inklings

Book Review: Looking for the King

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Looking for the King by David C. Downing

Looking for the King (Inklings, #1)
by David C. Downing (Goodreads Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars
Tom McCord is an American visiting Oxford just before the outbreak of World War II. He is searching for evidence of a real historical King Arthur, and writing a guidebook to all the Arthurian sites in England and Wales. He meets Laura, who has been having mysterious dreams that seem to point to the legend of the Spear of Destiny, which pierced the side of Christ on the cross.
As they search for King Arthur, they also begin looking for clues that the Spear could be hidden somewhere in England. Unfortunately, someone else is looking for the Spear with evil intentions, and mysterious figures harass and spy on Tom and Laura at every turn.
A lecture from Charles Williams convinces Laura that her dreams are true visions of the past. Tom and Laura enlist J.R.R. Tolkien to help them uncover the secrets of the Spear. Tom talks with C.S. Lewis about the spiritual context behind the history, and finds that his search for antiquity is really a journey within his own soul.

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Non Fiction Book Review: Bandersnatch

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Bandersnatch by Diana Pavlac Glyer

Bandersnatch: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings
by Diana Pavlac Glyer (Goodreads Author), James A. Owen  (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

This book analyzes the inner workings of the writing group, The Inklings, showing specific examples of how they encouraged and influenced each other’s writing. We learn about Lewis’ and Tolkien’s individual writing styles, and how their group read aloud portions of their writing. The process of writing, revising, and editing was intimately connected with the influence of the Inklings, despite Lewis famously saying that it was impossible to influence Tolkien: “…you might as well try to influence a bandersnatch.” This book proves Lewis wrong, giving specific examples of times when Tolkien took criticism from the Inklings very seriously and altered major sections of his writing accordingly.

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Non-Fiction Review: The Fellowship

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The Fellowship by Philip Zaleski
The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings: J.R.R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams 
by Philip Zaleski , Carol Zaleski 

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


I read this book by listening to the audiobook, and really enjoyed the voice of the narrator and the structure of the book. Following a chronological and sometimes topical format, this book covers the lives of four of the most famous members of the Inklings. Starting from their childhoods and following them through both World Wars, their academic careers, and their writing, this book also includes details of their family lives and personal friendships right up until their deaths.

I already know a lot about these men, because Tolkien and Lewis are my two favorite authors, and I’ve already read other biographies about the Inklings. But I was really impressed with the depth of information and careful research in this book. There are some really wonderful details and anecdotes that bring these historical figures close to the reader. Continue reading →