Rating: 
Summary: Review of "Mere Christianity"
Review: Perhaps I'm confused, but by Book II: Part 3 'The Shocking Alternative', it seems to me that with the sentence "God created things which had free will", C.S. Lewis had decided that the concept of "god" is a given, and the Christian view that "this is a good world that has gone wrong, but still retains the memory of what it ought to have been" becomes the basis upon which the remained of the book is built. Maybe I misunderstood, but it is at this point he lost my interest. I thought I would be reading objective intellectial text, I am mistaken.
Rating: 
Summary: 500 stars for the books. A question mark for the set.
Review: The books grouped together in this boxed set are - taken together - unquestionably the greatest achievement in modern Christian apologetics. (If I hesitate to place them alongside something like St. Augustine's "The City of God", it is only because their cultural contexts are so different that it would be comparing apples and oranges; not because I necessarily think Lewis's achievement is any smaller.) Years of exposure to their ultra-lucid and gracious discourse (such a tonic for the harangues of the televangelists!) - voluntarily sought out for the sheer pleasure of his elegant prose - gradually brought me from pugnacious atheism to (much to my surprise) a church pew. So if you're coming to Lewis with anything less than a hermetically sealed mind, be warned by my example. As he wryly puts it, an atheist can't be too careful what he reads. That said, from a consumer's point of view, I would only feel confident recommending this set to the converted Lewis-ite who wants a uniform edition of the central works. (Though the surprising absence of his spiritual autobiography "Surprised by Joy" will need to be remedied somehow.) The artsy photographs on the covers are decent and the type is pleasantly sized (although a bit more watery than prose this solid deserves). The gift-giver who wants to introduce someone to the pleasures of Lewis would do better with the beguiling (and invitingly slim) single volume "The Great Divorce". (Others would propose the popular and entertaining "The Screwtape Letters". They might be right. But I stand firm.) Then - the following Christmas perhaps - "Mere Christianity", which explains what is being offered. And then "Miracles", which satisfied me at least that it wasn't too good to be true. And only then "The Problem of Pain", which wrestles manfully with the difficult, perhaps unanswerable stuff.
Rating: 
Summary: The Screwtape Letters Book Review
Review: The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis is a classic piece of American Literature. This fiction piece chronicles the conversations between Screwtape, a powerful official in hell, second only to the devil himself, and Wormwood, a devil in-training assigned to convert a human to "Our Father Below." He uses many tactics to try and turn his patient away from "the enemy."(God) The whole book is written in the form of letters from Screwtape to Wormwood, discussing and analyzing his work on his patient. Lewis uses many similes and metaphors in his book to convey analogies about human spiritual structure and about God. His theme throughout the novel is about human temptation and the battle being waged between good and evil.
The Screwtape Letters provided a great insight to the battle between good and evil. The whole idea of a book from the devil's point of view is fascinating. This book has made me review my Christianity of and show a deeper commitment to my faith. Screwtape Letters is a deep and thought-provoking book. I thought the most intriguing part of the book was Screwtape's idea that the best way to "win a man's soul" to the devil was to make him indifferent about good and evil; to make him feel that he's a "pretty good" Christian so he doesn't have to strive to become better.
This magnificent book about what goes on "Down below" brings a deep sense of spirituality to anyone who reads it. By knowing the enemies tactics, it helps us all to become better Christians. The book is a classic, and it will be around for a very long time.
Rating:
Summary: Great set
Review: These books do not outline Lewis's thought, nor do they contain all his best books (case in point, the thoughtful Abolition of Man is not included). What this set does is give a good taste of Lewis's notions of Christianity. In fact, this collection is perhaps more suited for non-theology-savvy individuals seeking to garner better understanding of Christianity. For example, Miracles still contains relevant arguments regarding doctrines like the virgin birth and the resurrection. The Great Divorce gives a brilliant and creative defense for how an all-loving God could ordain hell. C. S. Lewis's clear and witty style makes him a fast and entertaining read for virtually any reader.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of Lewis in a Box!
Review: These new editions of Lewis' popular theological works are stunningly designed, both inside and out. The cover art is tasteful, the page layout and type design are quite readable, and of course, the books are timeless. I have owned these books in previous editions, but couldn't resist buying them and reading them all over again. The Great Divorce and Miracles are somewhat lesser known, but among his best writings. I particularly enjoyed the forewords by Kathleen Norris (Mere Christianity) and Madeleine L'Engle (A Grief Observed). The Screwtape Letters still makes me laugh! Lewis remains one of my favorite writers of all time, and this boxed edition makes a wonderful gift for any lover of great spiritual literature.
Rating:
Summary: Great Collection of C. S. Lewis Books
Review: This is an excellent collection of works by C. S. Lewis. It served as my introduction to Lewis's writings. I had never read anything by him before and was only familiar with his name and the title of one or two of his books. I was awed for the most part by his insight into Christianity and his intellect. As with any other author, there were some points on which I could not wholly agree, but in a far greater number of times, I found myself growing in my faith and deepening my understanding. This set consists of six books in all. The Problem of Pain is an examination of the purpose of pain in the world. The Screwtape Letters is a fictional collection of letters from a demon named Screwtape who counsels his nephew on how to draw a man away from God. The Great Divorce is a fantastic story of a spiritual being after death somewhere between heaven and hell. Miracles is an examination of what miracles really are and how they play a role in this world. Mere Christianity is, as its title suggests, an attempt to point out and explain the most basic tenets of the Christian faith. A Grief Observed is the journal the Lewis kept after the death of his wife. (I have written a more detailed review for each book under its individual listing.) I would highly recommend this collection to anyone. It is filled with spiritual insight and understanding.
