George MacDonald | Fantasy Literature: Fantasy and Science Fiction Book and Audiobook Reviews

SFF Author: George MacDonald

(1824-1905)
Some of George MacDonald’s books are available free on audiobook at Librivox because they’re in the public domain. Here’s a website devoted to George MacDonald which has some of his books in e-text formats.

Phantastes: The first fantasy novel for adults

Phantastes George MacDonald

George MacDonald’s Phantastes is generally regarded as pivotal in the development of fantasy literature: it is the first ever fantasy novel written exclusively for adults. Now of course we have fantastic literature intended for an adult audience going back centuries before that, to epic poems like Thomas Chestre’s Sir Launfal in the 14th Century, or — leaving English literature behind — to the Iliad and suchforth. MacDonald, however, does bear the distinction of being the first to introduce the world to the adult fantasy in its most common present form.

At the Back of the North Wind: Best and worst of Victorian children’s literature

At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald

The Meaning Will Come with the Thing Itself…

George MacDonald wrote hundreds of stories throughout his lifetime (not surprising considering he had eleven kids!), most of which were fantasies that drew on a rich variety of sources: mythology, fairytales and Biblical mysticism. Credited by C.S. Lewis as the main inspiration behind The Chronicles of Narnia, MacDonald’s dreamy little tales (especially this one) are a strange blend of frustrating ramblings and sublime imagery. Love it or hate it,

The Princess and the Goblin: Deserves to sit on any bookshelf

The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald

George MacDonald found out his talent for telling fairy tales due to the fact that he had eleven children, and after the success of At the Back of the North Wind, which was published serially in a magazine, MacDonald wrote his two most popular books: The Princess and the Goblin and its sequel The Princess and Curdie. These books inspired the two most famous fantasy authors of all time: J.R.R.

Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | George MacDonald | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Princess and Curdie: Give it a miss

The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald

The Princess and the Goblin is one of the gems of children’s literature that deserves to sit on any bookshelf. The same can not be said of its sequel The Princess and Curdie, which differs so much in tone and content from the original that it is sometimes difficult to remember it is in fact a sequel to the dreamy, beautiful The Princess and the Goblin. Don’t get me wrong, I love George MacDonald‘s wonderful books,

Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 2 | George MacDonald | SFF Reviews | no comments |

SHORTS: Poe, Rinehart, MacDonald, Lien

Here are some of the short fiction works we read this week that we wanted to share with you.

“The Black Cat” by Edgar Allen Poe (1843, free online at Poe Stories, Kindle version)

I recently stumbled upon PoeStories.com and am pleased with the find. A Poe a day may well keep boredom at bay. The website helpfully gives descriptions of each story. I chose this one for the enticing simplicity of the summary: “a horror story about a cat”.

This is indeed a horror story about a cat,

SFF Author: George MacDonald

Phantastes: The first fantasy novel for adults

At the Back of the North Wind: Best and worst of Victorian children’s literature

The Princess and the Goblin: Deserves to sit on any bookshelf

The Princess and Curdie: Give it a miss

SHORTS: Poe, Rinehart, MacDonald, Lien

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