It's an indication of how good a book is, when it can be reviewed over and over and something new brought out every time.

Wood analyzes Tolkien in the light of Tolkien's Christianity, and how that informs the story and the characters themselves. And while you can certainly read LotR without ever referencing religion - his or that implicit in Middle Earth - it makes for a good read. There are things in LotR, places where the story punches you in the gut rather than handing you what you feel that you want, that make a lot of sense when taken in the light of Christian morality; the scouring of the Shire, the fading of the elves, the death of Saruman - spared by Frodo, but then murdered by his own servant - the passing of Frodo into the West, the sparing of Gollum and his saving of the quest - Aragorn's humility, the loyalty and indeed humility of every member of the party. Gandalf, who serves and toils and is eventually raised up.

I don't know, I could go on and on. I love reading Tolkien's writing, and I equally love reading about it. There are all kinds of studies and elaborations on Middle Earth; this is one more.

Definitely gives you insight into the gospel themes and Christlike analogies found in Tolkein's writings!

I was so excited to read this book which brought together my favorite books with Christianity. It took me over a year to read and digest this very deep philosophical book. In the end i felt that perhaps this may have been someones thesis turned into a book. It missed the forest because of the trees.

The Author Ralph C. Wood did a wonderful job theorizing the connotations of Christianity within the pages of J.R.R. Tolkiens works.

With a focus on the Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and mostly within the Lord of The Rings Trilogy, the author presents the reader (or, in my case, the listener) with passages and motifs that mimc the stories and theological ideologies of the Christian Bible. He easily broke down the book based on ideas and overarching thoughts. It read more like a very well written essay than a book.

As stated previously, I listened to the audiobook narrated by Nadia May, and it was an interesting listen. I definitely recommend this way as Nadia has a wonderfully calm voice, and her English accent is in no way hard to understand. In fact, hearing her pronounce Tolkiens words made me quite happy.

Wood has some good insights, but I struggled to follow the overall thread of his thought, even though I listened to the book twice. Perhaps some of what he said just went over my head.

A case study in reading too much into things, this book nevertheless brought up a lot of good discussions. I would recommend this only to the most hardcore LotR fans. He does not spend much time reminding you about the world of Middle Earth. You better know your stuff.

Still, it help turn the LotR books into a great evangelical tool.

It'll be difficult for a non-Christian, Tolkien fan to come to grips with this book... But I have always argued that an atheist will see The Lord Of The Rings as a "good" story but nothing more...

With discussions on Faerie, Tolkien's dislikes of allegory, and Iru in human form this book is a gem--simply brilliant.

In my opinion, Wood handles Tolkien's works with specificity and care.

5 stars. To be read time and time again.

I didn't think it was possible to love Lord of the Rings any more than I already do... (and trust me I love it a LOT) but this book was incredible. Every page enfolds how Tolkein's works, specifically the (amazing) three-part saga, Lord of the Rings, are completely full of and rich in Christian symbolism, virtues and ideas. There were countless references to Bible passages that almost directly correlated with sections in Lord of the Rings - things like the creation of Middle Earth/ the creation of Planet Earth etc. I often found myself cheering in my head (and out loud) as Woods explained Aragorn's kingship in light of the promise of hope; the friendship of Samwise and Frodo being similar to the friendship between Jonathan and David; the servant-like, selfless attitude of Samwise as he carried Frodo up the mountain; and the courage of the entire fellowship as they persevered through their seemingly hopeless quest.

There was absolutely nothing I didn't like about this book except that it ended. :)
I very much recommend it to anyone who, like me, is a (very big) fan of Tolkien's works - especially Lord of the Rings - and Middle Earth itself.

3.5 stars. A decent, general overview of themes in the Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion as viewed through the lens of Catholic theology. It goes beyond superficial comparisons in most cases, but wasn't as meaty as I was hoping.

Interesting look at how Tolkiens work in ensued with his faith. While there is no such obvious allegory as Lewis’s Aslan, the tales of Middle Earth reflect creation, redemption, mercy l hope,
,nuanced view of war and enjoyment of life that acknowledges hardship. The different relationships of the ambitious and the humble to the deterioration that the ring works on them are explored too, as is covenant friendship .

The book notes that in the appendices Aragon, though a wise priest -king ( another theme drawn out of LOTR) is succeeded by unworthy kings . This is an obvious Old Testament parallel that this book doesn’t pick up on though there’s much else that it does .

The back cover recommends this for 'Christians and non-Christians alike'. I beg to differ. No one who's read Tolkien's letters can deny that he was a profoundly Catholic man. Yet, beyond a couple of OK insights, most of the book is theological gobbledygook that speaks only to a particular constituency. Fair enough, the author himself doesn't claim to be doing much else.

This book is great. It makes me want to re-read LotR, because I know I will pick up so much more and love it so much more.