Tolkien: Friendship and Belief.(Following Gandalf: Epic Battles and Moral Victory in The Lord of the Rings)(The Gospel According to Tolkien: Visions to the Kingdom in Middle-earth)(Book Review)(Brief Article)

Dickerson, Matthew. Following Gandalf: Epic Battles and Moral Victory in The Lord of the Rings. Brazos. 2003. c.240p. ISBN 1-58743085-1. pap. $14.99.

Wood, Ralph C. The Gospel According to Tolkien: Visions to the Kingdom in Middle-earth. Westminster/John Knox. 2003. c.224p. bibliog. ISBN 0-664-22610-8. pap. $14.95. LIT

Now brought to the big screen, J.R.R. Tolkien's three-volume fantasy novel has been continuously popular since its original publication in 1954. A devout Catholic, the Oxford don was at the same time enamored of the ancient Norse pagan tales.

While many see the trilogy as simply a pagan story with little or no hint of Christianity, both of …