At the Simpson Library, I picked up a science fiction novel called Descent into Hell, by Charles Williams, and so far, it's pretty good. Williams was a close friend of both J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, two giants among fiction literature, and was a member of their "Inklings" club. I have been doing some research into Williams' life and have him to quite interesting. His life seems to be a great paradox in a couple respects. For example, Williams never had a complete, formal education, yet he lectured at Oxford. He was a devout Christian theologian yet was a member of a Theosophical occult society for a time in his life.
Despite his simple roots, Williams proves to be an incredibly brilliant, complex author. The novel I am reading is difficult to interpret at times. Whenever an author brings in elements of the supernatural, transcendent realm into his stories, I find it hard to know what to interpret as a literal aspect of the story or a clever metaphor. Williams makes this task difficult for me. I like his writing, however. It is artistic and eloquent. My verdict so far: read Williams; if you like Tolkien and Lewis, he is a vital part of your science-fiction/fantasy education!
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