Tolkien 101: The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings by Philip and...
At some point even a “101” look at Tolkien has to consider the other Inklings. I had read both the fiction and nonfiction of C.S. Lewis, but The Fellowship was the first book I read to really cover...
View ArticleTolkien 101: War in Middle Earth Computer Game
The work of J.R.R. Tolkien managed to produce one of my three favorite strategy games of all-time—1988’s War in Middle Earth (the other two are Fantasy Empires (1993) and Sword of the Samurai (1989))....
View ArticleTolkien 101: A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War by Joseph Loconte
Joseph Loconte’s book may not have the erudition of the work of a Tom Shippey or a John D. Rateliff, but A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War may be my favorite work on nonfiction on Tolkien. It is a...
View ArticleTolkien 101: The Most Metal Deaths in Middle Earth
In the comment section to last week’s post on A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War, Jason from Off the TBR asked when I would do a post on Tolkien’s influence on rock. Obviously, my first thought was...
View ArticleTolkien 101: LOTR Appendices
Even as a kid, I was thrown off when I got to the climax of The Return of the King and there was still half a book left. There is that overlong denouement (a problem Tolkien was able to avoid …...
View ArticleTolkien 101: The History of the Hobbit by John Rateliff
Writing a post on John Rateliff’s encyclopedic The History of the Hobbit isn’t the problem. The problem is writing one that doesn’t turn into a 3,000 word behemoth itself. I will try very hard to...
View ArticleTolkien 101: On Fairy Stories
Fantasy (in this sense) is, I think, not a lower but a higher form of Art, indeed the most nearly pure form, and so (when achieved) the most potent. I made the mistake of thinking On Fairy Stories...
View ArticleSummer School: Tolkien 101 Wrap-Up
Annnnd it’s a wrap! Thank you for joining me for Tolkien 101 this summer. Counting the announcement post and this one, Tolkien 101 stretched for 19 posts. I covered The Hobbit, The Lord of the...
View ArticlePre-Tolkien Fantasy Challenge: Howard, Moore, and Dunsany
The Pre-Tolkien Fantasy Challenge was made by Alexandru Constantin over at the Barbarian Book Club. The rules are simple: Identify 3 Fantasy stories written before Lord of the Rings was published. 3...
View ArticleThrowback SF: Check out my Guest Post on Tolkien at Pages Unbound
I am pleased to announce that my guest post on my personal journey reading Tolkien has been posted at Pages Unbound for their Tolkien Reading Event. Here is a taste. Tolkien chose to live his life as...
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