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The Science of Middle-earth: A New Understanding of Tolkien and His World
The surprising and illuminating look at how Tolkien's love of science and natural history shaped the creation of his Middle Earth, from its flora and fauna to its landscapes.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published October 16, 2019
59 people are currently reading
1055 people want to read
About the author
Roland Lehoucq
65 books14 followersRoland Lehoucq est astrophysicien au service d’astrophysique du CEA de Saclay et est désormais président de l’association du Festival International de Science-Fiction de Nantes, Les Utopiales. Il a publié de nombreux livres de vulgarisation scientifique. Il s’intéresse notamment aux rapports entre science et science-fiction. Ainsi, il analyse avec précision et humour des films comme Star Wars et Avatar et a aussi décodé des super-pouvoirs de Superman et les aventures de Tintin. Depuis plusieurs années, il tient la chronique scientifique "Scientifiction" de la revue de SF Bifrost et tient également la rubrique "Science et Fiction" de la revue Pour la Science, avec son collègue J.-S. Steyer. Ses ouvrages La science mène l’enquête et La SF sous les feux de la science permettent d’aborder des thèmes de la science-fiction grâce aux outils de la physique.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
April 17, 2021
The reason I have given this book such a low rating is that the authors continually get things wrong about Tolkien's world and writings. If you are going to do a book about the science of Middle-Earth you have to have a solid grounding in the source material. And if you don't have that solid foundation how can you apply the science accurately to the work?
Some things the book gets wrong: Tolkien's birth year (pg 4.), mention of non-existent geographical features (pg. 147), placing a character at an event 2,000 years after they had been killed (pg. 171), claiming Gandalf is immune to The Ring (pg. 191), conflating and confusing the characters of Sauron and Saruman (pg. 208), claiming all humans came from Númenor and that in turn hobbits have the blood of Númenor (pg. 273). This is just a small selection of inaccuracies that plague almost every single chapter of this book. What is particularly confusing is that they did not have the book edited or proof-read by a Tolkien scholar or expert. Further the introduction of this book (which is an edited volume) does not explain the rational behind the making of this text (particularly important since there is already a book with the exact same title from 2004) nor the organizational logic of the volume and its chapters, neither do they explain what gives these authors the authority to write about middle-earth or how they were chosen. I will say the book itself is beautiful and has great artwork by Arnaud Rafaelian scattered throughout the text. Finally some of the chapters are quite good, but they are few and far between and weighed down by the other chapters riddled with mistakes, misinterpretations, and misunderstandings.
Fundamentally I think this book was sloppily written and fails to understand its target audience. The text is too detailed for a fan of just the movies, making constant references to the Silmarillion, as well as Unfinished Tales, and the 12 part History of Middle-Earth, but given that almost every chapter has mistakes that any fan of Tolkien's texts would have caught it's hard to understand how this book came to print.
Honestly don't waste your time on this book. If you can get your hands on Henry Gee's The Science of Middle-Earth (2004/2014) that book is much better as it's written by an actual fan of Tolkien's texts and uses the books as a fun way to talk about various scientific findings and approaches.
Some things the book gets wrong: Tolkien's birth year (pg 4.), mention of non-existent geographical features (pg. 147), placing a character at an event 2,000 years after they had been killed (pg. 171), claiming Gandalf is immune to The Ring (pg. 191), conflating and confusing the characters of Sauron and Saruman (pg. 208), claiming all humans came from Númenor and that in turn hobbits have the blood of Númenor (pg. 273). This is just a small selection of inaccuracies that plague almost every single chapter of this book. What is particularly confusing is that they did not have the book edited or proof-read by a Tolkien scholar or expert. Further the introduction of this book (which is an edited volume) does not explain the rational behind the making of this text (particularly important since there is already a book with the exact same title from 2004) nor the organizational logic of the volume and its chapters, neither do they explain what gives these authors the authority to write about middle-earth or how they were chosen. I will say the book itself is beautiful and has great artwork by Arnaud Rafaelian scattered throughout the text. Finally some of the chapters are quite good, but they are few and far between and weighed down by the other chapters riddled with mistakes, misinterpretations, and misunderstandings.
