Rating: 
Summary: "Daily Iron Rations" Devotional
Review: "Write something devotional-oriented, and not much more complicated than The Prayer of Jabez!" is what I hear the Marketing Department say when I skim through this small (128 pages, 4x6"? 5x7"?) pocket guide to general spiritual truths encapsulated in Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings."This book is tailor-made to the specific crowd that is simply looking for validation as to the "Christianity" of Tolkien's work but doesn't have the time (or desire) to plow through his actual prose or even sit through any of the various Tolkien videos/cinema. Format-wise, it's broken into sections of 3-4 pages apiece, each ending with the fortune-cookie "moral" being espoused by the example. This level of content will be acceptable to the purposes of some. But a REAL exploration this is not -- the secular debates that rage on the two public tolkien newsgroups (rec.art.tolkien) are easily more insightful even in regards to the religious aspects of the books. If you've already thought about the religious content of "The Lord of the Rings," this work will add nothing new to the discussion. And most of the morals are so general that the accompanying text is superfluous -- do we need someone to tell us that Frodo and Sam's relationship (for example) proves the moral that "a friend is helpful in times of trouble?" Scott Peck (author of "The Road Less Traveled") accurately suggests that the character of Gollum is among the most realistic depiction of the nature of evil that he has seen in fiction. Explaining why in a clearer (and less "fluffy") fashion could have made Tolkien's spiritual content relevant to those struggling with *real* temptation/problems/evil in their lives. (Especially, for example, in light of the events of September 11.) I assume that Bruner and co-author have already thought about all this more deeply, but marketers couldn't justify the production cost for a book not tailored to the widest market possible, so they were forced to write a more superficial book. This watered-down text doesn't cure any curiosity about rings and things, nor does it do Tolkien real justice -- especially not at [amt], and at its short length.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointment
Review: "Finding God in Lord of the Rings" should be retitled "Reading Things into Lord of the Rings." The entire book, although generally well-written, is filled mostly with assumptions and badly-supported interpretations. I don't recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A light book which simply scratches the surface.
Review: "Finding God in the Lord of the Rings" is a book which comes highly recommended by "Focus on the Family" and at least one of the authors has connections to that organization. (I first found reference to the book on the "Focus" website.) Why was the book written? In the opinion of this reviewer, the primary purpose was to reassure evangelical Christians that the new interest in Tolkien was "safe" from an evangelical perspective. While much is made of Tolkien's Christianity, the fact that he was an extremely devout and actively practicing Catholic was somehow left out (as this would possibly alienate some evangelicals). While I understood why the authors did this, I found it a bit disingenuous. The content of the book itself examined specific positive attributes, demonstrated those attributes using examples from "The Lord of the Rings" and then gave Scriptural underpinnings for those attributes, followed by a one-line devotional. Very nice, in and of itself, but not particularly deep, from either a literary or spiritual perspective. There were also the odd factual error (which only a Tolkien trivia buff like myself would notice) which should have been caught by the authors or the editors. The best part of the book was relegated to the very end, in which one of the authors gives a brief explication of Tolkien's "On Fairy Stories" and discusses the underlying theology behind the concept of the "true myth". This should have been in the introduction -- not relegated to the end. If this book convinces strict evangelicals that Tolkien is "OK", then the book is worth it. But for me, far more could have been (and should have been) said.
Rating: 
Summary: Room for improvement
Review: "Finding God in the Lord of the Rings" was an interesting book, especially for a christian reading Tolkien. While it is true that they did not go into very deep detail on many of their points, this book provides an excellant overview of the book and som of the underlying themes. I liked this book and would recommend it to others, especially for Tolkien fans.
Rating:
Summary: Finding God in The Lord of the Rings
Review: Any serious Tolkien fan, any person who has spent countless hours reading and re-reading The Lord of the Rings, will be enlightened by this inspiring look into J.R.R. Tolkien's spiritual life and the affects it had on his writing.
The comparisons and parallels detailed in this book are not only an asset to Christian education, but are essential to everyday life.
Rating: 
Summary: A Must-Have for Christian Tolkien Fans!
Review: As a Christian, I at first did not like the idea of the Lord of the Rings movies. Having wizards, magic, and the like, I thought it to be evil. But I had never read the books. But when I saw the first movie, I realized that there is much more to the characters and the story than most people can see. I didn't know that Tolkien was a Christian. When I watch the movie, I can see religious symbolism in the events and the characters. When I saw this book at the bookstore, I read the back cover and a page or two in the book and I decided to buy it. And I am enjoying it very much. I like how it shows that there are connections with Christian faith and the books. I especially like this part of the book: "We live in a broken world. Death, pain, sickness, and suffering were not part of life's original melody. These disonant chords were first introduced when our race took the bait of temptation and fell from its former glory. Once upon a time, mankind was offered a choice. We could sing the good song of the great composer or follow the opposing melody of his enemy. We chose the latter. And when we rejected the good that God is, we embraced the bad that he isn't." And how much truth that quote holds!!! I'm not great at writing reviews....I've only written one or two simple ones. But I will say this: This book is a must-have for Christian Tolkien fans AND other Tolkien fans alike.
