<p>If you are at all familiar with Tolkien&rsquo;s work, then Bilbo&rsquo;s cry &ndash; proclaiming the arrival of Eagles &ndash; will be no stranger to you. Indeed, these plot-armoured birds are somewhat of a hallmark of the Master of Middle-Earth, one rejoiced over and lampooned in equal measure by both lovers and critics of his writing.</p>

<p>But they are misunderstood. Tolkien&rsquo;s Eagles cannot be taken literally; they are a narrative embodiment of the unlooked-for grace, the redemptive turn &ndash; winged harbingers of Tolkien&rsquo;s concept of eucatastrophe.</p>

<p>Anna Thayer has been fascinated, inspired and led by this concept since childhood. This book represents a eucatastrophe casebook of sorts, spanning over ten years of research. It is a series of investigations into Tolkien&rsquo;s work that reveal how overarching this theory was in his writing and mindset.</p>