Book cover of The Mirror Crack'd: Fear and Horror in JRR Tolkien's Major Works

Book description

Fear and horror are an inextricable part of Tolkien's great mythology and his use of medieval sources for his evocations of fear and horror contribute to the distinctive tone of his work. This collection of essays shows how his masterly narrative techniques transform his sources, both familiar and unfamiliar, so…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Mirror Crack'd as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I love a good, solid, chewy book of critical essays around a specific theme—I know, it’s a specialized taste. This is a good one.

Yes, I’d love to tramp peacefully around Middle-earth with the field guide I reviewed above, but there are horrors there as well, and this collection gives Tolkien’s dragons, wolves, spiders, and other monsters their due.

From Janet's list on adventure in the Tolkien criticism.

If you love The Mirror Crack'd...

Ad

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Want books like The Mirror Crack'd?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 78 books like The Mirror Crack'd.

Browse books like The Mirror Crack'd

Book cover of Tolkien's Theology of Beauty: Majesty, Splendor, and Transcendence in Middle-earth
Book cover of There Would Always Be a Fairy Tale: Essays on Tolkien's Middle-earth
Book cover of Tolkien, Enchantment, and Loss: Steps on the Developmental Journey

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,210

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Mirror Crack'd, you might also like...

Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

Book cover of Old Man Country

Old Man Country by Thomas R. Cole,

This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.

In these and other intimate conversations, the book…

5 book lists we think you will like!