Book Review (Mark Doyle's UTOPIAN AND DYSTOPIAN)

So, my latest publication is now out, a book review for THE JOURNAL OF TOLKIEN RESEARCH (Volume 9 issue 2).

The book in question is Mark Doyle's UTOPIAN AND DYSTOPIAN THEMES IN TOLKIEN'S LEGENDARIUM (Lexington Books, 2020). In a nutshell, Doyle discusses the utopian/dystopian tradition, suggesting possible sources (Medieval, Victorian, Modern) for Tolkien's use thereof, as expressed through environmentalism, mythology, and politics. I didn't cover it in the review, but he ends with a Coda that looks at moral drift in 21st century adaptations of Tolkien and the Tolkienesque, from the Peter Jackson films through Tolkien-based computer games to GAME OF THRONES.


Here's the announcement

https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/

and here's the review itself

https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol9/iss2/3/

Enjoy!

--John R.