What CS Lewis or JRR Tolkien...

[Handmaid for Jesus]

I agree. That was probably saved for other films. But in truth, The Silmarillion should have been first. That would have provided a sense of continuity to the films.

Rowling had the benefit of Tolkien’s example (and greater brevity!); she’s pursuing a similar course.

~Bella

Yes, I agree that The Silmarillion should have been first. But, I have noticed with fantasy writers, they usually start at the middle of the story first. This is a little off topic, but, to make my point, Star Wars began at episode six and we had to watch the prequels afterwards. Terry Brooks wrote The Sword of Shannara long before he wrote The First King of Shannara. I have not read Rowling.

 

[bèlla]

Yes, I agree that The Silmarillion should have been first. But, I have noticed with fantasy writers, they usually start at the middle of the story first. This is a little off topic, but, to make my point, Star Wars began at episode six and we had to watch the prequels afterwards. Terry Brooks wrote The Sword of Shannara long before he wrote The First King of Shannara. I have not read Rowling.

Rowling was a Classics major and grew up reading Lewis and Tolkien. When she created Harry Potter she had the world in mind and devised it in a way that would allow her to explore other storylines. The branches were placed in the fourth book of the series. Her foresight is pretty interesting. You can see influences from both in her work. Especially Tolkien.

~Bella

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

Rowling was a Classics major and grew up reading Lewis and Tolkien. When she created Harry Potter she had the world in mind and devised it in a way that would allow her to explore other storylines. The branches were placed in the fourth book of the series. Her foresight is pretty interesting. You can see influences from both in her work. Especially Tolkien.

~Bella

Interesting! For some reason,I was not drawn to her work.She is very popular though.

 

[bèlla]

Interesting! For some reason,I was not drawn to her work.She is very popular though.

If you’ve read the others it’s interesting to see the impact they had on her work. I find new references all the time. Its a coming of age tale (like Jane Eyre and David Copperfield). But her plotting is tight and similar to Dickens in that respect.

~Bella

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

If you’ve read the others it’s interesting to see the impact they had on her work. I find new references all the time. Its a coming of age tale (like Jane Eyre and David Copperfield). But her plotting is tight and similar to Dickens in that respect.

~Bella

Have you read Terry Brooks' work? I see Tolkien and Lewis influence there also.

 

[bèlla]

Have you read Terry Brooks' work? I see Tolkien and Lewis influence there also.

No I haven’t. I don’t usually read fantasy. Tolkien is part of my classics reading challenge.

Do you have favorite titles you’d recommend by Brooks?

~Bella

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

No I haven’t. I don’t usually read fantasy. Tolkien is part of my classics reading challenge.

Do you have favorite titles you’d recommend by Brooks?

~Bella

Yes ! Brooks is a favorite of mine. The First King of Shannara really is my favorite book in the world he built. It is the one I started my kids off with.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

No I haven’t. I don’t usually read fantasy. Tolkien is part of my classics reading challenge.

Do you have favorite titles you’d recommend by Brooks?

~Bella

WOW! I looked at your challenge link. That is quite a challenge! I only looked at the first page, and, I saw a few titles that I have read in the past.

 

[dms1972]

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[bèlla]

WOW! I looked at your challenge link. That is quite a challenge! I only looked at the first page, and, I saw a few titles that I have read in the past.

It’s really neat. I’ve wanted to do it for a while and finally bit the bullet two years ago. I’m 15% done. There’s a lot of overlap with Harold Boom’s The Great Books list.

~Bella

 

[renniks]

movie or book ad you like (they do promote Christian ideals even tough some do not think so). Please no hatred post of either Christian author.

I pretty much like them all... but some of Tolkiens stuff is bit too wordy for me. I remember reading the Narnia books as a kid before I knew they were supposed to be allegorical, and just enjoying them immensely for the stories they are. As far as Lewis' other side, the book, "mere Christianity" is about as good as it gets.

 

[Alistair_Wonderland]

The Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia are two of the three most influential fantasies in my life. I can't really pick a favorite part, because there are so many I would be here all day. Suffice to say, they are in a class of their own. Pretty much all modern fantasy has been inspired by their works in some way or another. They were giants in their field.

 

[anynmskr]

I loved The Lord of the Rings trilogy, And bought The Hobbit dvds for my dad and I for Christmas every year and still need the final installment.