Rating:
Summary: Every apologist and skeptic should read this
Review: With the release of the C. S. LEWIS SIGNATURE SERIES, which supersedes a previous box set of Lewis books, replaces a book from the original set. Originally published with THE ABOLITION OF MAN, as opposed to the (now included) A GRIEF OBSERVED, this rearrangement of this particular set is a particularly revealing little facet of what has now become a very profitable industry built on Lewis's name. With the public attention brought on by Lewis's marriage, there has been a marked increase and peaking of interested in Lewis's relationship to Joy Davidman. The original set presented a very clear and rational set of apologetics. It has now caved in to discinclude THE ABOLITION and replaces it with GRIEF. Please do not think I am criticizing either work, for both are very important books. THE CASE FOR CHRISTIANITY, the first book in MERE CHRISTIANITY, argues for a natural law, and ABOLITION expands and propounds on Lewis's ideas of the Tao, or moral law. These two works are best understood when read together, and it is unfortunate they dropped ABOLITION from it. While A GRIEF OBSERVED stands as Lewis's most personal and heart wrenching works (it is extremely beautiful), it seems out of place with the other books in this box set. Although this stands as an introduction to the causal reader, I think this particular audience would be better serviced if there was another set of works, such as THE FOUR LOVES, TILL WE HAVE FACES, REFLECTIONS ON THE PSALMS, LETTERS TO MALCOLM, SURPRISED BY JOY, and A GRIEF OBSERVED in one nice set. These better represent the period of Lewis's life that Joy had the most impact on, though LETTERS was published in 1963. It still saddens me that ABOLITION was eliminated. They could have made the set with seven books instead of six. However, the publishers did not. Instead of presenting Lewis's remarkable skills as an apologist, which was the original function of the original box set by presenting four nonfiction works and two works of fiction , we have a work from an entirely different period of Lewis's life. The new addition is best read outside of this set. That complaint aside, these books are central to understanding Lewis as a Christian writer, and especially as an apologist. Most people may know him from NARNIA or one of these volumes, and it is a good place for introduction into the mind and works of C. S. Lewis. All the books here are classics, from SCREWTAPE, MERE CHRISTIANITY, and MIRACLES, as well as three other works, all of which range from profound (the majority) to beautiful (THE GREAT DIVORCE), to the gut-wrenching (A GRIEF OBSERVED). Those interested in the works of this profound man would be amiss to be without this set.
Rating:
Summary: Great Lewis but first box set represented his logic better.
Review: With the release of the C. S. LEWIS SIGNATURE SERIES, which supersedes a previous box set of Lewis books, replaces a book from the original set. Originally published with THE ABOLITION OF MAN, as opposed to the (now included) A GRIEF OBSERVED, this rearrangement of this particular set is a particularly revealing little facet of what has now become a very profitable industry built on Lewis's name. With the public attention brought on by Lewis's marriage, there has been a marked increase and peaking of interested in Lewis's relationship to Joy Davidman. The original set presented a very clear and rational set of apologetics. It has now caved in to discinclude THE ABOLITION and replaces it with GRIEF. Please do not think I am criticizing either work, for both are very important books. THE CASE FOR CHRISTIANITY, the first book in MERE CHRISTIANITY, argues for a natural law, and ABOLITION expands and propounds on Lewis's ideas of the Tao, or moral law. These two works are best understood when read together, and it is unfortunate they dropped ABOLITION from it. While A GRIEF OBSERVED stands as Lewis's most personal and heart wrenching works (it is extremely beautiful), it seems out of place with the other books in this box set. Although this stands as an introduction to the causal reader, I think this particular audience would be better serviced if there was another set of works, such as THE FOUR LOVES, TILL WE HAVE FACES, REFLECTIONS ON THE PSALMS, LETTERS TO MALCOLM, SURPRISED BY JOY, and A GRIEF OBSERVED in one nice set. These better represent the period of Lewis's life that Joy had the most impact on, though LETTERS was published in 1963. It still saddens me that ABOLITION was eliminated. They could have made the set with seven books instead of six. However, the publishers did not. Instead of presenting Lewis's remarkable skills as an apologist, which was the original function of the original box set by presenting four nonfiction works and two works of fiction , we have a work from an entirely different period of Lewis's life. The new addition is best read outside of this set. That complaint aside, these books are central to understanding Lewis as a Christian writer, and especially as an apologist. Most people may know him from NARNIA or one of these volumes, and it is a good place for introduction into the mind and works of C. S. Lewis. All the books here are classics, from SCREWTAPE, MERE CHRISTIANITY, and MIRACLES, as well as three other works, all of which range from profound (the majority) to beautiful (THE GREAT DIVORCE), to the gut-wrenching (A GRIEF OBSERVED). Those interested in the works of this profound man would be amiss to be without this set.
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