Realm of the Ring Lords

we love all of Gardner's books... dear seekers after truth, ... but this is by far and away our favorite. This is true in part because we are elves (if you don't believe this is possible you need to read this book for the historical data that reveals it to be so), but also because we are lovers of and researchers into Faerie Lore and read nearly everything we can find on the subject and this is one of the best. kyela, the silver elves [....]

Lawrence Gardner ranks among the best for me. As with any author, I don't agree with 100% of what he says, but he's pretty dead on and has certainly done his homework. He definitely opened up new ideas and new avenues for me in my own interests and research.

Following his previous great works Gardner has crystalised some of his more controversial ideas of the origins of some tales of Goth. Aptly termed realm of the ring lords, this book begins with the intriguing offer on the possible historical truth of the Lord of the rings trilogy.Ever wondered why stories of goblins and fairies persist? Here you get the answers you always wanted. As you read further you will find startling revelations of the origins of dracula. werewolves etc . Certainly I have found this genre difficult to defend but Gardner as usual delivers tempting evidence of his theories. Readers of his previous books will appreciate this edition if only for the mythical slant taken.

In anticipation of Laurence Gardner's new book, Realm of the Ring Lords, I re-read his previous two works, Bloodline of the Holy Grail, and Genesis of the Grail Kings. Both of them were groundbreaking books, revealing, in the first instance, convincing theories about the progeny of the dynastic marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, and the intriguing influence of their descendents throughout European history; and, in the second instance, a fascinating theory of the origin of the Grail King lineage, starting in ancient Sumer, and evolving, through Babylonia, Egypt, and Canaan, up to, and including, Jesus.Gardner not only has access to the private libraries of the current Grail Family members, but he has a remarkable facility with languages. Both of these assets come into play in his newest work, The Realm of the Ring Lords. As a result of the incontrovertible practice of the Roman Church to exterminate anyone whom it declared a "heretic", the Grail Family, and the theology and tradition it represented, were forced to remain underground for many centuries. The powerful and persuasive essence of the Grail tradition, though, was kept alive all the while by a coded folklore, which created all kinds of elves, fairies, leprechauns, pixies, gnomes, heroes/heroines, etc., many of which we have all heard of at one time or another. Gardner has successfully translated all the fairy-tale "fiction" into an enchanting, but very real history, based on his deep understanding of the Grail tradition, and his adept use of etymology. While this book doesn't rival his other two in terms of earth-shaking revelations, it does complement the other two by providing a deeply satisfying explanation of the effects of the Grail tradition on European cultural and literary heritage that, heretofore, had been accepted as fantasy, but now are very real and significant.If you haven't read any of Gardner's work, don't start with this one. He makes frequent references to his previous books, and assumes that the reader is familiar with them. If you have read both of his other books, I think you will enjoy this guided tour and interpretation of Europe's folklore.