To the topic at hand, Beyond the Shadowlands: C.S. Lewis on Heaven and Hell by Wayne Martindale: my Lewis background consists of reading Mere Christianity quite a few times and then, having finished the Chronicles of Narnia for just the first time last summer. I've not read the Space Trilogy but, after reading this book, I need to.

If you've read a bit of Lewis then this is a book for you. Martindale takes the writings of Lewis and extracts the nuggets about Heaven, Hell and even Purgatory. (Do you know what Lewis believes about this topic?) As a person who's always had trouble getting my head around the afterlife this is a book that makes you think. The emphasis on how Lewis uses his imagination to try and break through our perceptions about the afterlife is key, and Martindale ties together great fiction and strong theology.

I enjoy the highlighting of Heaven as it puts an emphasis on a part of Lewis's books that didn't always stand out to me, except in certain parts. Mostly, it's background or just one of many points Lewis is trying to make. In Beyond the Shadowlands, the focus is on the afterlife, and helped me to get some new thoughts on what Heaven and Hell may be like. If you are expecting harps and horns in the afterlife then this book is for you, as it will make you think. Many of the myths about Heaven and Hell are dealt with, right off the bat. This allows the reader to clear their head from the misconceptions they may have.

In terms of Hell, Martindale highlights how Lewis consistently reminds us that Hell is a choice; people who don't want God will not get Him. The myths of Hell and Lewis's views on why people go to Hell, what Hell might be really like and why people in Hell probably wouldn't even want to be in Heaven.

I do recommend at least reading The Lion, the Witch & The Wardrobe before reading this book. The more Lewis you've read, the more this book will touch you.

This was first reviewed by me as an Exclusive Reviewer for Mind and Media and now I'm posting the review as a newly minted BlogCritic.

NOTE: Originally posted at Broken Masterpieces.