'Brian Rosebury's book offers a compelling analysis of Tolkien as a thinker. Especially convincing are his accounts of Tolkien's views on free will, moral choice, and creativity, as these are woven into The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. Rosebury also deftly exposes Tolkien's often disregarded skills in narrative and description, and he does it, like Tolkien, in plain English. The chapter on Tolkien's reception and transformation into the movies is the best available.' - Dr Tom Shippey, Walter J. Ong, S.J., Chair, Saint Louis University
'In this revised version of a book first published over a decade ago, Brian Rosebury sets out to reclaim Tolkien from the bestseller lists and reposition him as a serious literary figure. It is an attempt both largely convincing and long overdue... The book offers a necessary corrective to decades of misplaced snobbery and belittlement.' - Jon Barnes, Times Literary Supplement
