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.

Entertaining read, and clearly an inspiration for Narnia Chronicles and other CS Lewis fiction, and apparently L'Engle, too. ( )

Though an obvious inspiration, comparing Lilith to the Chronicles of Narnia is like comparing car with a toy model. Superficially, they resemble each other, internally one is obviously far more complex while the other is a children's toy. This is a novel for adults. It makes no attempt to hide the Christian allegory, which I am sure would offend some readers. It also would probably offend some fundamentalist Christians should they stop and think about the message it portrays. It has the internal consistency that Lewis lacks, though is far less an exciting read. This is not an adventure novel. It is a journey into the realms of mysticim disguised as fiction. And it is one of the few books that has truly shifted my paradigm of the universe.

If you're looking for a traditional fantasy novel, don't go for this one. If you're looking for something to chew over when it comes to life, the universe and everything, this may be a perfect match. ( )

Similar in theme to Phantastes (redemption, selfless love through service) but more didactically, and treating explicitly biblical mythology. At times it does give some insight into the state of mystic rapture, and the zen idea of "beginner's mind" but on the whole less successfully than Phantastes. ( )

This book has been aptly described by Aleister Crowley as "A good introduction to the Astral." It is insulted by comparison to the didactic allegories of C.S. Lewis' Narnia books, although they were strongly inspired by MacDonald's work. Lilith is instead an imaginative portrayal of adult mystical realization, as adumbrated through the distortions of reason, desire, and memory that befall spiritual seekers on the "immaterial" planes.