Maps of Middle-Earth (Brian Sibley)

J.R.R. Tolkien, famed author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, loved languages, myth, and maps. Some argue his tales started with a map. In this book, Brian Sibley presents four maps related to Middle-Earth. For each, he provides a brief history/overview and dictionary of place or terrain names explaining their relevance to a given story. The four maps:

- Beleriand (from the First Age, since lost underwater save for its easternmost reaches, which are now the westernmost Midde-Earth shores in the Third Age)

- Middle-Earth (from the Third Age—the map most familiar to readers, showing lands described in The Lord of the Rings)

- Wilderland (from the Third Age—a 'zoomed-in' map showing lands relevant to The Hobbit)

- Numenor (from the Second Age—an island also lost to the oceans)

Included in this book is four full-color fold-out maps (each measuring roughly 16"x16") drawn by John Howe based on the original Tolkien drawings; one example is below.

This book exceeded my (modest) expectations. I expected it to be a vehicle to make money (and basically sell you four maps). I think it is that, partially. But it is also done well. The overviews for each map include some backstory on when Tolkien (or his son) made them, and how some names have changed over time, which was helpful. Sibley also mentions key events and characters from the major works (including The Silmarillion), which, along with the maps and place names, helps visualize and contextualize where things happened in some of the less well-known tales. 

This is a quick read, and perhaps not for everyone, but for big Tolkien fans, check it out.

Rating: B

The Warden and the Wolf King (Andrew Peterson)

Shortly after book three . . .

Gnag the Nameless knows the Wingfeathers are in the Green Hollows . . . and he will stop at nothing to get them. Makng a stand against his armies, the Hollish muster for a desperate defense. 

Across the sea, Artham and others look to reclaim Dugtown from the Fangs. But treachery abounds, and trust is short.

In the ensuing battles, lives will be lost, hope will hang by a thread, and events nobody could have foreseen will shake to the core. Has the Maker abandoned the Wingfeathers? Who will prevail? 

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The Wingfeather Saga concludes in a most satisfying fashion. The longest book by far (almost 500 pages), there is a lot to tie up, but Peterson does it well (though some parts felt rushed). It was powerful and moving. Suspenseful and satisfying.

Looking at the series as a whole, the author does a good job presenting key principles/lessons of Christianity in a way that is all at once real, raw, hard, beautiful, and painful. And he does so without being preachy, moralistic, or judgmental. Overall, most impressive.

Rating: A