The Screwtape Letters

The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis      Paperback: 211 pgs.       

     This inventive and witty satire consists of letters purportedly written by a demon named Screwtape, offering advice on how best to ensure the damnation of a human soul.  Though it is an old book— Lewis wrote it (and it is set) during World War II— it is just as relevant to a 21st century audience as to those who read it over 75 years ago.  What shines through the most to me is Lewis’ amazing wisdom and insight into human nature and the nature of good and evil.  Lewis sees through temptations into the core issues involved and then explains it all to us through the pen of the fictional Screwtape.  It is therefore an excellent source for Christians to go to for knowledge of the real devil’s strategy and tactics.  The only major temptation missing here, as Christian writer Steve Farrar points out, is the attempt to keep people from studying the Bible.  We never see Screwtape urge his nephew to keep his “patient” (the man he’s tempting) from God’s Word— yet this is surely a major part of the devil’s strategy in real life.

     The edition I read also includes a speech by Screwtape, called “Screwtape Proposes a Toast,” written in 1959.  Lewis imagines here what Screwtape would say at a graduation ceremony of demons about to go out on their first assignments.  Lewis, through the mouth of Screwtape, explains the dangers of excess in democracy (resulting in evil and injustice), especially in our educational system.  Lewis even posits an interesting theory of why the United States fell behind the Russians at the beginning of the Space Race in the late 1950’s.

     One thing to keep in mind when reading this book is the “demonic” authorship.  What Screwtape loves, Lewis means us to hate; what the demon hates, we should love; what he thinks is good, we should abhor and vice-versa.  Also, demons aren’t exactly known for telling the truth, so in a few cases, Screwtape’s descriptions and judgements may not be entirely accurate.  Nevertheless, Lewis has made Screwtape’s observations mostly very accurate, so as to explain truth through the demon’s pen.  Not that Christians (let alone non-believers) are likely to agree with everything Lewis says.  I certainly don’t, but my disagreements with him are very few and far between.  To me, this is still one of the greatest books I’ve ever read; a great guide to truth, temptation, human nature, good and evil, and even reason.  I highly recommend it!

 (posted for John W.)

Divners and Lair of Dreams

The Diviners and Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray, (2 books - 1191 pages)

In The Diviners an old evil has been reawakened, an evil so strong it threatens to destroy the world. But as its powers grow, magic seeps back into the world in the form of diviners, people who have strange powers. Some can see what was, or what might be, others can hide in plain sight, and while their powers are still in their infancy, they are certainly needed.

Lair of Dreams sees a world in which diviners have emerged from the shadows and are trying to capitalize on their powers, performing readings, talking to ghosts, etc. But when evil lurks in the realm of dreams, how does talking to ghosts help? As more and more people fall into a never waking sleep, can the once victorious diviners figure out how to stop this new evil.

So I have very mixed feelings about the works of Libba Bray so far. On one hand I really enjoyed The Diviners and how she slowly built up an underlying fear but that same slow buildup bored me to death in Lair of Dreams. Maybe it was the added love stories or all the extra characters being juggled bogging down the story, but looking back none of them seemed overly tedious or unnecessary.

I would say Diviners is worth reading, but stop there. It seems likely that Bray is going to continue this series, but I don’t know if I would read a third book or not.

Legion

Legion by William Peter Blatty, 269 pages

Legion is Blatty's sequel to his best-known work, The Exorcist (Legion was eventually adapted into The Exorcist III, which Blatty directed himself, although the studio insisted on adding elements to justify the Exorcist title).  Detective Kinderman returns, investigating a series of murders that seem to be the work of a serial killer known to have been killed decades ago.  Father Dyer, Father Damien's best friend and fellow Jesuit, also returns, having forged a bond with the surly detective in the years since Damien's death.

Where The Exorcist held out the hope that the existence of supernatural evil implies the existence of supernatural good, Legion asks why natural evil seems to pervade the human world and whether there is any hope against it.

Unfortunately, the novel's problems run deep.  Kinderman, while initially charming in his endless, garrulous, rambling monologues, eventually becomes tiresome.  The Gemini killer is a silly Hollywood caricature of a serial killer.  The ending is absurdly anti-climactic, although it is thematically appropriate.  This is one of those instances where, against stereotypes, the movie is better than the book.

