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Monday, May 30, 2005

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cover of Phantastes

Told from the point of view of Anodos, a young man who has just inherited his father's house and possessions-- and who discovers that his grandmother was actually a fairy. At first he doesn't believe her, but expresses a desire to go to Fairy Land. The next morning when he wakes up, his bedroom gradually transforms into a forest glade in Fairy Land. The rest of the story is made up of his travels through Fairy Land, and the people and creatures he meets.

Phantastes is one of those books that I've heard about for a long time-- supposedly it inspired people like C. S. Lewis and Tolkien, and helped them believe that it was possible to write Christian fantasy and original fairy tales. Lewis says in his introduction that the imaginative world of MacDonald's works is "the divine, magical, terrifying and ecstatic reality in which we all live", and suggests that Phantastes sort of baptized his imagination, long before he became a Christian. So, I had some pretty high expectations, and as a result of that, I was a little disappointed. This book feels more like a series of short stories, which all happen to feature the same character, the narrator. It didn't feel like there was a great deal of progression, and it certainly didn't feel like a novel, as MacDonald's Lillith does.

Many of the episodes are obviously allegorical, and of course Anodos' whole journey is supposed to be some kind of spiritual progression. In one village, Anodos finds that all of the people look attractive until you get within a certain distance of them. One time, Anodos is protected by the lady of the Beech tree from the evil Ash tree. Another episode seems like a somewhat disturbing allegory of female sexuality; Anodos meets a young girl who is almost a woman, with a little crystal globe which is "at once her plaything and her greatest treasure"-- she doesn't want to him touch it, but when he does, the globe vibrates and makes beautiful music. Eventually the globe becomes irresistible to Anodos, and he wants it so badly that he fights the girl, and breaks it. Later on, Anodos meets her again, and she says losing the crystal globe was a blessing in disguise, because without it to make music for her, she learned to sing. At some point, Anodos finds a beautiful white lady asleep within a block of clear marble, so he sings her to wakefulness and freedom, and spends much of the rest of the story searching for her. Another time, Anodos opens a door he has been warned not to-- and his shadow finds him, and trails along with him for the rest of his travels through Fairy Land.

MacDonald's style is not always my favorite-- the story is interrupted with "songs" that the narrator translates and records for us (often noting that the words were different, but it was "something like this", or that "I could not understand, but which left in me a feeling like this"). The quality of this work seemed a little uneven; some of the stories are much more engaging and compelling than others. Anodos' journey didn't seem quite as life-changing as it ought to have been, although perhaps I have missed details or not understood aspects of MacDonald's story. Phantastes is definitely worth reading at least once, if only for the better stories and the influence it has had on other writers. It is a book I will probably come back to in a few years, and maybe I will understand it better then.

Title:Phantastes
Author:George MacDonald
Date published:1858
Genre:Fantasy
Number of pages:185

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Tuesday, May 10, 2005

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cover of Ombria in Shadow (UK edition) cover of Ombria in Shadow (US edition)

This is a mesmerizing, magical book full of fascinating characters. It begins and ends with two different stories that are told as if they were merely a folk-tale or a legend, but of course in the world of Ombria the tales hint at more truth than even the characters telling them realize.

Ombria is a city in political turmoil; the prince of the city has just died, and his young son and heir falls under the shadow of the dark, insidious Domina Pearl, an ancient woman with unknown powers and a desire to control Ombria.

After re-reading this book, I understand better why it might be classified as a Young Adult book-- much of the book focuses on the intriguing character of Mag, and in a way it is a "coming of age" story for her. Mag has grown up believing she is a "waxling" created by the powerful Sorceress Faey who lives under the city, but Mag gradually discovers she is human, and must struggle to discover where she belongs. It's easy to sympathize with Mag as she begins to take tiny actions of meddling in palace politics, through small gestures of help and small interferences in Faey's spells when she disagrees with their aims.

There are plenty of other fascinating characters in Ombria in Shadow. Kyel is the young prince, mourning his father and unsure who to trust, who speaks more truthfully through his golden, ornate puppets. Ducon is a handsome bastard son of the late prince, who could try to take advantage of the political upheaval for himself, but instead he does his best to take care of the young Kyel, and continues sketching the people and places and shadows in Ombria-- and discovers that there is a magical quality to his skill with charcoal. Lydea, the dead prince's mistress, is another character (like Ducon and Mag) who does not know where she belongs. Because of her love for Kyel, she persuades Faey to give her a magical disguise so she can be near the young prince without the dangerous Domina Pearl discovering her. I love the moment when Ducon cautions Lydea not to feel, because her passion is a stronger spell than Faey's disguise.

The most interesting character, however, is the sorceress Faey who is somehow connected with Ombria and its Shadow city, and who always wears different faces from Ombria's past. She seems somewhat sinister, especially at first, but is clearly offended when people compare her to the evil Domina Pearl; we learn the most about her through her relationship with Mag. I particularly loved her nonchalance during the climax of the book-- she is ancient enough to have experienced it many times, and doesn't seem to understand completely what is happening, but it doesn't worry her, either. Faey seems similar to some of the other powerful females in McKillip's other books, particularly Brume from In the Forests of Serre, who is also connected to her land, although more sinister.

The ending is lovely & masterful. We get a story that may be an answer to some of Mag's questions (but it also may not be), and although most of the characters don't remember what happened before the climactic shift in Ombria, it is suggested that Mag and Faey both remember what they have experienced, along with the reader.

Title:Ombria in Shadow
Author:Patricia McKillip
Date published:2002
Genre:Fantasy / Young Adult
Number of pages:291
Notes:Second reading. I purchased my copy of this book in London.

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