Lilith

This is not a Romance, but the most imagitive book I have ever read. The creativity just goes on & on. I like it & can't wait to see how it ends. If your looking for some really different to read, this is it. Sometime you need to stretch out & try a new venue.

This is a wonderful book and surprising, well written, magical, but not magical like the Harry Potter books, (George Macdonald was a Christian). He wrote many fantasy books and some were made into movies, but this books is very descriptive and really takes you on a fun journey. After you read it, you will wonder why it has not been a more popular and well known book. It is good for all ages.

Very disappointed in this, as well as any other print-on-demand book I have ever received from the store. The poor typesetting and formatting make it very difficult to read. As for the story itself, it is excellent. I just have had to look for another edition elsewhere.

I purchased this particular edition of Lilith for the C.S. Lewis introduction. However the item is improperly described and the Kindle download was for a different version, one that did NOT have the C. S. Lewis introduction. Even the cover image is different on the actual download. the store needs to fix that post haste. Thankfully I was able to return for a refund.

I found myself skipping large portions of the book to get to the parts concerning the plot. I generally enjoy MacDonald's romances, but I can't say I feel the same way about his fantasies, this one included. I can see in the bok sleeveLess got many of his ideas from, but LEWIS' books are far more appealing, at least to this reader.

Since I like MacDonald's novels in general, I thought I would like Lilith, but I didn't. Maybe it's too difficult for me. I fought through it and enjoyed certain portions, but I was tempted not to finish it. I think it might be "over my head." I'm not talking about the "universalist" theology of it, because I understand what he is saying there, although I think the Bible clearly does not support it (I sense a temptation within myself to wish universalism were true), but I could have found much value in the story anyway if I could have understood it more thoroughly. I'm writing this review as a warning to readers like me who enjoy MacDonald's non-fantasy novels (and I prefer his originals there to the modernized versions) but will find Lilith to be a far different reading experience, one that they may not enjoy.

I purchased this book for my daughter on recommendation by someone I respect and trust. She currently attends a very competitive technical high school which is sapping the creativity and imagination out of her. After she read this book, she stated that her mind worked better. As she was working on her 60 problems of geometry homework at 11 pm, she claimed she is also working on three different stories in her head. Wow! that's multitasking. Where school is making her into a machine, reading this book and other books by the same author is reminding her that she is a human being who can think way outside the box.

"More for your money" is a deliberately crass thing to say about an edition of the fruits of George MacDonald's old age. An explanation is called for.

George MacDonald was born in 1824; when Lilith was published, in 1895, he was in his seventies, and perilously near the time of failing health (some suspect a stroke, not confirmed) in which he spent his final years unable to speak or walk. He died in 1905. His oldest son, Greville MacDonald, personally edited a new publication of Lilith in 1924, the centennial of the birth of Lilith's author. Along with the version of Lilith published in its author's lifetime, Greville Macdonald added to this edition his own paraphrase of the manuscript which today's scholars, librarians, archivists, and students call "LILITH A" or "THE A MANUSCRIPT." Being a paraphrase, Greville MacDonald's re-telling is briefer than the actual manuscript, which dates back to 1890, five years before the final version was issued in print.

"Lilith First and Final," from Johannesen, an American publishing house, goes beyond Greville MacDonald's centennial version. The contents of "Lilith First and Final" are the published Lilith from 1895, and a printed, typeset transcript of Lilith A from 1890, in that order.

What is there to say about George MacDonald's two versions, written or printed five years apart?

The story, after careful reading, is much the same story. The characters are a little different or greatly different. Some dialogue, some conversations between characters, is identical and verbatim, making an obvious connection between the "first and final" versions. It is telling that, although the tightly organized plot is much the same in both versions, the deviations between plots are character-driven deviations. Here are some more specific observations.

About the 1890 "Manuscript A": there is a princess, and she is in the power of the Shadow; but she has no name at all, and the particular name "Lilith" appears nowhere.
The magical white leopard, Astarte, is rather different. She begins in Lilith's captivity, gives her life for the protagonist Mr. Fane (yes, the surname is slightly different), and is resurrected in the sexton's chamber of cold sleep.
Mr. Fane is determined to find his missing father, and this is his agenda when he follows the Raven to the sexton's house. The afflicted no-name princess is a big distraction, but in time, Mr. Fane is rewarded for his determination to find his father.
Mr. Fane goes to sleep separately from the Little Ones. He then rises, collects the Little Ones and the afflicted princess, brings them to the sexton's house, sees them lie down to sleep, and spends the long dark night in the sexton's cottage, conversing with Adam and Eve, till the Little Ones rise at dawn.

