New Tolkein book emerges!

[mrhnau]

Apparently a new Tolkein book is to be released The title is "Children of Hurin". I need to go read the Silmarillion one of these days... Has anyone read any of the smaller Tolkein books that have been published? If so, which ones are your favorites?

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I think the Children of Hurin tale has a very good potential to be an excellent book. So I definately will be picking up one. The Silmarillion is brutal reading but really gives you great background into Tolkien's world. Hopefully his son was inspired and the new book will be up to the level of the Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings.

 

[mrhnau]

I think the Children of Hurin tale has a very good potential to be an excellent book. So I definately will be picking up one. The Silmarillion is brutal reading but really gives you great background into Tolkien's world. Hopefully his son was inspired and the new book will be up to the level of the Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings.

I don't think its his son's book, but from the JRR archives... It is rather odd they took this long to publish it though...

I had heard the Silmarillion was a very tough read..

 

[crushing]

Looks interesting. Of Tolkien's works I've only read The Hobbit and the LOR Trilogy. Good luck reading the Silmarillion! I tried it once and it was a very difficult read. I don't think I even made it through all the 'so-n-so begat this dude, who begat that one which was involved in such-n-such'. I was much younger then though. Maybe I'll check it out again sometime. If you are into the background and history of Middle Earth, it's probably the book to read. I was just looking for a story.

 

[OnlyAnEgg]

From what I understand, this book (as with the Silmarillion) was reconstructed by Christopher based on prolific notes and outlines left by his father. As for other books like this? There are none. The Sil is the closest to a cohesive book that Christopher has done. Most of the rest of the histories are like collections. CoH is a novel.

I'm both excited and apprehensive to read it.

 

[exile]

I don't think its his son's book, but from the JRR archives... It is rather odd they took this long to publish it though...

I had heard the Silmarillion was a very tough read..

The Silmarillion is nothing at all like LoTR; the characterization is relatively two dimensional—more like what you find in a historical chronicle than in a novel; and that makes sense, given where the two `came from'. LoTR is a heroic novel, drawing on an intricate (some might say chaotic!) mythology, which Tolkien had only partially worked out as he wrote; he continued throughout his life, apparently, to try and get it all worked out and consistent but there was so much of it, and it was constructed over such a long period, that all kinds of inconsistencies and loose ends were introduced that he then had to go back and fix, and things kept getting more elaborate.

Basically, as I understand it, The Silmarillion grew out of that ongoing textual correction and development as Tolkien's own personal `reference book' for the mythological background of the LoTR world. So it's pretty much reading six or seven hundred pages of fairly dry, extremely detailed history of a very elaborate world. And even so he kept changing his mind or discovering new problems, so there are all those Tales... that Christopher T. was editing and publishing. And I gather, from snooping around on Tolkien fan sites, that there are still a ton of unresolved textual problems. You should hear these people go on... you think CMA lineages are complicated? Try to figure out the true history of Galadrial and Celeborn! :lol:

A lot of people have this sense of melancholy about the way LoTR ends, and they aren't ready to let JRRT's world go (this came up on an earlier Tolkien thread sometime last year, I recall); then they discover The Silmarillion and get excited, thinking that it'll be more of the same. And then when they sit down to read it... boy, are they in for a shock! I'd be curious to know if The Children of Hurin is more Silmarillionish or more LoTRish, but I suspect it's the former.

 

[Skip Cooper]

I will find a nice home for a copy of the Children of Hurin. Right now, I have my eye on a leather bound issue of the LOTR on Amazon...just waiting for the price to be right. I still have the old set from my childhood, with the spines broken and pages falling out.

 

[OnlyAnEgg]

I dunno...while reading The sil was more like reading The Old Testament, I still enjoyed it immensely!

I'm looking forward to CoH (apprehensively or not), having read various forms of the poem, The Lay of the Children of Hurin, in one of the history volumes. The thing about CoH is that JRR let it go and chose not to complete it; though, it was close. There's going to have to be some of Christopher's work involved. This will be the first I read of Christopher that is not academic.

 

[exile]

There's going to have to be some of Christopher's work involved. This will be the first I read of Christopher that is not academic.

That's the thing... I'm not sure that CT has his father's genius.

I'm gonna wait till I've heard from a few people who've read it...

 

[OnlyAnEgg]

Not me, man. I'm buying it first thing.

By 'some of Christopher's work', I do mean a little. From what I've read in advance of publication, most of the story was written. Christopher will be, predominatly, editing and fleshing out (in places) a novel rather than a reference work and that's the critical difference.

 

[CoryKS]

JRR Tolkein is becoming the Tupac of fantasy literature. He's produced more books dead than he did when he was alive.

