Lilith (original 1895; edition 1981)

This 1895 book was recommended in A Reader's Guide to Fantasy's "Seven-League Bookshelf"--a list of 30-odd books considered the "cream" of the genre. Dante's Divine Comedy is mentioned in the book and I can see similarities with not just Dante but works of Carroll and Lewis. Macdonald was a close friend of Lewis Carroll and saw Alice in Wonderland in manuscript; C.S. Lewis greatly admired Macdonald and named him as one of his most important influences. As with Carroll's Through the Looking Glass and Lewis' Narnia, the narrator of this story steps into another world through an ordinary piece of furniture--in this case a mirror--and there are animal characters, notably a talking raven and a leopard. As with Narnia and the Divine Comedy, this is essentially a work of Christian Fiction, even more allegorical than Narnia as dealing like Dante with the landscape of the afterlife. Although given Macdonald's Universalist beliefs, there is no eternal hell--someday all will find salvation, though in Macdonald's conception it won't be easy.

I can't quite say I really liked this. I'd say this hovers between a two and a three star. On one hand, I made it through to the end, it has interesting ideas and historical importance in the fantasy genre. On the other hand, I often found this dull, no characters captured my sympathy or imagination and this just didn't strike me as an outstanding example of the kind of book it exemplifies. This doesn't have the humor, whimsy, wit or charm of Through the Looking Glass or Narnia or the prodigious imagination, unity, beautiful language and architecture of The Divine Comedy. I can't imagine I'll ever reread this, and I just can't see this as being in the same league as Dante, Carroll or Lewis. ( )

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. ( )