The 1890 "Manuscript A" has no Lona, and no character resembling Lona.
The 1890 "Manuscript A" has no Mara, and no character resembling Mara; nor is there a House of Bitterness out in the desert. Instead, Mr. Fane, isolated between the princess' kingdom and the sexton's house in the wilderness, is dependent upon Astarte and upon a certain stone....about which I will comment no further because it would be a spoiler.

For a reader who values the 1890 version as well as the published 1895 edition, this product is of incalculable value.

This product version of Lilith comes from a publisher who has kept George MacDonald's "romance" before the reading public for some time, and more power to them. Personally I prefer the edition, out of print and from another publishing house, which includes the earlier "Phantastes" and whose foreword is written, not by C S Lewis, but by W H Auden. But here in the US this version is probably the easiest to get one's hands on. My copy was bought, not from the store dot com, but from a big-chain bookstore who literally had it sitting out on the shelf, waiting to be rung up at the cash register. Do you know how rare that is for a title by George MacDonald? Many of us had to borrow circulating copies from public libraries in order to find MacDonald's books. It's the real deal, too, with no cutting or abridging or rewriting of what MacDonald wrote. No, not for every reader, and there will be many readers who adore MacDonald's other books but balk at this one.
For what it is worth, the latter group of readers have good company. Take Louisa MacDonald, one of the author's "first readers," who was disgusted with the story of Lilith. She was George MacDonald's wife, God bless her. Unlike MacDonald, she had a limited appreciation of German Romanticism, to which Lilith is greatly indebted: she could tolerate Goethe and Schiller, but maybe had less tolerance for the extreme romanticism and darkness of Novalis (aka Friedrich von Hardenberg), whose Hymns to the Night echo resoundingly in many passages in Lilith. No, the inner sanctum, the holy of holies, is not for everyone, believer or otherwise. And it would take forever to catalogue all the ways in which Lilith is problematic. But if it's your thing, you will know it.

As a fan of George MacDonald's work, I frequently wonder why he did not earn the great fame as other authors at his time?

Throughout this story, a reader can see the love the author expressed in his story plays an extremely important role in the protagonist's activity. Actually, the protagonist hopes to save humans from their sufferings, from their egoism, from their selfishness, etc. All those humans weaknesses lead to us to go to the dead world described by author.

This is indeed a book contributing to humanity.

Technically, George MacDonald once again demonstrated his great ability in imagination because he could describe the other world with such a detail that readers might feel that they went with author into the the world described by the author. Sometimes, I believe that George MacDonald himself had really got into the world in the story.

On the other hand, this book does not talk much about Lilith, so the readers who want to know Lilith may feel a little bit disappointed.

Even according to my usually odd tastes, Lilith is a strange read, certainly stranger and more surreal than the works of C.S. Lewis, who was greatly inspired by MacDonald. The beginning has a standard fantasy feel. The hero, Mr. Vane, is seeing to his estate. One day in the library he sees a strange apparition. Curious, he follows the spirit of the enigmatic Mr. Raven and finds himself led into a fantastical otherworld. From there the narrative becomes decidedly bizarre. Reading Lilith is like peering into a dream as Vane encounters a steady procession of inexplicable situations and grotesque images. In fact, MacDonald packs the book with so many symbols and lessons that the narrative structure tends to break down a little, and I found the story dragged quite a bit in the middle. This and MacDonald's sometimes awkward attempts at exposition made finishing the book questionable for me for a large portion of the story.

Yet I persisted... and I'm glad I did! I find it a little difficult to say why I liked Lilith. MacDonald was writing for Christian readers, and I am not one of them. I wanted to read it because of my general interest in religious imagery in fantasy and a more specific interest in the odd ways that particular mythological character has been reinvented and reinterpreted by different people. I certainly do not embrace all of MacDonald's moral ideologies fully, and some I find vaguely distasteful. Even so, I was enthralled with the images MacDonald chose to describe Vane's spiritual journey. I was intrigued when Mr. Raven subjects Vane to a Zen-like line of questioning at the beginning of the novel. I found the description of Vane's redemption and rebirth deeply moving and beautiful. Perhaps this is just my Christian upbringing showing through, but I like to think it also speaks to the relatedness of all spiritual seeking, and to the deeps well of myth and imagination from which MacDonald drew.

