3.5 stars. I want to definitely point out that this is a mixture of prose narrative and comic panels, not a straight graphic novel. This is specified in the description, but I’m seeing a lot of general marketing just calling it a graphic novel. I think the format choices worked really well and having fantastical cartoon guides helped keep the story moving while adding a bit of enchantment which definitely fits the theme of the two authors being centered. I felt we got a bit bogged down by defining terminology in the first chunk of the book, so I was glad when we started getting “portals” where we could flip to a specific page in the back for more context/information at our leisure instead of it breaking up the narrative. I do think I learned a lot about both authors and their relationship, and it inspired me to go read or reread their works.

One personal concern was that when sexism was brought up it felt quickly brushed over/excused as a product of the time. This is not to say it was the author’s intention, but I almost felt (for my own opinion) I’d rather have not seen it brought up than have that be the treatment.

The ARC is uncorrected, so I expect issues with typos/errors will be looked into later. I’m particularly interested to see what the final product looks like in full color. The ARC was black and white illustrations and I actually really enjoyed them as such. From the cover and couple sample illustrations it looks like a heavy blue-green/purple/yellow color palette.

I appreciated the note on research and authenticity at the end, and all of the compiled source citations. I had already begun doing impromptu research based on questions that came up while I was reading, which is a definite sign the author made me care about their story.

“We write myths…because our hearts were written by a Mythmaker.”

The Mythmakers is an absolutely adorable concept that I thought suffered a bit in execution at first. Emphasis on “at first,” because this little graphic novel really grew on me. Not only was it packed with interesting information about Lewis and Tolkien, about their history shared and separate, and about the genres they helped found out of their great love for myth, this was an emotionally impactful story. I didn’t expect to find myself choked up by how Hendrix drew his tale to a close, but I was. I ended up loving this book so much that I had to preorder myself a physical copy for when it releases in September.

As the title states, this is the story of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the remarkable fellowship between the two. Theirs was a brilliant friendship that actually changed the world. Without their friendship, Lewis never would have come to Christ, and thus never would have penned any of his works. There would be no Mere Christianity, no Screwtape Letters, no Narnia. And without Lewis’s encouragement, Tolkien’s work would have never been shared with anyone outside the four walls of his home. Can you imagine a world without The Lord of the Rings? That work is singlehandedly responsible the fan culture as we know it today, and was unequivocally foundational to the fantasy genre that now so populates the literary landscape.

I’ve always adored C.S. Lewis, and consider both his fiction and nonfiction essential to the shaping of my faith. While I wasn’t always as big a fan of Tolkien, he’s always had my respect and gratitude for helping to pave the way for so many of my favorite stories. And in recent years, I’ve fallen in love with Middle-earth. The friendship between the two men, and the entire concept of the Inklings they founded, has fascinated me for as long as I’ve known of it. So, when I saw a graphic novel about that friendship, I was immediately interested. I’m so glad that I was approved for an early copy, because I loved it so much.

There were a handful of typos but, as this was an advance galley, those will likely be corrected before publication. These were mostly punctuation errors: parentheses (frequently) facing the wrong direction, quotation marks where there was no quotation, and a lack of spacing between words. There were also a few split lines of text that didn’t properly align, the end of a sentence preceding its beginning, for example. These were distracting as I read but, again, I have hopes that all of those things will be addressed before publication day rolls around.

The art style, idea, and story being told were geared toward a younger audience, but there was a good deal of pretty advanced vocabulary that I think might be off-putting to those same younger readers. I’m not saying that kids aren’t capable of looking up a word they don’t know, because they absolutely are, but these words were very prevalent, very early on in the book. I’m just not positive that the tone matched the erudite writing. I very much enjoyed both, but I’m not sure how well they’ll work for younger readers. I can see a twelve year old reading this, no problem. But an eight year old? I think they might get frustrated and put it down.

Those two qualms were the only things that kept this book from being absolutely perfect, in my opinion. I loved everything about this. I love that our guides were Wizard and Mr. Lion, and I love how well Hendrix modeled them after Tolkien and Lewis, respectively. I loved the deep dives into topics like what makes a myth, the evolution of the the novel, the foundations of genre fiction, and the theology of creation. These were beautifully balanced against the historical story of Lewis and Tolkien we were also getting. I just adored this, and can see myself revisiting it often. If you have any interest in Lewis or Tolkien or the Inklings or all of the above, I highly recommend this.

“Great myths allow us to slip through the clouds of everyday life and glimpse something divine.”

John Hendrix’s The Mythmakers blends prose, images, and narrative comics as it chronicles the lives of two literary greats, C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien. It not only focuses on their Fellowship but also goes into details about their early lives, inspirations, how they were affected by fighting in WWI, their friendship, and many other aspects of their lives. I knew I had to pick up this beauty as soon as I saw it on NetGalley because of my great love for both authors. Hendrix does a wonderful job using this medium to tell his story and I loved the use of Mr. Lion and The Wizard, who are takes on Aslan and Gandalf.

Along with the information on both authors, Hendrix also has what he calls Portals, which discuss other information such as myth and fairy tales. These sections were great extras that added to the overall experience of the book. I did not read them until the end but they can also be read during your reading experience because of the pages numbers telling you where to go (similar to a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story).

I highly recommend this book to fans of both authors. It was an incredible read that was informative, enjoyable, and heartwarming at times. I know I would have loved this book when I was younger and first reading from both of their fantasy worlds. Definitely, would love to see more books like this for other fantasy authors, such as L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, etc. The Mythmakers will be joining my collection along with my Narnia and The Lord of the Rings series. Cannot wait to see the beautiful illustrations in color.

A graphic novel that explores the lives of two of the most influential fantasy writers? Sign me up!

The Wizard (a version of Gandalf) and Mr. Lion (a version of Aslan) come across as very pedantic which drew me out of the experience at times, but the book on the whole is wonderfully informative. This is an approachable introduction to Lewis and Tolkien, and humanises them in a way most biographies fail to do.

The section on the war was especially powerful and gives an important backdrop to the serious trauma both writers went through as young men. Paired with the painful losses both experienced at a young age, it's incredible how the pair managed to maintain their creative spirits.

I also really enjoyed the Portals. The first one had me worried that these extra scenes would be pitched at too high a level for many readers, but they provide a concise history of genre that adds important context to the spheres in which Tolkien and Lewis were writing. These are especially useful for thinking about their influence and innovation as well as their long term impact. The literary examples also double as a bibliography of sorts, making the Portals helpful for those wanting to read core texts in the field.

The Mythmakers is a great academic introduction to C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien as it is accessible, clearly presented, and supplemented by unique artwork. It's factual (aside from the heartbreaking ending), but the tone isn't dry (there are even some hilarious and memorable fun facts like the time the writers dressed as polar bears to a get together that wasn't even a fancy dress party!), and would be a great source for older school students or early university students in particular.

John Hendrix does a superb job of combining text and picture to showcase the lives of these men. I love the way that he not only wrote about Lewis and Tolkien's experiences, but he also took time to speak on their beliefs and motivations. This is one of those books that if I had read it as a kid it would have been my very favorite!