The Mythmakers

On John Hendrix and why you should read all of his books

I never know where to begin when reviewing a John Hendrix book. They are consistently among my favorites, and yet, there’s something undefinable about them. When I finish I’m left not so much with thoughts as with a breathless, hand-wavy feeling, something ephemeral that might take shape in a few jumbled words— “That was . . . perfect”—none of which do justice to the book, really. In writing this review, all I’m really saying is, Go read it. Right now. Buy an extra copy, because you’ll want to press it into the hands of all your friends while words fail you, too.

The Mythmakers chronicles the friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. That is, you might say, what it’s “about.” But it’s also about their quest to create a new kind of “true myth,” and about how they spurred one another on as writers, challenging each other to dig deeper into their drafts, mining their first attempts for better, truer stories. It’s about how Lewis and Tolkien’s friendship gave us the Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings—but it’s also about the ways that friendships can fray, and about how hard it can be to mend them once they do.

There is also a lion and a wizard.

The Mythmakers is a biography, but unless you’ve read Hendrix’s The Faithful Spy, it’s probably not what you picture when you think of a biography. The pages are vividly illustrated, in ways that interact with and complement the text. “Illustrated” might give the impression that this is a book for kids, but I don’t know—maybe not for all kids. The themes are deep and at times very sad; my sixteen-year-old loved it, but my fourteen-year-old wasn’t quite sure. (In a year or two, I think she’ll love it, too.) I’m not ashamed to say I cried a bit, and I loved every page.

This, my friends, has been my attempt to tell you about this beautiful-beyond-description book. I tried. But really I just want to tell you, Read it. It won’t take long, and you’ll love every page.

This post first appeared on https://thearosenburg.substack.com/

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Théa Rosenburg

Théa Rosenburg has books in every room of her house—except the laundry room. She also has laundry in every room of the house—even the laundry room. Make of it what you will. She writes about children’s books at Little Book, Big Story and is co-editor of the book Wild Things & Castles to the Sky.

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