Harry Potter, Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings: What You Need to Know About Fantasy Books and Movies

by Richard Abanes

Fantasy can help children see with spiritual eyes, says Richard Abanes, bestselling author of Harry Potter and the Bible. It confirms the reality of good and evil. But is every fantasy story appropriate for everyone?
In this evenhanded exploration of the books of J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien, as well as the films based on their writings, Abanes - a fantasy fan himself - answers key questions:
What is inspiring and healthy in these works? What is misleading and harmful?
Do I need to be concerned about occult influence from fantasy?
How do movies and merchandising impact kids' minds?
Pro-literature and pro-fun, Harry Potter, Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings helps you evaluate fantasy's strengths and dangers from a balanced Christian perspective.

Genres: Fantasy, Harry Potter, Religion, Literary Criticism, Philosophy

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 2005

About the author

Richard Abanes is an American playwright, composer, lyricist, author, singer, and actor. He has had a life of diverse accomplishments in each of these fields.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this "educational guidebook" (and I use the parentheses with regard to Richard Abanes' truly despicably horrid Harry Potter, Narnia, and Lord of the Rings: What You Need to Know About Fantasy Books and Movies for a specific purpose) some years before joining Goodreads, and fortunately (for my own peace of mind) do not remember all that much with regard to the minute details (except that the author obviously seems to accept Tolkien's Middle Earth and Lewis' Narnia as both tolerable and even laudable as fantasy, but then majorly hypocritically believes that Rowling and Harry Potter's world are somehow the root of all horrors and evils). Yes, I do realise that the author "claims" to be Christian. However, Richard Abanes is not only profoundly ANTI-Christian with his one-sided and often bigotedly hateful fundamentalism (as the biblical Jesus Christ himself always preached both tolerance and understanding), he in fact, acts very much alike and akin to that which he criticises and claims to despise. And really, Harry Potter's fight against Lord Voldemort is in every way the fight of good versus evil, and those who claim that Harry Potter is the latter, are at best naive and at worst akin to Lord Voldemort and his ilk (in fact, Richard Abanes' radicalism and religious fear-mongering make him appear both extraordonarily ignorant and also quite Taliban and ISIS like in many ways, and if that assessment bothers him and his acolytes, good, it is supposed to do that, but perhaps he chafes even more at being labeled as potentially, no as actually profoundly anti-Christian by me, but hey, in my opinion, this is the truth, no matter how much it might hurt).

And truly, I guess what really gets me, what really makes my own blood boil with rage and anger is the fact that this author, that Richard Abanes actually seems to have quite a large amount of support, and quite a goodly number of glowing and positive reviews for his books on especially Amazon (and while everyone is, indeed, entitled to his or her own opinion, I do have more than a bit of trouble accepting and realising that this type of what I can only call religious hate-mongering is unfortunately so very much alive and well on a global scale, and NOT just in nations like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen etc., but also very much in the United States of America).

[Adam Ross · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mostly Abanes makes criticizes Harry Potter and bends over backwards to defend Lewis and Tolkien when they do precisely the same things.

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Picked up at a book sale because it cost me nothing extra ($5/bag sale!). And because I'm going to love to hate this book.

p. 16 - regurgitates research saying that teens who read Harry Potter have stated they are more interested in witchcraft as a result of their exposure to HP. Major flaw that is not explored: "interest" in the occult does not equate to leaving whatever religion they currently subscribe to. And is it really a bad thing to have "interest" in other religions and explore them? Remember kiddies, correlation is not causation, and "interest" doesn't mean HP is turning teens into witches.

p. 26 - author loses all credibility with me by referencing (in a positive light) Harold Bloom. Bloom is quoted as saying that HP is "slop" because it is not of the same literary quality as Through the Looking Glass. Has the man read Through the Looking Glass? That is some fucked up shit. To quote Bloom from his Infamous Article from 2000: "Why read, if what you read will not enrich mind or spirit or personality?"

