A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914–1918 by Joseph Loconte

For anyone intrigued by the friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien,this study provides insights into the lives of the two authors. Historian Joseph Loconte weaves a compelling narrative of the parallel experiences of a war, an Oxford education, and a passion for literary thought and writing. 

As children, both authors shared a love for the work of Scottish fantasy writer and priest George MacDonald. They emerged as young men from the bloody battlefields of France grieved and stunned by the horrific destruction they witnessed and experienced. But rather than respond with the cynicism and despair of their contemporaries, their growing friendship and commitment to faith moved them beyond that place to one of hope and redemption. 

While Tolkien was influential in nudging Lewis to faith, Lewis, in turn, was the encouragement that Tolkien needed to bring his tales to completion. In the way of a storyteller, Loconte connects their war memories to the imaginations that created lands where hobbits went on adventures and children were able to walk through wardrobes. Anyone who loves The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia will want to spend time with this book. (Thomas Nelson)