His works were described by one critic as ‘spiritual thrillers’. War in Heaven, for example, concerns a Satanic plot to taint the Holy Grail, which has appeared in a small English church, by using it in a black mass. His novels are fascinating, but I find his writing style rather abstruse and opaque. I often have to read a sentence several times before comprehending its meaning. He was a member of the Inklings, the group of literary friends that also included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Very interesting man.Interesting…I’ve never heard of this writer before.
Do you know C.S. Lewis’ fantasy novel for adults, That Hideous Strength? One critic described it as ‘the best Charles Williams novel not actually written by Williams’. That description is not too far off the mark, though I find Lewis’ style far more clear and comprehensible than Williams’. If you haven’t already, you might try reading THS to get an idea of Williams’ concerns, as his works can be rather hard to track down, having been out of print for decades. I found my copies in a small used-book shop in Palo Alto, California in the 1990s. You may find them for sale on Amazon or alibris. I hope they won’t be too costly.Interesting…I’ve never heard of this writer before.
I know what you mean. THS is not my favorite of the Space Trilogy either; that honored position goes to Perelandra, which coincidentally was also Lewis’ favorite of the three. I think it is my simultaneous longing for other worlds as well as the pre-lapsarian Eden which gives Perelandra its hold over me.Yes, I’m very familiar with his Space Trilogy. That Hideous Strength is my least favorite of the three, but I love Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra.
I’d like to give Williams’ books a try…they do sound like really interesting/creepy stories. Which do you all recommend to start with?
The stories with supernatural themes remind me of one of my favorite books, This Present Darkness by Frank E. Peretti. It’s not Catholic but I read it years ago and I thought the interplay between the angels and demons was fascinating. It’s not as intellectual as Lewis or anything, just a fun read.
Would that more authors would attempt this in their writing! The trouble is, I don’t see many authors in 2018 who have as profound and well-considered a faith and knowledge thereof as Williams had.they strike me as more realistic than most realistic novels, because they portray the spiritual realm (as seen from our earthly standpoint) in a way that I think is actually right on.