The People's Guide to J.R.R. Tolkien

by TheOneRing.net

Author J.R.R. Tolkien created his mythical Middle-earth as the setting for his greatest works, "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit". Fantasy readers worldwide have loved both the books and the intricate magical world they inhabit. Director Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy has created an even greater awareness and curiosity about Tolkien's creation. This guide to J.R.R. Tolkien is an exploration of Tolkien's world from the writers of the Tolkien fan website, TheOneRing.net. The volume includes new articles as well as familiar favourites from the website. The essays are grouped around themes such as defending fantasy literature from the accusation of triviality; why people become Tolkien "fans"; whether Tolkien's notions of Good, Evil and Free Will are relevant to a changing world; the inspiration fans draw from his work; and the ideas from which Tolkien himself drew inspiration, both in his life and in his love of ancient literature and European myths. The volume also looks at the impact of the wildly popular cinematic version and answers the most common questions asked about Middle-earth.

Genres: Fantasy

416 pages, Paperback

First published May 20, 2003

Reviews

[joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's comforting to know that even though I bought and read this book, I didn't write it.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been slowly rereading this series of essays in the last month since my December LotR movie marathon. It’s so...comforting to read other people’s intensely nerdy and loving thoughts about a story I adore. Some essays run me the wrong way, but by and large they’re lovely. A true standout is Quickbeam’s diary of his week spent in New Zealand meeting the cast and crew during the filming of Return of the King. *sigh* I want to go back to the early 2000s when this was my entire existence.

[Garrett S Broussard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a fair bit about Tolkien's life that I didn't know, but the responses to some of the harder hitting topics were defensive and lackluster.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The People's Guide to J. R. R. Tolkien is a collection of nearly fifty short essays on Tolkien, primarily focusing on The Lord of the RingsTheOneRing.Net in the lead up to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. The book also contains five reviews of the first two film instalments and a question and answer section, dealing with some of the most common queries they get.

The essays cover a broad range of the topics, such as Tolkien's inspiration, morality and cultural norms in Middle-earth, the fantasy genre, and, of course, the films. Most of them are quite short, but they're also informative and provide further food for thought. Written in an informal style, the essays are accessible – you don't have to be well-versed in Tolkien academia to "get" them, but I did find the essays were almost too colloquial in places. But that's just me.

The question and answer section is quite good, though I (being a more knowledgeable Tolkien reader) did skim and even then I found some sections a bit repetitive.

Called the "People's Guide", there is no doubt in my mind that is an excellent resource for new people who want to dig a little deeper into Tolkien's world.

[Caseywd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series of essays written by members of TheOneRing.net regarding different aspects of The Lord of the Rings, and high fantasy in general. They are geeks to the subject matter, but that is also to say they are intelligent, they know what they are talking about, but they are down-to-earth and you can relate to them.
And if you're not going to read the whole thing, at least read "Where the Stars are Strange", one of the most beautiful true-short-stories I've read.

[Alexa]

The People's Guide to J.R.R. Tolkien by TheOneRing.Net (2003)