Product Description
An Unforgettable Reading Experience!

George MacDonald was one of the most captivating and best-loved writers of the nineteenth century. He wrote stories for children, stories for grown-ups, poetry, fairy tales, and collections of short stories. But especially he wrote for the childlike in heart, and his books are a delight for readers of all ages.

Alec Forbes and His Friend Annie is a wonderful story of the joys of childhood, the delight of the seasons, the pleasures of youth and friendship, the dawning of maturity, and the heart-tugging agony of first love. Orphaned as a child, Annie's special friendship with Alec is a source of strength and security which sees them through many difficulties in their homeland of nineteenth-century Scotland.

Alec and Annie, eventually separated by circumstances, discover their childhood remembrances are deeply etched into their futures. Can these memories help Alec in the troubled days ahead?

Customer Reviews (2)

George MacDonald's best!
I have read other books by George MacDonald, some of which were translted by Micheal Philips, and this one is by far the best, though they are all great!Micheal Philips translates George MacDonald best out of the translaters that I have come across.George is the best author I've ever came across.

duplicate book
This book is the exact same book (same editor, even same forward) as 'The Maiden's Bequest'. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

Phantastes- George MacDonald
I ordered because C.S. Lewis said this book had such a profound influence
on the beginning of his spiritual journey. (Lewis:"Surprised by Joy"). I found this more interesting as a key to Lewis than as a story for it's own sake. It is full of nineteenth century romanticism and the plot is not well developed. Some lovely ideas but a failure as a story.

It did send me to the Lewis collection of MacDonald's thoughts which is wonderful. That, I recommend heartily. I have loved MacDonald since my childhood reading of "The Princess and the Goblin" but "Phantastes" is not my favorite.

Wonderful.
So far, it is the best edition I've come across. It is the only one that looks as though it wasn't patched together for the purpose of quickly reading a book C. S. Lewis read. This edition is to be enjoyed; it affords leisure. More often than not, this great genius, George MacDonald, becomes the author of print-it-yourself publishers. By no means is Dover classified among these.

Great edition
I previously read Phantastes with a copy from the library. It didn't have any illustrations. I ordered this copy because it has the original illustrations, and it is wonderful! The paperback quality is average, but the text is clearly printed, and the illustrations add a lot to the reading. This copy is probably "pocket-quality," useful for wear and tear, but not really a collector's edition. However, I still recommend it for anyone who wants a nice copy for their personal library.

Phantastic!
I came to Phantastes through Tokien and Lewis.After reading in "Surprised by Joy" the profound impact this book had on C.S. Lewis, I had to read it for myself.I was not disappointed.The book has its finger in something that modern fantasy books are mostly missing.Where modern writers tend to infuse their stories with modern men and women with swords and an older manner of speech, the very essence of Phantastes is something truly "old."There is a strong moral root to it, that is profoundly Christian, a sense of good things lost but better things gained through humility.The moral foundation of it has the weight of reality behind, and has a bitter-sweet quality to it.

The line from a song sung in the book has stayed in my mind ever since I first read it (and I do not have a great head for memorizing lines)

"Alas, how easily things go wrong!
A sigh too much, or a kiss too long,
And there follows a mist and a weeping rain,
And life is never the same again."

I think this line captures that "Paradise Lost" feeling present in the book quite profoundly, and yet there is much more to it than that.

I could go on at length about this book, but shall leave it at this:This is a fairy tale, and a true romance, with a profound moral center.It has its roots in the old ways of thinking and the old ways of feeling.It is a bridge to the "old," the heart and soul that makes knights and maidens and chivalry and honor a fascination to this very day.It is easy to see why this book inspired the great fantasy writers of the twentieth century.

I would conclude with a comment on the illustrations.I highly recommend this version as the illustrations are incredible.Arthur Hughes captures the essence of the things I spoke about above in his art.I am very glad to see this printing include the artwork that MacDonald preferred for his book, and can honestly say that it greatly increased my enjoyment of the already wonderful book.
... Read more

