C.S. Lewis fans will be familiar with the controversy surrounding his posthumously published work, some of which may or may not have been forged. Public awareness of the controversy is in large part due to Lindskoog, who has been investigating and publicizing the alleged fraud since 1988 (The C.S. Lewis Hoax). Because Lewis is and always has been enormously popular in children's literature (because of the Chroniclesof Narnia) and Christian evangelism (because of his many religious writings), this dispute over the posthumous work is no obscure battle over scholarly authenticity: at stake are merchandising rights, tourism and an endless stream of publishing revenue. According to Lindskoog, members of the Lewis estate have exploited his legacy in ways ranging from the unethical to the outright unlawful—most outrageously, concocting and publishing a "new" C.S. Lewis novel, The Dark Tower.
Her fiercest attack is reserved for cotrustee of the estate and leading editor Walter Hooper, whom she paints as a forger and a fabricator of the first order. Unfortunately, Lindskoog often undermines her own argument by adducing flimsy evidence and speculation. Nevertheless, she makes a powerful case that something fishy is going on in the affairs of C.S. Lewis. Not every reader will want to battle through her lengthy and often hyperbolic case, but those who care about C.S. Lewis will find this book indispensable in making up their own minds.(June)
