It’s time for one last round of mini-reviews: Two on Tolkien and two on grace.
Title: The Fall of Gondolin
Authors: J. R. R. Tolkien & Christopher Tolkien
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 303
Rating: 4 of 5
The tale of the destruction of the hidden elven kingdom of Gondolin was one of J. R. R. Tolkien’s earliest (and most oft-rewritten) creations. In this book, Christopher presents every available version of the story from his father’s papers. Almost everything here could be found in previously published works, but it was nice to have all of Tolkien’s brilliant writing on this grand tragedy in one place. As usual, I found many of Christopher’s notes pedantic and redundant, but am thankful for his work in collecting and publishing his father’s work.
Title: A Middle-Earth Traveler:
Sketches from Bag End to Mordor
Author/Artist: John Howe
Genre: Fantasy/Art
Pages: 192
Rating: 4.5 of 5
My wife gave me this beautiful book for Christmas. It showcases John Howe’s gorgeous sketches, focusing primarily on the lands, peoples, and creatures of Middle Earth rather than main characters. A few colored pictures are mixed in with the sketches, but most are so dark that they lack the exquisite detail of the sketches. John Howe’s brief commentary throughout was okay, but I did catch at least one error (he mentions that Sauron was incorporeal and trapped in Barad-Dur which is not the case in the books). The fantastic artwork more than makes up for the so-so narration.
Title: The Grace and Truth Paradox
Author: Randy Alcorn
Genre: Applied Theology
Pages: 96
Rating: 4 of 5
Randy Alcorn reminds Christians that Jesus is described as “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), and that we are called to be like him. The strength of this book is in beautifully describing the depth of God’s grace (undeserved favor) toward us. It is a reminder of why the Gospel is the Good News. Unfortunately, the applications about what it looks like to reflect that same kind of love and grace to others without compromising on objective truth were almost too generic. It would have been nice to see a few “where the rubber meets the road” examples…which is what the next book provides.
![Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ by [Naselli, Andrew David, Crowley, J. D.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51REIeHJ02L.jpg)
Title: Conscience:
What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ
Authors: Andrew David Naselli & J. D. Crowley
Genre: Applied Theology
Pages: 160
Rating: 5 of 5
Andrew Naselli & J. D. Crowley give a detailed overview of what the New Testament has to say about the conscience: that inner sense of right and wrong. A large part of the book is taken up with what people in my circles like to call “issues of Christian liberty” (i.e. issues on which God has not given explicit moral guidance and over which committed Christians may differ). The authors offer wise, biblical advice on showing grace and love to those whose consciences differ from our own. I highly recommend this book to any Christian, especially if you grew up in the kind of rules-y (don’t drink, go to theatres, use playing cards, listen to rock music, etc.) environment that tends to go along with conservative theology.
Joelendil's Kingdom of Books 
That’s a pretty good way to wrap the year up!
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Awesome reviews! I’m really keen to read the fall of gondolin and middle earth traveller 🙂
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The John Howe book sounds great!
Fall of Gondolin was also a 4-star read for me. I don’t remember now what I thought of the notes; there were some things that I thought were interesting, at the time, but I don’t remember what they were! (I also read this at the end of 2018.)
Have you read The Silmarillion? Because The Fall of Gondolin has a chapter on the events at the end of the First Age (i.e., after the actual Fall of Gondolin). However, I think it comes from an earlier version and doesn’t read quite as smoothly as the version in The Silmarillion.
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Yes, I love the Silmarillion! I know some people are put off by its history/mythology style, but I think it works and appreciate the deep themes (theodicy, beauty even in tragedy, divine intervention, etc.). I think it’s Christopher’s best editorial effort since he doesn’t intrude himself into the work (probably a minority view).
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