Product Description
Adela Cathcart: Volume 1
Adela Cathcart: Volume 2
Adela Cathcart: Volume 3
Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood
At the Back of the North Wind
A Book of Strife in the Form of The Diary of an Old Soul
David Elginbrod
The Day Boy and the Night Girl
A Dish of Orts
Donal Grant
A Double Story
The Elect Lady
England's Antiphon
Far Above Rubies
The Flight of the Shadow
The Golden Key
Heather and Snow
A Hidden Life and Other Poems
The History of Gutta-Percha Willie
Home Again
Hope of the Gospel
The Light Princess and Other Fairy Stories
Lilith
Malcolm
The Marquis of Lossie
Mary Marston
Miracles of Our Lord
Paul Faber, Surgeon
Phantastes
The Portent and Other Stories
The Princess and Curdie
The Princess and the Goblin
Purposes and the Shadows
Rampolli
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood
Robert Falconer
A Rough Shaking
Salted With Fire
Seaboard Parish: Volume 1
Seaboard Parish: Volume 2
Seaboard Parish: Volume 3
Sir Gibbie
St. George and St. Michael
There and Back
Thomas Wingfold, Curate
The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Unspoken Sermons
The Vicar's Daughter
Warlock o' Glenwarlock
Weighed and Wanting
What's Mine's Mine
Wilfrid Cumbermede
The Wise Woman ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Under-rated author, okay kindle edition
George MacDonald should be better known. The Kindle Edition here is a real bargain for those who want to discover his writing...however navigation is a challenge. ... Read more

Product Description
In THE PYRATES, the author of the celebrated Flashman novels pays tongue-in-cheek homage to the swashbuckling books and movies that have always stirred his imagination. In these rollicking pages you'll find tall ships and desert islands; impossibly gallant adventurers and glamorous heroines; devilishly sinister cads and ghastly dungeons; improbably acrobatic duels and hair's-breadth escapes; and more plot twists than you can shake a rapier at. A deliriously entertaining combination of Errol Flynn action-adventure and Naked Gun pastiche.
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Customer Reviews (26)

Huge fun
A dizzying, action-packed yarn that takes us from England to the Caribbean via Madagascar, with a cast of pirates, heroes, villains, lovable rogues, heroines and vixens. As the author cheerfully tells us, great liberties are taken with history (among other things). It's a wild blend of all the pirate stories the author devoured in his childhood, mixing historical figures and events with great dollops of deliberate anachronism.

A real romp, and definitely not to be taken seriously. I prefer Fraser's "Flashman" books, with their carefully rendered historical background to the anti-hero's misadventures, but this was great fun.

adventure
lady vanity of yorkeys knob and very victorian , kiwi and british, and indonisa and inda, burma also. traveling at the speed of light in words!Barbra Quixley_- lady vanity, told me id like it and it is funny for sure

Fraser's hilarious, epic paean to the pirate legend, wi' a curse!
George MacDonald Fraser's "Flashman" series, adored by all who read them, keep a tight balance between historical accuracy, cranking up adrenaline, and humor (erring more on the side of adrenaline and humor than accuracy, I grant you).If you've read Bernard Cornwell's occasionally grim Richard Sharpe series, you need to read Flashman for some yucks.

"The Pyrates," a stand-alone novel, is Fraser's epic farce.From the first sentence, which goes on for more than a page, that sets the scene to the climactic battle between the pyrates, the Dudley Doright hero Avery, and the condemned-to-lose Spanish, Fraser keeps the action moving and the laughs coming.Nary a sentence goes by without a perfectly-timed joke or witty aside, and while it gets the tiniest bit tiresome at well over 400 pages, "Pyrates" never wears out its welcome.

I'll spare the repeating of any of the jokes, as I could never do Fraser's work justice.Just read on for Heroes, Villains, Sultry Maidens, Virtuous Virgins, and other comic archetypes in full bloom.You'll be glad you did, even though you may get some odd stares as you burst out laughing if you dare read "Pyrates" in public.A hilarious work.

One of his best.
First something becomes a cornerstone of society then you parody it and that is when things start to get fun.Think of a book that you would write if you could jam every conceivable plot clique and character into 600 pages; Friaser did all that.

In typical buccaneer fashion there are damsels in distress, great escapes, sword fights, evil Spaniards, upright British officers, rouges a treasure, great men of the age and a whole lot more.There is also a handy 30 pages or so at the end to help the unwary separate fact from fiction.

A very good investment all round solid gold.

A tale that must be told
A brilliant book by one of my favorite authors.I stumbled on it by accident, while looking for Flashman.In a sense, this is even better:Flashie can sometimes get repetitive, but Fraser keeps this one moving.Virtually everyone and everything plays out in strict accordance with Pirate Cliche, with the exception of the cliffhanger ending.Walls between the narrator and the audience are broken down, so that Fraser can explain, for instance, what the background music or camera-eye view would be if this were a movie (and it should be-think of "Airplane","M.P. and the Holy Grail" and a solid Errol Flynn movie rolled into one.)I could say a lot more, but why bother?You should be reading the book.Trust me. ... Read more

