Lilith
core novel 1895 Lilith
Record
| First published | 1895 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.88 (7,555 ratings, collected 2026-09-14) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780802860613 |
Synopsis
Lilith: A Romance follows Mr. Vane, a young man who has returned from studying science at Oxford to manage his family's country estate, a task he finds unexpectedly haunted by his late father's mysterious library. There he encounters the enigmatic, raven-like Mr. Raven, who reveals that he once knew Vane's father, and who guides the bewildered young heir through a hidden doorway in the library into a strange and dreamlike parallel world governed by its own unsettling logic. As Vane wanders this otherworld, encountering shape-shifting figures, a race of childlike beings, and looming questions about death, sin, and redemption that his Oxford education never prepared him for, he is gradually drawn toward Mr. Raven's true identity and toward the figure of Lilith herself, whose presence shadows the whole of his strange journey.
Where it sits
- Universe: Lilith
- Series: not part of a registered series (standalone work within its universe)
- Author: George MacDonald
Notes
- Subtitled 'A Romance'. Mr. Vane follows a raven-like figure into a parallel realm of endlessly sleeping dreamers, meets the ageless 'Little Ones' and their leader Lona, and confronts Lilith (Adam's first wife) to protect them. A late, more overtly theological companion to Phantastes (admitted this same run), but set in an unconnected realm.
Sources
← Lilith dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.