2 of 5

Tolkien also showed genius in the way he wove together themes and storylines into symphonic movements, a technique Shippey terms "narrative interlace" and also identifies in Beowulf (a much earlier example of epic fantasy).

Narrative interlace allows a lot of action to happen simultaneously and to be told out of sequence. It also allows for the kind of geographically expansive narrative necessary for epic fantasy. The effect is dramatic, enabling a multi-threaded plot to drift through multiple volumes without seeming ponderous.

After J.R.R., the deluge
As these two elements are what made it possible for Tolkien to create an entirely separate world, they are also key elements in the fantasy writing of Tolkien's legion followers. For better or worse, fans have been so moved by Tolkien, so addicted to the forests and winding roads of Middle-earth, that they have invented their own worlds. Although there are scores of obvious, middling imitations—series such as Terry Brooks's popular Sword of Shannara and Kenneth Flint's Sidhe—there are a number of worthy suitors as well.

One distinct strain is books geared for younger readers. The true primogenitor of these might be C.S. Lewis, whose Chronicles of Narnia were published around the same time as Tolkien's trilogy, though well after The Hobbit. (A strong case might be made for Tolkien's imprint on Lewis's imagination, however.) Soon there followed Alan Garner's Alderley Tales, which includes The Weirdstone of Brisingamen (1960) and The Moon of Gomrath (1963).

Based in obscure Celtic mythology, Garner's story tells of two contemporary English children who, while on holiday, discover a powerful moonstone that belongs to a friendly wizard. Their attempt to return the stone is thwarted by an evil witch, but the forces of good ultimately prevail.

Rising Dark & Wrinkled Time
Susan Cooper's five-volume Dark Is Risingeries (1965-77) tells an almost identical story: children vacationing in Cornwall discover an ancient map that leads into a world of Arthurian enchantment; eventually, the boy hero discovers that he is last of the "Old Ones."

A similar entry in American fiction is Madeleine L'Engle's ever-popular Murray Family series (1962-78), which begins with A Wrinkle In Time, the tale of a boy and girl who go searching through time for their scientist-father, battling the forces of evil along the way.

Prydain, Anthropos, and Potter
More examples are found among the works of Anne McCaffrey, who has written more multi-volume series (13) than most authors have books. Although McCaffrey's writing is suspiciously prolific and not at all comparable to Tolkien's in quality or depth, there can be no doubt that her dragon-ridden world is inspired by Middle-earth.

Others include Lloyd Alexander's five-book Prydain series (1964-68), the final book of which won the Newberry Medal, and John White's six-volume Archives of Anthropos, a distinctly Christian work which begins with The Tower of Geburah (1978).

It is impossible to survey the epic fantasy genre without mentioning the latest flame in the fire, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter collection (1997- ). Rowling herself acknowledges a debt to Lewis, not Tolkien, and her stories fall neatly within the children's-fantasy paradigm established above: school-aged kids, minding their own business, find themselves magically transported into a world of witches and wizards. There they discover that they're actually worth something—that they are powerful, wonderful, and necessary.

next page... |  2 of 5

share this page

September (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47