Tag: Mythmakers

REVIEW of Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, by John Hendrix

The Mythmakers, by John Hendrix, is a new book in the graphic novel format telling the tale of the remarkable fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Story

The content and storyline is amazing. The narrators, Mr. Goodwizard and Mr. Lion, walk the reader through the meaning and development through the meaning and development of the words myth, fairy tale, and fantasy. The narrators also show the lives of Lewis and Tolkien and how they created their respected stories. It captures their friendship perfectly, showing the sympathy and fellowship they had with each other.

Art

The artwork and illustrations were high-quality. The cover looks stunning with the first-edition Hobbit background style and the four main characters of the book (Goodwizard, Lion, Tolkien, and Lewis). Throughout the book, the color theme is purple, yellow, and a dull blue, which look great when all together. Every character looks different, and it is really easy to tell them apart. Overall, I really enjoyed the art.

Favorite Part

I had many favorite scenes from the book. One is C.S. Lewis’ conversion on the Addison Walk on pages 90-95. Some others are the Inkling Meeting on 104-107 and the coin flip (Tolkien and Lewis’ wager on who would write space travel or time travel stories) on pages 109-111. SPOILER ALERT: The book’s ending shows the true friendship between Lewis and Tolkien, and how the rift between them was healed in the end. The last chapter in the book is called “The Shadowlands and the Gray Havens,” a title I really appreciated.

Least Favorite Part

I had high hopes for this book when I first learned of it, and The Mythmakers met those high hopes. The author, however, said in his note that there were more stories that he left out but wished he could have included. So, my least favorite part was that he didn’t do as many stories as he could have. An extended edition would be amazing, and I know many people would read it.

Conclusion

I give The Mythmakers a five out of five with its enthralling world, enchanting artwork, and entertaining story.