The arena of twentieth century British Christian fiction, which includes authors from Chesterton to Auden to C.S. Lewis, appears to owe a great deal to George MacDonald, whose Victorian fantasy as demonstrated in "Lilith" has a primitive and dark undercurrent. Nightmarish yet optimistic, "Lilith" is possibly the most vivid life-after-death parable since Dante's Divine Comedy.
The protagonist and first-person narrator is an excitable man named Mr. Vane who lives in an old house that has been in his family for generations. One day he notices an odd creature making its way through the library; this turns out to be the birdlike Mr. Raven, who introduces him to a mysterious world beyond a magic mirror stored in the garret of the house. A more modern author might be tempted to give this world a name to distinguish it from the real one, but to MacDonald it is merely an extension of Mr. Vane's conscience.
Mr. Vane is understandably frightened of but fascinated by this world. Part of it appears to be a realm of the Dead where skeletal apparitions dance and fight as though they were still living; part a forest where stupid, brutal giants and innocent, benevolent "little ones" share their habitats; part a murky moor where leopardesses roam in search of babies to eat and enchanting women are to be found. At the center of this world, embodying its evil, commanded by an entity known as the "Shadow," is the demon princess Lilith, a direct allusion to the Assyrian goddess and to the legend of Adam's first wife.
As a guide to this netherworld, Mr. Raven acts as a kind of Virgil to Mr. Vane's Dante; the structure of the story has a vague analogy to the sequence of Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. Mr. Vane's role is less clear; he could be considered a crusader against evil or an emissary of the living in the land of the dead. However, I wouldn't want to restrict my interpretation to a religious allegory because the novel works as pure mythology, although supplementary to Judeo-Christian theology.
For all his antiquated, overly formal prose, MacDonald displays a very poetic sensibility for symbolism; for example, he personifies the sun as "he" and the moon as "she," as if they were a married pair of celestial luminaries. There is also an implied notion of a library as a gateway to the imaginations of the innumerable deceased, which is a comforting thought that connotes potential immortality through the written word. If nothing else, "Lilith" functions as a bridge between two enduring traditions -- imaginative classic literature and twentieth century fantasy.

While the author and the underlying allegory of this book are Christian, I think prehaps non-Christians could be turned off by the label of religion attached to this book, and miss out on an incredible reading experience.

Lilith is a dark, eerie, and beautiful fantasy, very Victorian in writing style, very imaginative and evocative in the depth and mystery woven into the story. There is immense complexity in this story, from the depiction of childish, unrestrained innocence in the characters of the Little Ones to the mysterious white leoparedesses and the chilling darkness of the Shadow and Lilith herself. This is a book worth anyone's time to read, as long as you can handle the writing style of the 1800's, which unfortuantely discourages too many from reading the classics.

Also a strong presence in Lilith are the powerful but gentle female protagonists who are quite common in MacDonald's tales--extraordinary, considering our modern view of the Victorian age.

There are no other books out there quite like these. MacDonald's writing has a depth and wonder, a magic if you will, that I have yet to find anywhere else. Auden put it best when he compared Lilith to "the best of Poe." This book has a deep mystique and an often-chilling air to it, but a softer beauty, as well--a bit like being alone in the forest at night: surrounded by the wild beauty of the place, yet uncertain if it's quite safe in the shadows.

(Lilith originated in the medieval work..Alphabet of Ben Sira as the wild, free, shape-shifting 1st wife of Adam.)
From the start, MacDonald's book captures your imagination and curiousity. Our everyman hero, Mr. Vane, has just inherited a large estate that he starts to explore. He finds that most of his time is spent in the large library studing various books and manuscripts. One day he finds a false bookbacked door containing some of the oldest books in the library. Lodged in this door is part of a manuscript that can't be moved until one day it turns up missing..later to be mysteriously replaced(still remaining unmovable). Upon questioning the butler about this, strange tales are told about an old gentleman(Mr. Raven) who seemly haunted the place. Noticing and following the old raven like man through a mirror, Mr. Vane finds himself transported into another world.

George MacDonald created a fantastic allegorical journey between worlds. This book deals with death, repentance, resurrection and redemption. Within the pages are to be found some very quiet words of wisdom. MacDonald influenced the likes of C.S. Lewis, W.H Auden and many others.

This is a work that is easy to get lost in and sometimes it is difficult to follow MacDonald's ontological arguments. Written towards the end of a life filled with vicissitudes, it is a fantastic read.