Fundamentally I think this book was sloppily written and fails to understand its target audience. The text is too detailed for a fan of just the movies, making constant references to the Silmarillion, as well as Unfinished Tales, and the 12 part History of Middle-Earth, but given that almost every chapter has mistakes that any fan of Tolkien's texts would have caught it's hard to understand how this book came to print.
Honestly don't waste your time on this book. If you can get your hands on Henry Gee's The Science of Middle-Earth (2004/2014) that book is much better as it's written by an actual fan of Tolkien's texts and uses the books as a fun way to talk about various scientific findings and approaches.
April 17, 2021
I was very unhappy with this book. There are tons of mistakes that the simplest google search could have prevented (such as the date of Tolkien's birth). Some of the claims made in this book are a massive stretch from Tolkien's world and do not seem well researched in Tolkien's lore, letters and opinions. Maybe the translation is part of the issue, but I think there are better books about Tolkien's world out there.
July 15, 2021
A precious addition to collections of Tolkien fans, this sumptuously illustrated book takes an engaging popular science look at Middle-Earth, covering a large number of topics. See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2021...
January 18, 2024
This book came highly recommended to me, so I was disappointed by the underwhelming amount of original thought. Basically, the entire premise states, "Let's use science to explain all the magical things we encounter in Tolkien's world. Hmm, this mythological creature could be a distant relative of this prehistoric mammal based on a sketchy skeleton from several millennia ago.....but -what a surprise- there's no exact match...."
That's because *bangs table with fist* it's fantasy!! Of COURSE these creatures don't fit into the modern world or the popular evolutionary concept of science! Suffice it to say, this book frustrated me on multiple levels.
That's because *bangs table with fist* it's fantasy!! Of COURSE these creatures don't fit into the modern world or the popular evolutionary concept of science! Suffice it to say, this book frustrated me on multiple levels.
June 22, 2024
2.5 Sterne aufgerundet für die schönen Zeichnungen
Manche der Kapitel waren tatsächlich ganz interessant, etwa die Entwicklung verschiedener Völker oder inwieweit die Evolution von Drachen möglich wäre. Andere Kapitel hatten dagegen keinen roten Faden und erschienen dadurch völlig sinnlos. Am Ende bleibt zudem die Frage, warum man Fantasy erklären will und es nicht einfach bei Tolkiens wundervoller, detailreicher Welt belässt.
Manche der Kapitel waren tatsächlich ganz interessant, etwa die Entwicklung verschiedener Völker oder inwieweit die Evolution von Drachen möglich wäre. Andere Kapitel hatten dagegen keinen roten Faden und erschienen dadurch völlig sinnlos. Am Ende bleibt zudem die Frage, warum man Fantasy erklären will und es nicht einfach bei Tolkiens wundervoller, detailreicher Welt belässt.
May 11, 2021
Je ne suis pas sûre de ce à quoi je m'attendais mais je suis globalement déçue. Je suis moi-même une scientifique et j'étais interessée de voir ce qui tenaît la route dans l'Univers de Tolkien. Je pense que souvent les analyses étaient trop poussées. J'avais envie de dire: c'est un livre, laissez la place à l'imagination et la magie! D'autres parties étaient très intéressantes et j'ai appris beaucoup. J'ai re-regardé les films en finissant le livre et j'ai rouvert le livre pour chercher des réponses ou re-lire un passage. Je suis déçue de ne pas avoir eu au moins un paragraphe parlant des araignées de Bilbo le hobbit, ont-elles un lien avec Arachne?
Gobalement je pense que le livre ressemblait trop à mon travail et moins à une lecture de loisir pour moi mais je suis quand même heureuse d el'avoir dans ma collection.
Gobalement je pense que le livre ressemblait trop à mon travail et moins à une lecture de loisir pour moi mais je suis quand même heureuse d el'avoir dans ma collection.
