Which C.S. Lewis novel begins his Space Trilogy?

Out of the Silent Planet begins C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy. Published in 1938, it introduces the philologist Elwin Ransom, who is abducted and taken to the planet Malacandra, known as Mars in the novel’s setting.

The book combines planetary adventure with Christian philosophy, linguistic invention, and speculation about humanity’s place in the universe. Ransom’s training as a scholar helps make language and translation central parts of the story rather than merely background details.

The two sequels are Perelandra, published in 1943, and That Hideous Strength, published in 1945. The trilogy is also called the Ransom Trilogy, after its main character. It is separate from Lewis’s Narnia books and from his autobiographical and explicitly theological works.