For fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, discover the story behind their unique friendship forged in the darkness of World War II and how it inspired the stories of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity.
In a world devastated by the cataclysm of war, two extraordinary authors and friends, J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, delivered a bracing vision of the human story: a path back to goodness, beauty, and faith. How did they do it?
For the first time, historian Joseph Loconte explains how the catastrophe of World War II transformed the lives and literary imagination of Tolkien and Lewis. The mechanized slaughter of the First World War had created a storm of disillusionment with the political and religious ideals of Western civilization. The new ideologies of Modernism, communism, Nazism, and totalitarianism rushed to fill the vacuum. At stake was a contest between civilization and barbarism. Tolkien and Lewis sought each other out in friendship and threw themselves into the struggle.
The War for Middle-earth explores how their most beloved works—The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity—were conceived in the shadow of the most devastating and dehumanizing war in history. Like no other authors of their age, Tolkien and Lewis used their imagination to reclaim for their generation—and for ours—those deeds of valor and virtue and love that have always kept a lamp burning, even in the deepest darkness.
In The War for Middle-earth you will:
Be inspired by Tolkien's and Lewis's Christian imagination, which even today has the power to transform hearts desperate for hope and truth Find encouragement and strength to resist evil in our own day Discover how a biblical view of truth and beauty can light the path out of the deepest darkness Combining a careful study of history and compelling storytelling, The War for Middle-earth reveals the remarkable achievement of these authors and friends: a recovery of heroism and faith despite deep sorrow and suffering. Here are enduring lessons for today's cultural moment and essential reading if you want to discover how great stories can reveal great truths.
Joseph Loconte, PhD, is an Associate Professor of History at The King’s College in New York City, where he teaches Western Civilization and American Foreign Policy.
Loconte previously served as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the School of Public Policy at Pepperdine University, where he taught on religion and public policy. He was a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., and from 1999-2006 he held the first chair in religion as the William E. Simon Fellow at the Heritage Foundation.
Loconte is the author of The Searchers: A Quest for Faith in the Valley of Doubt (Thomas Nelson, 2012) and God, Locke, and Liberty: The Struggle for Religious Freedom in the West (Lexington Books, 2014). His other books are The End of Illusions: Religious Leaders Confront Hitler’s Gathering Storm (Rowman & Littlefield, 2004) and Seducing the Samaritan: How Government Contracts Are Reshaping Social Services (The Pioneer Institute, 1997). His commentary on religion and democracy, human rights, and international religious freedom appears in the nation’s leading media outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New Republic, The Weekly Standard, and National Public Radio. He is also a regular contributor to the London-based Standpoint Magazine and Italy’s La Stampa.
Loconte has testified before Congress on international human rights and served as a human rights expert on the 2005 Congressional Task Force on the United Nations, contributing to its final report, “American Interests and U.N. Reform.” He was an informal advisor/speechwriter for British MP Andrew Mitchell, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. From 2001-2003, he was an informal advisor to the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. He now serves as a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum and as an affiliated scholar at the John Jay Institute.
A native of Brooklyn, NY, Loconte divides his time between New York City and the Washington, D.C. area.
I love the friendship between Lewis and Tolkien, and reading this book gave such wonderful insight into how the friendship was formed and how it grew during the years leading up to World War II. I enjoyed reading about the writings that influenced them, and how the world’s climate made them determined to write stories that would counter that climate. Now to decide: does the book belong on my Tolkien shelf, Lewis shelf, or WWII shelf?
I really enjoyed hearing the history of not only the time period when books like Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia were being written, but also the friendships and growth that these and other authors had during the hard times leading up to and during World War II. I also found it intriguing to hear about other authors and books that influenced the persona and writing of these books. Before reading this, I didn't know that this same author had written another book about Tolkien and Lewis during the time of World War I. Since I learned a lot from this book, I am interested in reading the other one as well. Definitely recommend for anyone who enjoys these well-known classics, history and World War II.