May 28, 2021
Some interesting ideas here, but so many factual errors with regards to Tolkien's texts that they make you question the credibility of everything else in this book.
November 13, 2025
Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I don’t think it does justice to Tolkien or his works.
For the first half of the book, it goes through more of Tolkien’s love of nature, language, words, and his extensive knowledge and use of history and mythology. This was very interesting to see how truly grounded his Middle Earth world was in our real world while still being something very unique.
There are a handful of chapters in the middle and towards the end where it tries to analyze things in Tolkien’s world in a way that I don’t think Tolkien would have intended, or in ways that demonstrate that those applying this lens to Tolkien’s work didn’t truly understand Tolkien‘s view, or his intention, and have not necessarily read some of his letters where he explains some of these topics.
Some of the scientific explorations were rather interesting, or at least entertaining. For example, there were discussions about how to classify and taxonomize some of the different beasts and monsters and creatures in Tolken’s world and discussions about if dragons were real what would their biology be like, or discussing that the giant eagles are actually quite possible as far as physics goes. Those were interesting and fun discussions about talking and just about science in general.
There were some that didn’t seem to understand Tolkien’s world very well. Such as the topic about medicine and Tolkien’s world, and suggesting that Rivendell is a place of “healing” because everybody must be high on opium. A rather odd comment to make for anybody who enjoys the Lord of the Rings. Or saying how his different races developed via evolution (not just the hobbits that are stated to have derived from the race of men), when in the Silmarillion, we are given direct answers about how those races were specifically created (or corrupted by Morgoth, as in the case of the orcs).
There were also several places where they give incorrect facts about the events of the Silmarillion, the Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings, that anyone who was writing a detailed analysis of should never have made. Especially as these errors were often pivotal points in their analysis or argument.
Overall it was an interesting book that explores a vast range of scientific subjects related to Tolkien and the world he created. Some of it seemed misapplied, but there were lots of interesting things that could be learned from the discussions.
For the first half of the book, it goes through more of Tolkien’s love of nature, language, words, and his extensive knowledge and use of history and mythology. This was very interesting to see how truly grounded his Middle Earth world was in our real world while still being something very unique.
There are a handful of chapters in the middle and towards the end where it tries to analyze things in Tolkien’s world in a way that I don’t think Tolkien would have intended, or in ways that demonstrate that those applying this lens to Tolkien’s work didn’t truly understand Tolkien‘s view, or his intention, and have not necessarily read some of his letters where he explains some of these topics.
Some of the scientific explorations were rather interesting, or at least entertaining. For example, there were discussions about how to classify and taxonomize some of the different beasts and monsters and creatures in Tolken’s world and discussions about if dragons were real what would their biology be like, or discussing that the giant eagles are actually quite possible as far as physics goes. Those were interesting and fun discussions about talking and just about science in general.
There were some that didn’t seem to understand Tolkien’s world very well. Such as the topic about medicine and Tolkien’s world, and suggesting that Rivendell is a place of “healing” because everybody must be high on opium. A rather odd comment to make for anybody who enjoys the Lord of the Rings. Or saying how his different races developed via evolution (not just the hobbits that are stated to have derived from the race of men), when in the Silmarillion, we are given direct answers about how those races were specifically created (or corrupted by Morgoth, as in the case of the orcs).
There were also several places where they give incorrect facts about the events of the Silmarillion, the Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings, that anyone who was writing a detailed analysis of should never have made. Especially as these errors were often pivotal points in their analysis or argument.
Overall it was an interesting book that explores a vast range of scientific subjects related to Tolkien and the world he created. Some of it seemed misapplied, but there were lots of interesting things that could be learned from the discussions.
January 18, 2025
I really wanted to like it, and there were a few good pieces in here, but I had some issues overall. Firstly, I had thought it would be more academic and jointly written, but it felt all over the place and made some wild conjectures, saying things like ‘Tolkien clearly…’ when Tolkien clearly did NOT—Tolkien clearly wrote a fantasy story in which not everything needs to be explained. That is, I think, one of his writing’s notable characteristics, the mystery, and the fact is it doesn’t NEED to be explained, nor does it want to. Destroying the mystery has the danger of changing the way his writing is understood or enjoyed, and nobody wants that.
