Phantastes

A Faerie Romance for Men and Women

By: George MacDonald

Narrated by: Rebecca K. Reynolds

Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Strange book

Geoerge MacDonald's works have never grabbed me, but I thought I'd try this one. Not bad, but the protagonists is one of those characters who continually makes bad decisions. If he's told not to open a door or not to do something, inevitably he does it anyway. That characteristic reminds me of a B horror film.
The narrator does a good job except for two things: First, since the protagonist is male, it just seems weird to have a female narrator. Second, when she lowers her voice for dramatic purposes, it's so soft that it's hard to hear. I kept having to "rewind" dialogues and turn up the volume to hear what she was saying. That was very annoying.
I'm not sorry I read it, but neither was I sorry it was over. The end, btw, was not very satisfying in my opinion.

Beautiful narratives

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

Beautiful

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

Finally

Finally! - a voice that does this glorious book justice. I've been waiting for years for a good narration and Rebecca does a fantastic job.

Take your time and enjoy

Love to listen at 0.8 speed when seeking stillness. It sweeps the worries out of focus and comforts the heart. A treasure all around.

Superb

So well done. I enjoyed it so very much. I had never even heard of George MacDonald. I am so pleased I came across this wonderful work of his.

Long-referenced, finally read. LOVED.

Phantastes is a famous classic by George MacDonald who is credited with the reintroduction of fairytales into modern literature. It, along with At the Back of the North Wind, The Princess and the Goblin and its sequel The Princess and Curdie, were noted as instrumental and highly inspirational in the writings of JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis as they wrote the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and the Chronicles of Narnia and the Space Trilogy, respectively. (And all these I loved too!)

Phantastes somehow reaches past faeries and crones and transmutational beautiful ladies, through the veil in our own hearts to the unseen world. It begs the questions of such investigations into reality vs. dream; the seen vs.the unseen; life and death; good and evil; honor and humility; courage and cowardice; hope and despair. This is to say, it touches the deepest longings, fears, and questions of an examined heart, and calls to wake those - long-locked-away - in the unexamined heart and mind.

I see why Tolkien and Lewis speak of Phantastes with such wonder and gratitude.

I will now re-read it - this time with my eyes instead of my ears. I love the narrator on the Audible version; she did a tremendous job, and I have loved her reading of other books. BUT - Phantastes is lived, dreamed, told by told by a man, and the narrator should have been a man.

Poetically beautiful

I loved the story. I loved the poetry, and language. I confess, it was difficult listening to it, though. The reader actually has a a lovely voice, and I could listen to her talk for hours. But there was something in the delivery of the lines that was missing. I can't put my finger on what it was, but I went back and read several parts (you can find the book in PDF form online for free), and it was as if I was being exposed to the material for the first time. Maybe it's her inflection?

Lovely story

A riveting tale of a young man’s journey through Fairy Land. I always enjoy MacDonald’s stories!

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.