Introduction

Welcome to the section of the site devoted to Tolkien and his life works. Although this is perhaps not the most glamorous part of the site, it is, if anything, the most important. We hope to populate it with articles and features about Tolkien and the books he wrote.

On a personal note, when I was about 12, I remember going off to the library. I used to read the usual sci fi and adventure fare. Then one day I was round at my cousin's house. He had lots of little miniatures which he was busy painting. I asked him what they were for, he said that they were to represent characters in a role-playing game he was playing. The game was MERP (Middle-earth Role-playing Game), which he informed me was based on The Lord of the Rings.

So the next week I went down to the Library and borrowed a copy of the book. It was a large, single edition hardback. I was somewhat daunted by the size. Indeed, my step father recommended that it be used as a door stop since I would never read it through, not being noted for my long attention span.

I remember reading the "Forward" and "Concerning Hobbits" and being somewhat bemused. Still, I persevered and gradually became engrossed in the story. Now I have read many books since, both fantasy and other, but no book has had such a lasting impression on me.

I must have read Lord of the Rings about 17 times since my first preteen read. It has never become stale or dull, the green fields of the Wold still smell fresh to me, the death of Theoden still moves me to tears and I still don't like Old Bombadil and his tales of badgers and their queer ways!

I don't think Tolkien is a great writer in a technical sense, nor are the books logical or fully thought out, but no other author I have read has managed to convince me so much that what I am reading is not fiction or a story but real history... a sweeping myth which transcends Arthurian legend and predates the Olympian gods.

I think the other things which makes the saga so appealing are the simple themes which run through it: the story of good versus evil, the power of friendship, the weakness in us all and the notion that evil can never darken good forever. These themes have been explored by countless authors over the centuries, but, to me, Tolkien manages to bring them down to earth. In a way to me that is his strength, he brings an earthy touch to the high drama and sweeping myth.

I guess that's why I was keen to start this site with the others. Indeed, I am often amazed how little space or time that many Tolkien sites actually give to Tolkien, so, over the months, this section will build up into a detailed resource on Tolkien the man, the author and the artist. We will look at the books, his art, take your reviews (if you want to send them) and publish any features we come up with.

I hope sincerely that in some small way we can express why we love the books so much and share our visions of Middle-earth and Arda.

Fatty

Send in your story of how you discovered Tolkien and why you still like his work. We will put it up on the site. Come on share your experience! To do so just write it out and send it here.

If you want to suggest something for us to include, or you've spotted an error, please feel free to e-mail us. Alternatively, you can post your ideas in the site's Suggestions Forum.

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