The Silmarillion

The Silmarillion: The Myths and Legends of Middle-Earth by JRR Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien, 304 pages

This the book that JRR Tolkien spent most of his life trying to write and never quite finished.  Begun during the First World War, the stories were written and rewritten over and over again until the author's death in 1973, layers building upon layers like a Monet lily-pond.  The story of the composition of the material included in The Silmarillion takes up the better part of the 12 volume History of Middle Earth.  It is doubtful it ever would have been published had Tolkien not half-heartedly decided to use some of the names in a children's book he wrote called The Hobbit and its somewhat larger sequel.  As it is, it was cobbled together by his son Christopher for posthumous publication.

The Silmarillion begins with the creation of the world and an enumeration of the powerful spiritual beings who shape and guide it, for good or ill.  This is the section most likely to cause readers to simply give up on the book.  It continues with the tale of the Silmarils, their creation by the elf-lord Feanor, their theft by Morgoth the Enemy, the awful oath of the sons of Feanor, and the long war between the elves and Morgoth.  This section includes some of the most beloved tales of the Tolkien legendarium - the romance of Beren and Luthien, the tragedy of Turin Turambar, and the adventure of Earendil.  The book continues with the tale of the rise and fall of the island kingdom of Numenor, and concludes with an account of the forging of the Rings of Power.

Poetically digressive, light on character, and lacking a central plot, this is not for everyone, certainly.  Casual fans of Tolkien will undoubtedly struggle, fans of the movies should definitely start with the books the movies were based on, and chronological order be damned.  The Silmarillion should be recognized as what it is, however - not merely fantastic but truly magical, deeply humane, the greatest work by perhaps the greatest author of the twentieth century.

Revival

Revival - Stephen King
405 Pages



Jamie Morton is a young boy when he first meets Charles Jacobs, the new minister.  Jacobs becomes the herald of change in Jamie's life and turns up a key moments. Jacobs follows an obsession which drags Jamie into it over and over again. 

Readers of Stephen King may like this book and I will agree that King is still able to put together a compelling story but I did not enjoy the ending and found it to be silly and just plain stupid. 

Plague

Plague by Michael Grant 
492 pages

This is the fourth book in the Gone series.  In this book, the kids have been trapped inside the dome they call the FAYZ for eight months.  They have actually become somewhat organized but they are running out of food and fresh water and worried about where more will come from.  An illness has begun striking kids down and although Lana has the power to heal people, her powers have no effect on the disease.  To make matters worse, bugs appear to be hatching out of kids, killing the kids in the process, and growing to enormous proportions.  Some of the kids who have powers that are more destructive, like Sam, with his balls of light, have had no effect on the bugs.  Several of the kids are struggling with their own life philosophies and several are just struggling to survive another day.  I would recommend reading this series in order.  Teens that like supernatural dystopian survivalist type of stories would probably like this series.

The Gates

The Gates by John Connolly                        296 pages

Samuel Johnson and his dog, Boswell, are out trick-or-treating three days before Halloween.  Samuel thinks that he is showing initiative but his neighbor is annoyed.  While he is out, he sees his neighbors, the Abernathys, performing some strange ritual that ends with opening up a portal to Hell.  Samuel realizes that the Abernathys have been possessed by demons and that they plan to open the gates of Hell so that the demons can come through and take over the Earth.  Unfortunately, Mrs. Abernathy saw him and realizes that Samuel knows more than he should.  She has set out on a campaign to destroy him before he tells anyone.  Also, Samuel has been trying to tell people but they don’t believe him.  Samuel is afraid that he may have to work alone to stop the gates being open while avoiding attacks sent by Mrs. Abernathy.  A funny, supernatural, action adventure that I really enjoyed.

Cursed

Cursed by Benedict Jacka
293 Pages

The second novel of the Alex Versus series find Alex settling in with his new apprentice Luna and working well with the Council.  Things are thrown in disarray when a mysterious damsel in distress bursts into his shop, being chased by an assassin.  Alex finds himself dragged into a plot to revive a ritual to steal magic from other magical creatures and his friend is smack dab in the crosshairs.

This is one of those series where the protagonist goes through an endless series of trials and tribulations  where things are blown up, destroyed, shot at, folded and mutilated.  After awhile you would think people would stop hanging out with the main character, since he seems to always be the center of trouble. 

This series is similar and may appeal to fans of the Harry Dresden Series by Jim Butcher.

Ocean at the End of the Lane

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman          181 pages

This has probably been one of my favorite books by Gaiman.  A man who has come back to his childhood neighborhood for a funeral finds himself at the home of a friend, Lettie Hempstock.  Lettie no longer lives there, but her family does and when he goes to the back of the house and sees the pond he remembers a fantastic but terrifying adventure that he and Lettie had when they were children.  This was an excellent story that was reminiscent of Stephen King’s style of books, although perhaps not quite as horrifying.  I would recommend it to fans of fantasy and horror.