Rating:
Summary: Christian behavior and The Lord of The Rings
Review: As a result of Peter Jackson's production of "The Lord Of the Rings" there has been a plethora of new books related to Tolkien. The legendary fantasy author has always been a fertile and even profitable subject to write about, but the film triggered the production of related items to even higher levels. So, when I saw this book co-authored by Bruner and Ware I simply though there could not be anything new here...and there probably wasn't. But to my surprise I found this book very enjoyable and definitively worth reading. I like the position the authors took from the very introduction where they correctly state that although Tolkien meant no Christian parables in "The Lord Of the Rings", nevertheless they also correctly make the point that his Christian values strongly permeate all the book. In my review of "Tolkien: Man and Myth" by Joseph Pearce, I already quoted a key statement by Tolkien to prove thus: "The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work" (letter to Robert Murray). The authors' idea is simple but very attractive: They take a series of scenes from "The Lord Of the Rings", analyze the behavior of the characters and make a small meditation in relation with the values consistent with Christian thinking. Each 'meditation' starts with Tolkien and then follows with applications for our daily lives, this part being supported by several biblical quotes. The process might seem odd, but the authors are convincing and successfully manage to link the relations in a smooth and natural way. This is no easy task: how many books on Tolkien have we read where forced analogies are continuously made as a result of poor research or simply for marketing purposes. In the present case the relations seem to fit without effort, but knowing about Tolkien's beliefs it should no be so surprising. The Christian points made throughout the book are simple but all ring true; you won't find they kind of cheap 'new age' babble that abounds in today's book market . This is not a profound treatise but nonetheless it can be effective. I thought the book might even help some people getting closer to Christian behavior thanks to being introduced to it by their beloved fantasy book.
Rating:
Summary: Not Planning to Buy
Review: Based on the sample pages here at Amazon.com and digging through the book in a bookstore, I have decided not to buy it. The authors do not appear to have read The Lord of the Rings in depth; they have certainly not written a book with any depth to it. For instance, from the sample pages: "There is a deep yearning among the Fellowship of the Ring, an unspoken longing for something long lost. None have known it in their lifetimes. Few can recite the tales of its splendor." On the contrary, the authors do not seem to have noticed that Gandalf is a Maiar and can personally remember Valinor. Legolas, Aragorn, Bilbo (who is admittedly not in the Fellowship) and Frodo are all very well versed in the "tales of its splendor." Indeed, Bilbo has "the cheek to write verses about Earendil in the house of Elrond." Of characters of LOTR not in the Fellowship, Galadriel is one of the original rebels and remembers the Days of the Trees, Celeborn does too; Glorfindel is a Returned Elf who has seen it all: Valinor, rebellion, war, Mandos and the Third Age. Yes, everyone in the Fellowship longs for something that has been lost, but it is not something of which they have no direct knowledge. At least some of them have, not just the old songs and lore, but vivid memories to fuel their quest for a Return. Being acquainted with the above facts does not take becoming a Tolkein scholar. It merely takes paying attention to the book. Since the authors did not pay enough attention to the LOTR to understand even Aragorn's background I am loathe to trust their scholarship.
Rating:
Summary: Finding God helpful, esp. for those looking
Review: Bruner and Ware write an easy to read book, which could also double as a short 3 week devotion as each chapter ends in a one sentence reflection. The authors use accounts of some strong statements and images from Tolkien's saga to combine them with scripture and theology (not too heavy for the average layperson) in order to make connections between the world of men and the world of elves. A good, quick, easy and enjoyable read. (Note: the epilogue might be a little different for those who are not as "artsy" as some.)
Rating:
Summary: Deep Truths, Told Simply
Review: Brunner and Ware wrote a book that drove me to my clipboard to add to my file of notes that are of use when I again want to experience some truth more deeply. They wrote a very easily read book that gently brought forth the simple truths God uses in life......I loved the book and plan to purchase it for my children as gifts. Can I leave you with one of the lines I noted for my file?
"The scenes of your life serve a story much bigger than your own." Oh, it is hard to write only one. Just one more.
"Though you may be the star of your story, you are not the author." Because the book is so easily read and the truths may seem simple, it would be a mis-use of the opportunity it gives us to take it lightly.
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