Book Review: "War in Heaven," by Charles Williams
Charles Williams was an Inkling. And J.R.R. Tolkien was not a fan. A lot of it had to do with C.S. Lewis's affinity for Williams (Tolkien felt like he lost his best friend), but he also did not agree with Charles Williams' religious beliefs (which is part of why he couldn't just be good friends with the both of them). Knowing that Tolkien was such good friends with Lewis despite their doctrinal differences, Tolkien's complete dislike of Charles Williams, who professed to be a Christian, on religious grounds had to be something more. And so I was curious going into "War in Heaven."
I come away from it feeling that Tolkien was completely justified in his skepticism and dislike.
Ick. The basic premise of the story is that some satanists are trying to get a hold of the Holy Grail for their own dark purposes. I did not like the descriptions Williams gave of their rituals. It made me uncomfortable that he would know or imagine so much about it. As Elrond says in 'FOTR', "It is perilous to study too deeply the arts of the Enemy, for good or for ill." Looking into that stuff opens your mind to it. Not wise.
I kept reading, though, just skimming those parts to see if there was anything I needed to know for the story. The last one, though. Ick. I did not like it at all. I skipped it. It was evil. And the "Christian" conclusion wasn't any better. It felt another kind of evil, like 'The Shack.' It felt like the whole thing should not and could not have been written by a Christian, for any reason. Icky, icky.
So that's my review. Icky. Skip it. And I'll skip all his others.
I come away from it feeling that Tolkien was completely justified in his skepticism and dislike.
Ick. The basic premise of the story is that some satanists are trying to get a hold of the Holy Grail for their own dark purposes. I did not like the descriptions Williams gave of their rituals. It made me uncomfortable that he would know or imagine so much about it. As Elrond says in 'FOTR', "It is perilous to study too deeply the arts of the Enemy, for good or for ill." Looking into that stuff opens your mind to it. Not wise.
I kept reading, though, just skimming those parts to see if there was anything I needed to know for the story. The last one, though. Ick. I did not like it at all. I skipped it. It was evil. And the "Christian" conclusion wasn't any better. It felt another kind of evil, like 'The Shack.' It felt like the whole thing should not and could not have been written by a Christian, for any reason. Icky, icky.
So that's my review. Icky. Skip it. And I'll skip all his others.
posted by melilotnfosco | 11:00 PM
6 Comments:
I'm glad you skipped that part. And thanks for warning me, doesn't sound appealing to me at all. Which just goes to show, Harry Potter is NOT like that! But I digress. I get a little defensive sometimes. ;) I may share that FOTR quote on Facebook though... I think it could apply in politics too, but I suppose I'll just post it as a quote and let people connect it to whatever they want.
i don't know if i 100% knew what it was about when i checked it out (i just ordered it off of the library website, and the hardcover i got doesn't have a dust jacket). someone mentioned it somewhere, and i thought it was about time to give him a chance. yep, no more chances.
Does it change your opinion about Lewis at all?
no. i knew that he had some odd beliefs, too (just not as out there as williams). my guess is that williams was intelligent and lewis liked that. it does make me sadder for tolkien, though, as he was kind of in the right and, punished is too harsh of a word but whatever, punished for it.
Usually people in the right are, aren't they? Makes me think of the verse from the Beatitudes I recently posted.
wasn't planning to read it but now i definitely won't! thanks!
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