Lillith is a beautiful story that, as a good fairy tale should, draws the tragic and exultant in a heightening crescendo. The story is an enjoyable journey through an imaginative and enchanting allegory of love, forgiveness and redemption. The imagery is heavy enough that it is often hard to figure out just what everything represents or if someone or something represents anything at all. The narrator, Mr. Vane (one wonders if MacDonald was playing off the homophone with vain or not), can be hard to accept at times but, as MacDonald no doubt intended, we see enough of our foolish selves in him to understand the tragedy and triumph of his part in the tale. My one complaint might be the ambiguity of the ending. It is too much at odds with all that is accomplished through the narrative to that point. Additionally, MacDonald's fairy tales help one to understand the sources for much of CS Lewis's work, both in the themes and styles employed.

MacDonald's "Phantastes" often seems to be compared to his other surreal adventure story "Lilith". In both stories, a young man is residing harmlessly at home when a door is suddenly opened to another world. Both men - one in each story - step inside and embark on a journey, though neither is exactly sure where he is going or why.

In these fairy type worlds, both men encounter the sweet, the evil, the beautiful and the creepy. Both men receive intermittent guidance along the way, and both have to discern who to trust and who not to trust. Indeed, there is a very similar feel to the two stories.

However, that said, I found "Phantastes" to have quite a different tone than "Lilith," and in it MacDonald explores different issues. "Lilith" was filled with epic themes of good and evil. While the main character struggled to figure out who was good and who was evil, he essentially is always battling the force of evil - and all the moreso the more he figured out what was going on. This dynamic tension and ensuing adventure therefore draw the reader through the book like one is drawn through a good mystery novel.

The plot of "Phantastes," however, progresses mostly without any singular struggle with evil or any other epic tension; the main character is simply bopping around a fairy land, getting into some scrapes and meeting some interesting folks. His major struggles, essentially, always come down to battling his own private demons and weaknesses. This being the case, I found that "Phantastes" moved a lot slower than "Lilith." I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it; it simply wasn't clear what the point was to this fairy journey.

In the end, if a reader enjoys one of these books, he will likely enjoy the other one. MacDonald was not the most gifted pure writer, but he was incredibly gifted in transporting the reader to new realms. And, his constant creativity and mind-blowing turns of plot in these new realms is definitely enough of a reason to read him. He did inspire the likes of Tolkien and Lewis after all.

Following a phantom, an average man is pulled into a strange world--one ephemeral and magical, where issues of salvation are not theoretical but are instead a literal battle and quest. Lilith is a direct allegory of Christian Universalist salvation, laid atop strange magics and stranger symbolism. Over landscapes effervescent and transcendent, shadowed and looming, the beginning of the book is more of a ramble than a journey; at his best MacDonald is deeply evocative, and while the book's internal mythos can be arbitrary it is just as often inspired and provoking. But as the book continues and develops direction, it sours. I love the compelling and flawed characters, but often felt as if I wasn't intended to: Lilith's desire for self-determination is sympathetic and inspiring, and then roundly condemned. The book's unique and delicate internal mythos is occasionally at conflict with and often trampled by the appearance of literal Christian figures and messages.

Lilith ends with the same beautiful imprecision with which it begins, which salvages some things. I admire MacDonald, and parts of this book are captivating; I even enjoy it thematically. But this is story made slave to allegory, and while it is somewhat too subtle to be preachy and works in bits and pieces--the fantastic landscape, the larger-than-life characters, the echoing of damnation and salvation in the threat and beauty of the setting--it crumbles as a whole. It pains me to rate this book relatively low, but it simply never clicked for me; I much prefer The Golden Key for its more delicate, less precise balance of the fantastic and symbolic, and I don't recommend Lilith.