Second, the quality of these pieces was rather low, and not very well written. Misunderstandings and inaccuracies were all too common. Tones were rambling or unlikable. Instead of using Tolkien’s own maps (probably copyrighted, but still) there were digitized maps generated by some online www .fantasymapgenerator.com or the like.
I understand the desire to explain things that interest a person scientifically, or make connections, but fantasy is fantasy for a reason, and putting scientific explanation to it is, in my opinion, unneeded. Particularly in this way. I don’t need to know why hobbits have big feet, or why dwarves could be hyenas, or the chemical makeup of the one ring. Because once you explain those things, it isn’t fantasy anymore. In theory it sounded interesting but the execution left a lot to be desired.
Second, the quality of these pieces was rather low, and not very well written. Misunderstandings and inaccuracies were all too common. Tones were rambling or unlikable. Instead of using Tolkien’s own maps (probably copyrighted, but still) there were digitized maps generated by some online www .fantasymapgenerator.com or the like.
I understand the desire to explain things that interest a person scientifically, or make connections, but fantasy is fantasy for a reason, and putting scientific explanation to it is, in my opinion, unneeded. Particularly in this way. I don’t need to know why hobbits have big feet, or why dwarves could be hyenas, or the chemical makeup of the one ring. Because once you explain those things, it isn’t fantasy anymore. In theory it sounded interesting but the execution left a lot to be desired.
May 21, 2021
Especially for Tolkien nerds like myself. Interesting subsections each dealing with a different genre of the sciences and how Tolkien's writings are filled with various mentons of them: vulcanology. Ornithology, entomology, geology and plate tectonics, etc. Great and interesting to me, but if you are looking for narrative prose, don't bother. 50 percent of reviewers gave it only one star---but they are apparently not the lovers of minutiae and pedantry I am!
May 22, 2022
Some chapters are very good; others rather tedious. Clever idea!
February 11, 2022
Quite possibly the nerdiest book I’ve ever read. (Not a bad thing!) I enjoyed the variety of authors and illustrations. It was fascinating to see how real scientific principles might apply to the fantastical, fictional world of Tolkien’s LOTR.
January 25, 2022
Bueno, para empezar, evidentemente mi lectura no ha sido en francés, sino que he leído la edición española de cARTEm, pero no la he encontrado por aquí, así que nada. No sé cómo será esta edición francesa que aparece por aquí, pero la española es un tomo cuidadísimo, enorme e ilustrado, con papel grueso y de gran calidad, y que debe rondar los tres kilos de peso, así que leerlo ha tenido sus momentos, pero la verdad es que el tema merece la pena. Y es que el grupo de estudios dirigido por Roland Lehoucq aborda en este libro a través de una serie de ensayos, una buena cantidad de temas relacionados con los escritos de Tolkien desde el punto de vista de las diversas ciencias (tal y como dice el nombre). Así, por ejemplo, veremos el desarrollo de los huargos explicado por un zoologo, la composición del Anillo Único con un físico del CERN, las minas enanas desde el punto de vista de una espeleóloga, etc. Geología, biología, sociología, química, filosofía, literatura comparada... Este libro aborda desde una perspectiva multidisciplinar la Tierra Media, y con tantos temas y escritores, evidentemente hay muchas diferencias, hay artículos muy interesantes y otros que no lo son tanto, es difícil comparar estudios que hablan sobre los pies de los hobbits y otros que detallan los cruces genéticos que hubieran permitido a Saruman crear a los Uruk-hai.
La lectura, en general, ha sido bastante interesante, y al tratarse de diversos temas en ensayos de pocas páginas, no se hace pesado en ningún momento (de lectura, los tres kilos de libro son otra historia), y quizá si tengo algo que no me ha convencido del todo, ha sido el empeño de algunos de los autores por obviar, ignorar o dejar a un lado algo que debería ser evidente para cualquiera: y es que estamos hablando de un mundo donde la magia existe.
