A must for fans of Lord of the Rings, 7 Jun 2004

Over the course of a year, Lyons set out to explore Tolkien's inspiration in the English countryside the only way possible - on foot. What you get is a series of chapters on one or more places in England. Lyons writes beautifully about the landscape and demonstrates in each place he visits the relationship between the landscape and its history and myths and Tolkien's work.

Don't read this expecting to be told where you can find a hidden Yorkshire valley just like Rivendell or something (although there are a couple of surprise discoveries that really impressed me!). It's more subtle and thought-provoking than that. However, if you're anything like me, you will go back and read Lord of the Rings again and see things you never noticed before.

Lyons is an engaging companion. He starts out looking back on his own adolescent obsession with Tolkien in the 1970s - something I can really relate to - and sending up his pretentious teenage self. It really helps that Lyons doesn't take himself too seriously and also that his approach to Tolkien isn't one of awe and reverence. It's all quite personal in the best sense and you finish the book really feeling like you've got to know Tolkien and his motivation quite a lot better.

There and Back Again made me want to do two things: re-read Lord of the Rings and then go and visit for myself the places Lyons has been.

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