: : : No, they are excellent. Screwtape is a devil who is writing letters of advice to his "nephew", Wormwood. Wormwood is a junior devil who has been assigned to a human to tempt him throughout his life. It's a roundabout way of giving advice on Christian living. Very interesting.

: : I haven't read that one. My wife started on it, but found it difficult because in exposing the thinking behind temptation, she found herself starting to think the way the devil did. So she stopped. Reminds me of the quote about Saruman (from shaky memory) "It is dangerous to study too deeply the arts of the enemy." It can be dangerous, but can be profitable. My 2¢ worth.

: : -Steve S.

: I think the Screwtape Letters are both funny and thought-provoking, with comments like "She's the sort of woman who lives for others. You can tell the others by their hunted expressions." It was a confirmation present and I have read it several times since. Also worth reading is short story "Screwtape Proposes a Toast."

: I found The Great Divorce very heavy going when I read it as a teenager. Now I greatly admire it.

: Of the Space Trilogy, I have read Out of the Silent Planet. It had some good ideas, but on the whole it did not really grip me.

: The Narnia chronicles are enjoyable, but I do think the Christianity in them is far too overt. I think Tolkien got it right in LOTR by constructing a world in which there was nothing incompatible with Christianity, but which was clearly pre-Christian.

: Sean

Narnia was written specifically for children & specifically as allegory, so the Christianity is overt by design. Taking the stories for just that, I think they are excellent. Similar to 'Pilgrims Progress' (though perhaps for a slightly younger audience). Being a father, I really appreciate the stories now that I can read them with my kids & let them spark discussions about our faith.

-Steve S.