[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Formendacil

Tolkien set the benchmark for fantasy writing. And this isn't just my personal opinion. I suggest you look at the reviews for all the other big fantasy writers these days. Of the reviews printed on the books (and this is especially true for the big writers, more than the small ones in my experience), there is nearly always one that refers to Tolkien.

They say things like "Will be the next Tolkien..." "The best thing since Tolkien" "not since Tolkien have we seen" "even better than Tolkien".

Now, I don't know that these sorts of comments are always true, but the nearly inevitable mention of Tolkien in fantasy reviews shows the immense impact that he has had upon the expectations of the genre.

One word: marketing.

I for one, as soon as I see the words 'Tolkien' or 'Lord of the Rings', take immediate notice. So must many other people, and publishers must know that to include those words on the cover of a book will attract interest, even if the context in which they are put is not right. I've grabbed my copies of The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass and both have direct references to Tolkien in their 'blurb', including:

The most ambitious work since Lord of the Rings...
Amanda Craig, The New Statesman

A tour de force of cosmic adventure, far outstripping the many modern imitators of Tolkien, and matching the quality of the master himself.
William Waldegrave, The Week

Move over Tolkien and CS Lewis
William Waldegrave, Daily Telegraph

None of the above are true in my opinion, as Pullman is quite different to Tolkien so should not be compared, but you can see why publishers throw in comments like that, it gets the attention of us Tolkien fans when we are browsing the bookshops. I haven't got much fantasy fiction, but I'd love to know if anyone has any really bad fantasy novels which have blurb comparing them to Tolkien. That would be amusing.