Some books are hard to define. Some books feel like they grab your arm and drag you on an unexpected, often uncomfortable journey, not allowing you to catch your breath and figure out what is going on until the story is halfway to being finished. Some books sound incredibly strange when you talk about them, but they leave you with an impression so strong, you think they will never let you go. After you finish reading them, you’re left confused and directionless. No other book

Any Tolkien fan recognizes the importance of trees in his works. From the Two Trees of Valinor – precursors of the sun and the moon – to the golden mallorn trees of Lothlórien, from Nimloth, the White Tree of Númenor to its succession of descendants in Gondor, from the mallorn gifted to Sam by Galadriel and the Party Tree in Hobbiton, trees are scattered all across Tolkien’s Middle-earth, more than just props in the background. Their various significances, their symbolism, th

December 2006 Rest thy head on my pillow, weary warrior of old- Long was my waiting and bitter my years. And I’ve poured thee a drink made of winds soft and cold, And the dance of the snowflakes, and a lover’s vain tears. Long was my waiting and bitter my years.   Close thy eyes, my bold soldier, in this cold wintry night, While the cruel snow devours all that’s peaceful and glad. But I’ve woven a blanket made of youthful delight, And the chant of the forests, and the full mo

Let me begin by saying this article isn’t meant as a criticism against people who don’t like The Rings of Power. People are allowed to like or dislike whatever they want (especially if they try watching it before they state their opinion). However, for some reason, there are certain factions out there that enjoy spreading erroneous rumors about the show – rumors that might make those who have not watched it yet hesitant to engage with it. Galadriel If I had a penny for every

1.   “I saw something in the mirror that shouldn’t have been there. Now, I’m afraid it’s after me.”   It was the last thing Hans told Ursula. The last words she heard from him before his disappearance. She remembered it clearly, what she had ignored back then, because she did not know what to make of Hans’ rambling. She had thought it the beginning of a story, some idea Hans wanted to run by her before he set it on paper. Hans often did that, offering snatches of half-formed

My apologies for the nerdy title, but “The Harfoots were not mentioned by Tolkien in the Second Age” seems to be a recurring refrain...

it’s the humanity of these characters that makes them interesting. They might be aliens or enhanced humans, yet their motivations and reactions are understandable and real. They make jokes, they panic, they form connections. There is life in them, and this is something that I always appreciate in a book.

Explanation                         November 2006        You are a candle burning bright       Lit by the gods inside my heart.      You...

Sacrifice is a frequent motif in Tolkien’s works, and season two of The Rings of Power offers us many examples of sacrifice, both...

1. He played the piano in a cabin by the sea. She lived in a cottage in the mountains and painted wild landscapes with gaping precipices...

Walk with me this shore: How can I struggle on my own? How can I breathe if I’m alone, And if I hear your voice no more? So please,...

The Rings of Power has done a great job exploring many of the common themes found in Tolkien’s works –light versus darkness, hope, the...

Warning: This article contains a few direct references to events from the TV series Rings of Power . If any of you have not watched the...

The Seasons Suite....or a love story in five acts.       The end of winter                                           February 2006   The...

When the green creeping things crawled from the forests on the hill towards the town below, there was only one thought in the townsfolk's...

Standing tall, we’re watching you As you tread this shadowed land With green grass and flowers blue – Standing tall we’re watching you In...

“There is a thing about houses. You feel it as soon as you walk in – especially if it’s an old place. But any house that’s been lived in...

We were young, love, when the end of the world came. In a country of brown autumn leaves, we were the flowers of spring. The final notes of

Note: In 1981, a set of female-shaped clay statuettes was discovered in the village of Poduri, Bacău county, Romania, dating from around...

Rust-city is not a real place. There is no equivalent for Deirdre Morgan or Sebastian Cadwalder in my life. The situation in the book is not