Honestly, if you pick up a copy of That Hideous Strength expecting a lighthearted romp through Narnia, you’re in for a massive shock. It’s weird. It's dark. It's basically a fever dream where King Arthur’s wizard, a bunch of bureaucrats, and a severed head all collide in a small English college town.
C.S. Lewis wrote this back in 1945, right at the tail end of World War II. While the first two books in his "Space Trilogy" took us to Mars and Venus, this one stays firmly on Earth. Or "Thulcandra," as the angels call it. It’s the "Silent Planet" for a reason—it’s under siege.
What is That Hideous Strength actually about?
Most people think of Lewis as the "lion and wardrobe" guy, but this book is his gritty, dystopian masterpiece. It follows a young, somewhat spineless academic named Mark Studdock. He’s obsessed with being "in" with the cool kids—what Lewis calls the "Inner Ring."
Mark gets recruited by the N.I.C.E. (National Institute of Coordinated Experiments). Sounds lovely, right? Wrong. They’re basically a technocratic nightmare disguised as a scientific institute. They want to "recondition" humanity, abolish nature, and—eventually—get rid of organic life altogether.
Meanwhile, Mark’s wife, Jane, is having terrifyingly accurate visions. She ends up joining a ragtag group of resistance fighters at a place called St. Anne’s. Their leader? None other than Elwin Ransom, the hero from the previous books, who is now the "Pendragon" of Britain.
The Tower of Babel Connection
The title isn't just a cool-sounding phrase. It actually comes from a 16th-century poem by David Lyndsay about the Tower of Babel. Lewis is making a point here. When humans try to build a "tower" to heaven using only their own cleverness and technology, things go south. Fast.
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In the book, the N.I.C.E. is the new Babel. They speak in this garbled, bureaucratic "officialese" that eventually turns into literal gibberish during the climax.
Why the N.I.C.E. Is Terrifying (And Familiar)
The villains in this book aren't orcs or monsters. They’re professors. They’re PR experts. They’re the kind of people who write 50-page reports on "synergy" and "efficiency."
- Lord Feverstone: A smooth-talking politician who sees people as tools.
- The Fairy (Miss Hardcastle): The head of the institutional police who genuinely enjoys "interrogating" people.
- Deputy Director Wither: A man who speaks so much "management-speak" that he has basically lost the ability to think clearly.
Lewis was worried about "Scientism"—not actual science, but the belief that science should have the final say on morality and human rights. He saw a world where "experts" would decide what’s best for everyone else without any regard for traditional values.
Sound like 2026? A little bit.
The Return of Merlin
This is where the book gets truly wild. To stop the N.I.C.E., Ransom and his team have to wake up Merlin. Yes, that Merlin.
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He’s been sleeping under a wood near the university for centuries. But he’s not a Disney wizard with a sparkly hat. He’s a 5th-century Druid who is confused, powerful, and kinda scary. The N.I.C.E. wants to dig him up and use his "magic" to bolster their "science."
The clash between Merlin and the modern bureaucrats is one of the best parts of the book. It’s the ancient, messy, wild past hitting the cold, sterilized, "progressive" future.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ending
People often complain that the ending is a "Deus ex Machina" because the heroes don't really do much. They just wait while the planetary angels (the Eldila) descend and wreck shop.
But that’s the whole point.
Lewis is arguing that human strength—especially the "hideous" kind that tries to control everything—is nothing compared to the actual forces of the universe. The N.I.C.E. falls apart because of its own internal rot. They start eating each other before the animals even get to them.
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And yes, there is a literal bloodbath at a banquet. It involves a tiger, an elephant, and a lot of confused scientists. It’s chaotic. It's glorious.
Why You Should Care Today
That Hideous Strength is basically a "how-to" guide on spotting institutional corruption.
- Watch the language. If an organization starts using vague, flowery words to describe something cruel, run.
- Beware the Inner Ring. The desire to be "included" can make you agree to things you know are wrong.
- Nature matters. Any system that treats the natural world (and human bodies) as just "raw material" to be fixed is probably dangerous.
If you’re going to read it, don’t start with the "abridged" version. Get the full text. It’s long, and the first 100 pages are a bit of a slog through faculty meetings, but once the supernatural elements kick in, it’s a ride you won't forget.
Next Steps for Your Reading List
If you finished the book and your brain is buzzing, here’s what to do next. Read The Abolition of Man. It’s the non-fiction version of the same argument. Lewis literally says in the preface of the novel that if you want the "dry" version of the story, read that.
Also, look into Charles Williams. He was a close friend of Lewis and Tolkien, and his "spiritual thrillers" (like War in Heaven) heavily influenced the creepy, urban-fantasy vibe of this book. You'll see the DNA of the St. Anne’s group all over Williams' work.
Lastly, go back and re-read the first chapter of Out of the Silent Planet. Seeing how far Ransom has come from a confused philologist to the "King of Britain" makes the trilogy's conclusion way more satisfying.
The battle for "Logres" (the soul of Britain) isn't over just because the book ended.