Medical Science reveals why Gollum & Smaug lost to Hobbits…
Overlord
So, this is a strange one! A paper appeared in this month’s Christmas edition of the Medical Journal of Australia with a theory as to why, in fantasy novels, the…
J.R.R. Tolkien
The Tolkien Archives at Marquette: A Glimpse At His Original Manuscripts
Nicole Singer
Through a stroke of luck and the foresight of their one-time curator, the Marquette University libraries house the original manuscripts for J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the…
The Changing Face(s) of Fantasy – Guest Blog by Adam Dalton
Adam Dalton
It’s obviously blasphemy to criticise Tolkien, even indirectly, but for me his work is more important in historico-cultural terms than modern literary terms. Before you send me a load of…
Did Shakespeare invent Gollum?
Was Gollum inspired by one of Shakespeare’s villains? Martin Freeman, star of The Hobbit, thinks it’s a distinct possibility. In an Interview with The Telegraph, where he is explaining how…
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
A. E. Marling
If you’re interested in the history of Middle-Earth then The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien will surprise and delight you. Not every reader of The Lord of the Rings will love…
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Steff Humm
It’s been a year since Peter Jackson took us back to Middle Earth and Bilbo Baggins set out on An Unexpected Journey. After mixed reviews, the consensus seemed to be…
Grandfathers of Fantasy
Leo Elijah Cristea
The idea of an amiable, bearded grandfather upon whose knee one could settle on a Saturday afternoon, all tired out after a morning spent building model aeroplanes, or trekking in…
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Alister Davison
The Hobbit is a book that needs little introduction. It’s assumed that all fantasy fans have read it – sometime before our teenage years – before moving on to The…
The Fall of Arthur by J.R.R. Tolkien
My journey into fantasy began with Tolkien, which I imagine is the case for a lot of people. His legendary works were a deep foundation for modern fantasy, and when…
The Battle of Science and Magic – Part Two: Nostalgia and the New
Victoria Hooper
In the previous article we looked at the idea that science destroys magic through encouraging disbelief, and how this has influenced fantasy stories involving magic, folklore and fairies. The first…
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Zachary A. Matzo
At 24fps, and in two easy-on-the-eyes dimensions, Peter Jackson’s first installment of The Hobbit is simply a movie, as opposed to an experience. It is a good movie, at that.…
Fantasy As Mythology
Let’s take a leaf from Tolkien’s book and consider the fantasy genre as a collection of mythologies representing a variety of fictional worlds. How do writers create these worlds and…