This short biography of J.R.R. Tolkien by Mark Horne is a part of the Christian Encounters series, which looks at Tolkien’s life and the faith that he followed as well as how it affected his writing.  Even though it wasn’t obvious in some of his writings, little bits of his faith got portrayed and that shows just how deeply religious he was.

Tolkien was born in South Africa, but grew up in Great Britain.  His father died when he was a toddler and his mother passed away when before he reached his teenage years.  After his mother’s passing, he was left in the care of his mother’s friend and priest and it was there that he learned more about his faith as well as forged friendships with other people who shared his love for literature and languages.

After fighting in WWI, he returned to Britain and married as well as becoming a well-respected professor at Oxford University.  He is perhaps best known for The Hobbit and for The Lord of the Rings, for which he was informally penned “the father of modern fantasy literature.”  Through these books and the others that he had written, we will continue to get to know Tolkien and be able to enjoy his deep love for literature and languages, which is easily seen in his works.

In the words of Mark Horne, “Tolkien presents readers with a vision of freedom – nothing preachy – that a strong, unequivocal faith can transmit.”

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255