No Dawn for Men

The Mythmakers Trilogy #1

by James LePore, Carlos Davis

In 1938, Nazi Germany prepares to extend its reach far beyond its borders. The key to domination lies in a secret that would make their army not only unbeatable, but un-killable.MI-6, knowing that something potentially devastating is developing, recruits scholar and novelist John Ronald Reuel Tolkien to travel to Germany to find out what this might be, using the German popularity of his children's novel THE HOBBIT as cover. Joining him there is MI-6 agent Ian Fleming, still years away from his own writing career but posing as a Reuters journalist. Together, Tolkien and Fleming will get to the heart of the secret – and they will face a fury greater than even their prodigious imaginations considered possible.Both an astounding work of suspense and a literary treasure trove to delight fans of either author, NO DAWN FOR MEN is a nonstop adventure.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, World War II

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

I write what I like to read: novels and short stories with compelling, fast moving plots, in exotic venues, populated by flawed characters who, finding themselves caught up in situations of extraordinary stress and danger, are forced to face their own demons in order to prevail. The world is full of extremes: terrorism and the courage to fight it, love and hate, lust and tenderness, corruption and redemption, honor and revenge. You will find them all in my work.

I also like to take pictures and to write very short fiction and an occasional poem. All three are combined in my book of flash fiction: Blood, Light and Time: Project 52/2015.

Reviews

[K.H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh my, what a mess. To anyone who read, or plans to read, this (and I will admit to being one of them) based on the the header "A Novel of Ian Fleming, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Nazi Germany" it would be wise to note that that itself is grammatically incorrect. As incorrect as much as anything attempting to be a background of factual (or even theoretical) history in this book.

The authors don't obviously know much about Tolkien. They may be cashing in on his current popularity due to the movies currently in the theaters (which, as they are far from alone in doing so, I won't begrudge), but they could have done a bit more research instead of striving after the obvious. It seems they gave up after the first attempt to actually use Tolkien's lingual skills as part of the plot. Quite a bit was so contrived that it was painful to read. Anyone with an interest in Tolkien, beyond the films, will find themselves cringing whenever any foreshadowing of his writing of "The Lord of the Rings" is hinted at. (Especially the bit about him writing a "trilogy" which is just shameful on the authors' part.)

As for Ian Fleming, well, his character is - you guessed it - James Bond…without any depth or development whatsoever. Not much more can be said really…except for the fact that he apologizes for asking for a cigarette…in the late thirties...

Nazi Germany. Yikes. It seems that Germany in 1938 is entirely based on the "Indiana Jones" films here. There are so many inaccuracies and impossibilities that it gets hard to even sort them out. Thankfully, with the gift of 70+ years of hindsight the characters can continuously preach about the impending doom, hell on earth and Satan's army about to ravage Europe. We know that…but how do they know that so accurately. It would have been more logical to play off the uncertainties of the time rather than continuously state prophetically what we know to have come true…

Oh, yes, and then there is the plot. Scarily familiar to anyone familiar with just about any other book considered to be "an adventure" - with the added bonus of involving some unexplained occult (Arc of the Covenant) type things and some (also unexplained) mysterious people. And the killing of Nazis.

I give the authors credit for probably being the first to relegate Tolkien and Fleming to mythical status by proposing an alternate history for them. The idea caught my attention and got me to buy the book. (Which is, when it boils down to it, the point…) I just really wish they spent more time trying to create something that could even seem credible for a paragraph.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I am an avid reader, I have not read much of Fleming or Tolkien. While reading this book I got to know them better and am intrigued by them. Will check out their work. I say that the authors did a good portrayal of Fleming and Tolkien.

I have read pretty much all of Mr. LePore's books. I have been a fan of his since the first time I read his books and have been ever since. However Mr. LePore's latest book, No Dawn for Men showcases just how much of a talented writer he is!

I thought that besides Mr. LePore that Carlos Davis did a great job as well. I could never tell where one writer stopped and the other one picked up. I blasted through this book. This was a bit of a surprise for me but at the same time not. One because I am not usually a fan of the historical books unless they are in the 1920s or military themed, which this book is military themed in a way but it also has intrigue and great characters.