Pero por lo demás... pues como todo lo que tiene que ver con Tolkien, hay que leéselo.
La lectura, en general, ha sido bastante interesante, y al tratarse de diversos temas en ensayos de pocas páginas, no se hace pesado en ningún momento (de lectura, los tres kilos de libro son otra historia), y quizá si tengo algo que no me ha convencido del todo, ha sido el empeño de algunos de los autores por obviar, ignorar o dejar a un lado algo que debería ser evidente para cualquiera: y es que estamos hablando de un mundo donde la magia existe.
Pero por lo demás... pues como todo lo que tiene que ver con Tolkien, hay que leéselo.
February 27, 2020
Très bel ouvrage, magnifiquement illustré.
J'aurais aimé l'adorer. C'est inégal dans l'ensemble : des articles passionnants, d'autres un peu creux et parfois des tentatives d'explications scientifiques exagérées.
Original dans son approche, c'est un ouvrage riche même si parfois, trop rationaliste (mais c'était son postulat et l'exercice de style est respecté).
J'aurais aimé l'adorer. C'est inégal dans l'ensemble : des articles passionnants, d'autres un peu creux et parfois des tentatives d'explications scientifiques exagérées.
Original dans son approche, c'est un ouvrage riche même si parfois, trop rationaliste (mais c'était son postulat et l'exercice de style est respecté).
August 19, 2021
It was an interesting idea, but the execution wasn't great. Others have pointed out the mistakes the writers made about Tolkien. The first mistake I spotted was in the chapter about invisibility when the writers mentioned "Jane Storm" of the Fantastic Four. The Invisible Girl (now the Invisible Woman) was named SUE Storm.
dnf
August 18, 2021As many other reviews state, quite disappointing for a Tolkien fan (which is probably anyone seriously considering reading this). Some chapters are better than others.
March 27, 2023
In „Die Wissenschaft von Mittelerde“ wird das von Tolkien geschaffene Universum aus der Sicht der Forschung unter die Lupe genommen. Es werden zum Beispiel die in Mittelerde lebenden Arten im Hinblick auf eine Evolution untersucht und die erwähnten Edelsteine und Metalle mit denen auf der Erde verglichen.
Es gibt sechs große Kapitel, die thematisch mehrere Unterkapitel zusammenfassen: „Der Aufbau einer eigenen Welt“, „Verankerung in Raum und Zeit“, „Ein komplexes Umfeld“, „Großartige Lebewesen“, „Erstaunliche Charaktere“ und „Fantastisches Bestiarium“.
Mich haben nicht alle Kapitel angesprochen, aber das Buch ist so abwechslungsreich, dass da sicher für jeden etwas dabei ist. Vorausgesetzt, man möchte hinter Tolkiens Magie schauen.
Das führt mich zu meinem größten Kritikpunkt, denn einiges wirkt etwas überinterpretiert. Kann man Mittelerde mit der Erde vergleichen und beispielsweise wirklich davon ausgehen, dass es Kontinentalplatten gibt?
Das Buch ist wunderschön gestaltet und mit einigen Illustrationen versehen. Es ist ein Buch, das man gut zwischendurch immer mal wieder weiterlesen kann. Allerdings wird in den Texten teilweise Fachsprache verwendet, ohne die Begriffe zu erklären. Da war ich leider zwischendurch etwas aufgeschmissen.
Für alle, die Mittelerde und seine Bewohner aus der wissenschaftlichen Perspektive betrachten möchten, kann ich das Buch empfehlen. Es ist aber nicht uneingeschränkt für jeden Herr der Ringe-Fan das Richtige.
Es gibt sechs große Kapitel, die thematisch mehrere Unterkapitel zusammenfassen: „Der Aufbau einer eigenen Welt“, „Verankerung in Raum und Zeit“, „Ein komplexes Umfeld“, „Großartige Lebewesen“, „Erstaunliche Charaktere“ und „Fantastisches Bestiarium“.
