Review: The Gospel in George MacDonald: Selections from His Novels, Fairy Tales, and Spiritual Writings edited by Marianne Wright

Synopsis: If you don’t have the time to read all the novels of George MacDonald, the great Scottish storyteller who inspired C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, Mark Twain, W. H. Auden, and J. R. R. Tolkien, this anthology is a great place to start. These selections from MacDonald’s novels, fairy tales, and sermons reveal the profound and hopeful Christian vision that infuses his fantasy worlds and other fiction. Newcomers will find in these pages an accessible sampling. George MacDonald enthusiasts will be pleased to find some of the writer’s most compelling stories and wisdom in one volume. Drawn from books including Sir Gibbie, The Princess and the Goblin, Lilith, and At the Back of the North Wind, the selections are followed by appreciations by G. K. Chesterton and C. S. Lewis and accompanied by classic illustrations by Arthur Hughes.

Review: Published by Plough Publishing House and edited by Marianne Wright, this is a survey of the gospel message in the fiction and non –fiction writing of George MacDonald. MacDonald was mildly popular during his time, but has the honor of being a major influence in C. S. Lewis and G. K. Chesterton.

Plough Publishing and Wright have done a fine job of organizing MacDonald’s work into subjects, including topics like Finding God, Marriage, Death, and Eternity. Each section of prose is prefaced by a one-two line summary of the scene or source of the quote. In quotes that contain MacDonald’s native Scottish dialect, the translation is provided.

The quotes come from a wide range of Macdonald’s work, including novels, fairy tales, sermons, and private letters.  It is excellent chosen collection and a thorough survey of his writing.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed MacDonald’s work, but in particular, to those who wish to get a comprehensive overview of MacDonald’s theology and where it appears in his non-theological writing.  From here, one can find specific works of MacDonald’s to read. This is a must for any complete theological library. 

Note: I received this book free through LibraryThing's Early Review Program, in exchange for my fair and honest opinion. 

Bookmarks: 4.5 of 5

Awards: None

ISBN: 978-0874867664
Year Published: 2016
Date Finished: 2-22-2017
Pages: 340