As with all MacDonald novels, the plot and subplots, while of substantial interest and expert construction, are of secondary importance to the theme expertly woven throughout the tapestry of spiritual truths and insights.

MacDonald's characters are merely the messengers, not the message. They are, for the most part, common, ordinary people who live common, ordinary lives. They face trials and tribulations as well as joys and triumphs, however it is never so much what they face, but the manner in which they face it.

MacDonald weaves an interesting tale of a young man, Richard, who is an heir to the aristocracy, yet throughout the majority of the narrative, as a result of extraordinary, yet quite believable, circumstances is aware neither of his heritage nor his future prospects. By the time he has gained this knowledge, the impact has been considerably lessened and redirected, for, he has, beforehand, gained the Kingdom of God. There is not much that the world can do, either good or bad, that can shake the faith, hence the peace, of a true child of God. The highs are never too high, nor are the lows ever too low; for in either case, to God belongs the glory.

I invite you to join Richard and Barbara, as well as Richard's very interesting grandfather and a rather eccentric ensemble cast of supporting characters, as they begin their odyssey into the light. It is a journey not without considerable interest, and a delightful degree of mental and spiritual exercise.

Gordon Reid's collection of 366 excerpts from the works of George MacDonald is a way to touch one's spirituality every day. MacDonald, a theologian and writer of deep and soulful faith, saw God everywhere and in everyone. Like Madeleine L'Engle his faith glows through each word he writes. It is as much a part of him as the hand that pushes the pen. C. S. Lewis said of MacDonald "I regard him as my master . . . I know hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or continually close to the Spirit of Christ himself." And, after all, C.S. Lewis was no slouch in the area of theology, faith, and writing, himself! This book is a good thinking person's way to take a few moments each day and focus on what's important in life -- shutting out the noise of family life or traffic or work -- to embrace one's inner life, which is what ultimately sustains us and helps us grow and find peace and happiness.

This book is definitely worth reading for people of all ages. Its contents are thought provoking and life changing. In this story, a wise woman intervenes in the lives of two very spoiled girls. They are spoiled in different ways, and come from very different backgrounds: one is a princess, and one is a shepherd's cherished daughter. The wise woman takes these girls and gives them a chance to change. It is exciting to read and find out who will change for the better.

The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is an inspiring tale of knightly honor and chivalry. Though famous for his Sherlock Holmes stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in writing The White Company, produced an extremely vivid account of the horrors of medieval warfare, while mixing in moments of humor to create an inspirational and highly enjoyable tale.
The protagonist, Alleyne Edricson, is a young man come fresh from the monastery to explore the world and all it has to offer, as his father had wished. Soon after leaving the monastery, Alleyne meets a beautiful young lady and her father, Sir Nigel Loring. Alleyne then becomes squire to Sir Nigel, a humorous and highly respected knight, and the adventure begins. While fighting abroad, Alleyne proves himself to be a worthy suitor for the lovely Lady Maude, Sir Nigel's daughter, and returns from the war as a courageous and honored knight to marry her.
Though the characters are at times two-dimensional, Doyle does a superb job of endearing them to the reader and enabling the reader to feel as if he or she really knows the characters. The White Company, an escape fiction novel, is an excellent example of formula fiction. The characters are mostly stock, and the ending is a happy one. The worthy hero rescues the damsel in distress, loses her for a while, but returns to win back her love. Even though the novel contains some flat characters and stereotypes, a dose of reality is present in the horror of war portrayed by Doyle.
This account of knights, war, and fair ladies is permeated with the theme of honor. The code of chivalry for medieval knights is a well-developed theme presented by Doyle. This valuable theme mixed with an enjoyable and funny story makes this novel unique. The White Company is a well-written, interesting book and I recommend reading it.

This book is a companion to Sir Nigel. The The White Company was written before Sir Nigel; however, Sir Nigel (Nigel Loring) is set earlier and should be read first. Although famous for Sherlock Homes, Doyle was knighted for his historical novels of which these are two. Both books are excellent for young people forming their characters.

