When JRR Tolkien created the extraordinary world of Middle-earth and populated it with his fantastic, archetypal denizens the world hardly noticed. It wasn't until the "flower-power" days of the 1960s that 'The Lord Of The Rings' began to exert its real influence and changed the face of fantasy literature forever.
A generation of students and aspiring writers had their hearts and imaginations captured by the rich tapestry of the Middle-earth mythos, the astonishing and exquisite nature of Tolkien's prose and the unending quest to balance good and evil.
These young readers grew up to become successful writers of modern fantasy and here, for the first time, 16 of the most revered names in contemporary fantasy writing share with readers their personal relationships with Tolkien's mythical world.
The success of Hollywood's latest interpretation of this world is the ultimate testament to Tolkien's vision. Without Middle-earth there would have been no 'Earthsea' books by Ursula K LeGuin; no 'Song Of Ice And Fire Saga' by George RR Martin; no tales of 'Discworld' from Terry Pratchett and no 'Shannara' novels from Terry Brooks.
Each of these writers was influenced by the master mythmaker and now they reveal the nature of that influence and their relationship with the great fantasy novels ever written.
Authors featured include George RR Martin, Raymond E Feist, Poul Andersen, Harry Turtledove, Terry Pratchett, Robin Hobb, Ursula LeGuin, Orson Scott Card, Terri Windling and more.
