Charles Williams

Benisse

Perelandrian
Staff member
Royal Guard
Have any of you read anything by Williams?

Charles Williams was a close friend of Lewis and part of the Inklings' writing group. So one of my projects this year is to read through his novels. I liked Many Dimensions; I found the plot wild in a Keystones' Cops kind of way. Now I am reading War in Heaven, but am finding it a bit more difficult to follow and get in to. Hopefully things will fall into place as I get farther along.

May 2017 update:
I finished War in Heaven a while back and am now beginning The Place of the Lion.
After War I had to take a break because of the creepy evil in that book; I wish Williams had focused more on the man in grey...
 
I've read two books by Williams: War in Heaven (which I mostly liked, once I got into it) and Shadows of Ecstasy (which I decidedly did not). War in Heaven seemed like a standard supernatural thriller in many ways, though better written. Shadows was interesting, but it was hard to understand the ending. The story seemed to drop off without a clear resolution, although Williams seemed to be making a point of some kind. I'm wondering whether he may have been trying to put in some sort of magic-related theme--it didn't seem entirely orthodox. But I think Shadows has a reputation for being one of the worst of his books.

I think PotW mentioned reading All Hallows' Eve before, if I remember correctly.
 
I just finished Place of the Lion and it had its moments in which I could not wait to turn the page, as well as scenes that left me wondering, "What was that about?" or "Well what about [unanswered question/loose thread]?" Knowing how much Lewis loved Williams, and enjoying his writing and the mythopoeic beauty of his imaginative ideas kept me reading... but at the end I feel rather confused and dissatisfied...

Things I wish knew more about <<SPOILERS ALERT>>
• Berringer and what his trance was about (how it started and what it signified) and the meaning of his fate
• what the supernatural fire meant
•*how Damaris could be so calm about her father's fate
• how Foster and the Serpent woman came to get involved with the negative side -- the anatomy of their falls
• how was the community going to heal from all its trauma and destruction and frightening encounters with angelicals
 
I've recently obtained Place of the Lion. I haven't been completely certain I wanted to read it. I have pretty particular tastes in writing, though it expresses itself in many genres. I got the book on recommendation of the Inklings, upon learning that both Lewis and Tolkien enjoyed his work. But his biographical info makes me a little hesitant, along with some of the quotes I've picked up from him here and there. It seem he may be a little...dark(?)....heavy(?).....for my taste. Not sure.

I only read the first half of Benisse's post as (thankfuly) it warned of spoilers at the end which I dont care for. And it doesn't make it sound any better!

Can anybody give me some insight on Place of the Lion before I jump in, without spoiling the plot?
 
Back
Top