p. 27 - "Today, many adults have indeed forgotten that some books, though entertaining, might not be so good for kids. ... The Fear Street books and Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine typify--indeed, have served as a prototype for--such books." He goes on to say that these series are often read by 10 year olds. Wow, what were my parents thinking, letting me read Stephen King at age 11?! Oh noes, we're all gonna die!

p. 39 - ..."in contemporary popular fiction, it's sometimes very difficult, if you are not told, to decide which of the main characters is the hero and which is the villain, because their behavior and attitudes are so morally dubious" ...buh? Isn't that the point? To have realistic characters that are shades of gray, rather than black and white?

p. 62 - "A good story lets you know people as individuals in all their particularities and conflict; and once you see someone as a person--flawed, complex, striving--then you've reached beyond stereotype." Oh, so it IS good to have flawed characters. Glad we cleared that up.

p. 57 - Narnia contains an astrologer (stargazer), but b/c it's a centaur instead of a 'real' being, it's ok and doesn't promote the occult. Again: buh?

(skimmed the chapter about LOTR) The general feeling seems to be that because JRR Tolkien was a "devout Christian" that he must have meant to put Christian meaning into his tale. And magic is ok here because it is not possessed by any human characters. This book is starting to bore me.

[Natalie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just finished this one too, The guy does a great deal of his homework, Approaches the works of C.S. Lewis, and Tolkein with an throuough eye to meaning and has a wonderful way of starting the book. The reviews of Lewis and Tolkein are favorable and I really enjoyed how he handled that portion of the book, as I am a huge tolkein fan. It was really hard to wait until he got to the Harry Potter portion, because as a fan of Fantasy fiction, I was hoping for the same treatment. I was rather disabused of my notion that he would have an even-handed approach to all three series.

Abanes approaches the Harry Potter series as one who has an axe to grind. He raises some good points, but I was rather disheartened to see the latter half of the book devoted mainly to hitting the reader over the head with the seemingly impending moral evil the Harry Potter books represent. He does not handle the series with the same yardstick per-se that he handles Lewis and Tolkein, which makes me wonder about how he handles the rest of his works and how reliable he is.

[Chaffee Viets · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began this book because it was marketed/billed as an even handed look at the worlds created by Tolkien, Lewis and Rowling, and I have enjoyed taking in books/movies from all three authors. While it is more balanced than most rhetoric I've found on both sides of the coin (i.e. the worlds of Middle Earth and Narnia vs. that of Harry Potter), it clearly comes out on the side of Tolkien and Lewis. Perhaps it's greatest weakness is that it too easily dismisses criticism of Tolkien's and Lewis' works, which are certainly not without flaw. On the whole, however, I found it to be a helpful resource.

Regardless, there are some very good points made about Harry Potter. The best one was that Harry Potter's world of morality is very gray. He and the other main "good" characters routinely use negative or evil tactics to bring about a greater good. Especially for young readers, that type of social commentary (and indeed it is that even if veiled) can confuse their sense of right and wrong. Most Christians would say that deliberate use of a "bad" action to effect a positive outcome is not right. I would hazard a guess that many other people, regardless of faith or lack thereof, generally agree that an "ends justify the means" philosophy" is problematic. Still, Abanes points out, Harry Potter does involve a good vs. evil conflict where "good" is typically shown in a positive light.

On the flip side, arguments made about the glorification of wizardry, witchcraft, magick, divination in Harry Potter but not in Middle Earth or Narnia are flawed. Abanes seems to indicate that Lewis and Tolkien and Lewis used terms like wizard and witch because they were the only ones available despite their authors' lack of comfort with them. This is not really fair. One could read in the Lord of the Rings confusing elements regarding good and bad wizards (Gandalf vs. Saruman) or in Narnia encouragement to study astrology. While I agree that they are less emphatic than Rowling's depictions, they are nonetheless present.