Product Description
George MacDonald was a 19th century Scottish writer, poet and minister.He is best known for his fairy tales and fantasies.His most popular works are Phantastes, The Princess and the Goblin, At the Back of the North Wind, and Lilith. Phantastes, a Faerie Romance for Men and Women captivates the reader from the very beginning when a man on his 21st birthday receives the keys to an old secretary belonging to his father.He opens it and finds a secret compartment which "disclosed a chamber--empty, except that in one corner lay a little heap of withered rose-leaves, whose long-lived scent had long since departed; and, in another, a small packet of papers, tied with a bit of ribbon, whose colour had gone with the rose-scent. Almost fearing to touch them, they witnessed so mutely to the law of oblivion, I leaned back in my chair, and regarded them for a moment; when suddenly there stood on the threshold of the little chamber, as though she had just emerged from its depth, a tiny woman-form, as perfect in shape as if she had been a small Greek statuette roused to life and motion. Her dress was of a kind that could never grow old-fashioned, because it was simply natural: a robe plaited in a band around the neck, and confined by a belt about the waist, descended to her feet. It was only afterwards, however, that I took notice of her dress, although my surprise was by no means of so overpowering a degree as such an apparition might naturally be expected to excite. Seeing, however, as I suppose, some astonishment in my countenance, she came forward within a yard of me, and said, in a voice that strangely recalled a sensation of twilight, and reedy river banks, and a low wind, even in this deathly room:--" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Disappointing edition
If you didn't read the preface to this edition, or you weren't shopping for an illustrated copy of McDonald's wonderfully engrossing story, perhaps you wouldn't know what you were missing.

Sadly, I did both. The ONLY illustration in this book is on the cover. McDonald's son wrote the preface (to the 1905 edition, bewilderingly included in this version), and made pointed mention of the fact that illustrations had been added in by McDonald's good friend.

However, illustrations are nowhere to be seen in the pages of the book.

I am VERY curious to know if there are any editions out there that have illustrations throughout. I would love to read the version that this preface accurately accompanied. That being said, the story is fantastic thus far, and I certainly am not disappointed with the author's content.

This is not the edition you want to own!

Margins too narrow hard to read near binding edge
This is a great story by George MacDonald but if you want an easy to read large print, look for another edition. First it's a wide format paperpack (I should have checked the dimensions). But worse than that, the margins are too narrow sothat it's difficult to open the book wide enough to read the text near the bound edge of the pages.

Some of the Buried Strata of the Human World
A warning should be printed on the title-page of this beautiful, unique book, preferably curling around a romantically decorated Gothic archway: Caution, You Are Now Entering the Realm of Dreams. Many would-be readers have found themselves bored or confused through ignorance of this simple fact. "Phantastes" is perhaps the most truly dream-like book ever written. As in a dream, one scene morphs into another; objects acquire an intense emotional significance for no apparent reason; explanations are offered and happily accepted despite their obvious failure to explain anything.

George MacDonald is sadly little known, and he might have disappeared altogether but for the enthusiasm of C.S. Lewis, who called MacDonald his Teacher and said that reading "Phantastes" "baptised his imagination". I can only say that this perplexes me. Christian interpretations of this book seem to me neither more nor less plausible than Freudian ones. Interpreting a dream is like building a little cage for a soap-bubble. The same with fairy-tales, of which MacDonald was also a master. Do fairy-tales have "meanings"? If the story had a meaning that could be told, what need would there be for the story?

So MacDonald was an Explorer of what we now call the Subconscious, which we consider to be Inside Us. But remember that he wasn't as clever as we are, he thought of this Realm as neither Inside nor Outside: and of course he was right. It wouldn't be true to say he was the first. Both English and German Romantics influenced him; but while they waded ever deeper and deeper, he let go and began to swim. (He acknowledges his debt with the inset story of Cosmo in Chapter 13, which could have been written by the German Romantic Novalis.)

"Phantastes" is the dream we wish we could have, like opulent music, full of mossy forests, water, flowers, moonlit nights, courtly lovers, solemn buildings. It will always divide opinion: some will fling it away after a few chapters, others will treasure it, re-read and re-read it.

a reminder of fantasy in 1858
Phantastes, by George MacDonald, was first published in 1858. The somewhat rambling prose style reflects the writing of that era. In spite of the wordiness, the story is delightful and very interesting. I was impressed that the yearnings of the main character and the yearnings of us 21rst- century humans are largely the same. On the whole, I much enjoyed the tale.

Additional Product Details
The following review is given specifically for the Johannesen edition (George MacDonald Original Works) of Phantastes.

First of all, the book has a slick, dark green cover that is waterproof. The front cover and spine are engraved with gold leafing, which gives the book a beautiful antique appearance. Furthermore, the spine is well-rounded and appears to be enforced for a lifetime of handling (this is obviously important for a serious book collector!). Also, the sewn pages within are acid-free and are of a light cream color which makes it easy on the eyes while reading.

