience gains a view of a writer’s creative process through incomplete drafts and fragmented concepts. By the end, the reader sees how Lewis used the uncanny to challenge the perceived safety of human logic and the physical boundaries of the universe.
Deep, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1977
- Language
- EN