However, Abanes makes a great point that in Rowling we see actual spell casting -- and it's in our 20th/21st century world -- something that occurs rarely if at all in Lewis and Tolkien. The familiarity of the setting of the Harry Potter stories does give to the immature mind of a child a greater sense of the possibility of actually becoming a witch, wizard or warlock. People involved in Wicca, Neopaganism, Witchcraft and magick do in fact -- and despite the counter claims of Potter supporters -- hail Rowling's work as a great recruiting tool for their own covens, orders and societies.

His "Question" chapter near the end is particularly good, and if one wanted to read only one section, that would be the one I recommend. It provides the more balanced portion of the books. Abanes clearly points out the problems with unmitigated censorship, book burning, irrational and unexamined points, calling to task "Christians" who just point fingers and utter the latest anti-Potter rhetoric. He also calls to task Christians and others who defend the books with weak claims.

However, I cannot endorse this book overall as "balanced." I rated it so highly because the facts presented, despite some sources overly sympathetic to his point of view, are compelling and rarely mentioned by other authors and critics. Regardless, I wouldn't let my children read the Narnia books, those of Tolkien, and especially Rowling's without being present to comment along the way about problematic issues. When they are older and can discern for themselves, that is another story.

[Mari · Rating 1 out of 5]

saw this in the uni library browsing for some stuff for my thesis and i simply couldn’t resist. i am obviously not the intended audience in any way and though the observations and discussions in this book do not resonate or appeal to me in the slightest many references to the primary sources, interviews, and discussions of other comments and writings on the books and authors were interesting. but truthfully i mostly skimmed through the entire thing for the laughs (and i DID have quite a few hearty laughs). i highly doubt it will inform my thesis in any way but i will go through the bibliography and look further into some of the sources so i guess it would only be /partially/ true to say reading this was an act of pure procrastination🤓

[Martha · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I summarize, please keep in mind that the author is just to present information that he thinks will help parents make decisions about what their children are reading/watching, & to reveal some misinformation currently being pushed. If, after considering everything, you're still fine with your children reading whatever, then he won't say anything about it. Also, he is writing from a Christian viewpoint, so if your viewpoint is different, you may very well disagree with him. For everything I'm summing up, he gives details, explanations, examples, etc.
Narnia & LOTR: Christian BASED books (either blatant or subtle), with strong messages about morality, good being absolute, good power coming through proper authority, evil being defeated only by good, etc. Narnia has very obvious allegories to Christ & Christianity. LOTR doesn't have an obvious religious system, but is very much a moral book. Despite being "religious" books, neither actually preaches their viewpoint.
HP: Not Christian based. Members of occult groups have praised the books as a very good way to create interest in their societies/beliefs, & have mentioned how "realistic" they are. Does not uphold absolute good, but is humanistic & relativistic instead. "Good" is good only in relation to worse evil. The only people who are really interested in upholding rules are the ones that are written so you hate them (like the Dursleys(?), Snape, the janitor (sorry, forgot his name), etc.). The children have no interest in obeying or respecting adults. Misbehavior is not only common, but is glorified & rewarded. Even the adults don't behave morally. Lying, cheating, stealing, bullying, swearing, & innuendos abound. Power is power no matter where it comes from, & both sides use the same weapons.
Children & reading: Discusses some developmental truths, including why children are more impressionable by nature & how publishers & marketers are taking advantage of that. He also lists some so-called "fantasy" writers that should be avoided by Christian children (and quite likely ALL children!). He also addresses the "I'm so glad my child is finally reading, I don't care WHAT he reads!" issue & whether or not HP has actually increased overall children's reading or not (not).
Fantasy in general, & children & fantasy: Why read fantasy at all? I love this (mangled by me) quote: "People say that children shouldn't read fantasy because it teaches them that there are dragons. But children have always known there are dragons. Fantasy teaches them dragons can be killed." He discusses the hallmarks of true fantasy (as opposed to horror, "adventure," occult, etc), one of which is HOPE, and how to find good fantasy & why to avoid the bad stuff.
Children & media: Why your children are in FOUR marketing groups & are a major target even for adult material. What to be aware of in advertising, books, movies, television, etc. Also discusses why the government CAN'T censor media (but does already have protections for children, & why that isn't censorship), but parents, libraries, schools, etc, not only CAN, but SHOULD.

