Cover of Phantastes

Phantastes

  • 1850 first published
  • 196 pages
  • β˜… 4.2 (18 ratings)
  • 472 editions
  • 🎧 7 h 37 min free audiobook

Published in 1850, Phantastes is a romantasy and sci-fi romance novel by George MacDonald. Key subjects include fairy tales, fairies, scottish authors and imaginary places.

Open Library readers give it an average of 4.2 out of 5 from 18 ratings, and 293 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 472 editions across 4 languages. On Project Gutenberg it was downloaded 3,174 times in the last 30 days.

At about 196 pages, most readers finish it in 3–4 hours. It is in the public domain, so you can read it free on Project Gutenberg or listen to the 7 h 37 min LibriVox audiobook.

About Phantastes

One of George MacDonald's most important works, Phantastes is the story of a young man named Anotos and his long dreamlike journey in Fairy Land. It is the fairy tale of deep spiritual insight as Anotos makes his way through moments of uncertainty and peril and mistakes that can have irreversible consequences. This is also his spiritual quest that is destined to end with the supreme surrender of the self. When he finally experiences the hard-won surrender, a wave of joy overwhelms him. His intense personal introspection is honest as he is offered the full range of symbolic choices--great beauty, horrifying ugliness, irritating goblins, nurturing spirits. Each confrontation in Fairy Land allows Anotos to learn many necessary lessons. As he continues on the journey, many shadowy beings threaten his spiritual well-being and compel him to sing. The songs are irresistible to a beautiful White Lady who is freed from inside a statue by the music, and Anotos remains captivated by her for a long time. He sees the world more objectively; his trek invites a natural descent into feelings of pride and egotism. But his losses and sorrows coalesce themselves into things of grace, and these experiences help his spiritual growth. Please Note: This book has been reformatted to be easy to read in true text, not scanned images that can sometimes be difficult to decipher. The Microsoft eBook has a contents page linked to the chapter headings for easy navigation.
Description from Open Library

Free audiobook

Phantastes β€” LibriVox recording, 7 h 37 min in 26 sections.

Public-domain recording by volunteer readers. Listen online, download MP3s or stream from the Internet Archive.

Themes, setting & tropes

Genres

Tropes

Subjects

  • Fairy tales
  • Scottish Fantasy fiction
  • Fantasy romance
  • Science fiction
  • Fantasy
  • Classic Literature
  • Fairies
  • Fairyland, Imaginary place
  • English Fantasy fiction
  • Scottish authors
  • Fantasy fiction
  • Imaginary places

Quick answers

Who wrote Phantastes?

Phantastes was written by George MacDonald and first published in 1850.

What genre is Phantastes?

It is usually shelved as Romantasy, Science Fiction Romance, Fae & Fairy Fiction and Victorian Science Fiction.

How long is Phantastes?

The median edition has 196 pages, about 3–4 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.

Is Phantastes free to read?

Yes. It is in the public domain in the United States and can be read free on Project Gutenberg in EPUB, Kindle and HTML formats.

Is there a free audiobook of Phantastes?

Yes β€” LibriVox volunteers recorded it; the recording runs 7 h 37 min.

What books are similar to Phantastes?

Readers who like it often enjoy The king of the Golden River; or, The black brothers, The Classic Tale of the Velveteen Rabbit and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.

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