Rating: 
Summary: Strangely Enthralling
Review: I give this book five stars for MacDonald's unsurpassed creativity and humane cosmic vision. Readers who are not fascinated by Christian theology might find the going a little slow in the last third of the book, but the force of Macdonald's imagination saves it from ever turning boring. The Raven character can be annoyingly preachy at times, but then I remember that MacDonald was after all a preacher. I am sure he was a good one, and the book makes me feel that I am reading the words of a wise, benevolent man in whom I could confide my deepest concerns.
As a piece of literature, Lilith has flaws; but the flaws are overcome by the value of MacDonald's unique myth-making power.
The narrative can get a little tedious towards the end, but I still will not lower my five-star rating because MacDonald was teaching a lesson and not merely entertaining readers. I do not share MacDonald's religious views and I read this book because I was looking for a good fantasy story rather than a theological tract, but I will nonetheless recognize that Lilith is an extraordinary masterpiece of spiritual fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Read for the mythology, not the theology.
Review: I had mixed feelings after reading "Lilith."
On the literary side, I strongly recommend this book. MacDonald has a way with words that leaves one with an incredibly clear picture of what he's trying to portray, no matter how extraordinary the scenario. This is hard to explain, as he isn't a particularly good writer; his words, although somewhat jumbled, still get the images across clearly. The scene in which the main character reaches out for the butterfly, which promptly turns into a dead book in his hands, is among the most wonderful bits of imagery I have read. Although the story becomes confusing if not read closely and the characters switch into a very heavy-handed King James-like formal prose from time to time, MacDonald makes his creative genius clear in this novel.
However, if you hold to the teachings of orthodox Christianity (as I do), you may find yourself disappointed by the clearly Universalistic leanings in the story. The inhabitants of MacDonald's world, no matter how evil, will all invariably turn to good in the end (though some more slowly than others). I was unsatisfied with Lilith's "repentance;" it seemed rather that she was being forced against her wishes to become good. It is even said of The Shadow, who, I take, represents the devil, that he will eventually repent. While there are many good themes throughout the book, most notably that true life is reached through death to self, the unbiblical elements of "Lilith" put a damper on the book for me, as I went in with the knowledge that MacDonald was a Christian and therefore expected the worldview of the book to follow orthodox Christianity.
In short, read the book for the imagery and mythology, not the theology.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoy other worlds? This is the book for you!
Review: I would recomend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure, other worlds, thinking about strange but wonderful things, and using their imagination. This is one of the best books I have ever read. I could not put it down!!
Rating:
Summary: Beautifull
Review: It was a very well written meteforical (cant spell) story! I think readers will get alot out of this book. It has deep insites of mans greed (thats what i got out of it) and the loss of childish innocence. My wife reccormended this book to me. ( I usually dont like fantasy books) but this one was really good.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Myth
Review: Lewis was right when he described MacDonald as not a great writer, but perhaps the best myth-maker he had ever read. There are places where MacDonald could have used a good editor, sections that are unclear that could be made so, or where the feel is disjointed. However, there are other sections where the lack of clarity is simply because of the great depth, as one looks down into a storm-tossed pool extending into the Marianas'. Images and lines of Lilith stay with you and ruminate in your mind, such as individuals lying down on the cold slabs of Mr. Raven's house, the delightful children feeding the gentle giant, or the phrase, "When a man will not act where he is, he must go far to find his work."A couple further capiats: MacDonald's belief in universal salvation is clearly demonstrated, and his argument that the only way Good can truly be greater than Evil is if all Evil will one day succumb to Good by becoming Good has a certain, if incomplete persuasion. It was also surprising to see MacDonald making use of ancient Gnostic/Jewish heresies such as Lilith, the first wife of Adam. I highly recommend the book however for it's depth of imagery, for the ideas that can extend into one's mind and bring forth something new, as we give up the old ones. MacDonald's layers and repetitions hearken to something Biblical, or Joycian. In death there is life.
Rating:
Summary: A haunting tale hovering between dream and nightmare,
Review: LILITH is best considered in the context of MacDonald's life, and remembering his earlier work PHANTASTES. PHANTASTES he wrote as a young man (35), LILITH he wrote at age 85. LILITH presents the maturity of the thoughts he introduced in PHANTASTES. To try to understand either work outside his religion (Christianity) would not do them justice. LILITH is considered a dark romance, but I don't think MacDonald would have called it so. It is full of a strange, mystical Christian hope; it is the tale of a spiritual journey, of dreams and visions just beyond our conscious reckoning -- always haunting us with the nagging question of whether our dreams are more real than what we call reality. The tale begins with a young man, Mr. Vane, come of age, and into the inheritance of a great estate. Mr. Vane is a man given to both inquiry and reflection. As he peruses the great library of books and manuscripts collected by his ancestors, his perception of reality is challenged and stretched to include, among other things, a talking raven. The raven becomes his guide into another world, strange to behold; the realm of the seven dimensions and the ten senses, MacDonald calls it. (What ever could he mean?)
LILITH is introduced well into the work, an emaciated being near death, until Mr. Vane unwittingly nurses her back to health. MacDonald certainly patterns her after the demon of Jewish folklore for whom she is named. All the demon's traits are apparent: cold beauty, fierce pride, seduction, hatred of men and children, even vampirism. C.S. Lewis also picked up on this theme of the wicked female protagonist. In THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE he tells us the White Witch is descended from Lilith.
As Mr. Vane bounces back and forth between physical and spiritual dimensions, he is confronted by the fact that he can do no good of himself. His futile attempts to prove his worth bring him sorrow and defeat, as when he leads a group of innocent children out of ignorance and simplicity to a city where their leader is murdered by her own estranged mother (Lilith).
