Unlike more popular works like the Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis's Ransom Trilogy is lesser-known and often perplexing. Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra take readers on adventures through the heavens; That Hideous Strength delves deep into topics much closer to home. In the process, these books allude to everything from H. G. Wells and the World Wars to Medieval cosmology and Arthurian Legend; therefore, there is much to be gained from an introduction to Lewis's broad and eclectic interests.

Written to be accessible and useful to fans and scholars alike, A Compass for Deep Heaven provides the background information, historical context, and literary insight readers need to navigate the cosmos of Lewis's science fiction. It does not merely inform; it shows how these contexts clarify key messages and reveal the real-world warnings hidden there.