By Karlissa J.

One underappreciated reality about C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien is how much they loved nature.

That seems to be a common trait amongst Christian authors of classic fantasy. As I researched four authors for To Narnia and Beyond – Lewis, Tolkien, L’Engle, and George MacDonald – it occurred to me that a book could be written about their relationships with nature. And it seems I am not the only one who has contemplated such a book.

Kristen Page is a biologist who has traveled widely and loves the novels of Lewis and Tolkien. The Wonders of Creation: Learning Stewardship from Narnia and Middle-Earth combines her interest in nature, her ecological concerns, and her passion for reading into a reflection on how Lewis and Tolkien wrote about the natural world, and how their novels could be used to spark further discussions on – and activism for – creation care.

I was surprised and pleased to find that Page draws not only from Narnia and Middle-Earth but also from other works of C.S. Lewis (the Cosmic Trilogy) and J.R.R. Tolkien ("Leaf by Niggle"). I was also pleased to find a quote each from George MacDonald, Madeleine L'Engle, and G.K. Chesterton!

The Wonders of Creation is geared towards an audience who is already interested in creation care and already has some familiarity with various ecological concerns. Page gives quite a bit of time to facts and data about various problems, bringing in varied topics from plant blindness to climate change to light pollution.

The book at times feels preachy, and Page interprets some stories in ways I wouldn't. From my own basic research on Lewis and Tolkien, I think she left out quite a bit of their thoughts on creation that would have been interesting to explore.

That said, I did enjoy reading her reflections on a scene from Perelandra that has stuck with me: a scene about the absence of greed on Perelandra that certainly has ecological aspects woven into it.

This book may be a worthwhile read if you are already interested in the topics of creation care and fantasy literature.