Tolkien in the Land of Heroes by Anne C. Petty
A review by Anthony S Burdge

“What you have in your hands is a book about ideas and attitudes. Specifically, it’s a collection of related essays about the grand themes that run through the works of J.R.R. Tolkien- the nature of evil, the use and abuse of power, the joys and sorrows of living, the need for heroes great and small.”—(Introduction, pg.9)

The above paragraph begins us on the journey through, Tolkien in the Land of Heroes, the new book by author and Tolkien scholar Anne C Petty, and does not fail in delivering the depth of her knowledge and skill. Ms. Petty’s academic credentials in Comparative Mythology, Humanities, various other written works on Tolkien (i.e. One ring to bind them all: Tolkien’s Mythology) lend to her weaving a great tapestry of informative and enlightening lore.

Throughout the text, many old and new schools of thought are presented and utilized in the author’s step-by-step exposition on Tolkien’s themes throughout The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. If you are familiar with Randall Helms, Verlyn Flieger or Tom Shippey, Ms. Petty interprets all of them and more into a very well presented and understandable fashion. Many new readers to the works of Tolkien have followed up their interest with criticism and sometimes find it to wordy or verbose or hard to follow, this is not the case with Tolkien in the Land of Heroes. Ms. Petty closely follows each and every topic and theme she discusses with great enthusiasm and knowledge, never getting off track. Also if there is a related topic in her discussion she lets the reader either know where it is in her text or that she will follow it up later, and does not fail to deliver what she sets out to accomplish.

The extensive bibliography lets us know just how learned Ms. Petty is on the various topics she presents and the many sources she cites throughout the text. She draws out the similarities in criticism and does not allow any 1:1 allegorical interpretation or distillation of Tolkien’s work to occur. The utilization of criticism, mythology and most importantly Tolkien’s own words create a whole new tapestry of Tolkien thought and criticism on the subject by Ms. Petty. Her unique thought presents brand new aspects on the Tolkien’s themes and is not just a rehashing of old criticisms, but a fantastic new look at them all. This new look on Tolkien’s themes and criticisms allows new readers to understand the many aspects of the mythology applied to a modern understanding.

The subtitle Discovering the Human Spirit is intriguing, for it encapsulates what Tolkien’s works help us do, discover our selves and our spirit. Ms. Petty investigates the heroes of old from the Scandinavian, Norse and Germanic epics to their correlation in her subject, Tolkien’s works. It was the heroes of old that brought forth the best of the human spirit in defending their people and land, creating battle rituals to invigorate the soul and prepare it for war, without the technological dependency man has today. Upon reading the various sections that deal specifically with the heroism of the tales of old and Tolkien’s works, I was invigorated and inspired, and was able to reflect on the course of my own discovery of spirit without conflict.

The presentation of Tolkien’s literary and mythological influences is flawless. Ms. Petty does not go off course in steering us through the multi-layered themes of Tolkien’s works and their areas of influence. I feel that the material presented is not biased in one direction or another unlike criticism that focus entirely one aspect, i.e. the Christian and religious influences, and don’t give Tolkien credit for having written a mythology with depth. Tolkien in the Land of Heroes does just the opposite: it presents all of the themes packed into a single volume with incredible depth and knowledge behind them all.

When one text is sought that encompasses the wide body of Tolkien influences and academia by new readers then Ms. Petty’s latest book, Tolkien in the Land of Heroes, should be the one leading the way.