Our New Classics author & illustrator, John Hendrix (The Faithful Spy), has released a brand-new book, The Mythmakers, a graphic novel biography about the remarkable fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Enjoy this interview with John to learn more about his newest creation, then enter to win your own copy of The Mythmakers.

A Short Visit with John Hendrix

What inspired you to write The Mythmakers? 

This book comes from the great debt that I owe to Lewis and Tolkien. I write in the book that their works shaped my early life so significantly that I doubt I will ever be able to escape their influence. The way they saw the world validated my imagination and carved deep grooves in my heart and mind. Christian art wrestled with the biggest ideas of faith, of story, and dragons! 

Who do you hope reads the book? 

Mythmakers was written and designed for young minds—middle grade and young adult audiences. But, with all my works, I desire legibility. My own brain loves when complicated things are made clear. I use words and images to translate stories to a curious audience. I’m guessing many adults enjoy that as well as teens. 

What do you hope your readers take away from the book? 

Most people know the basic shape of Lewis and Tolkien's story. They were colleagues at Oxford, but most don’t realize how essential their fellowship became. Each man gave the other the precise gift needed to complete their own story. Tolkien gave Lewis (an atheist at that time) a way to “read the story in the right way” as scholar Alan Jacobs writes. Lewis gave Tolkien sheer encouragement, without which he never would have completed the seventeen-year journey of writing Lord of the Rings. In the end, I hope readers learn something about fellowship, that our work always gets better in community.

Lear more about The Mythmakers >

Enter to Win The Mythmakers

Click The Mythmakers image (or the button) to enter the giveaway. Giveaway runs one week, Wednesday, January 8 - Wednesday, January 15. Winner will be notified by email and also announced in a newsletter to entrants Thursday, January 16. Contest open to U.S. and APO mailing addresses only. One winner.

Enter the Giveaway

. . . is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator. His books include The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler, called a Best Book of 2018 by NPR, Drawing Is Magic: Discovering Yourself in a Sketchbook, and many others. New Classics offers a free study guide to accompany The Faithful Spy >

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