I thought it was interesting how Lewis encouraged Tolkien to write Lord of the Rings while Tolkien helped Lewis realize that God existed. It was sad that their friendship drifted towards the end but they definitely were instrumental in each other's lives.

Without Tolkien, Lewis may not have become a Christian. Without Lewis's encouragement, Tolkien may not have finished and published The Lord of the Rings. This highly readable and insightful "biography" of their friendship will be of interest to fans of Tolkien's and Lewis's work, presenting the synergy that their relationship created in a synergistic manner of its own. The information about World War I, medieval literature, literary criticism as approached at Oxford and Cambridge, and the personal lives of these two great authors is interesting, but the place of their work in the history of literature--when they wrote, there was almost no literature that created "other worlds" for adults--clinches the importance of their contributions. Have you "heard the horns of Elfland"? Have you wanted to discover the road that will lead you beyond the world? Inspiring book about two seminal figures--be prepared to reread their work after you learn more about its creation.

This chronicles the on again/off again relationship between these two members of the "Inklings", an elite group that met to enjoy each other's erudite company. I believe G. K. Chesterton was also among them, as well as some lesser lights. It also describes Lewis' conversion experience. He and Tolkien had very different ideas on the extent to which the laity ought to publicly speak about the faith. If you're a fan of MiddleEarth and Aslan, you'll probably enjoy this book.

Duriez begins the book with biographical accounts of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis from childhood until they met. He then shows how their personalities, tastes, interests, and ideas blended into friendship. He spends time discussing the other Inklings too, and how their collective group friendship was important to both Tolkien and Lewis. Their writing, their faith, and their careers all get explored here, sometimes in depth. If you are a fan of either author, or you like learning about authors in general, you would probably get a lot out of this book. I know I did!