mrswhiteinthelibrary 's review for:

Lilith by George MacDonald

5.0

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George MacDonald is one of the most severely underrated authors of all time. A contemporary to Lewis Caroll and major influence on C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, this man’s imagination apparently knew no bounds and that is incredibly apparent in his masterpiece, Lilith. Narrated by a nameless everyman figure, it follows his adventures in a world he discovers after inheriting his father’s house and many unsettling circumstances there, leading him to a mirror which reveals another realm. Incredibly complex, this story is really more like a series of events that the narrator witnesses in this realm, all leading down to a confrontation with Lilith, the legendary “first wife” of Adam in various cults of Jewish faith. Ultimately, it is a story of the nature of evil and the hope of redemption but it is packed with literary allusion and stunning imagery that the reader will not soon forget. Written with a deft wit and a finesse for the subtleties of human nature, MacDonald deserves to be in the ranks of he highest of fantasy and allegorical writers rather than collecting dust at the bottom of knowledge’s shelf.