Perelandra is the C.S. Lewis novel in which Ransom travels to the planet Perelandra.
Published in 1943, Perelandra is the second novel in Lewis’s Space Trilogy, following Out of the Silent Planet and preceding That Hideous Strength. Its protagonist, Dr. Elwin Ransom, is sent to the planet known to Earth as Venus. There he finds a world of floating islands and meets an early human-like ruler whose choices will determine the planet’s spiritual future.
The novel reworks elements associated with the biblical story of temptation in a new planetary setting. Ransom must oppose the character Weston, who has become a vehicle for a destructive spiritual influence. Lewis combines speculative science fiction with theological questions about freedom, obedience, innocence, and evil.
The title refers both to the planet and to the novel’s setting. Out of the Silent Planet takes place on Malacandra, Lewis’s name for Mars, while That Hideous Strength returns much of its action to Earth. These distinctions identify Perelandra as the trilogy’s Venus-centered middle volume.