Secondly, Johannesen has included all thirty-three illustrations by Arthur Hughes. No other modern printing of this text includes these illustrations. Although it may sound silly to wish for these illustrations, it really adds a touch of delightful nostaglia to Phantastes

Thirdly, the Johannesen editions are considered authoritative editions, which hold significant weight for the literary student or MacDonald scholar.

Although the price may seem a bit steep, the product is well worth it. This is an attractive edition which may be passed down through your family for generations to come. I hope that this brief review has been helpful - happy shopping!
... Read more

Product Description
In Volume II of the Flashman Papers, Flashman tangles with femme fatale Lola Montez and the dastardly Otto Von Bismarck in a battle of wits which will decide the destiny of a continent.Did Flashman's adventures in the Duchy of Strackenz provide the inspiration for The Prisoner of Zenda? The similarities are certainly there as Flash Harry becomes embroiled in a desperate succession of escapes, disguises, amours and (when unavoidable) hand-to-hand combats in an epic adventure that takes him from the gaming-halls of London to the dungeons and throne-rooms of Europe. And for once Flashman's talents for deceit and treachery are matched by those of Otto von Bismarck and the beautiful but deadly Lola Montez. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

A definitive Flashman novel
"Royal Flash" continues the saga of the dishonorable Harry Flashman: British soldier, seducer, adventurer, and false hero (and not in that particular order).

The novel opens with Flashman basking in the glory he earned in the first novel in this series as the hero of the Afghan Campaign.London is teetering on the brink of Victorian prudery, so there are still plenty of gorgeous ladies who are just dying to be seduced by the hero with the mighty whiskers.But Flashman soon meets his match with the lovely Irish-Spanish maiden, Lola Montez.The elder Flashman writes with some authority that this dynamo was the best tumble in the sack he ever had, and considering the source that is a high compliment.She is young, vivacious, and ultimately too much of a tiger for Flashman.What follows after their breakup is a battle for the ages between vengeful former lovers - this is a battle that will span the continent of Europe.

And the continent is in play, thanks to the plots and schemes of one Otto Von Bismarck, who enters the novel as a young lord of minor distinction. OVB wants to change that, and he sees Flashman as a key tool for his aims.The fact that Bismarck can unleash his own vengeance upon Flashman is part of his fun after Flashman sets up the noble for a ripe fall.

"Royal Flash" teeters on the verge of a Shakespearean comedy, with a gazillion impersonations, seductions, swordfights and hard rides through the grim night toward uncertain death (but not really, as we know Flashman survives these escapades to write his memoirs).The thrill of these books is not in the result, but in their execution - Flashman, for all his acknowledgement of his raging cowardice, is a true hero who rises to more than one occasion.

Through it all, George MacDonald Fraser keeps the jokes coming fast and furious, and there are several laugh-out-loud moments.It's a shame that Harry Flashman has not yet become a film franchise - he's a superior hero to most of what is on the market and a darn sight more funny.

But here's hoping . . . and the joyful consolation that we have so many Flashman books to enjoy.

Can't wait for the movie
Flashie strikes again as his Afgan adventures spur life's comedy onward toward further extremities! Yikes! Egad there is a film of the escapade dated 1975. Love to see it. Fraser wrote screenplays for many Bond (007) films and you can feel the flavor. Flashman puts Bond to shame however because Flash is human. Bond is, well, robotic. Flashman IS everyman! RIP George McDonald Flashman Fraser.

You may as well walk off the stage when Lola Montez does
The opening chapters are a fascinating little "what if" involving Otto von Bismarck meeting the famed Victorian boxer John Gully.It's well worth reading.The opening lines, having nothing to do with the rest of the book, are my favorite in the whole series.

But once the Magnificent Montez exits, the book turns into a stale Prisoner of Zenda retread.The devices of making Flashman/Rassendyl the coward and bully we all know he is, or satirically suggesting that Hope copied his novel from Flashman's story, are outrageous enough to be entertaining, but not enough to keep the interest level up for the whole ride.

I'm hopelessly addicted to the Flashman series and have read eight of them so far.I'd recommend any of the other seven above this one, especially the original Flashman!, as well as Flashman and the Redskins.

Good but not Great
I am a big fan of the Flashman but I found this novel, notwithstanding its reputation as being the best in the series, to be not as interesting as others.Perhaps it is just the fact that the historical focus were not of particular interest to me.I find Bismarck and Lola interesting subjects to be sure, but I felt that there really was not much of them in the story.Rather, the story focuses on Flash's attempt to disentagle himself from a fictional conspiracy orchestrated by a fictional Prussian agent.Maybe it's the American in me talking, but I would recommend Flash for Freedom, Flashman and the Redskins or just about any other Flashman books except the "Flashman and the Tiger" over this book.

