Richard Purtill

An in-depth analysis of Tolkien's writings, not restricted to LoTR. The author first sets out to define what is myth, fantasy and science fiction and their relation to religion, then summarizes parts of The Hobbitt, LoTR and The Silmarillion to show how the books fit that definition. It also uses letters from Tolkien to readers and friends to describe his feelings about his 'sub-creation', which is how he referred to the world he created in his books. Fascinating and insightful, though very scholarly at times.… (meer)

The last 3 books in the Kaphtu series by Richard Purtill - Lost Tales of Kaphtu:
(4) The Gryphon Seal
(5) The Eleusinian Gate
(6) Letter to Nausicaa
Rather expensive POD books, the second had some fairly obvious typos.

I thought The Gryphon Seal to be the weakest of the 3; a young girl being raised by her aunts in Edwardian England is gifted a Minoan seal ring by Sir Arthur Evans and is transported back to Minoan Crete and Greece. Here she meets some of the protagonists of the first 3 books and grows up in the process. It came across as very YA.

The second, The Eleusinian Gate, was the best. It's The Stolen Goddess from Alceme's point of view and fills in a lot more of the backstory.

Letter to Nausicaa is Odysseus telling the story of his travails on his journey home. I enjoyed it, and it fitted in with the rest of the series rather better than The Gryphon Seal.

These 3 books also felt rather like reading C S Lewis; given he also wrote C.S. Lewis' Case for the Christian Faith, this is probably not surprising.

Recommended if you're willing to pay the POD price.… (meer)