[Richard Schwindt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a sucker for the idea: Tolkien, Fleming and Nazi Germany - how cool was that? It turns out to be very cool. This book is atmospheric, historically credible and full of Easter Eggs for fans of all of the above. It takes the niche preoccupation of certain Nazis - Heydrich in particular - with the occult, an ancient evil, hidden races, a complex and heroic Ian Fleming, a wise and brave J.R. Tolkien and gels them all into a seamless novel. It was easy to believe in an ancient forest, shielding an amulet from storm troopers and the clash of good and evil. Moreover, the gritty realism of Fleming serves to protect everyone from the depradations of a hidden threat. Finally, an ending that presages a certain first novel about the greatest spy of them all. Pulp fiction at it's best!

[Tod Hazlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and quick read.

If you love Tolkien and, ever wondered where he got some of his ideas for the trilogy, this might tickle your fancy. Certainly a fictional account of pre-WWII happenings but, a very interesting spin.

An MI-6 spy pairs with an Oxford academic to investigate strange goings on in the occult inspired gotterdammerung that was Nazi Germany just prior to the kick off of WWII.

[Dee Renee Chesnut · Rating 3 out of 5]

This e-book has been in My Digital Library since June 2016.
It is a thriller with real and imagined history, and it only gets 3 stars because I am reluctant to recommend this category to my friends.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mainly well-written, with only a few glitches. I loved the premise and the references to both Tolkien's and Fleming's works. A fun, fast read.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,4

[A Book Vacation · Rating 4 out of 5]

To see my full review:

http://wp.me/p1jhaj-42D

It took me a little while to warm up to this novel, and I’m not 100% sure why. In all honestly, I don’t feel like it’s written in any different fashion than LePore’s other novels, and I’ve always been able to jump right into those. But this time, it took me a little while to wrap my head around everything that was going on in this novel, and I actually put it aside for a few days thinking I might just not have been in the right mood. That seems to have done the trick, because when I picked it up again, I was able to glide right into the story, which is awesome, might I add, and the story flowed seamlessly together, which is what I’ve come to expect from a LePore novel.

Though it took me a little while, I really enjoyed this novel and once I was able to begin making connections between the story and The Lord of the Rings series, I was in heaven. I was a little curious about how much of the novel was based on fact and how much on fiction though, because it’s quite obvious that some is fiction, but other elements made me wonder, so I asked James LePore himself. And this is his awesome response:

“The book is a mix of the real and the fictional. Tolkien was in Berlin in 1938 to talk to a German publishing company about publishing The Hobbit in Germany. The book actually was believed by many ardent Nazis to support their ideology. He turned them down when they asked him to sign an oath saying he was not a Jew. He wrote them a famous letter which you can see here. This letter, when I first came across it, was one of the inspirations for the novel."

"Fleming was a Reuters correspondent in the thirties covering events in pre-war Europe. There is no record of his being in Berlin in 1938 but there is a consensus among his biographers that he was doing more than reporting, likely doing political and military assessments for MI-6."

"Tolkien was actually in the Somme offensive in WWI as a signalman, and did lose three very close friends there. Fleming's dad, Valentine, was also in France in WWI. The meeting between the two described in the Prologue is fictional. The adventure regarding the amulet, raising the dead, etc., is wholly fictional, but gave Carlos and I a chance to have Tolkien and Fleming experience things that would one day end up in their work. For example, the scene at Gestapo headquarters where Fleming is nearly tortured is a fictional precursor of the actual scene in Casino Royale where James Bond is tortured. We believed as we wrote that both Tolkien and Fleming fans would have fun recognizing these inspiring moments.”

In all truth, I find this amazing, and the amount of research that went into LePore and Davis’ novel just floors me, because it was a lot! And being able to pick out the connections was amazing, especially for me as a fan of The Lord of the Rings. I’ll admit I’m not as familiar with Fleming’s work aside from a few of the James Bond movies I sort of watched once upon a time (never did read the books), so I didn’t make many connections with Fleming’s side of the story, but I really honed in on Tolkien, and the novel is just amazingly written. I loved the characterization, the sleuthing, the mystery, and the fear that at any moment they could be caught.

If you are a fan of Tolkien or Fleming, then I highly suggest you pick up a copy of No Dawn for Men. It’s very well written and a sequel in which Tolkien and Fleming are tracking down a secret atomic bomb formula in France in WWII is already in the works. I can’t wait.