Mich haben nicht alle Kapitel angesprochen, aber das Buch ist so abwechslungsreich, dass da sicher für jeden etwas dabei ist. Vorausgesetzt, man möchte hinter Tolkiens Magie schauen.
Das führt mich zu meinem größten Kritikpunkt, denn einiges wirkt etwas überinterpretiert. Kann man Mittelerde mit der Erde vergleichen und beispielsweise wirklich davon ausgehen, dass es Kontinentalplatten gibt?
Das Buch ist wunderschön gestaltet und mit einigen Illustrationen versehen. Es ist ein Buch, das man gut zwischendurch immer mal wieder weiterlesen kann. Allerdings wird in den Texten teilweise Fachsprache verwendet, ohne die Begriffe zu erklären. Da war ich leider zwischendurch etwas aufgeschmissen.
Für alle, die Mittelerde und seine Bewohner aus der wissenschaftlichen Perspektive betrachten möchten, kann ich das Buch empfehlen. Es ist aber nicht uneingeschränkt für jeden Herr der Ringe-Fan das Richtige.
July 12, 2022
This book was a lot of fun!
A lot of the reviews on here seem to be from people who take their Tolkien love a little too seriously. The authors clearly state in the introduction that the book is speculative, but is informed by "The Hobbit", "The Lord of the Rings", "The Silmarillion" and his other works -- fun thought experiments rather than definitive explanations. Only one chapter left me feeling like the author really didn't read the books carefully and only had a cursory knowledge of the movies (entitled, "Tales of a Young Doctor...in Middle-Earth" if you are curious). Otherwise, this book is thoroughly researched and well-executed.
Some of the figures included in the book are too small to fully appreciate, and that is a real shame. It could have been easily remedied by having pages dedicated to images rather than attempting to have them in line with the text. One particular chapter talks about Tolkien's paintings and drawings but does not include any examples. This is understandable given that the authors would have had to get the rights, but it would have been great if they were able to include them. Nothing a Google search cannot fix.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves "The Lord of the Rings"!
A lot of the reviews on here seem to be from people who take their Tolkien love a little too seriously. The authors clearly state in the introduction that the book is speculative, but is informed by "The Hobbit", "The Lord of the Rings", "The Silmarillion" and his other works -- fun thought experiments rather than definitive explanations. Only one chapter left me feeling like the author really didn't read the books carefully and only had a cursory knowledge of the movies (entitled, "Tales of a Young Doctor...in Middle-Earth" if you are curious). Otherwise, this book is thoroughly researched and well-executed.
Some of the figures included in the book are too small to fully appreciate, and that is a real shame. It could have been easily remedied by having pages dedicated to images rather than attempting to have them in line with the text. One particular chapter talks about Tolkien's paintings and drawings but does not include any examples. This is understandable given that the authors would have had to get the rights, but it would have been great if they were able to include them. Nothing a Google search cannot fix.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves "The Lord of the Rings"!
August 17, 2025
I am giving one ★ for the idea
and one ★ for the illustrations from Arnaud Rafaelian
The rest of it, however? Complete mess. The idea I would like, tying Tolkien's comprehended work in which he created an entire world, languages, science, flora, fauna, mythology and politics to respected fields from archaeology to physics or botanics could be truly interesting.
However, how do you base your entire book on Tolkien's body of work and make so many mistakes? It shows me that the opinion of the contributors was more important than the work they were basing it on. The mistakes in some of the chapters fundamentally change the story itself (for example, Rings' effects on Gandalf or its overall power, the absolute lack of understanding of Silmarillion in general - I doubt they even read it, or a complete disregard for the mapping of the world while basing their research on it). To me, any added "new science" just lacks ground.