This books is definitely the stuff of childhood dreams and imagination. Who among you can say they have never imagined themselves playing the part of the intrepid knight battling injustice or the damsel awaiting the return of his true love? The book follows the progress of an adventurous monk that has left the cloister and hitched his wagon to Sir Nigel's White Company, a group of English mercenaries seeking fight and fortune in France and Spain. Those young at heart will especially enjoy this tale. It is gripping without being brutal but with the endearing quality of a bed time or fireside tale.

The Flashman books are a rip-roaring read. First-hand accounts of real historical events portrayed through the eyes of Flashman, everybody's favourite scoundrel. Flashman, a British cavalry officer, lies, fornicates, cheats, pleads and abuses his way thro ugh battles and uprisings and other major historical events always emerging the hero. But Flashman is no hero - he is a self-confessed coward with the morals of an alley cat. You'll love him!
This, the first of the series, is perhaps the best. Flashy take s part in the first Afghan War with hilarious results. You also get the full background in the Flashman character. I've recommended this book to a few people and they all became instant converts, although I think men will find it more directly appealing t han women. Sexy, thrilling AND educational. British military history was never this much fun at school.
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'Flashman' is the first in a series of historical novels by George MacDonald Fraser. Their main character, Harry Flashman, is, of course, the same infamous, bullying Flashman who tormented the hero of Thomas Hughes's classic novel, 'Tom Brown's School Days'. In a fun literary twist, Fraser takes a bit of inspiration from Hughes and creates one of the most memorable characters in modern fiction. Flashman is a lovable cad with just enough luck and charm to escape various incredible adventures. And we are the lucky readers who get to share his exploits.

The novels are set in 19th century England and famous Victorians (including the queen herself) make appearances. But it is the engaging and lively personality of Flashy himself that dominates all. 'Flashman' begins with our hero at school, in all his shifty and successful glory. Soon enough, he is sent home to an equally shifty father and then into the army (Lord Cardigan's 11th Light Dragoons, to be precise.) Flashy is happy enough with his fetching uniform and generous allowance, but an unwise marriage forces him off to war. His subsequent military exploits result in completely undeserved glory and the book ends with Flashy a genuine British hero, universally adored.

Flashman tells his story first-person, from the vantage point of a secure old age. This style, which most novelists can't pull off, is rewarding in Fraser's capable hands. He has created one of the most vital fictional characters I've ever read. This is an important and often overlooked achievement, particularly in current fiction.

And equally important, Fraser has written the second funniest book on my very crowded bookshelves. It ranks snugly beside 'A Confederacy of Dunces' as laugh out loud entertaining.

This leads to my highest praise for 'Flashman' - it is simply great storytelling. Most writing nowadays is either stupid or just bland enough to keep you turning pages until you finish the book and promptly forget it. And the 'serious' fiction written is equally bad. It isn't bland so much as stultifyingly boring. There are grand ideas and convoluted plots but not one believable character. And if you're bored with such books, they have enough glowing reviews to make you feel silly for not enjoying them and obligated to finish them. But why should reading be an obligation, or a chore? It should be a joy. Remember when you read Treasure Island for the first time, or Huckleberry Finn, or Persuasion? Remember that feeling of assurance as you fell into the arms of a master storyteller? That's the feeling I had with 'Flashman' and, trust me, it doesn't come along too often.

Do I mean that 'Flashman' is a classic novel in the same sense as the above-mentioned works? No. Why? Because it doesn't attempt to convey a higher message than the story itself. Yet its effect upon the reader is the same. You read 'Flashman' expecting a fun adventure story and that's what you get, done to perfection. Your trust in the author is rewarded.

Fraser was a successful journalist in his native Scotland when he wrote this first Flashman novel. Amazingly, it was turned down by various publishers (giving hope to struggling writers everywhere - if even Flashman was passed by, don't take your rejection to heart!) However, upon its publication, it was a critical and popular success. There are numerous sequels of varying quality. For my part, I consider this first volume and the fourth ('Flashman at the Charge') to be the best.

If you like good, old-fashioned adventure stories, in the tradition of Conan Doyle and Sabatini, but with far more lechery and cowardice, you'll love 'Flashman'. It's simply unputdownable.

Last year I read the first of the O'Brian Aubrey/Maturin novels. I really could not understand what all the fuss was about. Reading similarly positive reviews on Fraser's Flashman series, I initially hesitated, afraid of another O'Brianesque disappointment, but here I thank my fellow reviewers for their convincing arguments.

Considering it at first glance, Fraser set himself an almost impossible task to combine an accurate history lesson with the memoir of a drinking, whoring, raping, conniving coward. Yet, the results are both highly informative and extremely entertaining/funny.

Flashman has a clear predecessor in Hasek's brave soldier Svejk. Yet, Flashman's sense of self-preservation and -promotion, add a contemporary edge, that make him so appealing to mankind entering the 21st century. When reading biographies of contemporary icons like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, you often wonder what really took place at the critical moments of their heroic careers. I would not be surprised, if those two -and many, many others for that matter- each had armies of Flashmans in their closets.

The history writing in this book really has the classic feel of two of my high school staples: Ceasar's "de bello gallico" and Xenophon's "anabasis". The comedy writing sometimes equals the level of Gargantua, Don Quichote and Tom Jones.

There are so many gems throughout the book that it is hard to choose a favorite, but for me Flashman's attempt at fornication on the horrific retreat from Afghanistan is one of the greatest tour de forces in the history of comedy writing. After reading it, even Sigmund Freud might have considered adding another chapter to "der Witz".

While I enthusiastically recommend this Flashman volume, I can't agree with Gryphon that it one of the two best. The original Flash, Flash at the Charge, Mountain of Light, and Flash and the Dragon are all better, IMO. The major problem with Redskins is that it's divided into two distinct halves, each covering two different and widely separated historical periods. As a result, it has the marked feel of two books tossed together as one because they both happened to deal with the American West. Like Gryphon, I preferred the first half over the second. The second, which deals with the Little Big Horn, smacks of too much borrowing from Little Big Man. (The same derivative flaw which tainted Royal Flash, which is, in my view, the worst of the series). Still, it's the largest of the 10 and broad and entertaining in its scope. Don't miss it.

This is the sixth volume that I read in my chronological survey of the life and times of Sir Harry. In despite of his self confessed lack of any conscience, Flashman remains a singularly engaging personality in the two closely linked tales in this volume.

Here Harry is both a '49er and a '76er and his forays into the West in the gold rush and into the battle at Little Big Horn allow for many a lesson in American history and provide a scenic background for Flashy's cowardly and lustful deeds.

Fraser needs to be commended for the two-part structure of this book. While he had ventured in some counterpoint by including Elspeth's diary entries in "Flashman's Lady", here the author seems to be going out on a limb, before neatly tying the strands together.

This novel ranks with the best in the Flashman series: accurate history and humor make this a superbly entertaining read. On top of that, Flashman's character flaws are at the center of this book with a central plot that has more in common with Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors" than Dostojewsky's "Crime and Punishment". Yet, it is a sign of Fraser's expert authorship that the title "lovable rogue" given by one of my fellow reviewers is right on the money.

Another great read by Fraser, light years beyond the books by Karl May, still Germany's best read writer, that I read in my childhood.

Flashman Forever!

Of the 10 novels to date in the Flashman series, the first two American novels -- Flash for Freedom! and Flashman and the Redskins -- are far and away the best. (The third American story, Flashman and the Angel of the Lord, is unfortunately the worst.) The breadth of action in the two books is breathtaking, encompassing everything from the Middle Passage and the American slave trade to the Gold Rush and the opening of the American West. John Charity Spring, the Latin-spouting captain of a slave ship, is one of Fraser's most inspired creations, and the portrait of Abraham Lincoln in Flash for Freedom! hits all the right notes. Though Fraser will never be accused of succumbing to PC, the slave's eye view of the peculiar institution offered in Flash for Freedom! is blood chilling, and the chase across the frozen Ohio River offers a superb blend of slapstick and genuine threat. (Fraser, with characteristic cheek, suggests news of the chase may have inspired the similar scene in Uncle Tom's Cabin.) I also appreciate Fraser's penchant for undermining our affection for Flashman at crucial moments: just when you've grown comfortable with him as a loveable rogue, Fraser has him do something unutterably evil. This happens with Cleonie, the young whore in Flashman and the Redskins, and it sets the stage for an out-of-nowhere plot twist later in the book that is a crowning moment in the series

