[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

And, so, he has come again.

Indeed. As was written these long ages past in the Prophecies of St. Lewdikrus (£10.99 from all reputable mysterious dusty manuscript emporia).

That is excellent.

My blush is visible even through the pizza stains, LMP.

I should also like to stress that I'm not trying to insult the work of anyone posting here. I only insult writing that's earning royalties for someone, in which case they have their cheques to console them.

Are there any other works that achieve the wonder, or don't? Why and why not? What else about LotR stand out as having done so? Is there anybody here at the Downs who takes exception to LotR's success in evoking wonder?

I can't remember what it was called (guess which category this one occupies), but there was one book that ruined a perfectly good story about demonic possession of a priest in a fantasy setting by containing a "Serjeant at arms", who behaved and spoke just like a rather cliched desk sergeant in a police drama, even going so far as to have him badgered by a gutter journalist. My opinion was that the author ought to have worked out whether the society of the novel was supposed to be mediaeval or post-industrial before sitting down to write about it.
By way of comparison, Tolkien was free of this confusion: Middle Earth is thoroughly pre-industrial in social relationships, warfare, transport and, most relevantly, the dissemination of news. On the other hand, I read another novel called "Rage of Angels" (I think), which was set in the future and got the social atmosphere just right.

I didn't like the Belgariad either, because the language that the main characters used seemed far too parochial for thousand-year-old mages, warrior kings and the like (it's like reading the dialogue from a family soap opera), but David Gemmell manages to talk about everyday issues without ever losing the reader's belief that the events he portrays are not taking place in the present day.

Is there a formula? I hope not: it would spoil the fun.

[EDIT: One of those novels was A Plague of Angels by Sheri S. Tepper. I'm still looking for the other.]