A very intriguing book that comes close to my five star level. I have read much of what Tolkien and Lewis have written and would love to time-travel back to Oxford in the 1930s to spend an evening with the Inklings at the “Bird and Baby” enjoying a pint, smoking my pipe and just listening to the conversation. But, this book is much deeper than other accounts of the works and relationships of Tolkien and Lewis, including the enjoyable book “The Inklings” by Humphrey Carpenter. In “The War for Middle Earth” Mr. Loconte focuses on the interwar years of the 1920s and 30s and the failure of the Western European democracies to shake off their war weariness and fascination with science, materialism and modernity and recognize the growing threats of Fascism and Communism. The book exposes and explores the efforts of Tolkien, Lewis and others to reignite a recognition of age old moral truths and the necessity of confronting the evils of totalitarian states committed to expansion and the eradication of their perceived enemies. The lessons of Tolkien and Lewis are timeless and of continuing relevance a century later. Whether or not Christianity is the only or best path to a communal commitment to ethics and morality is another question.
The War for Middle-earth does a beautiful job of exp0loring the friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, and showing how their fantasy works (Lord of the Rings and Narnia) weren't just escapes, but novels deeply shaped by the moral and cultural ideals of their time--especially the events of WWI and WWII. The focus on the themes of individual human dignity, and "individual courage to combat evil” rang true for me on so many levels, and was a hopeful message in today's political landscape.
I was especially impressed by the depth of love and friendship between these two men, and often moved to tears by their joint commitment to speak out against the philosophies of leaders like Hitler and Stalin through their stories and literature. The writing tends to be a bit academic at times, but overall the book is very accessible to all readers interested in faith, literature and/or history. The behind the scenes insights added so much to writing by both authors that I already knew and loved! Although much of the general history in the book is well known, I learned so much that I didn't know about these men and their commitment to keeping alive ideals like love, virtue, valor and truth. I consider this a "must-read" for fans of Tolkien and Lewis.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. I loved the deep dive into how their service in World War I and the events leading up to, and during, World War II affected what Tolkien and C.S. Lewis wrote, how they wrote, and how current events seeped into their most famous works. I also enjoyed learning more about their friendship. Highly recommend for fans of Tolkien and/or Lewis!
As a child of two WWII parents, the era of my parents has long fascinated me. This excellent resource placed me in the midst of the horrors of war as opposed to the view from my native US. This book also explains why neither of my parents read LOTR or Narnia. But I’m very glad I did. Well done, Laconte, well done.
Loconte does a really nice job of situating the history with the biographical material. While the thesis came off a bit strained at times, I am convinced that it is correct. These two authors (Lewis and Tolkien) have done more to invigorate moral courage in the wake of two world wars and crushing nihilism than almost anyone else.
The War for Middle-earth by Joseph Loconte – Wonderful, Fascinating, Inspiring, and Insightful
As someone who loves reading about WWII history, I was excited to read Joseph Loconte’s new book The War for Middle-earth: J.R.R Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Confront the Gathering Storm, 1933-1945. This book shows impact of The Great War, on two men who fought in WWI, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis. Great writers whose works have touched generations. How the devastation they witnessed and experienced transformed how they viewed the world.
Their friendship with one another, and other like-minded men, helped anchor their Christian faith. These men appreciated English literature and saw the value of myths and legends and how they impact cultures. Together they were able to explore ideas, understand moral values rooted in truth, the knowledge of good and evil, and the importance of bravery in the face of impossible odds.
While they were in Oxford England during WWII, their writings and lectures helped to battle the cultural moral decay that led to racism, anti-Semitism, eugenics, totalitarianism, and communism.
I loved reading The War for Middle-earth and learning about what impacted and influenced Tolkien and Lewis and how it resulted in their timeless writings that impacted their generation and beyond. Eighty years later, people are still being touch and inspired by their novels.
After reading The War for Middle-earth by Joseph Loconte, I am looking forward to going back and rereading Tolkien and Lewis’ books, including The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia. Reading the books will be even richer having learned what influenced these men and drove them write and create worlds from their imagination.
The War for Middle-earth by Joseph Loconte is a wonderful, fascinating, insightful, and inspiring book about J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Well researched and well written. I would like to thank Thomas Nelson Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of The War for Middle-earth by Joseph Loconte. I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.
Another book that quietly snuck its way into my Advent reading and proved to be a perfect fit. It's a book that is about multiple things at once
Examining the relationship between these two thinkers and storytellers Exploring the war soaked world that framed their thinking and their ideas Unpacking the larger themes to which both figures point in making sense of this world
The journey here is one that brings us to the heart of Lewis and Tolkien's wrestling with the failed promises of modernism. A space that finds the romanticism that keeps grabbing for the world of myth telling even as the force of modernism keeps dragging the world forward into its vision of rationalism and progress. The war for middle earth stands tall here as not just a war between light and dark, but between meaning making and reductionism. A war between the restlessness of souls caught between competing narratives, and two now larger than life figures representing this unique point in time in this singular space of the world entrenched in the battle to forge this ground between East and West, old and new, all by appealing to the power of story.