[Viviane Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the fields of battle during WWI, two men meet, one a wounded soldier lying under a dying horse and the other a good man stopping to help but unable to do so. Years later in 1938 in Nazi Germany the son of the wounded soldier, Ian Fleming, meets with the notable author of The Hobbit, Professor Tolkien, to seek an artifact that Adolph Hitler intends to use for his usual nefarious purposes. This cannot happen as it could mean the end of the world as we now know it. And so the thriller begins; but remember, what is a thrilling read to us is a matter of life and death to Fleming, Tolkien, Professor Shroeder and his daughter Billy and MI-6 Agent Arlen Cavanagh. Can the dead be brought back to life? Who must die to prove that reality?
Tolkien is approached by his former student, Cavanagh, who asks him to interpret a Satanic invocation for raising the dead. Within days, he has agreed to head to Berlin in the early days preceding WWII. Hitler has placed his henchmen in place before he begins his master plan of conquering Europe with a formidable military force. Hitler’s Aryan policies are beginning to be implemented, with a special hatred toward Jews and dwarfs during the telling of this story. What exactly do the SS men who are following Shroeder everywhere want from him. Shroeder knows of an amulet and parchment with a secret spell; he’s actually seen that it works but that it will kill whoever attempts to use it, so powerful is its mystical force. The Germans want it as well and have given Shroeder three days to find it and turn it over or else!
Billie, Schroeder’s daughter, seems oblivious to the looming threat. She is a straight-forward character, it seems, who says she hates the Nazis but is also actually dating a German soldier. She quite simply doesn’t realize the inherent danger of her father’s invitation to Berlin to cooperate with the German leaders. When she meets Arlen Cavanagh, it seems she is so blasé about everything that no one suspects she could be anything other than tremendous to her scholarly father, Schroeder.
A harrowing tale begins with the necessity of escaping Germany, but this journey is not going to be an easy one and there are dangers lurking in and around every corner of their meager existence. Horrific bestial moments serve as entertainment for German officers; a symbol of the terror they are to carry out in country after country across Europe! Oh yes, the reader can predict to a certain degree on the effect of this now hidden artifact and how an escape will probably occur; but the ending is so, so, so stunning that it will leave you dazed for minutes, perhaps even hours. No Dawn for Men again proves James LePore to be a superb crafter of thriller novels. The action is relentless, the characters are stereotypical but move at all the right times and places, increasing the tension to a degree with no appropriate descriptive word but most assuredly there and very, very real! Also recommended for lovers of historical fiction authors and those who perhaps could not speak of the wrongdoing behind them but certainly have decided not to let that travesty happen again! Highly, highly recommended!

[Katherine Tomlinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Dawn for Men by James Lepore and Carlos Davis is an historical action/thriller with romance and paranormal elements, which makes it sound like kind of a mess, but it's not.

Ian Fleming and J.R.R. Tolkien team up to prevent an object of dark power from falling into the hands of Nazis. It is 1938 and Hitler has risen to power in Germany and is poised to unleash his “Final Solution.” In Nazi circles, J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel “The Hobbit” is highly valued as a propaganda tool. (“It’s a children’s book,” Tolkien insists, baffled by the Nazi interest.) The scholarly writer—his expertise is Norse legends—is a veteran of WWI, so he has seen evil up close and what he’s seen has shaken him to his core. When a former student enlists his aid in fighting a magical menace, he eagerly signs on and in the process frames the story that will become his greatest epic.

Fleming, for his part, is a dashing spy posing as a journalist and living forever in the shadow of his heroic, war-hero father Valentine, who met Tolkien in a trench during “the Great War.” He and Tolkien make a very odd couple, but that could be said of the ragtag assortment of men, elves and dwarves who banded together in the “Fellowship of the Ring.” You don’t have to know anything about either Tolkien or Fleming to enjoy this book but if you are a fan of hobbits and womanizing British agents, you will enjoy the book even more.

Every single page of this historical novel is chock full of geekery and goodness, whether it’s a description of a torture that shows up in an early Bond novel or a description of a particularly lurid sunset that gives Tolkien the idea of the “Eye of Sauron” for the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

Aside from the storylines that follow Tolkien and Fleming—stories filled with action, romance, courage, and betrayal—there’s an ongoing power play behind the scenes of the Nazi inner circle as Himmler, Goebbels, and Heydrich jockey for position. It’s all very “Game of Thrones” and the stakes are very, very high. As Indiana Jones once said, “Nazis. I hate those guys.” Well, who doesn’t? And framing them as dark lords in search of an unspeakable power makes a lot of sense.

