Chapter 1 of That Hideous Strength introduces us to some of the key characters and ideas that we'll be exploring over the next 17 weeks; the draw of the Inner Ring, the nature of reality, the relation between magic and science, and more. Like The Abolition of Man, this is a serious book. Don't be fooled by its categorization as fiction. As Aristotle advised, the art of storytelling can be a better teacher than history.