I have one minor complaint with this novel, and it centers around the somewhat misleading cover of the book, which describes the story as "one woman's electrifying obsession." There certainly is an obsession in this book, but that belongs to the narrator, Vincent Bruce, not to Lilith, as the cover would have you believe. After finishing the novel, I blacked out the "wo" which just left "man's obsession," which seemed to me to be a more accurate description of the story within.
Vincent, the main character, uses the telling of his story as a way to absolve and purge himself of his experiences with Lilith, a patient he cares for at the mental center where he works. He not only falls in love, but becomes "obsessed" with her. The second half of this novel mostly centers on his attraction to her, and how he compromises his duties as Lilith's caretaker with his feelings of love for her, a woman she herself describes as "mad."
I don't want to give away too much of the story, but the prose in which it is told is both excellent and sensitive. I can't tell you how this book got under my skin! This novel succeeds in disturbing the reader, such is the brilliance of the text. It is seldom that a book really affects me as this one did. Salamanca portrays the story as if it really happened, as if it is a work of truth rather than fiction.
It's a sad story, but one conveyed through beautiful language. Indeed, there were many passages where I felt like crying while reading them. As much as a reader can, you care for Vincent, and you care about what happens to him, and worry (as he does) about his ultimate destiny. He's a directionless figure, who just wants to succeed at something, and make a good life for himself filled with meaning, as his absent mother wished him to do.
I urge you to read this book. And I ask, as another reviewer here does, "Why is this book neglected?" Perhaps you will read it and ask yourself the same question.

Lewis was right when he described MacDonald as not a great writer, but perhaps the best myth-maker he had ever read. There are places where MacDonald could have used a good editor, sections that are unclear that could be made so, or where the feel is disjointed. However, there are other sections where the lack of clarity is simply because of the great depth, as one looks down into a storm-tossed pool extending into the Marianas'. Images and lines of Lilith stay with you and ruminate in your mind, such as individuals lying down on the cold slabs of Mr. Raven's house, the delightful children feeding the gentle giant, or the phrase, "When a man will not act where he is, he must go far to find his work."

A couple further caveats: MacDonald's belief in universal salvation is clearly demonstrated, and his argument that the only way Good can truly be greater than Evil is if all Evil will one day succumb to Good by becoming Good has a certain, if incomplete persuasion. It was also surprising to see MacDonald making use of ancient Gnostic/Jewish heresies such as Lilith, the first wife of Adam.

I highly recommend the book however for it's depth of imagery, for the ideas that can extend into one's mind and bring forth something new, as we give up the old ones. MacDonald's layers and repetitions hearken to something Biblical, or Joycian. In death there is life.

The Johannesen edition of George MacDonald's Lilith is a truly valuable library addition for any literary student or MacDonald scholar. Not only is the Johannesen text hardbound in a slick, dark green cover with gold leafing for the front cover and spine, as well as the highly durable, acid-free pages within, but the fact that the Johannesen edition contains both the final, printed version of Lilith and the original, handwritten manuscript ("Lilith A") that has never before been published. Because of this, the serious MacDonald reader can now study the author's original work alongside the final version.

MacDonald was a true believer in the power of revision and loved to make his works even greater. He was said to have written the entire first version of Lilith in a single setting - completely under the inspiration of God. However, as time continued, he created multiple drafts out of his original idea before the final version was published. The "Lilith A" manuscript is, in essence, a completely different work and is about 174 pages with appropriate markings for words that MacDonald marked out, as well as the original page breaks.

Again, this is an attractive edition and is well worth the price for any literary student, not to mention the fact that the Johannesen editions of MacDonald's works are considered to be authoritative. Hopefully, this review has been helpful - happy shopping.

Today, I have saldly finished the book "Lilith" and have felt that I have stood in the Presence of the Father and I will never be the same again. It was difficult, in the beginning, to fully grasp what George MacDonald was writing about. As I continued, though, it began to unfold before me. Last night, I read from Chapter XL "House of Death", Chapter XL1 & when I finished XL11, I sudenly felt in awe and had to put the book down. I sat quietly with my eyes closed and felt as if I was Basking in the Presence of the Father. His Love surrounded me and lasted for some time. Today, I had only three chapters left and when I finished this book, I again felt as if I had seen a glimpse of heaven and eternity.
I know there ae still trials and pain ahead, however, I feel more sure than I ever have that The Lord will be with me through it all. Today, for the first time, I feel as if I am of worth to Him. We are, of coruse, but sometimes we feel as we are not and are not in touch with Him. I sat alone with these wonderful thoughts of what I had just experienced from reading this book. My thoughts, my love and my devotion for "The Great Ancient of Days" will never be the same again.

George MacDonald's 'Lilith' is a a classic of fantasy fiction. Largely allegorical, it tells the tale of Mr. Vane's adventure's 'through the looking glass' as it were. Mr. Vane has many strange adventures but the story meanders somewhat until Mr.Vane encounters Lilith, from here the story picks up. But as others have noted, MacDonald is not the best writer, often it is not exactly clear what is happening, as one example it is often unclear which of the two leopardesses is being referred to at any time. As for the theological arguments being advanced by MacDonald I am not qualified to offer an opinion.
The average reader will probably be unimpressed but for those interested in religious allegory or classic fantasy there is much to admire, as there are many memorable episodes and interesting ideas within the novel.

