If you miss something, you'll have to go back and read it again, or else take your lumps and assume that whatever this new thingee is was explained in a foreshadowing passage. Murphy's expert foreshadowing is very Tolkien-like. Few authors seem to do well at that sort of thing, but she dives right in and foreshadows, foreshadows, foreshadows. There is nothing timid or tepid about this author's approach to emulating Tolkien's style. And yet, I'm reminded sometimes of A.E. Van Vogt, Andre Norton, Flash Gordon, and maybe even Luke Skywalker.
Adventure is the heart of the story.
There is some change and growth in character, but the point of the tale is the adventure itself. Murphy is an accomplished author, and There and Back Again is only her latest book. Whatever inspired her to take on the 20th century's most popular author must have been part muse, part wandering old wizard. I think there's a little bit of a Took inside Ms. Murphy, because tweaking Tolkien's nose like this is a sure way to start a riot among Tolkien fans if the tweak isn't done just right. But I think she has got it right.