Tolkienian adj.

In the Tolkinian world you can hardly put your foot down…without stirring the dust of history.

As this is the only novel about Conan that Howard wrote, it is the best example of the Tolkienian elements in pure Sword and Sorcery fiction.

Escape merges into another Tolkinian criterion of the higher fairy-tale—Consolation.

These guys only think about one thing: the cards in their hands, each contained in a clear plastic sleeve to keep it mint condition, each decorated with a picture of a troll or wizard or some other leaf on the post-Tolkienian evolutionary tree, and printed on the back with elaborate rules.

Tolkien’s genius lay in his feel for words. His proper names, and the snatched phrases of Elvish, Dwarvish and Orcish that litter his work, often stay with us for life. This love of invented languages has inspired countless articles and websites dedicated to Tolkienian philology.

The game, run by Blizzard Entertainment of Irvine, California, is pure axe-wielding tokienian fantasy: players go on quests and slay mythical beasts, amassing virtual wealth and power in the process.

Where does Tolkienian fantasy belong? Such fantasies are at times shaggy enough to belong in category 3, but are also romantic and sometimes philological.