[Jamey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource on the similarities and differences between Harry Potter, Narnia, and the Lord of the Rings. Abanes obviously endorses Lewis and Tolkien's works, and for good reason. Both authors being Christians, their novels have Christian and moral themes that can teach not only kids, but adults as well about true morality and honorable values.
Harry Potter on the other hand, while a good story with some honorable characteristics shown in the main characters, doesn't go to any great length to teach any lesson, as Rowling herself has commented. Abanes enlightens readers to the occult practices that are accurately portrayed within Rowling's novels, as well as the less than admirable traits that are praised in the main characters (lying, cheating, stealing, disrespecting authority, etc.).
Outside of the information given on these novels, Abanes also warns parents in particular of what effect the media can have on children.
Although I haven't had the privilege of reading Narnia yet, I have read both Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, and I agree almost 100% with what Abanes is saying.
I very much enjoyed the Potter books, but don't think they should be put in the hands of every child. And Tolkien's novels did in fact promote more Biblically based actions and decisions that should be taught to kids and adults alike in today's world.
Again, this book is a very informative read that will not only help parents choose appropriate reading materials for their children, but adults to know what is really going on behind these famed stories that are being told.

[Eleni · Rating 2 out of 5]

How much can someone disagree with a book? A lot apparently. Part of the problem I think is that this book was written before the seventh Potter book came out (I actually think he published it just before Half Blood Prince to maybe benefit from the hype around that publication in 2005). But even so, at times I find him a willful misreader of the text. Of course, we can have different interpretations, but to see Harry as a liar, cheat, and thief primarily and all the adults incompetent and the magic connected to the occult and so influential on kids (after sayings that only 4 per cent of Potter readers say they are more interested in the occult after reading the books - and one has to wonder about the survey questions themselves etc) and Harry being fundamentally very like Voldemort in their loyalty (what Voldemort loyalty??) and use of magic - well that's not how I read Potter.

[Jonathan McLeod · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you know going into it that this book is written from the point of view of an evangelical Christian who finds a great of fault with the Harry Potter series in a way that he does not with the Chronicles of Narnia and Middle Earth.  If this is a point of view that will trigger you into irrational irritation, you should probably steer clear of this book.  As for me, I thought that the book was rather matter of fact and sufficiently well defined that I didn't see anything about the book as problematic.  Indeed, the book seemed blindingly obvious, even as someone who tends to be favorable to the story within the Harry Potter universe.  The author is, to put it very mildly, not a fan of the series, but he is not a fan for very legitimate and specific reasons, and reasons that are wrong to consider censoring.  They are also reasons that are likely to be shared by a great many people whose children have become interested in the series who view this with a less than pleased perspective.

This volume is divided into three parts and twelve chapters that put the dispute over fantasy into a larger and less pleasant contexts.  The author begins with a look at family fun and what it means to be a child in the contemporary age dealing with entertainment choices.  The first part of the book then focuses on fiction (I), with chapters dealing with the fall of fantasy from the eights of Lewis and Tolkien to the current interest in writings by Pullman and Rowling (1), the connection between the occult interests of Rowling and neo-pagan religious thought and practice (2), the surprising depth of the classic approach to fantasy (3), and the way that children are trusting souls who can be led astray (4).  The second part of the book focuses on the various subcreations of fantasy works as realms of imagination (II), which chapters on life in Tolkien's Middle Earth (5), Narnia (6), and Hogwarts (7), with a look at the hype and the magick within the world of Harry Potter (8).  The third and final part of the book looks at entertainment (III) with chapters on the Potter wars (9), the relationship between books and marketing and corporate strategy (10), the need for a reality check when it comes to fiction (11), and the attacks on the legitimacy of questioning fiction that are made (12).  The author then closes with two appendices on what is bad about occult thought (i) as well as helpful resources for further reading (ii).

