Fantasy and Your Family: Exploring the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Modern Magick [Paperback]

Richard Abanes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2002

Fantasy and Your Family by bestselling author Richard Abanes presents a much-needed assessment of fantasy—its benefits and its drawbacks. Abanes begins with an in-depth look at folklore, myths, legends, and fairy tales, and their connection to fantasy. Part one also discusses issues involving child development, the affects of literature on children, and how those affects can ultimately change the course of society. Additionally, Abanes examines pop culture, the media, mass marketing, and the commercialization of children’s literature by corporations interested primarily in making money.

This volume then looks at the life of fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien, the popularity of his fantasy works, their content, and what separates them from other fantasy volumes such as Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and the children’s horror books by R.L. Stine. A particularly interesting survey of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings includes a thorough analysis of its storyline, characters, and morality. These are compared side-by-side with Harry Potter.

Finally, Abanes gives an overview of our culture’s growing obsession with the occult, paganism, and witchcraft. Why is it happening? When did it begin? How is it influencing today’s youth? All of these questions are answered through a concise, easy-to-understand writing style. Especially fascinating are the numerous sources of documentations that shows children are indeed being drawn to the occult via Harry Potter. Included are dozens of quotes by Wiccans, neopagans, and occultists that clearly express their belief that Rowling’s fantasy will do much to further witchcraft and the occult.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A clear presentation of the issues and practical tools of discernment. Fascinating . . . its scholarship is of the highest quality." -- Michael D. O'Brien, best-selling author

"A thoroughly researched and well-balanced resource that should be on the shelf of every parent, educator and youth worker." -- Bill Myers, best-selling children's author

"Abanes has carefully documented not only the state of present-day children’s fantasy, but also its influence and effects." -- Marcia Montenegro, former president Metropolitan Atlanta Astrological Society

"Richard has helped us move toward recovering the great tradition of children’s literature from the wasteland of modern commercialism." -- Gene Veith, Ph.D., English professor Concordia University

From the Publisher

Guide Your Children Through the Marvelous World of Fantasy! Explore for yourself the delights and dangers of fantasy literature. Fantasy and Your Family takes you on a fascinating tour of not only The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, but also of our society’s obsession with modern magick. This book includes an in-depth look at some of today’s fantasy best-sellers and how they compare with each other. Urge your kids to read, but give them guidance!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 321 pages
• Publisher: Christian Publications (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875099750
• ISBN-13: 978-0875099750
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #332,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > History & Criticism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Yeah, yeah, another anti-Potter book., November 25, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Fantasy and Your Family: Exploring the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Modern Magick (Paperback)

Richard Abanes wasted his time writting this book. Why do I say this? Because he wrote the same book a year before this one came out. The only difference it that he renamed it from "Harry Potter and the Bible" to "Fantasy and your Family." In both books Abanes gives an unfair and biassed crtiticism of Harry Potter. He frequently tells one side of the story and leaves the other half out conviniently.
Also he advances the theory that the books contain sexism and at least two anti-Christian remarks which is not true.
He also uses scare tactics to frighten already concearned Christian parents by saying that kids are saying they want to be involved in the Occult because of Harry Potter. One quote he uses on page 160 by a 13 year old girl who said she wants to do magick, like being a parseltongue or a necromancer. The second thing is not even in the books. This gives me the idea that these kids had an influence other than Harry Potter.
Also he fails to point out that though the occult has had a growth, that a Zenit news article points out that the occult populations in Europe and the U.S. are both under 0.1% of there general populations. The same article also points out that though Potter and Buffy have a large following in Europe that there the occult movements are in decline.
Do I even need to say I cannot recommend this book?

17 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars interesting, but ..., October 11, 2003

By 

Susan Norton (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fantasy and Your Family: Exploring the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Modern Magick (Paperback)

This book is interesting but takes the alleged occultism in Harry Potter far too seriously. There are far greater instances of superstitious ignorance to worry about. I recommed for a balanced and informative examination of the whole Harry Potter phenonemon, Return of the Heroes: The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter and social Conflict, but Hal GP Colebatch

32 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Predictable Hysterical Foolishness for the Gullible, March 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Fantasy and Your Family: Exploring the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Modern Magick (Paperback)

These are the same arguments that have been around to demonize anything from the Wizard of Oz to Superman cartoon. As the argument goes, the kids can't tell the difference between kids who drive and crash flying cars and reality. So, you have to protect them from anything with that wicked imagination in it.

Given that the classical stories of Ali Baba and the Seven Thieves, Wizard of Oz, or Sinbad, or Cinderella have the exact same wonderful "what if" imaginative world of make believe principles; why not ban all children's books except those that are bible stories? Would such a sterile harsh world be happy?