I am a huge C.S. Lewis fan! His perspective on the spiritual world is unequaled in any other author I have read. In The World’s Last Night, Lewis shares seven essays ranging from how our prayers really impact things, to life on other planets, to the end of our world as we know it.
The title of this book (and the title of the concluding chapter) are taken from a question by John Donne: “What if this present were the world’s last night?” So all of Lewis’ essays are written from that perspective. If this is the world’s last night, why should we keep praying? If demons knew this was the world’s last night, why would they keep on tempting? If atheists knew this was the world’s last night, would they keep arguing the same way?
As with all of his writings, C.S. Lewis has a unique knack of giving his readers a perspective that is totally original. His skills in philosophy, literature, and understanding the human heart are unparalleled! If you are ready to have your horizons expanded, these essays will not disappoint!
(And for any fans of The Screwtape Letters, Screwtape himself makes a special appearance as he gives a toast in hell that is sure to evoke both smiles and chagrins.)
August 29, 2017 at 7:10 am
I’ve got The Screwtape Letters on my bookshelf waiting to be read, but this book sounds great too! Will add it to the list! 🙂
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August 29, 2017 at 7:23 am
Have you read other C.S. Lewis books?
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August 29, 2017 at 7:40 am
I’ve read Mere Christianity. But I think that’s all 🙂
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August 29, 2017 at 8:06 am
That’s a great book too! Do you like SciFi? If so, you would really like the space trilogy that Lewis wrote—Out Of The Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength.
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August 29, 2017 at 8:12 am
I do like SciFi. But I haven’t read much SciFi – most of my reading tends to be non-fiction. But thanks for the recommendations, I’d be tempted to read them if I didn’t have a load of other books in the queue! Maybe some time in the future… 🙂
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August 29, 2017 at 8:21 am
I hear ya—I always have way more books to read than I have time to read. I, too, read almost exclusively non-fiction, with C.S. Lewis and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle being two of my exceptions. I hope you can work those space trilogy books into the rotation in the future: you won’t be disappointed!
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August 29, 2017 at 8:25 am
Thanks Craig, much appreciated. Always good to get recommendations, I’ll see what I can do! 😉
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August 29, 2017 at 7:10 am
I loved the Screwtape Letters, as well as anything else C.S. Lewis has written! Great post!
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August 29, 2017 at 7:22 am
You can never go wrong with a C.S. Lewis book!
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August 29, 2017 at 7:42 am
Definitely agree!
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August 30, 2017 at 6:06 am
[…] Lewis masterfully practices his craft. Check out my full book review of The World’s Last Night by clicking here. Below is just a small sampling of a few of the outstanding quotes in this […]
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September 28, 2017 at 1:02 pm
[…] “There is, you see, no real parallel between Christian obstinacy in faith and the obstinacy of a bad scientist trying to preserve a hypothesis although the evidence has turned against it. Unbelievers very pardonably get the impression that an adherence to our faith is like that, because they meet Christianity, if at all, mainly in apologetic works. And there, of course, the existence and beneficence of God must appear as a speculative question like any other. Indeed, it is a speculative question as long as it is a question at all. But once it has been answered in the affirmative, you get quite a new situation. To believe that God—at least this God—exists is to believe that you as a person now stand in the presence of God as a Person. What would, a moment before, have been variations in opinion, now become variations in your personal attitude to a Person. You are no longer faced with an argument which demands your assent, but with a Person who demands your confidence.” —C.S. Lewis, in The World’s Last Night […]
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January 2, 2018 at 6:07 am
[…] The World’s Last Night […]
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February 12, 2018 at 1:05 pm
[…] “But we think thus because we keep on assuming that we know the play. We do not know the play. We do not even know whether we are in Act I or Act V. We do not know who are the major and who the minor characters. The Author knows.” —C.S. Lewis, in The World’s Last Night […]
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