Now is the Life for, that never was against thee.” – George MacDonald, Lilith “Verily, thou shalt die, but not as thou thinkest. None but God hates evil and understands it” – George MacDonald, Lilith “The darkness knows neither the light nor itself only the light knows itself and darkness and the darkness also. Lilith: Unbarren Joy, Purifying Repentance and Dying to Live We begin with a full review of Lilith followed by a review and analysis of The Queen’s Gambit. The sacrifices made by Beth Harmon’s mentors and friends, in addition to those she comes to make herself, illustrate the wisdom and power of the insights MacDonald reveals in Lilith in particular, complimenting those of his earlier Phantastes as well. To illustrate the power of MacDonald’s insights, based ultimately on the Christian story, we trace the power of sacrificial love in the newly released Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, a coming of age story of the troubled life of an orphan who is also a brilliant chess player. We examine how this insight drives the story of Lilith, a fantasy retelling of the mythical first wife of Adam who selfishly forsook marriage and family for personal fulfilment. The sacrifice in Lilith goes beyond mere selflessness to become the full surrender of one’s will to God in full repentance, a dying into life as MacDonald puts it. One key insight from Phantastes, that love is only complete when it is fully self-sacrificing, is central to the message of Lilith. Lilith, MacDonald’s final novel written forty years after Phantastes, continues its themes of nature throbbing with vitality, shrouded in beauty, and birthing joy.

Lilith macdonald