Suddenly her world was unmade
Lewis had a way with words that is a gift not often given.
I often read the first page of Out of the Silent Planet as it is the finest introduction to a story I've ever read. The Pedestrian... describes Dr. Elwin Ransom completely in its simplicity and drew me into the story like no other book.
Perelandra bored me when I was 10, but fascinates me still today. The back-and-forth dialogue and the finality of Ransom's decision leading to the battle still amazes.
50 years ago we lost a humble giant.
She had (or so she had believed) disliked bearded faces except for old men with white hair. But that was because she had long since forgotten the imagined Arthur of her childhood -- and the imagined Solomon too. Solomon -- for the first time in many years the bright solar belend of king and lover and magician which hangs about that name stole back upon her mind. For the first time in all those years she tasted the word King itself with all linked associations of battle, marriage, priesthood, mercy, and power.
... For the first few minutes after Grace Ironwood had left them alone, Jane hardly took in what the Director was saying. It was not that her attention wandered; on the contrary, her attention was so fixed on him that it defeated itself. Every tone, every look (how could they have supposed she would think him young?), every gesture, was printing itself upon her memory; and it was not until she had found that he had ceased speaking and was apparently awaiting an answer, that she realized she had taken in so little of what he had been saying.
Cheers!