If you enjoy reading opinion pieces and you loved the movies but never read the books, then maybe it would be enough for you; some chapters do raise interesting comparisons. However, if you are a Tolkien fan, I would not recommend it; you might get mad at the lack of profound care for the original body of work while profiting from it.
and one ★ for the illustrations from Arnaud Rafaelian
The rest of it, however? Complete mess. The idea I would like, tying Tolkien's comprehended work in which he created an entire world, languages, science, flora, fauna, mythology and politics to respected fields from archaeology to physics or botanics could be truly interesting.
However, how do you base your entire book on Tolkien's body of work and make so many mistakes? It shows me that the opinion of the contributors was more important than the work they were basing it on. The mistakes in some of the chapters fundamentally change the story itself (for example, Rings' effects on Gandalf or its overall power, the absolute lack of understanding of Silmarillion in general - I doubt they even read it, or a complete disregard for the mapping of the world while basing their research on it). To me, any added "new science" just lacks ground.
If you enjoy reading opinion pieces and you loved the movies but never read the books, then maybe it would be enough for you; some chapters do raise interesting comparisons. However, if you are a Tolkien fan, I would not recommend it; you might get mad at the lack of profound care for the original body of work while profiting from it.
August 13, 2024
I honestly did enjoy reading through this book. There are lots of chapters that I will probably think about when I reread Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit, and I adored the art. The sections on environment and setting were probably my favorites - shoutout to A Chemical History of the One Ring. Also all the psychological analyses of characters like Gollum and Saruman were peak.
That said.
There were a few pieces though I can't pull specific ones where I was like "well aaactually". Which is kind of sad. There were some overgeneralizations when it came to, say, the Ring's effect on others or just interpretations of characters. Like I said, I can't really pinpoint anything specific and I don't really feel like going back. But as someone who thinks about Middle-Earth almost the same amount I think about Star Wars, it sometimes felt like the authors needed to reread the source text for a second.
Beyond that though, highly would recommend for the other Tolkien enjoyers! Take everything with a grain of salt because none of these are meant to ruin the fantasy aspect of his world, just enhance with some ideas as to how it would work in ours.
That said.
There were a few pieces though I can't pull specific ones where I was like "well aaactually". Which is kind of sad. There were some overgeneralizations when it came to, say, the Ring's effect on others or just interpretations of characters. Like I said, I can't really pinpoint anything specific and I don't really feel like going back. But as someone who thinks about Middle-Earth almost the same amount I think about Star Wars, it sometimes felt like the authors needed to reread the source text for a second.
Beyond that though, highly would recommend for the other Tolkien enjoyers! Take everything with a grain of salt because none of these are meant to ruin the fantasy aspect of his world, just enhance with some ideas as to how it would work in ours.
July 7, 2021
I admit to having only skimmed over large parts of this book instead of reading it cover-to-cover. And I can't claim to have loved the book as a whole, but I can list several cool things about it:
1) The fact that someone (actually: several someones) cared enough to put together this book out of essays and dissertations that people have written about minute and tangential aspects of a made up universe... great dedication, all of you!
2) The illustrations are nice.
3) The Uruk-hai are referred to as "Saruman's GMO -- genetically modified orcs"
4) It contains a satisfactory explanation for the loss of sexual dimorphism in dwarfs. Haven't we all wondered?
5) The library considers it nonfiction.
And I'm sure there are a few more highlights, but overall my recommendation is to go re-read The Silmarillion instead.
1) The fact that someone (actually: several someones) cared enough to put together this book out of essays and dissertations that people have written about minute and tangential aspects of a made up universe... great dedication, all of you!
2) The illustrations are nice.
3) The Uruk-hai are referred to as "Saruman's GMO -- genetically modified orcs"
4) It contains a satisfactory explanation for the loss of sexual dimorphism in dwarfs. Haven't we all wondered?
5) The library considers it nonfiction.
And I'm sure there are a few more highlights, but overall my recommendation is to go re-read The Silmarillion instead.