Another fun read
The second in the Flashman series. Not quite as good as the original but still a worthy read. Fraser's style makes these books very enjoyable. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
It was one of those exquisite days that come in every winterin which it seems no longer the dead bodybut the lovely ghost of summer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Beautiful Story
This book is the story of a noble heart. It is the sequel to Malcom. A young fisherman-turned-groom seeks to do right by his half sister after learning that he is the true Marquis of Lossie. This book is in its original form. The dialect can be a little hard to sift through("I canna weel du that, sir;she canna be muckle waur," said the youth.) MacDonald can be a bit preachy. A quote from this book: ''You are like all the rest of the Scotch I ever knew...the Scotch are always preaching! I believe it is in their blood." The book does not move as fast as modern readers are used to, but is well worth reading. There is intrigue, humor, scandal and redemption. Enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
Far Above Rubies by George MacDonald

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Product Description
Not that the child was a fool. Had she been, the wise woman would have only pitied and loved her, instead of feeling sick when she looked at her. She had very fair abilities, and were she once but made humble, would be capable not only of doing a good deal in time, but of beginning at once to grow to no end. ... Read more

Product Description
This ninth volume of The Flashman Papers, faithfully edited and transcribed by Fraser, finds that Sir Harry Flashman is back in India, where his saga began. This time, our hero is sent by Her Majesty's Secret Service to spy on the corrupt court of Lahore, on India's Northwest Frontier. Flashy's most challenging exploit yet is as politically shrewd and thoroughly lewd as ever. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Funny, but not new...
I love Flashman. This series of books is the funniest saga ever. Bawdy in places, but laugh-out-loud funny.

Mountain of Light was no exception - comical, thrilling (Flashman's only ever one blink away from discovery, followed by a horrible death of which he is characteristically terrified) and very lewd.

Having said that, Mountain of Light was no exception. I feel like I've read most of it before, and the novelty of the series is wearing off. (However, I have read about 8 of these now - if you've only read one or two, read another!)

Flashman does it again!
Flashman and the Mountain of Light is one of Flashy's greatest adventures in the entire series.Dispatched to the city of Lahore as a diplomat of the East India Company on the eve of war, Flashman soon finds himself evading assassins, charming the beautiful Sikh Maharani, begging for mercy from his captors, and dishonouring himself wholeheartedly, which is hardly a problem for the greatest cad ever to don a red coat.Written by former British soldier George MacDonald Fraser, whose knack for historical research combined with comedic effect has been used time and again to create a remarkably unique character, whose voice and wit makes readers think they are reading an actually memoir.This is one of my favourite books in the series, not only for its gripping action and raunchy laughs, but for the fascination it has endowed in me in its subject.The First Sikh War, fought between the army of the East India Company and the Khalsa, the army of the Sikh Empire, in 1845 to 1846, was one of Britain's many colonial wars, and resulted ultimately in the Punjab coming under the control of the Company.Flashman and the Mountain of Light is a galloping good read, as Flashy would say, and is recommended to anyone who wants to laugh and learn at the same time.

Thunder and shot as Flashman ducks for cover
In this latest instalment of the saga, Flashman finds himself mixed up much more closely than he would like in the First Sikh War of 1845. Duck and dive though he will, his unconscious instinct for being in the wrong place at the wrong time never deserts him, and he gets into any number of scrapes, twice escaping from the Sikh's capital at Lahore, once breaking back in under disguise, and having to show his face at two of the bloodiest battles the British ever fought in India.

There is a great deal of action of all kinds going on, and a fair amount of machination is required to get Flashman, funking and whining as usual, at the centre of each scene, whether military or romantic. With his usual mix of bluster, robust charm, luck and deviousness, he obtains his usual dollop of credit from the adventure, plus a flesh wound to impress doubters. Not quite at the top of his form in this frenetic pot-boiler, Flashman still guarantees a thoroughly good read from both the historical and the entertainment perspectives.

"There Were Some Damned Odd Fellows About in the Earlies"
In George MacDonald Fraser's 'Flashman and the Mountain of Light', our man Flashy sees Queen Vicky holding the Koh-I-Noor diamond and flashes back to India - more precisely, the Punjab where he arrives just in time for the first Anglo Sikh War (1845-46), not to suggest that Flashman had a hand in the war or anything.