This book is a LOT of fun.

[Tomavalon · Rating 3 out of 5]

a fun read

[Maria Miaoulis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:
The year is 1938, and Nazi Germany is growing more and more powerful with each passing day. As its reach begins extending to other parts of Europe, Hitler and his men are looking for a way to make their army invincible. Professor Franz Schroeder, a scholar of Norse mythology, holds the key to this - something he happened upon accidentally as a young boy, but which has weighed heavily on him ever since. Oxford Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (yes, the very same J.R.R. Tolkien) and Reuters reporter/naval intelligence officer Ian Fleming have been recruited to stop these monsters from succeeding. But what chance do Tolkien and Fleming stand against an evil the world has never seen?



My Thoughts:
James LePore has already proven himself to be a master storyteller when it comes to the suspense genre with thrillers including “A World I Never Made,” “Blood of My Brother,” “Sons and Princes,” “Gods and Fathers” and “The Fifth Man,” but he continues to raise the bar with every new release. “No Dawn For Men” is no exception. In this non-stop, action-packed adventure, LePore and film writer/producer Carlos Davis deliver a historical fiction novel that is simply UN-PUT-DOWN-ABLE.

The narrative juggles so many diverse aspects: the deplorable acts of evil committed by the Nazis; the political power struggle among these vile men; the representations of Tolkien and Fleming, both very real individuals whose fascinating life experiences inspired their respective literary works (Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and Fleming’s James Bond spy novels); a touch of fantasy with a hair-raising ritual that unleashes evil like you’ve never imagined. All this taking place within a changing landscape of impending doom sounds like a recipe for disaster, but LePore and Davis handle these elements with flawless ease. Together they weave a seamless tale that will have readers positively breathless by the conclusion.

Sinister, mystical, comical and daring, “No Dawn For Men” will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. A gripping and captivating read that I highly recommended to all book lovers!

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading No Dawn for Men was a guilty pleasure, because I have to think J.R.R. Tolkien would have hated it. Let me explain: in 1938 Germany, Tolkien and James Bond author Ian Fleming join forces to prevent the Nazis from gaining control of an ancient artifact that would allow armies of the dead to be brought back to life. They form a “fellowship” to return the artifact to a certain location where it can be destroyed by fire. They meet dwarves (with beards and murderous skill with axes) and beautiful, tall, beardless youths who have a way with nature and provide them with “honey wafers” that keeps them on their feet for days. They meet and are aided by a mysterious "ranger."

Fleming also is threatened with torture in a bottomless chair and falls in love with a woman who may or may not be trustworthy.

Tolkien is in Germany to talk to the Germans about translating The Hobbit into German; Fleming is ostensibly there as a reporter, but he is in fact a spy. Although the premise is ridiculous, I still thrilled at all the references to the Lord of the Rings. (For example, the person with the artifact says, "The parchment and the figurine must be destroyed together. If they are not, there will soon be no more dawns for Berlin, no more dawns for men." (p. 68))

I’m not a Bond fan and I’m sure I missed many of those references. The narrative is definitely more Bond than Middle-earth. The styles of the two authors are quite different and the language felt quite forced at times, the two styles almost clashing.

This is not a great book. It could have used some editing. (For example: "In a few minutes they uncovered a dark, anvil-shaped stone as high as Shroeder's waste [sic]." (p. 241)) It’s hard for me to imagine that someone who is not a big fan of either Fleming or Tolkien would get anything out of this book. But if you are a Tolkien fan, you might find yourself, like me, enjoying the Lord of the Rings reminders.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kinda loved this book.

I don't even care that the events were made up. I could only read about 9 more of these novels.

Full disclosure: I watched all of "Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond" on BBC America and loved that too, even though it was a largely fictitious look at Ian Fleming's life. If you're so inclined, it might help to imagine the characters as follows:

Ian Fleming: Dominic Cooper
JRR Tolkien: James Broadbent
Billie for Lillian: Joely Fisher (reprising her role from 'Shining Through')
The Dwarves: Themselves, if the mythology of the book can be trusted.
Prof. Schroeder: Christopher Lloyd from his 'Back to the Future' days.

