The 1945 novel where science becomes a front for the supernatural
In short: In C.S. Lewis’s dystopian masterpiece, a scientific institute hides a sinister reality. While the National Institute for Co-ordinated Experiments claims to pursue progress, it is actually a vessel for ancient, demonic forces. Discover how a tale of sociology and physics transforms into a battle for the soul of England.
Published in 1945, *That Hideous Strength* serves as the conclusion to C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy. Unlike its predecessors, *Out of the Silent Planet* and *Perelanda*, which explored Mars and Venus, this narrative is set on Earth—specifically in a post-war England around 1948. The story follows Mark Studdock, an ambitious sociologist at Bracton College, as he is drawn into the orbit of the N.I.C.E. (National Institute for Co-ordinated Experiments).
The Institute presents itself as a bastion of modern science, but it is secretly a front for the Macrobes and Satanic forces. The plot weaves together academic politics, such as the controversial sale of the ancient Bragdon Wood, with profound cosmic struggles. The protagonist, philologist Elwin Ransom, has evolved into the 'Pendragon,' a leader of the St Anne's community who communicates with the Oyéresu—angelic beings that guide the planets. Because Earth has been under a form of quarantine by the benevolent Oyéresu due to the rebellion of its local devil, the stakes of the N.I.C.E.’s experiments are existential.
The novel’s themes are deeply rooted in Lewis's belief in objective values, mirroring his 1943 work *The Abolpend of Man*. The title itself is drawn from a 1555 poem by David Lyndsay, referencing the Tower of Babel. As the N.I.C.E. attempts to use science to strip humanity of emotion and achieve 'absolute objectivity,' the story culminates in a supernatural reckoning. The return of the wizard Merlin, possessed by the Oyéresu, ultimately brings a linguistic and physical collapse to the Institute's headquarters at Belbury, proving that even the most advanced scientific pretensions cannot withstand the weight of ancient, spiritual truths.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: That Hideous Strength
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