Bob Abbett’s cover art is only one of many delights!
We’re living in an age of rampant cultural decay; and there are times when we need to NOT have it on our minds. We need escape! It’s as simple as that.
Here are five novels that I can always count on to provide escape.
The Chessmen of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Not only does ERB provide you with the rules of Martian chess; he also brings on Ghek the Kaldane, one of the most intriguing non-human characters ever created. Any description I might briefly offer would fall short by a long shot.
Freddy and the Ignormus by Walter R. Brooks. The Freddy the Pig books are marketed as children’s books, but they’re full of fun for adult readers, too–maybe even more so. In this outing, the legendary pig and his barnyard friends take on a haunted house. But is it really haunted, or just set up to look that way?
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. What can I say? I consider this the greatest fantasy novel of all time. Tolkien’s artistry with words will put you there. And although this tale is full of monsters, good is stronger than evil. Can’t hear a more welcome message than that, can you?
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. A lot of modern readers don’t like this book, but I do–and always have, since I was a boy. It was written well before the invention of SCUBA gear and deep-sea vehicles… but it’s so easy to forget this, once the story sucks you in.
That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis. This is the climax of Lewis’ “space trilogy,” but it works just fine as a stand-alone story. Can the world be saved from a cannibalistic alliance of Science and Government? Better hope so! Lewis wrote it some 70 years ago, and it seems prophetic now.
So there’s five books to get you started on a summer of fabulous escape fiction. The idea is to step aside for a moment and take a breather, hose down your brain, and get ready for the next round. In that sense, these books are part of God’s divine, all-foreseeing providence. Be thankful for them.
I’ve read four of the five—never heard of Freddy but will have to check it out as it seems to be in pretty good company. I have many of my dad’s hardcovers of his ERB books (Tarzan and Pellucidar ones too). My brother and I tried the jetan chess rules. Needless to say he trounced me. Good memories!
I brought my home-made jetan set to Chess Club and we had a lot of fun with it.
I read a bunch of RRB’s when introduced to them by Lee. I still love “The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland.” “Madame Bovary” is a good one and any of Agatha Christie’s. I most read non-fiction these days trying to keep a step ahead of what the devil is doing.
Agatha Christie gets a lot of shelf space in our bedroom.
I read “The Chessmen of Mars” by Edgar Rice Burroughs. But just watched the movies of “The Lord of the Rings” and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” But the other two, I am not familiar with. Nor have I heard of Lewis’ “space trilogy.” How did I miss reading these books by Lewis?