Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics writing in "The New Yorker", calls it "a paper that many people regard as not just the finest essay on the poem but one of the finest essays on English literature." She adds that "Tolkien preferred the monsters to the critics." Regina Weinreich, reviewing "The Monsters and the Critics: And Other Essays" in "The New York Times", wrote that the title essay "revolutionized the study of the early English poem "Beowulf," in which a young hero crushes a human-handed monster called Grendel. Against the scorn of critics, Tolkien defends the centrality and seriousness of literary monsters, declaring his own belief
Saga of the Shadow Lord Stephen Bourne with cover art by Keith Parkinson. The module features interior art by Mark Nelson. The scenario was written for the "Expert Rules", for levels 5-9. The module comes as a 64-page booklet wrapped in a three-section wraparound cover. It also includes maps along with monster and NPC statistics on the inside cover. The middle eight pages contain more maps, as well as eight pre-generated player characters. Graeme Davis reviewed "Saga of the Shadow Lord" for "White Dwarf" #89. He stated that the "Elvenstar" adventure was designed in an old-fashioned style, with a series of fixed but random-seeming encounters