“A dragon is no idle fancy.” This statement by J.R.R. Tolkien is true not only for his own academic and literary work, but also for that of his friend, colleague, and fellow Inkling, C.S. Lewis. At the origin of their friendship lies a shared fascination with and enthusiasm for ‘Northernness,’ an important part of which is the legend of Sigurd and Fáfnir. Łukasz Neubauer’s study uses the dragon as an index fossil to analyse and compare the work of the two Inklings and to explore especially the Christian perspectives in their texts. He takes up and deepens the exploration of this central theme in the personal, academic, and authorial relationship between the two men and invites the reader to re-evaluate many of the familiar texts. As a consequence, The Long Shadow of Fáfnir: Dragons in the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. A Christian Perspective, offers Recovery in the best sense of the word and helps us with the regaining of a clear view on a theme that lies at the very heart of Tolkien and Lewis’s creativity.

Thomas Honegger (author of Introducing the Medieval Dragon, UPW 2019)