I thought it was hilarious that Fleming spent most of the book doing James Bond things and hooking up with the girl plot device, and Tolkien spent most of the novel on a quest with a weird piece of cursed jewelry and a bunch of dwarves. Several famous Nazis (infamous Nazis? Jerks? My vocabulary is limited because there could be children in the audience.) make an appearance and don't get what's coming to them. Totally saw part the plot twist coming, but some of it was still a surprise. There was a definite supernatural element, which is unusual in a spy/action novel. There was also a little gratuitous gore directed at truly harmless civilians, and it was occasionally difficult to tell who was whom and in league with who else. Characters would drop out for multiple chapters and then literally parachute back in. Churchill never showed up, but that doesn't mean he wasn't watching.

I kinda hope this is true, although all the evidence points to "not true" and "not plausible". Two thumbs way up. I hope we get another book about Fleming's further adventures.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thriller that includes the characters of J.R.R. Tolkien and Ian Fleming.

They are in Germany in 1938 and witness the oppression of the Jews. Fleming is a reporter for "Reuters" and is able to question German authorities. Tolkien is a professor of Nordic studies at Oxford and the recent author of "The Hobbit."

There is an elderly, retired professor from Oxford who is in possession of a secret device that could lead to longer life. Himmler wants it and it could make the Nazis even stronger.

The reader is brought into the suspense and intrigue that takes place early in the story. Fleming is able to act as a spy under cover of being a reporter.

The authors work well together and the story has the fun of "The Hobbit," with ageless and powerful dwarfs helping the men fight the Nazis and in their escape from Germany. There is also a secret cave that they must travel through. Similar to "The Lord of the Rings," the professor must go into the cave and be the one who will destroy this device from getting it in the hands of the Nazis.

The plot moves swiftly and is entertaining throughout. The characters are well developed and there is an enjoyable sub-plot with Fleming in a relationship with the professor's daughter.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, No Dawn for Men: A Novel of Ian Fleming, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Nazi Germany is more or less as described on the tin -- J.R.R. Tolkien and Ian Fleming team up to thwart a Nazi plot to harness (potentially) mystical forces in the pursuit of world domination. If that sounds appealing to you (it did to me), you'll probably like the book.

It also, as another reviewer noted, manages to avoid the trap of hewing too closely to the source material while still including some nice references. The implication being that both Tolkien and Fleming drew on the experience to inform their later writing.

Is it amazing literature? No. Is it solidly written? Mostly. Is it fun? Definitely.

[Amber Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

9/23 halfway through but the premise is so far fetched. a James Bond movie plus the occult thrown in for kicks and obviously a bunch of Nazis to deal with.
I've only seen two Bond movies and one of the torture devices from the movie made a debut. The dwarf thing was so out of control I can only hope it was made up. if I don't finish this one I did try.

10/7 Finished! So, right. I like a good historical fiction with interesting people. I like a good mystery. I like a good fantasy. I like a good mash-up.
This just wasn't it.
It has good elements. Nazis! Spies! Tolkien! But throwing in real-life people and crazy crap like (essentially) a Resurrection Stone from the devil makes it just too much. Too many on-the-nose references to "fellowships"... and did we mention there are dwarves? Dwarves who live in the mountains and won't see the rest of society for centuries? ...
Basically, if James Bond went on an epic Indiana Jones movie with the Fellowship. It is as ridiculous as it sounds.

[anolinde · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the premise, but thought the amulet plotline was a bit much; if you're asking me to suspend disbelief enough to accept Fleming and Tolkien working together, don't suddenly throw in supernatural demonic rituals.

This book also suffered from a persistent lack of dialogue tags, which often made it difficult to figure out who was speaking at any given time.

I'm still not sure I understand the Billie situation. First she was working for the resistance and trying to help her dad, then she was helping the Nazis through her German classmate, then she was working with Fleming and Tolkien to help them destroy the amulet, and finally it turns out she was a Nazi because she betrayed the resistance? But then, if that's the case, why didn't she try to stop Fleming/Tolkien and co. from destroying the amulet? Did she just make an exception because of her father?

So... meh. Don't think I'll be rereading this.