The reader meets some of the most colorful figures ever to occupy the historical stage - as Flashman says "there were some damned odd fellows about in the earlies" - many of whom have just about slipped into the obscuring mists of time before Frasser rescued them. There's the White Mughal Alexander Haughton Campbell Gardner, the Queen Mother Maharani Jeendan (ohh, what a mother!), British 'agent' George Broadfoot and more. Flashman even meets up with a couple of fellows who are bigger cowards than he - Lal Singh and Tej Singh.

Fraser also takes the reader through the war in some detail, especially the battles at Ferozeshah and Sobraon. If anything the battle scenes last too long, but that will be a matter of taste for the individual reader.

Along the way, Harry engages in some rather disturbing behavior, which other reviewers have suggested indicate a degree of bravery heretofore undetected. Bosh! While Flashy isn't always the quivering mass of jelly we have come to expect, any actions suggestive of courage are simply acts of self-preservation. And anyway, Flashy gets his just reward for such behavior in the end.

Highest Flashman recommendation.

Another great adventure of Flashman
After reading Royal Flash and Flashman's Lady, I was beginning to think that I as over Flashy, as those books didnt move me in quite the same way the Flashman Papers and the Dragon did.

However, this tale of debauchery and adventure redeemed good ole Flashy in my eyes.Actually, I have been beginning to suspect that Flashy isnt as big a coward as he plays himself to be.His aim appears steady and his sword arm sure when ever he is in a pinch.

The only draw back is that if you are not careful to remember the meanings of all the native lingo, you'll bound to get lost. ... Read more

Product Description
Summary: Willie MacMichael, a mechanical genius who masters every trade and skill he sets his hand to, finally learns to use his talents to serve other people. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful Sequel to the Princess and the Goblin
I have not written any reviews before but I felt that the works of George MacDonald deserved reviews to bring the works of this forgotten genius back to the light of day. Especially as you can get many of them for free on your kindle. It must first be understood that George MacDonald inspired such authors as J.R.R. Tolkien, W.H. Auden, Madeline L'Engle and E. Nesbit. C.S. Lewis regarded him as his master. If you are a fan of these authors then you might want to seriously consider exploring the works of one who inspired them.

The Princess and Curdie is a sequel to the Princess and the Goblin. While the former dealt primarily with the adventures of Princess Irene this one focuses almost exclusively on the young miner Curdie who struggles to aid the King and Princess Irene against the treachery of those who wish to overthrow their Kingdom. Unlike the Princess and the Goblin this tale starts off quite a bit more slowly and the first chapter or two I had to kind of struggle to maintain interest. However, once Curdie starts his quest the story really gets moving along and I was hooked on it nearly as thoroughly as I was hooked on the Princess and the Goblin. It is a wonderful fairy tale of adventure and a fair bit of action. There ismuch thought in the story and like the Princess and the Goblin the author illustrates virtues, vices and morality quite well. However I feel that he manages this without being too preachy. Still there may be some that don't like the pointing out of moralities so your mileage may vary. The characters are interesting as in the first story and again the Great-Great Grandmother of Irene wields a subtle magic manipulating events but only by aiding the primary characters in aiding themselves and others. It is only in the last desperate battle at the end of the story that this cunning Enchantress takes an active hand in the action.

MacDonald loves songs and poetry and often puts them to use in the story. However I found them to be distracting and they did not hold my interest. However that may not be the case for you. All in all though I greatly enjoyed the story and highly recommend it if you enjoyed the Princess and the Goblin.


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Customer Reviews (4)

Very happy
Thank you very much for the book! I appreciate the expedience in which it has arrived.

Excellent
I received this order in great shape in a timely manner!The Marquis' Secret was an excellent read!It made me want to purchase the book "The Fisherman's Lady." - which I did.

The wonderful sequel to "Malcolm" or "The Fisherman's Lady"
This book displays some amazingly insightful looks at human hearts and motivations.It is a beautiful completion to Malcolm (republished as The Fisherman's Lady).

Here you will see how there often are times in ourlives where to follow the laws of God are to guarantee failure in all thatwe wish to accomplish in life...but that those who, against all reason,place their trust in God, God is able to bring about the deepest desires ofour hearts.But sometimes He does not.Sometimes, God brings to lighteven greater things, though at greater cost.

I love this book.

