Part of the Christian Encounters Series, J.R.R. Tolkien is a concise biography that examines the life of the man made famous by The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The aim of this series of books is not to be scholarly, but provide a more casual look at an individual, while highlighting their Christian faith without being preachy. Keeping this angle in mind I can say that Mark Horne, the author, succeeded in his task with this short volume on Tolkien.

As an avid fan of C.S. Lewis, I must admit I have sadly read very little material by or about Tolkien, so I cannot say how this biography compares with others. What I can say is that the author, Horne gives an overview on the various life stages of the man Lewis called “Tollers” in an interesting way. Again, noting that this work is not meant to be an exhaustive look at Tolkien, I found it provided enough information to make me want to learn more about him by reading other works. Fortunately in addition to providing useful endnotes as potential source, Horne provides an appendix where he gives a paragraph summary each on five books worth considering.

Read the rest: Special: Book Review – J.R.R. Tolkien « C.S. Lewis Minute.