James Stuart Bell
Bethany House, 2012, 224 pp., $13.99
As a self-proclaimed nerd and fan of all things sci-fi and fantasy, I was excited to read this well-worn, but fresh peek into the world of Tolkein, Bilbo and Gandalf in The Spiritual World of the Hobbit by James Stuart Bell. Each chapter is packed with parallel insight, describing the world of Middle Earth and the spiritual underpinning behind not only how The Hobbit was written, but why certain characters and places were written the way they were. There are several great quotes and insights on writing from Tolkein himself throughout the book, and Bell does a wonderful job of offering character profiles for each of the main character(s) from Bilbo to Gandalf to the elves, dwarves and goblins. Each profile tells us the character, how each was written into the story, and the spiritual significance in Tolkein’s allegorical world.
If you are a fan of Middle Earth, you’ll love the book. If you are a youth worker who wants to make the movie (or the cartoon version) The Hobbit a focus for discussion or lessons, you’ll love this book. There is more information than you can use in a mid-week gathering, but if you read through and do only the character studies, this would a make a cool 6-week small group study to go along with the book and/or movie. I may have learned more than I needed to know about the spiritual significance of The Hobbit, but I am not complaining about it and you won’t either. Huzzah!