The raven's insistence that Mr. Vane sleep before he can be of any use or value is incomprehensible to Mr. Vane, so he continues his various exploits, each ending is greater despair. Finally, Mr. Vane agrees if sleep is what is required, that he must do. But when he discovers the raven's idea of sleep is to repose lifeless in a cold, dark catacomb full of ageless corpses for time unknown, Mr. Vane is not so willing.
All of MacDonald's writing is heavy with Christian allegory. Deciphering his meaning is not a light undertaking. That he perceives death as a temporary state, where one emerges new as a butterfly transformed from a caterpillar is clear enough. That a true spiritual man must cease from his own labor (die to self), and rest in God's peace may be an interpretation of MacDonald's notions of sleep and death, but already I feel I am off solid ground. Mr. Vane's struggle with Lilith, is a most important theme. Lilith reminded me of scriptural references to Jezebel (both Old and New Testaments), and the harlot of Proverbs, and a few other seducers besides. I began to wonder: if Satan is the Father of Lies, might Lilith be The Mother of Harlots? Strange and mysterious, wrapped in secrecy, beguiling and subtle, she draws her victims near and feeds upon their strength, all the while narcotically enamoring them of her presence. (Mr. Vane plays the dupe as his life is drained by a white worm while he nurses Lilith back to health.) Certain passages are unforgettable, which may be good or bad, depending on your frame of mind when you read them. The warring dance of skeletons comes to mind, with their lid less eyes revealing their uncloaked passions to all who would see, and Lilith presiding over their deaths shouting, "Ye are men, slay one another!" But don't let me convince you LILITH is merely a dark tale of terror. MacDonald also, seasons it with passages of unique warmth and beauty.
Reading LILITH, is like taking an adventurous journey, the likes of which I have never even come close to with a contemporary author. Fascinating? YES. Comforting? Definitely NOT. Worth the trip? Most assuredly!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing and life-changing!
Review: Lilith is my favorite book of all time because it makes me think. Reading Lilith is an experience that introduces the reader to an author who knew the heart of God, and tried to share it with others. In the long run, no review can do it justice, and even though Lilith is not for everyone, it's definitely a must-read for those who want to go beyond the average summer book!
Rating:
Summary: wake at last
Review: Lilith is typical MacDonald. It is often tedious. It can leave you guessing as to what exactly is going on. It can leave you downright frustrated with the man. Yet it has moments of brilliance that make the whole endeavor more than worth the struggle. Lilith is one of MacDonald's most mature books. It is much darker than works such as The Princess and the Goblin or At the Back of the North Wind. It has some affinity with the works of MacDonald's friend, Lewis Carroll. At its core, it is an allegory for MacDonald's anti-Calvinist notions of Universalism. For all its obtuseness and periodical preachiness, it is a fine story in the end (I liken it to Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter, which, for me, was a pain to read--but when it was over I loved the story). Just an aside--you should really read this book and then go on to C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce. The two books go very well together.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Brilliant - A Deep Journey into the Innerworld
Review: Lillith is the result of a full and mature exploration of the "otherworld" by an author who knew more about the symbols of the mythopoeic realm than most any other author in the last 100 years (including C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, and Lewis Carol). If you're looking for a light reading story book, or merely entertaining fiction, this book is probably not for you. Some people taking it superficially see nothing more than an incomprehensible juxtaposition of images that reveres the qualities of obedience and submission. However, this would be to entirely miss the point of this story, which is about the process of inner transformation of human desire and will. It is very existentialist in that it places the responsibility for our progress on ourselves rather than on circumstances outside of ourselves. For those willing to dig deeper however, many rewards await those willing to ponder the story's rich (and often riveting!) tapestry of images. Taken further, the story describes the path of an individual's complete inner transformation in a language of symbols not merely arbitrarily arranged, but composed out of a deep understanding of the nature of the inner world of the human psyche. I would highly recommend this book, and regard it (together with *phantastes*) as possibly the best of genre for fiction / phantasy writing in the last 100 years. Madame L'engel regarded MacDonald as the "godfather of phantasy", and Lewis regarded him as his "master". Lillith is certainly worthy material for earning this distinction.
Rating:
Summary: Truly a Mind-Bending Experience...
Review: MacDonald's "Phantastes" often seems to be compared to his other surreal adventure story "Lilith". In both stories, a young man is residing harmlessly at home when a door is suddenly opened to another world. Both men - one in each story - step inside and embark on a journey, though neither is exactly sure where he is going or why.
In these fairy type worlds, both men encounter the sweet, the evil, the beautiful and the creepy. Both men receive intermittent guidance along the way, and both have to discern who to trust and who not to trust. Indeed, there is a very similar feel to the two stories.
However, that said, I found "Phantastes" to have quite a different tone than "Lilith," and in it MacDonald explores different issues. "Lilith" was filled with epic themes of good and evil. While the main character struggled to figure out who was good and who was evil, he essentially is always battling the force of evil - and all the moreso the more he figured out what was going on. This dynamic tension and ensuing adventure therefore draw the reader through the book like one is drawn through a good mystery novel.
The plot of "Phantastes," however, progresses mostly without any singular struggle with evil or any other epic tension; the main character is simply bopping around a fairy land, getting into some scrapes and meeting some interesting folks. His major struggles, essentially, always come down to battling his own private demons and weaknesses. This being the case, I found that "Phantastes" moved a lot slower than "Lilith." I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it; it simply wasn't clear what the point was to this fairy journey.
In the end, if a reader enjoys one of these books, he will likely enjoy the other one. MacDonald was not the most gifted pure writer, but he was incredibly gifted in transporting the reader to new realms. And, his constant creativity and mind-blowing turns of plot in these new realms is definitely enough of a reason to read him. He did inspire the likes of Tolkien and Lewis after all.
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