It's a reminder of what the season of advent represents, largely walking through the space that informed second temple Judaism and the reality of exile. A world caught between the formative myth-telling on one side and the seeds of the west that Rome represents on the other. Both reflective of a world tasked with navigating this shared reality of both light and dark existing in tension. In this case Laconte does a masterful job of unpacking not just why the war for Middle-earth matters, but what that reveals about why our world matters. It's as much about the world of war that shaped their point of perspective as it is about the nature of hope that breaks through in its midst.
Why I finished it: I'm not sure how much of this is a rehash of the first book, but it was very interesting to place the writing in the full context of Tolkien's and Lewis's war experiences, responsibilities, family circumstances and perspectives. I loved that Loconte emphasized their deliberate choices to write stories of courage against unbeatable forces and the importance of doing your own small part.
Thought-provoking. Would recommend for those who’ve found appreciation for Lewis or Tolkien’s works and are curious to learn more about their influences and drivers. The author approaches the book from a very specific worldview, which is very apparent in his analysis.
—Mild spoiler re: thesis—
Loconte’s major claim is that Lewis and Tolkien’s fantasy writings conveyed a message of purpose, nobility, and virtue against the chaos, secularism, and cynicism of the post-WWI world. Current events might have us believe the chaos and cynicism has only deepened, and that ideals of virtue are indeed “fanciful” or disingenuous. However, can we truly say we have known chaos or uncertainty more than what that generation endured?
Having read Loconte’s first book”A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War”, I was anxious to read this sequel. My copy was a pre-release kindle version from NetGalley with minimal functionality.
This is a great book to understand what was transpiring in Europe between the end of WW1 and the start of WW2. The book focuses on how England stood against Hitler by themselves before America was forced to enter the war.
And, of course, the primary focus is on how Tolkien and Lewis became friends that helped each other to write the classic stories of fantasy and common individuals becoming the heroes of these stories.
So dang good! makes me want to read all of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien's books! I love everything about this book. The way he related the author's development to their circumstances....having both fought in WWI and lived in England through WWII and had children fighting in that war. This was just so well done, I enjoyed every moment. I listened to the audiobook, mostly in the car and at the gym. Greg Marston, the Narrator, did amazing.
For fans of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, this well-researched book explores the impact of the wars and politics of the years 1914-1945 on their writings. It also delves into the other people who had a major influence on them, as well as the context of society at the time. There are anecdotes, names of authors and books that I now want to read, and history. I really enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.
That Lewis and Tolkien were colleagues and close friends is not necessary to explain their iconic place in the written word. While they could each stand on their own, once you understand their close relationship, they seem inseparable. The author does an excellent job of bringing their collective life experiences into the origins of their literary achievements. However many times you have read each, this compels you to once again read their works.
Bait and switch. It's less about Tolkien and Lewis than about aggressively propagandizing Catholicism. Advertise biases and intent honestly on the book covers and when advertising the book. No one loves feeling catfished. Just be honest about what this - or any book - is really about so you don't waste readers' time.
Whew, lots of history and info in this one. Took me a while to read, as I kept trying to pull up more information about the times and people as I went through it. Incredible read. It makes me want to read through so many of both of their writings and the writings that inspired them. Also saddened by how much history and thoughts sadly repeat themselves.
Loconte proves he is an adept scholar on the topic, and is obviously passionate about it. He writes engagingly, and the material is dense but never too academic or over the top. I also love just how extensively footnoted it is; each chapter tops out at over a hundred references apiece.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
A a lover of both C.S. Lewis’s and J.R.R. Tolkien’s writing, I was excited to explore the historical context & inspiration behind their famous works. Readable yet insightful, this book reminds us that Middle-earth and Narnia were born not from whimsy, but from history, grief, faith, and hope.
Thank you to Nelson Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.
A fascinating well written historical account of how C S Lewis and J R R Tolkien's long-time friendship at Oxford University and their common world war 1 and 2 experiences, along with their main literary friendship group and the ongoing appeasement and rearmarment debates, heavily influenced their most famous and well known books.
The War For Middle- Earth by Joseph Loconte is great and enlightening historical education for C S Lewis and J R R Tolkien fans. The book is a most worthwhile journey to take !