I have been teased and kind of insulted at one point by a love interest </3 </3 </3,

Claiming, "wouldn't i prefer the Chronicles of Narnia,

" As well as one of my managers actually bought me the entire book series when i was 1 8.... -_- -_- -_- -_-

(I loved that manager, though!!!!! <3. <3. <3. <3.

Me and my mom bonded over an even darker plot line that was construed for being, "Biblical",

And to be completely honest,

I think "Middle Earth",

and, "The Hobbit" was less scary. *shruggy emoji*

? ? ? (i still don't know how to use most emojis in here

 

[anynmskr]

Me and my mom bonded over a movie with an even darker plotline,

However fans of this one do not usually tend to be Tolkien fans,

But i liked both.

 

[anynmskr]

Thank you for the info!!!

You know there is an animated version of The Hobbit(1977). I watched it with my children long before the recent versions came out.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

Thank you for the info!!!

You are welcome.

 

[Phoenix7777]

movie or book do you like (they do promote Christian ideals even tough some do not think so). Please no hatred post of either Christian author.

I like the Silmarillion I like how we talked about the origin of Middle earth how do I have admit it was kind of hard keeping track of all the details I name Maybe I should read through it again with someone would anybody like to read through it with me? I just don't think I was able to get the full affect when I read it myself the first time please be aware are used text to speech so Words may not be entirely accurate

 

[keith99]

My good friend Screwtape was quite pleased to see that no one has mentioned Weight of Glory by Lewis.

He will probably be upset with me for mentioning it.

Both Weight of Glory and The Screwtape Letters are rather explicitly Christian. But they both address issues that are quite applicable to any ethical person.

I especially reccomend the essay 'The Inner Ring' in weight of Glory. It seem many could learn a lot from that score of pages as many are seeking to be in some inner ring, almost always to their detriment.

 

[dms1972]

My good friend Screwtape was quite pleased to see that no one has mentioned Weight of Glory by Lewis.

He will probably be upset with me for mentioning it.

Both Weight of Glory and The Screwtape Letters are rather explicitly Christian. But they both address issues that are quite applicable to any ethical person.

I especially reccomend the essay 'The Inner Ring' in weight of Glory. It seem many could learn a lot from that score of pages as many are seeking to be in some inner ring, almost always to their detriment.

Thankyou for mentioning it.

The Inner Ring I read some time ago and if I recall correctly it was an address to students but I cannot remember at which university - that later was included in some of the collections of his shorter talks and essays. Both The Inner Ring and elements from his short book The Abolition of Man are worked out in the science-fiction story That Hideous Strength.

While this novel may have some weaknesses and has had some critics (the mixtures of supernatural and mundane didn't appeal to every reader) I do think the depiction of the psychomachia of the Inner Ring sort of temptation as it impinges on the character of Mark Studdock are well described - from Mark's talks and walks with members of his university's 'progressive element' - to his first meeting with Feverstone and his exhilarating country drive with him - to his not being sure at first of his position at Belbury and becoming more acquainted and accepted amongst the initiated members of its inner ring, and his conflicted feelings about his wife joining him in that sort of circle - Lewis I believe done an very good job of showing the transition from outsider to insider in the fictional institution of Belbury/N.I.C.E. and the ethical cost and compromises involved at each stage.

It's worth disambiguating the idea to avoid confusion, but most readers will understand that Lewis was not talking about promotions within an organisation, but rather a sort of unofficial ring of people in various sorts of institutions that one could find oneself in good favor with and inside at one time then outside, out of sympathy with, and ignored at another.

Planets in Peril (David C. Downing) has a plausible reading/explication of it which sees Belbury's rings within rings as being like the denizens of the circles of Dante's Inferno.

 

[Bob Crowley]

I haven't read much of Tolkien, other than "Lord of the Rings'. By the time I read it I was well into adulthood, so it probably didn't tickle the fantasy genes as much as it might have if I'd been younger.

On the other hand I've read a lot of CS Lewis, although only one of his Narnia series ("The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe") for which the same comment applies - I was into middle age by the time I read it. I remember talking to one of my old pastor's sons who'd grown up in Christian circles, and he'd read all seven of the Narnia books in his early years.

I can read any of his apologetic works and learn something every time; I found "The Screwtape Letters" hilarious when I first read it, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Dr. Ransom SF Trilogy ("Out of the Silent Planet", "Perelandra" and "That Hideous Strength").