This is a bit of a change of pace for me, reviewing a nonfiction book. Still, when you think about it, Tolkien is one of the fathers of modern fiction, so reviewing a biography about him should not bring about any hard feelings. “J.R.R. Tolkien” is a biography written by Mark Horne that describes the life and times of the famous author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. It goes into a lot of detail about his childhood as an orphan, his first love, and many other interesting tidbits that most people would not have known beforehand. It tells of how Shelob (the giant spider) was taken from an actual event in Tolkien’s childhood, which I found fascinating. Did you know that the first hinting at the Lord of the Rings books came from Tolkien randomly scribbling a sentence about a Hobbit while grading papers? He (nor anybody else) had any idea that that sentence would someday shape the entire world of high fantasy fiction. I’ll refrain from saying anything more so that you will still have reason to go and read the book.
J.R.R. Tolkien was an amazing writer, and one worthy of commemoration. He single handedly defined the rules that high fantasy novels today still draw on. It is only natural that such a noteworthy author receive such a well written, informative biography. Now everyone can learn about the man who created Middle Earth. I recommend picking this up!
I give “J.R.R. Tolkien” a 10/10!
Hey Adam, good review! It really got me interested. If I were more into nonfiction (and if my reading list wasn't already so terribly long), I'd consider getting it. :)
ReplyDeleteI recommend getting it! I really respect Mr. Tolkien for what he's done for us, as well as the amazing imagination he had. Like I said, he single handedly defined an entire genre. :)
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