A more serious historical novel than we are used to from MacDonald Fraser. This novel still contains much of the wit and pizzazz found in the Flashman papers. The flavour of that era is strongly portrayed, but the heavy use of "olde Englishe" makes the book difficult to read and in my opinion, does not add to the story. A glossary at the end helps, but does not cover all the terms used. The central character, Tom Molineaux, a black slave in America who wins his freedom in a boxing match, almost achieves his life's ambition of becoming the bareknuckle champion of England which at that time was "the world". But he fails to cope with his own demons and sinks to an early and undignified end. Is it a tragedy? MacDonald Frazer, leaves this question open. Tom started as an uneducated slave, then travelled to London, became famous, met the King, fought for the English bareknuckle title twice, and bedded some of the most famous "ladies" in England. It sure beats slavery!

From the real-life story of the meteoric rise, and subsequent fall of Tom Molineaux, freed slave who comes to England with one purpose alone--to defeat the reigning champ, Tom Cribb. Seen through the eyes of various people who saw him (including, notably, Harry Flashman's father) (Flashman himself gets a brief mention) and who are telling their experiences to an unknown person, presumably an author or writer.

Since Tom's fate is revealed in the prologue, watching Tom's arc, which will bring him achingly close to the top only to fall, is painful. But what makes this book is watching the attitude of those arond him, and the Napoleonic-era society which is delighted to embrace him as a novelty--and to turn against him the instant he becomes a threat or a failure. For all the wine, women and song he is given, the turning point in this book is when the misunderstood Tom realizes he will never be accepted, as a non-white, non-English contender, society and the mob will turn against him the instant he is seen as likely to become the champion.

Fraser, as he showed for the later 19th century in the Flashman books, and as he did for the Edwardian era in Mr. American, shows an intimate knowledge and understanding of Regency England, which is brought to life for our enjoyment.

One of the delightful things about the work of George MacDonald Fraser is the wide range of subjects he addresses which are knit together by one singular talent - his ability to breath life into another era.

Those who have only read The Flashman Papers (not a bad thing by any means) have only seen one facet of Mr. Fraser's talent. When he applied it in "The Steel Bonnets", one of the most confusing, convoluted and bloody periods in English history leapt into focus. Now in addressing the doomed career of Tom Molineaux, a former slave who freed himself by beating another slave to death, Fraser sheds some much needed light on that contradictory period which was Regency England.

Using Molineaux's brief career as the subject of an "industrious inquirer", Fraser brings in the views of such diverse observers as an eccentric upper class "pedestrian" who - between walks to Scotland and back - trains Tom Cribb for the second bout, a boxing journalist of the period whose florid hyperbole disguises the fact that he is rarely able to actually attend the matches and, of course, Flash Harry's "guv'ner", Buckley "Mad Buck" Flashman.

"Black Ajax" reveals more about the attitudes, prejudices and life styles of the Regency than it really does about poor Tom Molineaux. For those looking for a politically correct read, look elsewhere for, as Fraser is fond of saying, history cannot be bent to suit today's attitudes and still remain history. For those who revel in Fraser's adept use of dialect and period slang and his ability to bring an entire era to life, this is for you.

Champions is an excellent role-playing game of the comic book/superhero genre. The game is easily played and the rules are very clear. Overall, I think it is a good system to play by.

The best aspect of the game is the great flexibility in the creation of characters. There is an almost limitless number of characters and powers that can be created through a system of naming base powers that are very simple, and adding varying effects to them. Almost any superhero from any comic book can be recreated using this system.

The downside to this system is that charcter creations takes a good deal of time because characters are allowed a certain number of "character points" and one needs to balance the powers with the points which involves a bit of math.

