That Hideous Strength

Synopsis

That Hideous Strength is the concluding novel of Lewis's Cosmic Trilogy. Set in post-war England, it follows Mark and Jane Studdock as they become entangled on opposite sides of a spiritual battle. The N.I.C.E. (National Institute of Co-ordinated Experiments) represents the marriage of scientism and bureaucratic power, culminating in an attempt to resurrect a human head through technology and channel demonic forces through it. Lewis's portrayal of institutional evil, the seduction of relevance, and humanity's attempt to transcend its creaturely limits through technological apotheosis reads as disturbingly contemporary. The novel stands as a prophetic warning against the worship of technique and the hubris of creating gods in our own image.