Phantastes

A Faerie Romance for Men and Women

By: George MacDonald

Narrated by: Rebecca K. Reynolds

The classic fantasy that influenced C. S. Lewis and Tolkien, considered one of George MacDonald's most important works, is the story of the young man, Anodos, and his adventures in fairyland which ultimately reveal the human condition. "I write, not for children," wrote George MacDonald, "but for the child-like, whether they be of five, or 50, or 75." All-at-once written with an innocent whimsy and soulful yearning, the heart of Anodos' journey through fairyland reveals a spiritual quest that requires a surrender of the self. MacDonald's fantasy novel as well as his other works have had major influence on many authors who considered him their mentor:

C. S. Lewis said, I have never concealed the fact that I regarded him as my master; indeed I fancy I have never written a book in which I did not quote from him.

J. R. R. Tolkien called his fairy tales stories of power and beauty.

Madeleine L'Engle said, Surely, George MacDonald is the grandfather of us all all of us who struggle to come to terms with truth through fantasy.

Public Domain (P)2021 Oasis Audio

Beautiful narratives

The reader made the insightful and well-written fairy romance more easier to understand and enjoyable. Thank you

Very engaging story but reader did not help

The reader reads well but I think makes the common mistake of not really listening to what she is reading, but rather performing it. Therefore the cadence is too fast and emphases are missed, making it hard to absorb at times.

Beautiful

I loved this tale and all the stories and songs woven together. A must listen for all those who like fantasy and adventure.

Love George Macdonald!!

Narrator took some getting used to- she was very dramatic and not what I would expect considering the main character is male. However, she grew on me and I enjoyed the performance.
This story is so full of wonderful allegory and imagery! It’s a hard book for some, so don’t be discouraged- just enjoy it.

Need to read again to really grasp it…

“The glorious week end of reading was before me. Turning to the bookstall, I picked out an Everyman in a dirty jacket, “Phantastes, a faerie Romance,” George MacDonald… That evening I began to read my new book.

The woodland journeyings in that story, the ghostly enemies, the ladies both good and evil, were close enough to my habitual imagery to lure me on without the perception of a change. It is as if I were carried sleeping across the frontier, or as if I had died in the old country and could never remember how I came alive in the new… That night my imagination was, in a certain sense, baptized; the rest of me, not unnaturally, took longer. I had not the faintest notion of what I let myself in for by buying “Phantastes”.” - C.S. Lewis (“Surprised by Joy”, 179, 181)

This story is about a 21 year old man, Anados, who receives as a birthday gift a desk holding a fairy. When he finds the fairy, she tells him he has fairy blood in him and that he must come with her to fairyland. He doesn’t believe her and tries to go to bed only to wake up in fairyland. Fairyland is mostly outside, and the chapters revolve around his wanderings in the woods, sometimes into mysterious palaces, and then back to the woods again.

Whimsical. Chaotic. Unproductive. These are the features that made “Phantastes” so difficult to read. MacDonald gets so caught up in his descriptions that the reader can get a bit lost. I found myself frustrated that the story didn’t seem to have a purpose, and my mind kept wandering.

The spiritual allegory is slight. I most easily saw the parallel with the young girl whose globe was taken and broken by Anados. Later, this same girl, globeless, frees Anados from his prison by song. It’s hard to explain, but it did nearly bring me to tears to see him freed so beautifully by the very one he wronged.

Other than that, I mostly enjoyed the unproductive whimsy of this read, reminding me of my childhood when stories didn’t have to “accomplish” something. I may read it again.