Scottish adventure
This is the second book of a two-part novel. Don't bother to read this book unless you have already read the first one "The Fisherman's Lady". That's where all the characters and their stories are really developed.This second book just continues on with Book 1 without really identifyingor explaining who and what is going on. That said, it was as interesting asthe first book, worth reading, a good adventure with a spiritual twist. Theending was a bit flat but overall, it was a good read. (Still think Malcolmis too good to be true though. Too bad.) ... Read more

Product Description
Alec Forbes of Howglen is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by George MacDonald is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of George MacDonald then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Touching, satisfying, and often humorous MacDonald story
This MacDonald story has a LOT of the Scots dialect, which I've become accustomed to now, but if I had read it earlier, it would have discouraged me. The Kindle version, however, has a glossary at the end with Scots words defined! So helpful! I will read Sir Gibbie again and use that glossary. Alec and Annie, the two main characters are very likable and very real (but, then, all MacDonald's characters are very real). As always, there are a few villains you will love to hate even though MacDonald keeps reminding you that as a Christian you shouldn't hate them but instead feel sorry for them. And Cosmo Cupples's relationship with Alec is oftentimes hilarious and in the end one of the most touching and satisfying things I have ever read. Some of Alec's adventures in his younger days dragged for me, but once he grew older, he was always interesting. Through Annie Anderson, MacDonald shows the tender love of God as well as he ever has. She brought tears to my eyes by making me see, through her words, how loving God is. My favorite MacDonald books are Donal Grant and Sir Gibbie, but this one is high up.

A Story of Growing Up in Early 19th Century Scotland.
This novel is quite different than the rest of George MacDonald's adult novels. It has more laughs by far, though the story as a whole tends tward the melodramatic. It is George MacDonald's most complex work, intricatelyweaving together the stories of the two main characters: Annie Anderson(approx. 10 years old) and Alec Forbes (approx. 13 years old) as they meetand grow up to young adulthood. Annie looses her father and is forced tomove in with her miserly cousin Robert the Bruce, one of the town's shopkeepers. Alec eventually goes off to the big city to medical school and isforced to decide whether he will face life's disappointments or dissapatehis life away with alchohol.

The first half of this book is toosentimental and bucolic for my tastes and seems geared more tward anadolescent audience. However, the action in the second half more than makesup for it. I would caution the reader that this book has much more Scotsdialect in it than some of George MacDonald's other popular works like"David Elginbrod" and "Donald Grant" and you wouldprobably do better to tackle one of these first, so that you don't get toodiscouraged.

This book stresses character development and has little orno sermonizing. Much of the first half of this book is taken up with theexperiences of the two main characters in the town's one room school houseand the overly strict disipline meeted out by the school master. Hisfavorite method of disipline is the tawse (a small leather wip flung downfrom the shoulder) and indeed in one instance he almost beats young Alec todeath. The apex of the novel is a tremendous flood, and you will find youreyes filling with tears as your favorite characters struggle for theirlives. And you will be satisfied when your least favorite character getshis just deserts.

Two small children find that to stand they must first crawl.
Considered by many MacDonald's best novel, Alec Forbes of Howglen contains a diversity of characters, personalities, and locales, yet maintains an unstrained and unforced continuity in that there appears no attempt to contrive or incorporate that which is ill-suited or unbelievable. The plot and various subplots flow, commingle, diversify, and rejoin with no break in the natural stream of the story line. Whereas in many novels of such diverse and complexcharacterization, the reader is forced to backtrack or rethink that which has gone before, there are no such obstacles placed in the road of those who journey alongside Annie and Alec.

This is an absolutely wonderful tale of the lives of two children, Annie and Alec, as they grow into adulthood. Although from two distinct social classes, which occurrence provides ample and diverse challenges for our beloved hero and heroine, Alec and Annie find, after considerable difficulty, trials innumerable, soul-rending afflictions, natural disasters, and, in general, some rather horrific catastrophes, a slender, yet all-powerful, thread which binds them together.

Upon the death of her parents, Annie, who has known nothing but the idyllic life of the small farm, awakens to find everything that she has known and loved gone; her sole childhood companion and dear friend, Brownie-the family cow, as well as the remainder of the livestock, farm implements, furniture, and accessories sold, and she, poor little soul, on the way to live with her father's miserly, mean, hypocritical cousin, Robert Bruce, and his family of ill-bredmongrels, above their shop in town. She and a very small trunk, which contains her meager belongings, are unceremoniously stowed in an attic room which contains no curtains, no lights, holes in the floor, and is shared by rats.

Grieved by the loss of her parents and her home would seem misery enough for one small child, but she is further tormented throughout the day by theBruce children, and throughout the night by her fear of the rats. School is no sanctuary, for it is ruled by a petty tyrant who holds the firm, unequivocal belief that "to spare the rod is to spoil the child," and he cannot abide a spoiled ordisobedient child.

Alec, although far from wealthy, lives with his mother in a modest, but quite comfortable home near the edge of town. It is here that Annie eventually is driven to seek refuge from the countless horrors that stalk her days and nights. It is here, through the eyes of a mother, that Annie sees love sparkle and shimmer as it gently caresses, nurtures, and develops the soul of young Alec.