Lilith is typical MacDonald. It is often tedious. It can leave you guessing as to what exactly is going on. It can leave you downright frustrated with the man. Yet it has moments of brilliance that make the whole endeavor more than worth the struggle. Lilith is one of MacDonald's most mature books. It is much darker than works such as The Princess and the Goblin or At the Back of the North Wind. It has some affinity with the works of MacDonald's friend, Lewis Carroll. At its core, it is an allegory for MacDonald's anti-Calvinist notions of Universalism. For all its obtuseness and periodical preachiness, it is a fine story in the end (I liken it to Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter, which, for me, was a pain to read--but when it was over I loved the story). Just an aside--you should really read this book and then go on to C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce. The two books go very well together.

Lillith is the result of a full and mature exploration of the "otherworld" by an author who knew more about the symbols of the mythopoeic realm than most any other author in the last 100 years (including C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, and Lewis Carol). If you're looking for a light reading story book, or merely entertaining fiction, this book is probably not for you. Some people taking it superficially see nothing more than an incomprehensible juxtaposition of images that reveres the qualities of obedience and submission. However, this would be to entirely miss the point of this story, which is about the process of inner transformation of human desire and will. It is very existentialist in that it places the responsibility for our progress on ourselves rather than on circumstances outside of ourselves. For those willing to dig deeper however, many rewards await those willing to ponder the story's rich (and often riveting!) tapestry of images. Taken further, the story describes the path of an individual's complete inner transformation in a language of symbols not merely arbitrarily arranged, but composed out of a deep understanding of the nature of the inner world of the human psyche. I would highly recommend this book, and regard it (together with *phantastes*) as possibly the best of genre for fiction / phantasy writing in the last 100 years. Madame L'engel regarded MacDonald as the "godfather of phantasy", and Lewis regarded him as his "master". Lillith is certainly worthy material for earning this distinction.

Like other George MacDonald books this one takes a long time to get set up and build momentum. But it is well worth it in the end. I love where he goes with his detailed discriptions in this emotional alternate world that he creates. It has been said that C.S. Lewis became a Christian after reading this book, and I can understand why. MacDonald's understanding and inspection of a careing, loving God is set out in this book in a facinating and powerful analgues story. I especially enjoy his charactors called "the little lovers". They are an inocent but enchanting group of childlike people who are great at one, somewhat obvious, thing: loving.

This is one of my favorites books writen by MacDonald and I also highly recomend the collection of his short stories. They are filled with the same intricate imagery and are deliteful to read just like this book.

LILITH is best considered in the context of MacDonald's life, and remembering his earlier work PHANTASTES. PHANTASTES he wrote as a young man (35), LILITH he wrote at age 85. LILITH presents the maturity of the thoughts he introduced in PHANTASTES. To try to understand either work outside his religion (Christianity) would not do them justice. LILITH is considered a dark romance, but I don't think MacDonald would have called it so. It is full of a strange, mystical Christian hope; it is the tale of a spiritual journey, of dreams and visions just beyond our conscious reckoning -- always haunting us with the nagging question of whether our dreams are more real than what we call reality. The tale begins with a young man, Mr. Vane, come of age, and into the inheritance of a great estate. Mr. Vane is a man given to both inquiry and reflection. As he peruses the great library of books and manuscripts collected by his ancestors, his perception of reality is challenged and stretched to include, among other things, a talking raven. The raven becomes his guide into another world, strange to behold; the realm of the seven dimensions and the ten senses, MacDonald calls it. (What ever could he mean?)

LILITH is introduced well into the work, an emaciated being near death, until Mr. Vane unwittingly nurses her back to health. MacDonald certainly patterns her after the demon of Jewish folklore for whom she is named. All the demon's traits are apparent: cold beauty, fierce pride, seduction, hatred of men and children, even vampirism. C.S. Lewis also picked up on this theme of the wicked female protagonist. In THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE he tells us the White Witch is descended from Lilith.

As Mr. Vane bounces back and forth between physical and spiritual dimensions, he is confronted by the fact that he can do no good of himself. His futile attempts to prove his worth bring him sorrow and defeat, as when he leads a group of innocent children out of ignorance and simplicity to a city where their leader is murdered by her own estranged mother (Lilith).

