Fantastical Truth

Long ago, before the great lion Aslan bounded onto bookshelves, C. S. Lewis wrote a science fiction novel set on mythological Mars. From there, the sequel carried Dr. Elwin Ransom by angels to the sister planet Venus. And from there … the Ransom/Cosmic/Space Trilogy descended to the dull world of corrupt college boards, inner-ring politics, and a secret technocracy bent on world domination with the aid of mad science and demons and everything. Eighty years after That Hideous Strength, we explore why C. S. Lewis created this earthbound and weird and wonderful pre-political supernatural thriller. Episode sponsors Sons of Day and Night by Mariposa AristeoA Faie Tale by Vince MancusoAbove the Circle of Earth by E. Stephen Burnett Mission update Josiah DeGraaf’s Sun Eater series articleSubscribe freejoin the Lorehaven Guild That hideously obscure front cover image. 1. The temptations to wield inner rings Hideous Strength 2. A not-so-N.I.C.E. secular technocracy pre-politicalbeneathmacrobes 3. Devils vs. power to demolish strongholds Hideous StrengthThe Screwtape Letterslanguageword“Qui Verbum Dei contempserunt, eis auferetur etiam verbum hominis.”“They that have despised the word of God, from them shall the word of man also be taken away.”That Hideous Strength Com station Top question for listeners Do you prefer demonic evil in fiction to be overt or subtle? Next on Fantastical Truth Well, we just talked about the first Chronicle of Narnia … the book! Yet many fans found or rediscovered this series thanks to the Disney-distributed, Walden Media–made film from director Andrew Adamson. Want to feel old? That was two decades ago! So now we shall look back at Narnia’s journey to the box office with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which released twenty years ago on Dec. 9, 2005.

“I don’t know where the Lion came from or why He came. But once He was there, He pulled the whole story together.”

Some evangelicals may assume winsome talk about stories and songs can promote peaceful conversations with our neighbors—only to face rage, slander, and worse.

As we wage the greatest battle against sin within, we also wield the weapons of weird fiction to combat evil in the real world.

Scripture and history indicate these wicked spirits do their worst work in response to human sin, weakness, and invitation.

“Demons are simply monsters who have learned human speech. … For them, words are just a way of deceiving humans.”

Extraterrestrial devils could pull a classic and drop down from the sky, or rise up from our world's unexplored depths, or else creep into our very thought patterns.

Sometimes romantasy is deeply human and wholesome, and sometimes these tales exchange the glory of God for images resembling bulls, orcs, and aliens.

Whenever the Holy Spirit acts, ghouls shriek in the dark. Christians feel renewed. And public conversions get messy yet exciting to witness.

The Restorationists fantasy author returns to help us recall the biblical purpose of artworks and how we help children learn to love them.

When we’re attacked by tragedy caused by evil beliefs, heroes must “ride out and meet them, for death and glory ... for your people.”

Without biblical wisdom, we might lock ourselves into imagining that everything is about a particular doctrine, fandom, or political activism.

Although our laments take many forms, we can celebrate how Christ builds His kingdom through “small” and “big” people who serve Him.

Audiobooks and ebooks have many benefits, but can’t beat the classic practice of gathering and reading real books in real places.

When we work only to keep poisonous content out of stories, we might miss readers’ greater needs for nutritious truth, goodness, and beauty.

This summer’s lackbuster movies left some fans liking fun franchises with simpler morals, while others await mythic tales with challenging ideas.

Critics who suppose artificial imaginations will destroy "big Hollywood" ignore inhuman threats against skilled creators and faithful Christians.

For decades the Bancroft brothers have animated classic characters across many realms, including this fall's new movie about our greatest Hero.

We need no automatic loyalty for big-budget movies that fall into made-up moralities, flippant franchises, and scandalized or sillified superheroes.

Faithful gamers are finding fertile soil in digital worlds, leading to this year's crossover between Realm Makers and Christian Game Developers.