Phantastes

A Faerie Romance for Men and Women

De: George MacDonald

Narrado por: 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

Beautiful

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

Wonderful story but…

I expected to get pulled into this book immediately. However, the reader was extremely disappointing. She overacted rather than read, and it was entirely distracting. I kept falling asleep. this book needs a male reader who simply reads.

Wanted to like it, but the writing style was grueling to me

I really wanted to like this story, after reading what a profound impact it had on C.S. Lewis.

I enjoyed the first couple of chapters, but other than that I found little to no enjoyment in it. I could not identify a story arch.

I read after the fact someone describe it as a “stream of consciousness” writing, meant to give a dreamlike feeling, which I would agree with.

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.

Top notch writing. Vivid and captivating

Great story for young and old. Narrated well but I was disappointed it was narrated by a woman because it was the story of a man told in his perspective. She did a fine job reading the story. I just found it confusing to have to constantly be thinking that this is a man telling the story being read by a woman. Caused a dissonance throughout the whole thing.

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.

Wanted to like it

Just could not get into the story. I felt very distracted and could not settle into the storyline. Maybe it is me, I don’t know. I’ll put it back on the “shelf” and see if I warm up to it later.

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.