Really cool concept - my students love graphic memoirs, so graphic biography is a neat little pivot. I don't know if it will push any graphic novel readers to read Tolkien or Lewis (kinda different types of readers), but definitely a cool addition to classroom libraries.

I learned so much through this sweet little graphic novel memoir chronicling the lives and friendship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Not only that but it also has a few "side-quests" into discovering the backgrounds of myths and fairytales, which was a fun add-in element. I never knew the history or the extent of the friendship of these two authors, and it was so lovely to get to know them more in this way. One thing I will say is that this graphic novel memoir focuses a LOT on Christianity, and as the author discusses in the author's note, he himself is Christian - at times it felt pretty biased, which put me off a bit as to what opinions of his own the author pushed into the narrative. Overall though, this was really interesting, and also so sad, the ending made me very emotional.

They Mythmakers was a very cool chapter book/graphic novel. I really found the style interesting and it really leant it self well to the topic of such cool men. I think this book did justice to both lewis and tolkien and will be recommending it to younger fans of both worlds.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

I'm not even sure if I have the words to gush more about this book. Loved the intertwinning of the stories of Lewis and Tolkien, and the special focus on their friendship. The ending was so sweet too!

I took me a bit to read this even though it was only a bit over 200 pages.

I have this a three star, I thought it was an okay read. The going back and forth between portals and back to where I was before would have been better with a physical copy. I liked that some parts were like a graphic novel and other parts were like a normal book.


I feel like a big fan of JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis will love this a lot. I wasn’t obsessed or love them a lot.

The Mythmakers is a wonderful introduction to the lives of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. While I would have considered myself knowledgeable about the literary giants prior to reading, I still learned a couple of new facts. :)

I think that the mix of comic panels and paragraphs of text will engage younger readers. The format is a little hard to read on a Kindle though. I think the physical edition will be great.

The book starts out with a discussion about the meaning and origins of myths, which does feel like a little bit of a meatier subject matter to start off with. But overall. it's an engaging, informative biography.

Cautions: one blasphemy

I’m more familiar with C.S. Lewis than Tolkien but I never realized that the two of them were friends until I saw this book. I was immediately intrigued.

The graphic novel is a dual biography of the lives of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Though it doesn't delve too deeply into the details of their lives, it's a good overview. However, the main focus is their friendship/colleagueship.

I enjoyed the narration style of the book (being told to the reader by a lion and a wizard) and felt like I learned a lot. Reading this made me want to try reading The Lord of the Rings series.

Thanks to ABRAMS Kids|Fanfare and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free digital ARC of the book!

An engaging account of the friendship between CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien that influenced their personal beliefs and the works of literature that shaped modern fantasy. As a graphic novel, this was easily digestible and endearing. I didn't realize the two were friends and I enjoyed marking how they aimed to create something new in a genre that made fairytale and fantasy for children only. Epic fantasy is still one of my favourite things to read.

I read the ARC and unfortunately it had so many typos and errors that it became distracting to read, and definitely impacted my enjoyment of the text.

An interesting read overall and I recommend for fans of the pair, but not sure how appealing it might be otherwise. It also focused heavily on Christianity and faith in a way that didn't feel objective or neutral so that was a little off-putting as well.

My thanks to Netgalley and ABRAMS kids for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

NetGalley Review

Star Rating: ★★★★☆

Definitely a lot to read. A lot of text. If you like J. R. R. Tolkien or C. S. Lewis or both of them then you will enjoy this read!

Like always though, read it and decide for yourself

The Mythmakers is a beautiful, complex, and engaging journey through the lives and friendship of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Rather than a straight graphic novel, it is styled more as an illustrated biography and contains a wealth of information on both men as well as providing insights on literary analysis, wider historical context, and religious beliefs.

The artwork - even in the advance black & white form - is wonderful, and I loved the decision to represent each man as a character indicative of their works (Wizard and Mr Lion). The vocabulary and style of writing at times was quite complex for a younger reading age, and I think it could be quite challenging to keep a younger reader engaged. For an older / adult reader though it is a treasure trove of information, and a fantastically unique way to learn more about both authors and the fantasy genre.

Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC and amazing book! The Mythmakers is a beautifully crafted nonfiction graphic novel that dives deep into the remarkable friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The cover artwork is both imaginative and different from their usual styles of writing, capturing their friendship and struggles through the lens of Gandalf and Aslan as narrators. I agree and recommend this book to anyone who admires these literary legends. The emotional journey from their childhoods to their eventual bond over Norse mythology is fascinating, offering an exploration of their lives, perfect for readers of older audiences.

5/5

What a beautiful love letter to creativity, friendship, storytelling, and wonder!

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel at the beginning of this graphic novel. The way the story was laid out was not what I expected, nor did I expect the two narrators of the Lion and the Wizard. (I did, however, think they were a cute nod to the two main subjects of this story!) But, once we actually started to learn about C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, I didn't want to put it down.

The artwork was fun and had lots of interesting things to look at. I'll be curious to see the images in full colour in a finished, physical copy. While I knew going in I would be reading a black and white version because I was reading an ARC, one thing that did bother me was the amount of errors in formatting. There were several paragraphs where the parentheses were backwards [like )this(, for example], or sentences were spliced and put back together incorrectly, Hopefully, those mistakes were caught and will be fixed before the book is printed!

As a lifelong lover of stories, and especially of mythology and fairy tales, I found the content of this graphic novel FASCINATING!! Having already read 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings', this graphic novel makes me want to read 'The Chronicles of Narnia' as well as some of the books on mythology and fairy tales that were referenced throughout.

I loved this. I learned a lot about C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, but also about storytelling, certain points in history, spirituality/religion, and the human experience. I wholeheartedly recommend lovers of fantasy (or anything I just listed) read this book!!

True confession: Most of the time, I think of graphic novels as geared toward kids thru young adults. Less so for adults. (Not that that stops me from reading and re-reading Great Books such as Herge's _Tintin_ series.)

John Hendrix's excellent book _The Mythmakers_ is making me rethink that target audience.

Indeed, adults may get as much--if not more--from this read as kids. It is beautifully illustrated, yes--and also text heavy, and I do think kids may lose interest and/or miss some of the nuances. On the flip side, I think it illustrates those nuances in ways that make them palatable to adults, too--a middle ground between the academic and the palatable. (Ironically, and to keep the Tintin references going, that's one thing I loved about Tintin--they were comics that happened to include a lot of history. I was often shocked to realize something Herge included, actually happened or was based on a historical event.)

This read refreshed my memory on Tolkien's and Lewis's lives as individuals as well as friends, and taught me a great deal about the phases their friendship went through. No, the book isn't exhaustive--few books are--but it provides an excellent starting point and includes plenty of references for additional reading (just my style).

I can't wait to revisit the book when it releases; the NetGalley eARC was black and white, and the sample/preview on Amazon of the published book looks absolutely fantastic in full color!

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Tolkien and Lewis transformed English literature, their wildly successful series made fantasy a respectable and esteemed genre for both children and adults. Hendrix graphic biography focuses on exactly how their deep friendship both inspired and enabled Tolkien and Lewis’s radical creative leaps. Combining playful illustration, deep research and thoughtful erudition, the biography also embodies the joy, charm and psychological heft present in the two author’s best-known stories. Black and white graphite full-page and panel illustrations with text bubbles convey the vast majority of information. Occasional pages of text are lightened with spot illustrations. A cartoon wizard and lion narrate, initially following an inventively illustrated quest-like path that deftly provides both biographical and historical context while framing more realistic panels showing events in the authors’ lives. Readers smitten with the stories in book or film form will be delighted with cool anecdotes, what inspired Tolkien’s terrifying spider, why a wardrobe. Interested readers will come away with a solid grounding in how fantasy delivers meaning and its relationship to fairy tales, myths, legends, and religion. Back matter includes an author’s note, endnotes, bibliography, and index. Thanks to Abrams and NetGalley for a review copy in return for an unbiased review.

"From New York Times bestselling, award-winning creator John Hendrix comes The Mythmakers, a graphic novel biography of two literary lions - C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien - following the remarkable story of their friendship and creative fellowship, and how each came to write their masterworks.

Through narrative and comic panels, Hendrix chronicles Lewis and Tolkien's near-idyllic childhoods, then moves on to both men's horrific tour of the trenches of World War I to their first meeting at Oxford in 1929, and then the foreshadowing, action, and aftermath of World War II. He reveals the shared story of their friendship, in all its ups and downs, that gave them confidence to venture beyond academic concerns (fantasy wasn't considered suitable for adult reading, but the domain of children), shaped major story/theme ideas, and shifted their ideas about the potential of mythology and faith.

