Finding God in the Lord of the Rings

October 1, 2001
Bruner, v-p for Focus on the Family's Resource Group, and co-author Ware say that they have written this book "to help fans of The Lord of the Rings
discover how the rich fabric of Tolkien's fantasy world enhances a Christian understanding of our real world." They assume that readers will already be familiar with the entire trilogy. Each chapter explores a theme found in Tolkien's series, illustrates it from the story and then shows how this theme can also be found in the Bible. Most of the themes illustrated here—that our small individual stories are part of a larger story that gives them more meaning, that we are called to undertake challenging missions beyond our comfort zones or that evil powers are actively scheming in the world—will already have been obvious to Christian readers with the intelligence needed to read through the entire trilogy. Readers already familiar with the trilogy will find a few gems of insight, especially the epilogue on Tolkien's literary theory. But it seems much more likely that this book will appeal to those who, having seen the movie, are deciding whether to read the books for the first time. (Nov.)Forecast:Timed to coincide with the release of New Line Cinema's movie
The Lord of the Rings, this guide will find an audience, but probably a different one from that which the authors envisioned.

The spiritual and metaphysical overtones of the famous Tolkien trilogy are evident to even a casual reader, but this triple-CD intoned by the gifted Richard Ferrone neatly melds Christian belief and rhetoric with Middle Earth's heroes and villains. While some might eschew such a direct comparison of sacred text and fantasy, others would revel in it. Never preaching, always gently pointing out correlations between biblical anecdote, wisdom, and quote and defining moments and circumstances in the Tolkien works, this recording is a helpful source of insight for those with Christian leanings. Some parents may even find this palatable fare for their Hobbitized, yet religiously challenged, kids. D.J.B. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine