The World's Last Night: And Other Essays

If you want a brief introduction to Clive Staples Lewis's thoughts on several different subjects before you attempt his array of books, then this is a good book to start. In seven essays he covers a gamut of topics-prayer, belief, culture, evil, evolution, works, life on other planets, and the Second Coming of Christ. Being a devout Anglican, after being a devout atheist, Professor Lewis combines his teaching skills, medieval literary background and writing skills to convey a lot of theology about the nature of things in these essays. Of course, you will not agree with everything this gentleman wrote, but it should cause you to reflect upon what you believe. Professor Lewis wrote and spoke on a number of subjects. It is very true that he was a Christian Apologist, but he was a professor of English holding the prestigious Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge. He was best friends with J. R. R. Tolkien of the Lord of the Rings fame. It is a certainty that these two literary masters would sit around tossing out ideas and stories which became the foundation of their lasting popularity, even though, Tolkien did not care for the Chronicles of Narnia. Here are three quotations from these essays: "I have wondered before now whether the vast astronomical distances may not be God's quarantine precautions. They prevent the spiritual infection of a fallen species from spreading." "The doctrine of the Second Coming teaches us that we do not and cannot know when the world drama will end." "What modern Christianity find it harder to remember is that the whole of humanity in this world is also precarious, temporary, provisional."

The World's Last Night is by no means the most comprehensive collection of Lewis' essays available and each has been published elsewhere. Nonetheless, this collection might best be described as a wonderful sampler. That is, within this compilation Lewis touches on a variety of subjects ranging from the, perhaps, more commonly contemplated questions with regard to The Efficacy of Prayer to those questions which arise due to the possibility of life on other planets as they perceivably pertain to Christianity. This collection also includes Lewis' effort to portray the battle between good and evil from the perspective of his famous character Screwtape in Screwtape Proposes a Toast. It is rounded out by essays that challenge the reader to consider the affect of government and society on Christian life at any given time. So while The World's Last Night might not be the best or most comprehensive collection of Lewis' work, it can be viewed as a comparatively cheap alternative to receive just enough variety to really whet one's appetite for a full portion of C.S. Lewis.

"The World's Last Night: And Other Essays contains a number of C.S. Lewis's short essays and a Screwtape addition (I could be mistaken but I believe his wife did that one). The essay "Lillies that Fester" was interesting as it mocked the ideal of looking cultured and the Screwtape addition was pretty good (I considerably enjoyed and recommend the original book "The Screwtape Letters" as well). The most interesting essay was probably "Religion and Rocketry dealing with what might happen if life was discovered in the cosmos. The essay "The World's Last Night" deals with the Second Coming and was a good read itself. Overall an interesting collection that I recommend.

The World's Last Night is an education smushed into a neat, tiny, little package. Whenever I read Lewis, I am struck by his intense clarity of thought. This book is no different. Lewis is at his brightest and most lucid in these pages. A variety of topics-from the effectiveness of prayer, to the end of the world-are covered in the pages of The World's Last Night. Each essay (and the story) is brilliant in its own way. Lewis is one of my favorite writers. I have come to believe that I like him so much not because of his clarity or depth of thought-which are good reasons for liking him-or even because we share a distaste for modernism and all that it has done to cloud modern thought, but I believe what I appreciate most about Lewis is his sense of humor. Lewis' humor is on display in every one of these very diverse pieces. Even when I disagree with Lewis, his humor humanizes him, and I cannot hold anything against him. Contemporary authors could take a lesson from this.Buy this book. It is worth reading and rereading. If nothing else, the humor will lift your spirits.

This book is a collection of various essays that C.S. Lewis authored and published a few years before his death. The titles are "The Efficacy of Prayer" (that discusses what practical, if any, effect our prayers have), "On Obstinacy in Belief" (exploring the reasons why people cling to a particular world view), "Lilies that Fester"("Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds," a talk about those whose concern is with a superficial desire to "be cultured" versus those who really care about the things that comprise culture), "Screwtape Proposes a Toast" (a short sequel to his book The Screwtape Letters), "Good Work and Good Works" (describing the difference between quality workmanship and Christian charity), "Religion and Rocketry" (discussing the truth of religion in a world where advancing technology allows humans to visit other worlds), and "The World's Last Night"(about the second coming of Christ). The essays are full of the usual vintage Lewis: shrewd, humorous, wise, and clear. In brief, they make for a fine reading time.