Is Harry Potter worth fighting over it?  Those of us who write about the series, as I have done, have noted some definite issues when it comes to the morality of characters, and the hostility to Christian morality that J.K. Rowling has shown in conceiving her world is certainly troubling.  It would appear as if she does not truly identify as a Christian, but has a contemporary and eclectic view to standards with a longstanding and serious interest in occult powers that she has explored in the course of her fantasy fiction.  Although the approach of this book is not one that every reader is going to share, our society needs to better understand that textual criticism as this book offers is not akin to censorship, and that adverse attention is sometimes warranted by the content and approach of works.  At any rate, this book is part of a conversation that would warn us about the illusions of the freedom offered by neopagan thought, warnings that appear all the more prescient in light of our culture's moral crisis.

[Arwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There have been a lot of religious debates over Harry Potter, and that has brought fantasy in general under fire. If you read these book reviews you probably picked up on the fact that I enjoy fantasy and sci-fi. I have not chosen to read the Harry Potter, however, having seen them while on a prayer walk in an Occult bookstore. Since the debate rages on about Harry Potter, and people keep comparing it to some fantasy series I really love namely Narnia and Lord of the Rings this book by Richard Abanes seemed an obvious choice to read.

The book really makes several good points about fantasy. That parents need to be aware of the content of what their children read as well as what they watch. That just because kids are reading doesn't mean what they are reading is good for them. That some kids are more likely to be influenced by fantasy, and some kids are more likely to be influenced by mysticism. That helping your kids pick book that are appropriate for them is not censoring them. (Would you let your 6 year old watch 300?) And that fantasy can be a very effective story telling tools and we shouldn't write it off as being all bad.

Then he goes on to talk specifically about about occultic books, and each of the books mentioned in his title. He points to several series that spell out specific ways in which to preform wiccan or pagan rituals that are aimed at the young adult readership. He also points out Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy which was written from an atheists standpoint, and is written to lead children in that direction. He talks about the history of the writing of Narnia and LOTR and how they were made with a distinctly Christian viewpoint.

An interesting side note "Pullman has expressed surprise over what he perceives as a low level of criticism for His Dark Materials on religious grounds, saying "I've been surprised by how little criticism I've got. Harry Potter's been taking all the flak... Meanwhile, I've been flying under the radar, saying things that are far more subversive than anything poor old Harry has said. My books are about killing God"." from wiki

The real meat of the book though is about Harry Potter. Remember I haven't read the books (or watched the movies), so my comments are merely what I remember from Abanes' book. I must say he does point out the there are some good thing in the books, and doesn't advocate for book burning or banning or anything like that. But he makes a good argument for the books being based on more real occultic traditions than on fantasy magic, and for the adult character being bad examples. He also points out that the kids are not really good example themselves; cheating, cussing, breaking the rules, etc.

[Eirik · Rating 3 out of 5]

En interessant og underholdende bok. Selv om jeg deler forfatterens syn på at foresatte bør sette seg inn i hva barna ser og leser sliter jeg veldig med at en mytologi skal være så mye bedre enn alle andre mytologier.

Jeg ser ikke helt problemet med at unge skulle trekke mot det okkulte i stedenfor kristendommen. Det kan jo holde liv i de som lever av å skrive horoskop, og sysselsetting er bra...

[Azalea Dabill · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book on fantasy and some of the real meanings of magick practice and its dangers, let alone the differences between how magick is handled in the three books. An eye-opening read I could hardly tear myself away from.

[Laura The Book Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book for explainging the differences between the 3 books.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is interesting. I would have like to have read an updated version.
It's not really a 5 star book, but too many potter fans gave hate-ratings. 3.5 imo

[Miss Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

we have to read this book for my JANUARY SHORT-COURSE on Christianity and Literature...

[Alex Orire]

It is a nice and i like it because it include rowling and lewis and i love it more because it is between harry potter and power of the world. Although i didn't finish it but it is good

[Macey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched with points for parents to look at when deciding what their kids can or cannot handle reading.

[Steve Hemmeke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay.
A bit harder on Potter than needed, I thought, but does point out the dangers.