However, once the game gets role the system is very playable. The book has a number of optional rules that can make combat either very simple or a bit complex, depending on how you like it. All roles in the game involve six-sided dice (it would be good to have ten to twenty on hand).

The book is laid out decently, though a lot of the combat rules takes some cross-referencing in other sections. It takes a decent-sized initial investment in time to get all the rules down, and the authors didn't make it easier by supplying and handy list of charts.

Overall, I would say that after making the initial investment of time, the game more than pays itself off in hours of enjoyment.

As a 10-year veteran of CHAMPIONS (both playing and game-mastering), I can honestly say that there are no finer role-playing-games (RPGs) out there on the market today.

Those looking for an RPG that can really "do it all" need look no further than CHAMPIONS and its HERO System.

Sure, the game has flaws. Every good game does. But any smart individual can SPOT the flaws in CHAMPIONS fairly quickly...and probably make up their OWN rules to compensate for them (i.e. "Nobody gets to use this Power in this way.")

At this point you may be saying "Bah! FLAWS?? I don't want a game that has flaws!" OK then...if you want to see some REAL flaws in a game system, check out CHAMPIONS' competitors in the market :

The MARVEL SUPER-HEROES Game (which doesn't let you custom-tailor your Powers to be EXACTLY what you want, like CHAMPIONS does)

HEROES UNLIMITED (which not only sticks you with a horrible role-playing system, but makes you suffer through a really small, limited choice of abilities for your character)

You get the idea. CHAMPIONS basically gives you the flexibility and creativity no other (super-hero) RPG can. I recommend you give it a try. And if my word isn't good enough for ya, look for all the CHAMPIONS and HERO Games-related web sites out there. The game has quite a large following.

I've played just about every major role-playing game system there is, and I can safety say I'll never play anything else but this again.

Champions is a super-hero variant of the Hero Game System. The HGS is a system that is a universal system of rules, regardless of what genre you are in. There is about 6 pages of good points I could make about this game, but for brevity...

The one thing I'd point out to those considering it is that Champions/HGS lets you create a character the way YOU want (s)he/it to be! It helps create balanced, fun characters. In a battle, it's not just hack and slash, the rules encourage creativity and there are a lot of options.

The only weak spots is that mass combat (10+ characters) can get a bit slow, and there isn't as much source material as say, DC or Marvel Heroes.

Other than that, this system blows everything else out of the water. You do have to be intelligent as some math is envolved, but any mature player will greatly appreciate this system!

Oh, yeah, and another perk is the system uses six-sided dice only! No more scrounging for that d14... =)

After Black Ajax the idea of an essentially serious Fraser novel is a little less strange; when this came out, though, it was viewed as a definite anomaly in the middle of the Flashman series. It's an excellent, grown-up book that rings some interesting variations on classic western and innocents-abroad archetypes-- in some ways the answer to H.L. Mencken's famous jest that Henry James could have been a really great writer if only he'd gone west instead of east to Europe.

The straight-shootin' ex-cowboy at the center of Mr. American is, for all his supposed outlaw background, ultimately as much of an innocent as one of James' flowery young debutantes. Having made his pile out west (by means rough and tumble but less vicious than all the Londoners like to imagine), he goes to Europe to find refinement, culture, and-- he imagines-- the decency that life out west lacked. Of course he finds the exact opposite in an Edwardian England that is morally rotten and on the verge of the greatest iniquity of all, the mad self-destruction of World War I. Fraser does a beautiful job of making Mr. American simple enough to be disillusioned yet not so naive as to be comical; this is a fine, intelligent read, and-- though this is hardly the highest measure of a novel-- with its blend of John Ford and Merchant Ivory, such perfect movie material that it's hard to imagine why some aging star like Eastwood or Harrison Ford hasn't snapped it up and won an Oscar with it.

George MacDonald Fraser is one of my favorite authors. It used to be (before Amazon) that I would have to find his books in Canada or England, if I happened to be there. Now, of course, he's quite popular in this country. I love his Flashman series, and they have accompanied me on many a vacation.

Mr. American contains his usual historical accuracy, though it's not intended to be as funny as the Flashman series. Harry Flashman shows up though, but in this book he is used to decry the folly of war, in most of its forms, certainly that of WWI.

