Tag Archives: Tolkien

Pre-Tolkien Fantasy Challenge: Howard, Moore, and Dunsany

Posted on September 6, 2018 by

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 stories written before 1954. Review all three on … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, Sundry, Throwback SF | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Summer School: Tolkien 101 Wrap-Up

Posted on August 30, 2018 by

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 Rings, all nine movies based … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, Sundry, Throwback SF | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Tolkien 101: On Fairy Stories

Posted on August 24, 2018 by

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 would be … Continue reading →

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Tolkien 101: The History of the Hobbit by John Rateliff

Posted on August 16, 2018 by

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 keep this post to a … Continue reading →

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Tolkien 101: LOTR Appendices

Posted on August 9, 2018 by

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 … Continue reading →

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Tolkien 101: The Most Metal Deaths in Middle Earth

Posted on August 2, 2018 by

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 that … Continue reading →

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Tolkien 101: A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War by Joseph Loconte

Posted on July 26, 2018 by

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Throwback SF | Tagged , | 12 Comments