[Lynn Redington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise, certainly, and I find the thought of real-life Dwarves hiding in the mountains lovely. I couldn't escape the feeling that I was reading basically the strangest fanfiction ever. I generally have no problem suspending my disbelief, but something about this just struck me as much too far-fetched - and that's coming from someone who reads a lot of fanfiction (also, it's odd what evolves to legitimate story-telling and what stays relegated to fanfiction, isn't it? And does Christopher Tolkien know about this?) Perhaps my biggest complaint is the denouement. After the climax (which, considering how difficult it was for the characters to get to, seemed slightly anticlimactic), the ending of the book seemed rushed - as though there were a page limit and too many threads to tie up. It definitely is nowhere near the worst book I've ever read, but it really didn't do anything to make me want to read the other books in the series.

[Lynnette Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I received this ARC in the mail I couldn't wait to get started reading. Historical fiction, literary greats, WWII adventure...add to that the fact that I had already become a James Le Pore fan when he shared his first writings with me and I was excited.

Ian Fleming really did work with the British Navy devising plots to foil the Nazis and JRR Tolkien was popular in Nazi Germany. So what better plotline could there be?

Heroes abound in this account of heroic action; after all there was no short supply of heroes during WWII and if you're looking for action and daring deeds James Le Pore and Carlos Davis show they are no beginners when it comes sharing a tale of adventure.

If you are looking for expertly related plots and plans, adventure, emotion, suspense and thrills pre-order this gripping page turner today.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an historical fiction book. Overall it is a very well written book, the story moves along at a good pace and for the most part I was ok with it. Based in 1938 a young Ian Fleming, just starting out as s spy. Which he really was during WWII. The characters overall are well thought out and you get the feel for the Germans as they begin to start to take control of Europe but also of people and how the person you think is helping you is actually your enemy. That was really the part of the story that I got into and enjoyed. Always having to look over your back and not knowing who you really could trust. Some of the other parts of the story towards the end for me just made fluff and you knew it was just a story I could not get into those parts and there was only a couple of those anyway. Overall a good book. I got this book from net galley.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-handled. There are many parallels between LOTR and this story, but the author avoids the trap of too-slavishly mimicking the master-work. Instead, you can easily see how a writer's-blocked JRRT might have worked elements of the experience into his book. I'm not as familiar with the Bond legendarium, but I'm sure it's equally as fun for Fleming fans.

At the same time, the book works as its own coherent story of WWII espionage. The only flaw: the tragic events that happen to the heroine were brushed over with too little consideration. But then, it's a plot-driven story, not a character-driven one, so you can't complain too much. I'd be up for more.

[David Gillespie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that "No Dawn for Men" was a very good, well written book. I read it over the past two days, so, knowing me, it was a fast read. The chapters are in nice, bite sized chunks and really keep the narrative moving. The plot focuses around J.R.R. Tolkien and Ian Fleming working for the OSS in 1938 Germany against nefarious Nazis who are after an amulet/manuscript which can raise the dead. Being a fan of Tolkien, there were many interesting references to the Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit. I haven't read any of the Bond books, but I am sure that there are many good references to those books as well. A great book!

[Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple, straight-forward spy story with Ian Fleming (of Casino Royale fame) and J.R.R. Tolkien (author of The Hobbit) doing battle with the forces of Nazi occultism. You don't read this book for surprise twists, you read it to watch the characters live through the adventures that they will write after the War.

[Kathie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was kind of lame. It started well, with Tolkien meeting Ian Fleming's father in a WW I foxhole but went downhill from there, until the final third of the book. At that point, Nazi fighting dwarfs (real mountain dwelling dwarfs) enter the picture and the story picks up some. The idea of these two popular English writers is imaginative but just is lacking in the telling.

[Bob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry Folks, I like Historical Fiction to have some historical accuracy. To me this book was a combination of "Lord Of The Rings" and James Bond". I would classify it as fantasy. I would suggest that Quentin Tarantino could direct the movie version.

[Duff Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

Initially, I was quite enthused about this book. How could you not be - Ian Fleming and J. R. R. Tolkien meet one another in a WW2 spy story? Sounds great, but it just did not get there - the story dragged and the ending was unremarkable and not worth the wait.

[Portia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very odd but interesting book. I liked the setting and time of WWII Germany. The idea of J.R.R. Tolkien and Ian Fleming working together as spies was interesting to say the least. My only problem really was the abrupt ending. It's one of those books where you're just not sure what to think....

[Patremagne]

How absurd is this premise. I might have to read it...

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting concept and well executed. Fast read.