The title character is an American who becomes an observer of the decadence of post Victorian England, as well as one welcomed into it, as long as he is useful to those snobs whose society he is invited to enter. Whether he is to be amusing to King Edward, or to use his money to restore his wife's family fortunes, he is brought into the swim, only to find that it is a shallow pool indeed.

But along the way he comes into contact with delightful and trustworthy characters, none of whom are of the upper class, and it is these characters who make the snobs, by comparison, seem so feckless. Pip is as wonderful as Samson is loyal and unperturbable. It is these characters, and Prior and Thornhill, whom we are able to compare and contrast with Percy, the Claytons and those who surround the King. Pip, like most people who are positive and seemingly without a care, is in fact very ethical, supportive of her family, and without guile. The others, in their own ways, represent bedrock values and character, quite a contrast to the carefree, unethical, and undignified society people.

I highly recommend this book, for its sheer pleasure of reading it.

If you've never read George MacDonald Fraser, you've been missing out on one of the best novelists of our time. His Flashman series chronicles the hilarious, ribald adventures of Harry Flashman, the most reprehensible (and charming) rogue the British Empire has ever produced. While the Flashman Papers span the Victorian era, Mr. American takes place about eight years before the outbreak of World War I. It's the story of an enigmatic cowboy/miner named Mr. Franklin who arrives in London with two six shooters, and a bank draft for a fortune in silver. Why is he there? How did he make his money? I wouldn't even dare to reveal the twists of this fascinating, funny, adventurous plot. (Watch out for the aged Sir Harry Flashman who makes a cameo appearance!) This is the kind of addictive story that will make you skip work or cut classes so that you can finish it

Throughout his adult life, CS Lewis repeatedly asserted that George MacDonald was his 'master,' his mentor. Without MacDonald's works (and this one in particular), there may never have been a Lewis as we know him. Besides that, MacDonald has heavily influenced such other creators of fantasy as JRR Tolkien, Charles Williams, and GK Chesterton. Madeleine L'Engle calls MacDonald the 'Grandfather' of all who attempt to understand life through fantasy. Indeed, he is a grandfather of modern fantasy of sorts.

This particular novel had a profound impact on CS Lewis's conversion to Christianity. He claims that it 'baptized' his mind, and that it was this book which really got the ball rolling for Lewis's path back to his faith. Phantastes is about a young man named Anodos who finds himself in another world (called Fairy-land) one morning. As he wanders around Fairy-Land, he has a series of adventures and learns many valuable lessons. Along the way he meets many strange creatures, some terrifying and some beautiful.

As Lewis himself has pointed out, MacDonald's books are not incredibly well-written. His descriptions, however, are rich and enchanting, and the effect created by his vivid imagery is very powerful. The narrative is somewhat confused, consisting mainly of many adventures which scarcely seem interrelated. Most importantly, though, are the lessons young Anodos learns along the way, and this is the importance of the book.

MacDonald was a master of teaching valuable lessons through fantasy. Lewis, Tolkien, and others have since combined the ability to teach moral lessons through fantasy with powerful and compelling narrative, but MacDonald can truly be considered a pioneer of sorts. Light readers of Christian apology or fantasy will do better with CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, or GK Chesterton's works, which have more engaging storylines. Still, for anyone with a strong interest in Lewis or any of the others, this book is a must-read, as it is a work which has inspired many of the great Christian and fantasy authors of the twentieth-century.

The author was unknown to me when I first picked up this book. I had last delved into fantasy novels as a child, the most notable being the writings of Tolkien & CS Lewis. Phantastes was something on another level completely. Where it may lack the adventure, characterisation & humour of other books, it is a powerful psychological journey. While reading, I was "Anodos" and his experience in the Faerie Lands brought revelatory knowledge of my innermost self. I wept as I slept securely in the warm presence of the Beech & felt again the deep maternal love of my mother for her young child. I shuddered with the recognition of the infernal shadow that sped toward me in the Ogre's cottage knowing that the picture matched my own experience also, and I left that house running, carrying with me an overwhelming sense of despair. I also found that as the character Anodos found redemption and finally his release, that I too, have known this longing all my life. George MacDonald, the author was a man who travelled a hard road, constantly seeing those dear to him dying of the prevalent illnesses of the Victorian era. He lost his mother at a young age and the memory of her is felt through most of his work as are many of the influential & formative experiences of his life. He is a man motivated to use his perceptive writing to influnce people to be greater men & women and I thank him for it.

