The Two Greatest Novels Ever Written: The Wisdom of The Lord of the Rings and The Brothers Karamazov

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky are both widely regarded as two of the greatest novels ever written. The former, originally published in English between 1954 and 1955, is an epic fantasy set in an ancient world painted with cosmological breadth, while the latter, originally published in Russian in 1880, is a gritty mystery set in a modern world fathomed with psychological depth. Yet both sprawling narratives continue to receive high acclaim and inspire countless readers around the world.

In this philosophical exploration, Peter Kreeft argues that The Lord of the Rings and The Brothers Karamazov are not just two of the greatest novels but simply the greatest two—and not primarily because of their distinct plots, characters, settings, and styles, but because of the metaphysical, anthropological, and moral themes that unite them. Examining the writers’ treatments of good and evil, power and weakness, and virtue and vice, Kreeft shows how both Tolkien and Dostoevsky, by writing with the mind of Christ, reveal the deepest truths of reality.