The raven's insistence that Mr. Vane sleep before he can be of any use or value is incomprehensible to Mr. Vane, so he continues his various exploits, each ending is greater despair. Finally, Mr. Vane agrees if sleep is what is required, that he must do. But when he discovers the raven's idea of sleep is to repose lifeless in a cold, dark catacomb full of ageless corpses for time unknown, Mr. Vane is not so willing.

All of MacDonald's writing is heavy with Christian allegory. Deciphering his meaning is not a light undertaking. That he perceives death as a temporary state, where one emerges new as a butterfly transformed from a caterpillar is clear enough. That a true spiritual man must cease from his own labor (die to self), and rest in God's peace may be an interpretation of MacDonald's notions of sleep and death, but already I feel I am off solid ground. Mr. Vane's struggle with Lilith, is a most important theme. Lilith reminded me of scriptural references to Jezebel (both Old and New Testaments), and the harlot of Proverbs, and a few other seducers besides. I began to wonder: if Satan is the Father of Lies, might Lilith be The Mother of Harlots? Strange and mysterious, wrapped in secrecy, beguiling and subtle, she draws her victims near and feeds upon their strength, all the while narcotically enamoring them of her presence. (Mr. Vane plays the dupe as his life is drained by a white worm while he nurses Lilith back to health.)

Certain passages are unforgettable, which may be good or bad, depending on your frame of mind when you read them. The warring dance of skeletons comes to mind, with their lid less eyes revealing their uncloaked passions to all who would see, and Lilith presiding over their deaths shouting, "Ye are men, slay one another!" But don't let me convince you LILITH is merely a dark tale of terror. MacDonald also, seasons it with passages of unique warmth and beauty.

Reading LILITH, is like taking an adventurous journey, the likes of which I have never even come close to with a contemporary author. Fascinating? YES. Comforting? Definitely NOT. Worth the trip? Most assuredly!

If Goethe had written *Faust* in prose in the 20th century, it might have been something like Salamanca's *Lilith*. You don't want to carelessly compare an author with Goethe any more than you want to carelessly compare a physicist with Einstein, but Salamanca's *Lilith* makes you feel that you are reading a 381 page poem on the search for knowledge, the longing for love, and the relief of despair. Waiting for my copy of the book to arrive, I thought the reviewer who owned five copies had maybe gone a bit far, but now that I have read the book and am waiting for my second copy to arrive, I am wondering whether two copies are enough. :-) The only authors who have possibly touched me more are Goethe, Jean-Paul Sartre and Bertrand Russell, but I cannot understand why this author was ever out of print. This story is a very unpretentious view into the frailty of human life.

I cannot believe Lilith is still in print! What a wonderful find for those who come across it. If you love C.S. Lewis, you will likely find fascinating a book by one author who inspired him: George Macdonald. Lilith is not what would be considered popular fiction. It is, instead, allegorical, layered science fiction. But for those who enjoy literature, other worldly adventures, and good stories, this book is for you! Plus, you can tell all your friends how you found this great, classic treasure.

'Lilith' is an excellent story about a psychologically scarred young man who gains employment at an elite (ie, expensive) mental institution only to fall prey to an alluring yet extremely disturbed young woman. Ultimately both their worlds come crashing down. Unfortunately this story is marred by the author's slightly weak writing skills; I found much of the book to be tedious. However the ending is quite a shocker and very satisfying.

Bottom line: excellent story by a so-so writer. Recommended.

To all my friends that like good Christian allegory books this is a really awesome book.??
Thank you for making this book available the store and Thank you for writing this book Mr.George MacDonald.

Deep, philosophical, spiritual, this is one of the best books I've read all year. It made me think about my beliefs and offered so much insight into Christianity, although not conventional views. The story explores the battle between good and evil. MacDonald's conclusion to this struggle is utterly profound. "Annihilation itself is no death to evil. Only good where evil was, is evil dead. An evil thing must live with its evil until it chooses to be good. That alone is the slaying of evil." This story captures the heart of forgiveness, redemption, and that of the Christian God. This book is not for everyone and it wasn't an easy read, but if you like to reflect on spiritual and philosophical issues, this book was written for you.

Lilith is my favorite book of all time because it makes me think. Reading Lilith is an experience that introduces the reader to an author who knew the heart of God, and tried to share it with others. In the long run, no review can do it justice, and even though Lilith is not for everyone, it's definitely a must-read for those who want to go beyond the average summer book!