Follow Annie and Alec, as well as all who cross their paths and touch their lives, in this compelling narrative of real life. For life is not without its trials and tribulations, sorrows and sadness, pains and afflictions, yet it is by and through all such as these,-the manner, means, and motives by which we face and overcome all such obstacles-, that we grow into the men and women that God would have us to be. As a muscle will atrophy if it never meets resistance, so then will a soul wither and die unless forced to encounter the oppressive weights of affliction, self-sacrifice, and self-denial.

We, not unlike water, ever seek the path of least resistance. In this book, MacDonald adeptly illustrates that the best laid plans of men may not provide that which is best for men. God will pursue His plan regardless of our idle hopes, dreams, and speculations. As a result, we often find life, at best, difficult and trying, while, at worst, it may appear all but unbearable. There is, of course, a simple means by which we may "make the way smooth," and that is by doing as Jesus did-the will of His Father. ... Read more

Product Description
George MacDonald was considered to be one of the great Victorian writers and thinkers of his time, and his contemporaries ranked him with Dickens, Trollope and Carlyle. MacDonald's output was prodigious, and his books now grow more popular every day. Those with a taste for fairy tales may enjoy Phantastes and his children's books At the Back of the North Wind, The Princess and the Goblin and The Princess and Curdie. His popularity is in some measure thanks to the homage C.S. Lewis paid to him as the inspiration for much of his own development.MacDonald was essentially a Christian thinker, but like many Victorians something of a rebel in his dislike of formalised, dogmatic religion. He was also a symbolist. He expressed universal truths in images common to mankind: light and darkness, childhood and old age, fire, water and wind. The whole of nature was for him an expression of the spiritual realm that lies beyond it.This biography, the first published for decades, draws out the various strands in MacDonald's life: his religious journey, his development as a writer, his many friends (who included Ruskin and F.D. Maurice), and the joys and sorrows of bringing up a large family. This book will do much to re-established his considerable reputation. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

For those who love Fairy Tales
I have not written any reviews before but I felt that the works of George MacDonald deserved reviews to bring the works of this forgotten genius back to the light of day. Especially as you can get many of them for free on your kindle. It must first be understood that George MacDonald inspired such authors as J.R.R. Tolkien, W.H. Auden, Madeline L'Engle and E. Nesbit. C.S. Lewis regarded him as his master. If you are a fan of these authors then you might want to seriously consider exploring the works of one who inspired them.

To me the Princess and the Goblin is a fairy tale. Unlike most fairy tales that are stories passed down through the ages George MacDonald wrote this one in 1872. While I have no doubt that he took many things from legend and lore and fairy tales it is nonetheless his own tale. In reading this story I felt that I was a child again reading a wondrous story where anything could happen. MacDonald knows magic and weaves magic in his tale. He also knows how Faerie and the realms of Faerie works. Having been a fan of Tolkien most of my life I have read many of his essays on the realm and I recognize the strange laws of the realm that are difficult to put down to paper but you recognize them even if you can't communicate them yourself.

The story flows quickly and is lively as it revolves around the adventures of a little girl, the Princess Irene and at times the humble honest and wise miner boy Curdie. As they have their misadventures with the Goblins under the mountain you become aware of the guidance of Irene's mysterious and magical Great-Great Grandmother who wields a powerful yet subtle magic. She never takes a direct hand in things in this story but like a Fairy Godmother constantly helps Irene to help herself. The story is simply delightful.

Like a fairy tale from old there are many morals that are illustrated and one is shown the ways of right and wrong. This might turn some people off but I like the fact that MacDonald doesn't beat one about the heads and shoulders with his display of virtues and vices. I feel he keeps just the right measure in his storytelling. After all fairy tales were meant to educate the young in the ways of right and wrong though many have forgotten this.

Many books written by Victorian authors during the Victorian Age can sometimes be a difficult read as they used the language somewhat differently than we do today. I felt that MacDonald wrote clearly and I didn't really have to struggle with anything though his turn of phrases were of course different from modern ones.

So for anyone who loves fairy tales and feels that they have read them and despair that there are no more to read I invite you to read this lost treasure.
... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great adventure story!
MacDonald wrote this over a century ago, and the language is hard on under-educated kids, but the adventure, the unexpected twists in the plot, and the moral lessons make this one of my absolute favorite books, even if the language is a bit hard to get through.

MacDonald's adventure fantasy stories were the inspiration for Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and his daughter was even the inspiration for "Alice in Wonderland" - an impressive bit of literary history to take in! ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more