The Mythmakers also shows the camaraderie and the importance of the social/literary circle of friends called the Inklings, and how the friendship of these two great men fell apart and came together again. Hendrix concludes describing how the writings of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien had re-enchanted the 20th century, after two World Wars. In writing aimed at scholars, adults, and young people, these two tweedy academics altered the course of storytelling and embraced the concept that fantasy writing for an adult audience was an accepted form of literature.

The format is similar to The Faithful Spy: prose interspersed with images and narrative comics. The narration is often conversations between a knowledgeable wizard and a comical lion. Through brisk conversation between these two friends, they explain some of the bigger ideas in an approachable and entertaining way. Throughout the story, there are "gateways" that lead readers to the back matter where certain themes, such as how myth/fantasy evolved or the art of world-building, are discussed more fully. This device keeps the main story flowing quickly and smoothly for those readers not interested in the more academic ideas behind the narrative. Among the ideas covered in the narrative and back matter:
- Tolkien's world-building
- The "Theology of Creation" linking their faith to their writings
- The meaning of real friendship
- Notions of modernity and mythology
- The value of fantasy
- The power of a creative community
- An exploration of the different kinds of storytelling in Narnia and The Lord of the Rings, both relying on "the Myth" as a storytelling device, but differing in the use of allegory vs. symbolism
- The creative differences of Lewis and Tolkien: the high standards of Tolkien's fiction and the faster and more immediate approach of Lewis's
- Logos vs. Mythos: Lewis created from images, Tolkien created from language
- The mixing of mythologies

Also included are an author's note, endnotes, bibliography and index."

That's a LOT for 224 pages to deliver...

I love graphic novel adaptations of nonfiction concepts, I think it adds a level of access for those people that are overwhelmed by too much text on a page. With that said, I did feel this book often had too much happening on pages, I felt like I needed to reread some pages to make sure that I got everything. The language alternated between being aimed at a younger audience and seeming too advanced for the same group, this would be good for a confident young reader but could scare away one that wasn't as secure in their skills. But, this visual addition for the connection between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien may make this more accessible for people that would never think to pick up a chapter book on the same topic.

A beautiful and moving tribute to Tolkien and Lewis's friendship and the mutual influences they had on each other's works. I found the sections with the wizard/lion characters dragged on at times, and I was more interested in the biographical sections than the meta-analysis, but it was a really engaging and reader-friendly introduction for someone unfamiliar with the contexts of these beloved works.

I have read other works by Hendrix in the past and really admire his artwork. When it comes to The Mythmakers, I admit I perhaps had incorrect expectations with what I was reading. At times I was confused as to who the target audience is or what it was trying to accomplish. The drawings were wonderful as always, but the content was very dense, perhaps too much and I had difficulty following it at times.

The Mythmakers documents the lives of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and their friendship and eventual falling out. Across two World Wars, their family life and their writing, we get to learn a lot about these two authors in a mixed media format.
While this is pitched as a graphic novel, it contains more than just the regular panel-style format. There’s lots of pages of text and information which makes this a longer read than expected.
There is a note that the final copy will be in full colour - which I think can only add to this biographical tale.
There was also the added element of the “portals” aka formatted in a similar way to the “choose your own adventure” novels, where you could skip to different parts of the book to discover extra information about these men’s journeys and inspirations.

This biography was greatly influenced by Christianity, as were both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien themselves. While I knew this was a part of their lives, I didn’t expect it to be such a focus or the conversation of a lot of this story. I wouldn’t have picked this up if I knew.

I expected a more fun and lighthearted biographical retelling of their lives, but this was heavily influenced by history and factual information rather than a fun twist on the lives of these two men.

As someone who has only read from C.S. Lewis, it was definitely not necessary to have read from either of these two authors to read this.

Overall, if these two authors are someone you are excited to learn more about and like the idea of a mixed-media format; give this a go.

Thank you to the Publishers and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC).

I was so looking forward to this graphic novel and I thought the concept was amazing! It was definitely whimsical and magical. That being said, it is very text-heavy. I didn’t feel like picking it back up every time I put it down. I felt myself getting lost between plot lines.