Hogwarts, Narnia, and Middle Earth: Places Upon a Time

by Rob Smith

This little book is a think-piece for adult readers who grew up with (or have been captured by) the fantasy worlds of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and J. K. Rowling. Rob Smith points out general themes in the work of these three authors and matches them to the ancient motifs of the biblical writings. The result is a discussion about the way in which we look at time, place, and the meaning of being human. The focus is less an explanation of the stories than a jumping off place to discuss our presuppositions about these important life matters. Rob Smith is an ordained Presbyterian minister who served thirty-one years in congregations before accepting a full time position teaching religion and philosophy at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. There he taught a course entitled The Life, Religion, and Fiction of C.S. Lewis. His familiarity with Lewis, Tolkien, and the other Inklings gives him a unique insight to this literature. His background in biblical studies also brings credibility to this work.

Genres: Fantasy

124 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2007

About the author

Rob Smith lives and writes on Ohio's north coast. He enjoys sailing, and when not working on his novels, he is refurbishing an 1850’s house which was built by a ship’s carpenter turned lighthouse keeper. In addition to his prose, he is also known for his poetry. In 2006 he won the Robert Frost Poetry Award from the Frost Foundation in Lawrence, MA. He holds an undergraduate degree from Westminster College in Pennsylvania and master and doctoral degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary.

To learn more about the author, visit his website at: SmithWrite.net

Reviews

[Silvana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beyond my expectation. I’m not the type of reader who enthusiastically/meticulously read the previous reviews, not only because I’m afraid of spoilers, but also because I want to form my opinion from nil, unbiased and uninfluenced by others. Besides, the title is enough to attract my attention.

At first, I thought this book will only provide comparison between those remarkable fantasy realms with occasional biblical reference. However, the narrative, arguments and analysis are fairly insightful, not to mention intriguing.

The book is divided into several chapters, which are basically the chosen themes to be discussed, e.g. time, magic, stewardship, death and immortality. I concur with the author's remark that one of the themes is bound to have a particular influence to particular reader. I myself am captivated with the "magic" chapter because somehow it made me ponder a lot about the various remarks made there and relate them with everyday’s life. In every chapter, there’s question (visible or not) to act as a guide for discussion, followed with relevant, unique description and breakdown of significant items in each stories, their association, then closed with a concluding remark, which sometimes even pose more further questions.

Thus, I understand why the author refused to make a longer book, while previously I sort of expected more themes or details to be discussed. Well, that’s exactly the point, that the readers are free and encouraged to re-read, to contemplate and to discuss.

Despite several "heavy" topics (part of the biblical study), the parlance and the language used are not difficult. Reading the narrative makes me feel like I was sitting in a classroom listening to Mr. Smith’s lectures (the author is a real lecturer, by the way).

For all fantasy readers out there, especially the fans of Tolkien, Lewis and Rowling, there’s nothing wrong in reading a deeper, mind-boggling account to widen our horizon on certain aspects in your beloved titular masterpieces. After all, powerful stories like those will live forever.

[Kevis Hendrickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first book I ever purchased from Amazon. When I first received it, I was skeptical about the quality of the book since there weren't any illustrations or charts which you normally expect from a reference guide. In fact, that is the only real complaint I have about this book.

Even so, Hogwarts, Narnia, and Middle-Earth: Places Upon A Time is a very insightful book written by an author who has spent the better part of his life studying religion. In fact, the premise of the book seems to draw heavily on the comparitive qualities of the three books from a theological viewpoint. I must say that the author really understands the innerworkings of the heretofore mentioned works of J.K. Rowlings, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien. I learned so much from this book it made me go back and read Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings with a new set of eyes.

With that said, this book isn't for everyone. The book could stand be a little longer and would have been greatly improved by enlarging the discussion to include other books from the fantasy genre. However, if you are the type of person who enjoys literary criticism, if only to discover what scholars think about your favorite books, then this one is for you.

[Jennifer Robb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to hear the author speak to a group of writers and be able to purchase the book from him and have him sign it. I have read the Harry Potter series, the Chronicles of Narnia, and The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings Trilogy (though I admit this latter one was quite some time ago). I enjoyed this book and found it insightful.

[Bcoghill Coghill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christian view of the three fantasy series from a perspective that I understand. As opposed to those scary people who think that Christians cannot tolerate these books.
A minor part of the book explains that the bans against witches, magic and sorcery should be understood in the context of the languages and times they were written.
The author is, I think, ordained in some denomination or another.

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This book isn't for everyone, but its very handy for people in my line of work. The book will function well as a sermon help or a group study in a church. It was basically an easy-to-read scholarly paper written by a former college professor. I enjoyed the parallels between the three worlds of Narnia, Middle Earth, and Hogwarts and the affirmation my spirit received in all of the rich deeper meaning in all of these collective works. I found this to be a quick read.

[Amy Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Won this from Goodreads giveaways.

I found the way Rob Smith compared the four books interesing.

[Nancy Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book explores the thematic links between these three authors (Rowling, Tolkien, and Lewis).Using examples from each book, the author discusses the different themes including time and magic in each series. Reading and re-reading it gives me a great deal to think about...okay, at times, it makes my head hurt, but in a good way! Not only that, it makes me want to go back and re-read the original series, which is always a better thing! It is literary criticism at its best.

[Kaitlin]

Not for people who don't believe that the Bible is straight fact and that "science is an invention." I will try not to be grumpy and just say that I won't give this a poor rating because it says in the description and on the back cover that the author is a minister, which I think makes its audience clear enough that it was unfair for me to expect something else.