John Hendrix’s The Mythmakers is a stunningly illustrated and deeply compelling graphic novel that explores the power of storytelling, belief, and art. Blending historical fiction with mythic elements, Hendrix crafts a narrative that is both visually captivating and intellectually engaging.

The story follows a group of artists and thinkers as they navigate a world where myths and legends take on tangible forms, influencing reality itself. Through exquisite illustrations and a dynamic use of color and composition, Hendrix immerses readers in a world where creativity holds the power to shape history and perception. His attention to historical detail, combined with a fantastical reimagining of events, makes for an unforgettable reading experience.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its ability to balance profound themes with engaging storytelling. Hendrix delves into questions about the nature of truth, the role of artists in society, and the ways in which myths persist across generations. Yet, the narrative never feels heavy-handed; instead, it invites readers to reflect while remaining thoroughly entertained.

The pacing is well-crafted, with a perfect blend of action, introspection, and visual storytelling. Hendrix’s artwork is nothing short of masterful, with each panel thoughtfully composed to enhance the emotional and thematic weight of the story. Fans of graphic novels that explore history, philosophy, and art—such as The Arrival by Shaun Tan or The Sculptor by Scott McCloud—will find The Mythmakers to be a must-read.

Overall, The Mythmakers is a breathtaking work that showcases John Hendrix’s talent as both an illustrator and a storyteller. It is a must-have for graphic novel enthusiasts, history buffs, and anyone who appreciates the enduring power of myths. Highly recommended!

This was a lovely and well thought out biographical graphic novel. If you are a fan of C.S. Lewis' and Tolkein's work then you will find magic in these pages learning about their life as well as the literary background that is suffused within each of their writing.

An incredibly thorough and informative look at the complicated relationship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. This graphic novel provides so much insight into both men as well as the structure and idea of myth itself. The back matter was extensive and a bit dry at times, but it definitely rounded out the reader's perspective on what influenced these authors.

The Mythmakers is a well-researched, historic graphic novel telling of the remarkable friendship between J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. It also acts as a series of illustrations and events that guide you through the timeline with the help of a lion and a wizard. The narrators follow an epic journey, opening doors to new worlds as they discuss the winding path each author took throughout their lives and how their paths intertwined, then diverged.

Readers who are unfamiliar with the works of Tolkien and Lewis will come away with a new appreciation for their works, and hopefully a desire to learn more. This is a thought-provoking book, with many complex ideas that John Hendrix skillfully navigates through the graphic novel medium. This will appeal to older middle schoolers and high schoolers, as well as adults.

*actual rating: 3.75 stars rounded up

I think this is my first biograhpical graphic novel experience, and I definitely would like to read more! This was a fun adventure exploring C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien's lives and the influences on their works and publications. I muchly enjoyed the 'side quest' portals and the illustration style. I'm not entirely certain if I would recommend this to a younger audience (although the darker topics including war and death are simplified and could be age appropriate, there is a lot of complex language and literary concepts used throughout), but fans of these authors can definitely get something out of it.

One significant thing to note (and I hope this is amended in the final publishing copy) is that there are countless grammatical and spacing errors - such as )text in parentheses) or )text in parentheses( - that impacted my reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for providing me access to an arc copy in exchange for an honest review. All feelings and statements are my own

This was a beautiful graphic novel that outlines the friendship between two of the greatest fantasy authors of our time. The pace was good for me, and the art was well crafted and fit the story well.

This was a brilliant read! Thanks love how it was done; learning about myths and fairytales in between learning about Tolkien and Lewis’ time in the war and then their friendship later on. I learned a lot reading through this and I got through it in less than a day! Definitely worth the read if you’re a fan of Tolkien or Lewis, or want to learn more about them!

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.