Granted, if you read Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time, you’ll see Tolkien all over it. If you read Eragon, you’ll see a mixture of Tolkien, Lewis and Rowling within. If you read into Tolkien’s work, you’ll see reflections of both the Bible and Greek literature, as well as language used to bring the story forward. All great works have roots in other great works. I’m not saying that Rowling’s work doesn’t belong on a reading list for great works, she just doesn’t fit on mine. While it seems it would be favorable to read books that were influenced by Lewis and Tolkien, it can be argued that it is better to read books that influenced Tolkien and Lewis. This also includes writings that each of them wrote amongst one another, such as the works of Charles Williams. G.K. Chesterton, whom I mentioned above, as a great influence on their writing as Inklings as well.

And you’re correct, I am basing my opinion almost entirely on the fact that Michael Gambon, and Richard Harris before him, looks an awful lot like Ian McKellen in The Lord of the Rings. The costume designer opted, instead of being more original with the costume, following visually, the look that Tolkien described for his character. This leads me to wonder how Rowling described Dumbledore’s clothing. Was it based on her writing, or was this the invention of the costume designer?

It is obvious that the Lord of the Rings and Narnia have influenced Rowling’s work, and she has said so herself on countless occasions. But suggesting that Rowling “borrowed” so heavily from Tolkien that Dumbledore is simply a “repackaging” of Gandalf is unfounded and uneducated. Paul, I greatly respect all the work you do on the site, but you’re basing your opinion entirely off of the fact that Michael Gambon in that scene resembles Ian McKellan.

If you call yourself a Lewis fan, it is so important to read works similar to his own, ones which he influenced. You will have a much greater appreciation and understanding for Harry Potter by actually reading the books than watching the films, which, while entertaining, do not begin to scratch the surface or wholly represent Rowling’s word. “Too many great books to read” — and these seven are some of them. To be honest, they really don’t take that long to read either. You could easily finish the six you haven’t read in 15 or 20 days, or fewer, if you read faster or commit more hours to reading eachd ay.

In many ways, Gandalf – appearing in The Hobbit – redefined peoples’ perception of Wizards. He was so popular that he, consciously or subconsciously, influenced Merlin’s design in Disney’s The Sword and the Stone and Mickey in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice part of Fantasia as well as many other wizards over the next 60 years. However, Merlin’s portrayal, beginning in the late 90s, there’s been a lot of Merlin related TV series and mini-series (there’s even one now) that portray Merlin in the way that he was written around the 13th century. He didn’t have a tall-pointy hat back then, he merely wore a hood.