How do I go about writing a review of this book? It's sort of an arrogant undertaking, really. It suggests, somehow, that my opinion of this book is of some consequence, and that in turn puts me in a critical position above MacDonald - vying to be one of Kierkegaard's 'panel of authorities' that every generation sets up to judge the pervious generations, who can no longer speak for themselves.

So instead of climbing on my pedestal and judging where I am not fit to judge, I will try instead to tell you about what it IS - not how it rates in some abstract book rating.

MacDonald was one of the only true prophetic minds of the modern era. He had a closeness to the spiritual world that I do not believe can be now matched. All that is not really my opinion, because it is a blinding truth - as any who read his many books would be forced to admit. When the sun shines, only a fool denies it. Reading MacDonald is like looking at that sun.

I don't think that the recommendations of his many famous admirers (C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Lewis Carrol among them) really are relevant - MacDonald's work can easily speak for itself. When Bach's raving about Vivaldi resurrected that composer's works, it soon became apparent that they could exist in their own right - outside of the shadow of their monolithic admirer. The same is true for MacDonald.

It's not really a question of whether or not this is a good book, so much as it is whether or not you are in the right place to read it. If you're going to try to read this book, you would be wise to approach it with patience, an open mind, and a respect both for religious experience and spiritual truth. You'd be better served by this book if you are more a lover of Shakespeare and Spenser than Freud and Einstein, and have more concern for the eternal things than those of modern science (this is being said by someone in the cognitive sciences, mind you). If you expect to be able to warp MacDonald's message and vision to your own ends, you will be sorely disappointed, as it will not work (without outright lying) - and will lead to frustration. If you are looking for pat moralisms, as is often found in modern 'religious' rhetoric, which are suitable only to nourish the most impoverished, or if you're the seeking poorly-reasoned mysticism of the modern Lord of the Rings fanboys, you're looking in the wrong book. If you're looking for a light-hearted fairy tale, suitable for children at bedtime - you're in the wrong book (Although MacDonald has several others that would fit this need), as this one involves many complex and frightening passages.

Therein lie some of the reasons for MacDonald's limited popularity - he is not 'accessible' in the current sense. He cannot be remade by every generation into a patsy to mouth modern ideology. Modern sensibilities would label him a 'dinosaur' - a cro-magnon crazy old man with a wild white beard - a re-incarnation of those old testament prophets that modern church-people studiously skip over in their Bible studies. Consider - his own church tried to starve him to death. He talked to God - and the message he brings back is both shockingly beautiful, and so bright as to be uncomfortable. It was the consuming fire of inexhorable love in the book of Hebrews that most embodied God to MacDonald, and that consuming fire has found its way into his books' pages. In his higher works of fantasy (like this book) and his sermons, MacDonald will stomp on your pet political ideologies, he will make you ashamed of your selfish religious dogmas, and he will take from you the ill-begotten authority that pervades the modern religious 'intelligentsia'. Either you will learn to deal with these things, or you'll find another book to read, most likely.

If you are looking for an honest fairy tale, full of truth, depth, and spiritual insight - a myth in the best sense - you'll find few books more to your liking. The entire story is submerged in a world of intense personal introspection, in which the things of the spiritual world are brought forth into the physical one. MacDonald believed that all pieces of the 'physical' world around us are forms that we can give meaning to - 'crystal vases to hold our emotions'. This book is one of his prime exercizes in this powerful form of Truth-telling. (Lillith being the other most notable)

Lewis was right - it will baptize your imagination. I can understand Lewis' reasons for featuring MacDonald so prominently in his works, since there is no other author I have ever read whom I would be so glad to have meet me in the afterlife.