Chapter 1 Summary

Out of the Silent Planet is a science fiction tale of Dr. Elwin Ransom's journey from Earth to live among the inhabitants of Mars, called Malacandra in the local language. Through the medium of science fiction, the novel addresses the social issues of racism, colonialism and religion. It is the first book in C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy.

A nameless pedestrian walks along a lane in the English countryside. It has been raining, and he has just been turned away from an inn at the small town of Nadderby. The pedestrian is tall, between 35 and 40, and dressed slightly shabbily with the look of a schoolteacher or doctor. In fact, he is a professor of philology at Cambridge University and his name is Edwin Ransom.

Ransom wants to find lodging at a farm before reaching Sterk, but the countryside is sparsely inhabited. After hiking...