 

[OnlyAnEgg]

JRR Tolkein is becoming the Tupac of fantasy literature. He's produced more books dead than he did when he was alive.

Slightly unfair, I must say; as far as books go, at least.

I will admit to the estate whoring him by aligning with peter jackson; but, that's a whole 'nuther can of worms.


The books published since his death have enhanced his works, rather than profited by them.

 

[stickarts]

I enjoyed The Hobbit, LOTR, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales. I lost interest after that.
It started to seem like anything Tolkien even scibbled on a napkin during a lunch got published.

 

[Sukerkin]

I dunno...while reading The sil was more like reading The Old Testament, I still enjoyed it immensely!

An excellent analogy, OaE :tup:.

It took me a long time to actually finish the Silmarillion and I have to shamefacedly admit, despite my professional background in things historical, I'm in no hurry to read it again .

The parts dealing with the history of the Elves I could probably revisit (in fact I have read those more than once). They're sad in one way as you see them in their raw 'youth' when they were even worse than humans for displaying the dark sides of intelligent nature. On the other hand, there's also the uplifting message that, despite everything and all that was lost, they still managed to make it through to racial 'maturity'.

As to how the 'new' book will be, I'm content to withold speculation (other than releasing a idealistic frisson of glee that it might turn out to be really good) and simply hop from one foot to the other in excited anticipation .

 

[Bigshadow]

When I was young, I attempted to read Sil, but just couldn't get into it. I remember reading a one of JRRT's short stories. The title had "Hamm" or "Ham" in it. In either case, I just couldn't get interested in it. I think LOTR is the pinnacle of his work.

 

[Steel Tiger]

I dunno...while reading The sil was more like reading The Old Testament, I still enjoyed it immensely!

I'm looking forward to CoH (apprehensively or not), having read various forms of the poem, The Lay of the Children of Hurin, in one of the history volumes. The thing about CoH is that JRR let it go and chose not to complete it; though, it was close. There's going to have to be some of Christopher's work involved. This will be the first I read of Christopher that is not academic.

A very apt comparison between the Silmarillion and the Old Testament. The Silmarillion was two things to JRR. First it was a place that gave context to the languages he was developing (remeber he was a philologist) and second, it was an attempt on his part to produce epic literature in the same vain as the Scandinavian Eddas and Sagas.

Personally I'm a big fan of the Silmarillion and the story of Hurin and his children is one of the best parts. It is based on an old, old Scandinavian story theme - the Broken Sword (there is an excellent book by Paul Anderson by that name). JRR's version has everything an epic story should have: betrayal, romance, drama, great heroics, evil villains, dragon-slaying, and tragedy. It would be nice if they include the life of Hurin in the book as well because its fantastic, especially the battle at which he gets captured, killed 70 trolls , could only be taken by Gothmog, Lord of the Balrogs, its massive!

 

[tradrockrat]

2 things:

1. - ST - you summmed it up perfectly. My Godfather developed and taught an english lit class at Maryland based around Tolkien and Lewis books and I grew up hearing college scholars argue over the Simarillion and you pretty much nailed it. Tolkien WANTED the book to feel this way, and for those of you that never got past the beginning - the reading gets easier.

2. Do I like the Simarillion? Well I named my motorcycle Morgoth...

 

[Steel Tiger]

2 things:

1. - ST - you summmed it up perfectly. My Godfather developed and taught an english lit class at Maryland based around Tolkien and Lewis books and I grew up hearing college scholars argue over the Simarillion and you pretty much nailed it. Tolkien WANTED the book to feel this way, and for those of you that never got past the beginning - the reading gets easier.

2. Do I like the Simarillion? Well I named my motorcycle Morgoth...

As a piece of writing I think the Silmarillion is better than LOTR, but it does encompass a vast amount of stuff. I still think there is a good movie or five in it though.

You like the name Morgoth? I've always been partial to Gothmog.

 

[Makalakumu]

For anyone who has read old english myths and other classic norse tales, the Silmarillion is a doppelganger. It is supposed to read exactly like a holy book...which, in truth, that is its purpose. If you think about the timespan covered in that book and the timespan covered in LoTR, it correctly mimics the way that all cultures have dealt with such things.

The bardic tradition is alive and well in the Silmarillion!

It's a wonderful book!

 

[Rich Parsons]

I think the Children of Hurin tale has a very good potential to be an excellent book. So I definately will be picking up one. The Silmarillion is brutal reading but really gives you great background into Tolkien's world. Hopefully his son was inspired and the new book will be up to the level of the Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings.

The Silmarillion or "The Book of Names" as I call it, is a really rough read. It is dry and long and sometimes disconnected. But once through it, one really understands a lot more about the Middle Earth Realm.

I hope the new book is good. I will look for it and browse it to see if I will buy.