May 16, 2022
A collection of essays wherein linguists, philosophers, and scientists muse over how Tolkien's works intersect with various academic disciplines. The best essays applied real-world scientific methods to Tolkien's work, for instance examining hypothetical geological history that could result in the maps we see, or examining the anatomical adaptations of hobbits and elves. I freely admit, some of these were quite interesting and entertaining, however the essays in this book are hit-or-miss, and unfortunately I'd say most of them are a miss. Few of the essays went as deep into the science as they could have, and several felt redundant. If you want some mildly intellectual entertainment, this book is fine. If you want to read extensively about the academic underpinnings of Tolkien's work, there are better places.
December 22, 2025
While I liked the book a bit better than the two-star rating implies, the numerous mistakes (errors with regards to Tolkien's world; I can't speak to any science errors) prevent me from rating it higher. If you enjoy reading about science, and you're a fan of Tolkien's writings, then you'll probably enjoy this book. If you only like one or the other, you can give this a pass. I particularly enjoyed the speculative discussions of hobbit biology, Gollum's psychology, and the scientific "explanation" for the powers of the One Ring. I think it's safe to say that by reading this book, you'll likely learn more about various fields of science than you will about Middle-earth.
November 2, 2021
Intellectually, one knows that Tolkien fever was a world-wide phenomenon; still, it's surprising to read these short essays by a variety of authors translated from the French. The best essays are good reading; the worst combine the problems of pretentious academic-speak, technical jargon, and translated prose. The section on Remarkable Characters examines a wide variety of problems, including why hobbits' feet are large and hairy. It was interesting to observe how often French academic writers (as opposed to those from the US) use exclamation marks in their writing.
November 9, 2021
This collection of essays addresses the question of, what if Tolkien's world was real? How would science, as we understand it, relate to it. The various authors cover everything from the languages to the plate tectonics of Middle Earth to just what are Ents and how men, Elves, Hobbits, Dwarves and Orcs are related. To fully appreciate it it would be helpful to have read or have some familiarity with Tolkien's other works, particularly the Silmarillion. The work is translated from the original French edition and I have to say the translation is excellent.
October 1, 2022
A semi-interesting scientific, but wholly unnecessary dissection of Tolkien’s fantastical Middle-earth.
While I am no scientific experts in the fields of zoology, palaeontology or any other ology, I assume the science is correct. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the correctness of Tolkien’s writing. Turin, a character readers encounter in The Silmarillion and was not in fact a dwarf as stated in the chapter’s dissecting the mythological creatures of dragons (worms), but was a human who at the end of his life slayed Glaurung.
While I am no scientific experts in the fields of zoology, palaeontology or any other ology, I assume the science is correct. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the correctness of Tolkien’s writing. Turin, a character readers encounter in The Silmarillion and was not in fact a dwarf as stated in the chapter’s dissecting the mythological creatures of dragons (worms), but was a human who at the end of his life slayed Glaurung.
June 28, 2023
A fun collection of essays that apply various sciences (from paleontology and chemistry to social sciences) to the works of Tolkien. I appreciated the wide range of topics and vey much enjoyed reading what other Tolkien fans have to bring to the world of Arda. The illustrations were a nice addition as well.
July 22, 2023
This collection of essays by academic experts delves into the scientific possibilities, impossibilities, and inspirations in Tolkien's world. It's clear that the writers are fans of Tolkien and his creations--why else would they habe agreed to this? Their hypotheses and analyses are whimsical yet rooted in actual science. I appreciated the range of topics amd found nearly every essay fascinating.
October 7, 2023
I was super excited for this book— until I found out that there’s a bunch of inaccuracies. One star for that, and one bonus star because it DID serve one of the reasons I got in in the first place: inspiration for my own world building.
A huge shame, since I love Tolkien and speculative science. I wonder if any of the errors have anything to do with mistranslation.
A huge shame, since I love Tolkien and speculative science. I wonder if any of the errors have anything to do with mistranslation.
January 29, 2023
This was a fun book as long as you don't take it too seriously. I enjoyed this different path through Tolkien's world, looking at it as a series of "plausible" scientific explanations of elements of Tolkien's work, not definitive explanations. The Ring is radioactive? Maybe!
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