My favorite novel of all, closely followed by The Lost Country. The lyricism of the author's writing will sweep you away with a sense of nostalgia for an America that no longer exists, serving as a backdrop for a dark- and I agree with another reviewer- Gothic story of obsessive love. Incidentally, the cover art of the original hardback is, to me, the most evocative and true to the story. Also, like another reviewer, I own several copies of this jewel.

Read also: The Sandcastle by Iris Murdoch, the novels of Thomas Williams, such as Moon Pinnace...Moon Pinnace

The real _masterpieces_ of fantasy, as opposed to the "entertaining reads," are not numerous. This is one of the masterpieces. It is not a perfect book, but it belongs in the company of the greatest, such as
The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion (Tolkien); Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength, and Till We Have Faces (Lewis); The Man Who Was Thursday (Chesterton); A Wizard of Earthsea (Le Guin); The Owl Service (Garner); Titus Groan and Gormenghast (Peake)... books of that caliber.
Don't miss MacDonald's magnificent tales such as "The Day Boy and the Night Girl" and "The Golden Key."
Read MacDonald's Lilith. If you are so moved, read it in conjunction with the detailed, free study guide available at the MacDonald "Golden Key" website:

I had mixed feelings after reading "Lilith."

On the literary side, I strongly recommend this book. MacDonald has a way with words that leaves one with an incredibly clear picture of what he's trying to portray, no matter how extraordinary the scenario. This is hard to explain, as he isn't a particularly good writer; his words, although somewhat jumbled, still get the images across clearly. The scene in which the main character reaches out for the butterfly, which promptly turns into a dead book in his hands, is among the most wonderful bits of imagery I have read. Although the story becomes confusing if not read closely and the characters switch into a very heavy-handed King James-like formal prose from time to time, MacDonald makes his creative genius clear in this novel.

However, if you hold to the teachings of orthodox Christianity (as I do), you may find yourself disappointed by the clearly Universalistic leanings in the story. The inhabitants of MacDonald's world, no matter how evil, will all invariably turn to good in the end (though some more slowly than others). I was unsatisfied with Lilith's "repentance;" it seemed rather that she was being forced against her wishes to become good. It is even said of The Shadow, who, I take, represents the devil, that he will eventually repent. While there are many good themes throughout the book, most notably that true life is reached through death to self, the unbiblical elements of "Lilith" put a damper on the book for me, as I went in with the knowledge that MacDonald was a Christian and therefore expected the worldview of the book to follow orthodox Christianity.

In short, read the book for the imagery and mythology, not the theology.

George MacDonald is my favorite author, and Lilith is my favorite book. It has so many subtle levels of depth and thought that every time I read it I glean new understanding and insight. It is a book that you just can't read in one sitting. You need time to mull it over and to savor the journey. Fantastic fantasy! Timeless!

David Marshall Christian Fundamentalist and author of Jesus: True Son who teaches in an obscure Japanese college (the Asian equivalent of Jerry Fallwells Liberty university, or Bob Jones university) proffers a review that's a melange of mooniesm & unitarian universalism. People don't read such authors as MacDonald or C.S. Lewis because of their religions but because they're good WRITERS. Such sloppy effete preaching evinces the most ignorant criticism possible, the critic reads his own inadequacies into the text. Embarrassing. Tolkien's & Lewis's repeated admonitions NOT to read their books as allegories or parables is lost on such crude literalist's, and even Lewis's non-fiction is read because they're written by him not because of their subject. Unless you see a thematic continuity between Lewis and the authors of the Left Behind series you'll have to dismiss Marshall's ideological misreading. Poet W.H. Auden could hardly have admired these writers for such simplistic reasons. Lafcadio Hearn a fantasy writer of MacDonalds own time regarded Christianity with mostly contempt. Known as Koizumi Yakumo in Japan.

This was a most interesting story which was entertaining but did not seem to have much meaning behind it. That or I missed it, cause most of MacDonald's stuff has depth. Like I said of Phantastes, this book is pure fairy tale, and should not be treated as a novel or more serious story.

Note that the whole concept of Adam having a first wife before Eve is very odd, but should not ruin the book. Regardless of content, the imagery is excellent, and the story itself is wierd but enjoyable. What tends to stick out most is its sureal events and places, which is precisely the details that make good fairy tales. (that and brief simplicity)

I must admit it is quite engrossing if the reader allows themselves to be drawn in, which tends to happen whether or not you want it to.