Michael Phillips
3) Phantastes
George MacDonald’s first major fiction work, in MacDonald’s words “a sort of fairy tale for grown people,” Phantastes was published in 1858. This unusual fantasy, subtitled a “faerie romance,” is...
This second “Curdie” installment, published in 1882, is far more than a mere “children’s story.” The themes and linguistic style of The Princess and Curdie are considerably more advanced, and the depth of its spiritual analogies extensive in subtlety and scope....
The Victorian author, poet, and theologian George MacDonald inspired some of the greatest writers of the early 20th century, including C.S. Lewis, who said MacDonald’s books were pivotal in leading him toward Christianity. While MacDonald’s beloved fiction—including...
6) Malcolm
This towering 1875 novel, set in the Scottish fishing village of Cullen, is considered by many as George MacDonald’s fictional masterwork. The intricate tale is more true to place than any of MacDonald’s books. As Malcolm is drawn into the web of secrets surrounding...
7) Guild Court
Following on the heels of Robert Falconer’s hugely influential and controversial story, Guild Court, written concurrently with Falconer and published the same year, is one of MacDonald’s lesser known novels. A love story...
8) Home Again
A son’s spiritual journey reunites him with his father in this novel of redemption from the 19th-century Scottish author of The Elect Lady.
One of MacDonald’s smaller novels in length, and neither so ambitious of scope or depth, Home Again from 1887 is loosely based on the prodigal son parable. It is the oft-told tale of an ambitious young man who thinks too highly of himself, falls under the spell of a duplicitous...MacDonald’s first major English novel, published in 1867, was set in the village of Arundel on the downs south of London near the south channel coast. It was the site of MacDonald’s first and only pastorate as a newly married...
One of the nineteenth-century's greatest thinkers, George MacDonald has inspired generations with his fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Now his words of wisdom are available in a series of devotionals compiled and edited by MacDonald scholar and biographer, Michael Phillips....
11) The Portent
A gothic ghost story of romance, adventure, and the supernatural from the acclaimed 19th-century author of Phantastes.
The Portent was originally written for magazine serialization several years prior to its release in book form in 1864. Shorter than most of MacDonald’s novels, this spooky tale of the Scottish “second sight” is a thorough spine-tingling ghost story worthy of the twilight zone. MacDonald’s...A novel of a mysterious castle, unknown treasure, romance, and duplicity from the Victorian-era author of Lilith. “One of MacDonald’s very best.”—Richard Reis, author of George MacDonald’s Fiction
This dark realistic novel is somewhat puzzling in MacDonald’s corpus of more uplifting works. Some of its disconcerting themes grew out of George and Louisa MacDonald’s friendship...This 1877 sequel to Malcolm begins where the first volume of the doublet left off, at Lossie House in Cullen’s fictionalized Portlossie. Soon thereafter Malcolm travels to London to rescue Florimel from the harmful influences of duplicitous friends who do not have her best...
One woman rebels against society’s strictures to live a life of compassion in this thought-provoking Victorian novel by the author of Robert Falconer.
This 1882 story of a dysfunctional family features another of MacDonald’s memorable female protagonists. Reminiscent of Mary St. John of Robert Falconer, Hester Raymount chooses a single life of ministry among London’s downtrodden (whose character and work...15) Salted with Fire
The Scottish literary master’s final full-length realistic novel—his prodigal son tour de force.
MacDonald’s 1897 novel, Salted with Fire, is replete with dense Scottish dialect and spiritual themes. The repentance (through fire) of young minister James Blatherwick, who recognizes the sham of his pretended spirituality, is reminiscent of Thomas Wingfold’s spiritual journey. It also embodies in...16) A Time to Grow
The author of George MacDonald: Scotland’s Beloved Storyteller presents a wealth of Christian wisdom culled from the works of the great Victorian writer
The nineteenth century author, poet, and Christian scholar George MacDonald has inspired generations with his powerful stories and sermons. Writers from Lewis Carroll to W.H. Auden cite MacDonald as a major influence, while C.S. Lewis has said his books were pivotal in
17) Robert Falconer
In George MacDonald’s most well-known novel, published in 1868, the quest of young Robert Falconer for his father becomes a parallel quest to break free from the oppressive Calvinist theology of his grandmother. As he struggles to come to terms with the strict orthodoxy...
18) There and Back
This final installment of the Thomas Wingfold trilogy from 1891 adds yet further dimensions to the personal search for faith and the nature of belief, exemplified in the characters of Barbara Wilder and Richard Tuke. Both Barbara and Richard must ask whether...
This unique novel in the MacDonald collection, his only true historical novel, is set during the mid-17th century English Civil War. MacDonald’s use of the idiom and stylistic old-English of the post-Shakespearean era make this a slow read in the original. It is greatly...
This Scottish masterpiece of 1886 contains wonderfully descriptive passages of the Scottish Highlands. The story centers around two families—the English Palmers and that of clan chief Alister Macruadh—and Mr. Palmer’s cruel removal of Clan Ruadh from its traditional...