Posted on 03/26/2007 3:21:35 PM PDT by Caleb1411
An unfinished book by J.R.R. Tolkien that was completed by his son will be published April 17 in Canada, New Zealand, the U.S. and the U.K.
Christopher Tolkien, son of the man who wrote the Lord of the Rings trilogy, has completed The Children of Hurin, a book his father started in 1918 and later abandoned.
J.R.R. Tolkien, shown in a 1967 photo, left notes and an outline for The Children of Hurin, a novel finished by his son and to be published in April. (Associated Press) Publisher HarperCollins is not releasing details of the book, but describes it as "an epic story of adventure, tragedy, fellowship and heroism."
The younger Tolkien previously drafted The Silmarillion and History of Middle Earth from drafts of his father's work.
The Children of Hurin will be illustrated by artist Alan Lee, who won an Oscar for art direction on Peter Jackson's film The Return of the King.
Lee has provided 25 pencil sketches and eight paintings for the book.
Parts of the text of The Children of Hurin, which takes place in Middle Earth before the events of Lord of the Rings, have appeared in History of Middle Earth.
Tolkien said he has worked on the book for 30 years based on unfinished pieces and outlines done by his father.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide.
A slight turnoff to a LOTR fan, but I'll still give it a chance.
I used to "take two weeks in Middle Earth" every yerar. First read it in 1962.
Thanks for ping - well, guess that will be a late summer read opportunity. Looking forward to it.
Now for the Hobbit Movie...
I have the Lord of the Nazgul, on horseback, tattooed on my arm, above the Ring Inscription, and below the Lidless Eye, wreathed in flame. Guesss that makes me a "Ringer", too.
I second that!! I am glad Christopher is continuing Tolkien's legacy, but I do wish MORE were written about the hobbits. I know Tolkien had begun piecing together a story that took place a generation or two after LOTR - I would have liked to have known if any of Sam's or Pippin's grandchildren were involved.
The Professor did actually write an "Epilogue" of sorts, to the Return of the King.
He wrote of the Gamgee family, of which Sam and Rosie "got busy" for a while - and the chapter is set with Sam at the hearth, with the oldest kids curled up on the carpet at his feet, and he's telling them about how Aragorn and Arwen are visitng the North Kingdom, and the gamgees have received a Royal Invitation to go see them.
Yes, I remember reading that :D - that was a fun chapter. I also know that Pippins only son - Faramir - married Goldilocks.
What a wonderful experience to finish that which his father started. I wonder, did he at times 'feel' his father's presence during the exercise? I'll bet he did!
Well, to make a long story short, the incest was not intentional or forethought. Without posting a plot spoiler, let me just say it's a tragic story, already in the Silmarillion - and well worth reading. The Professor thought it was worth telling, as it is easily the longest part of the book.
What is the technical difference? Other than geeks being cuter.
Say rather, that Christopher is compelled to get as much of the professor's works out there in print, so as to make the story inviolate.
Christopher also acts as the arbiter of authenticity for his father's writing. He actually did NOT want the Peter Jackson movies to be made; several interested parties helped to convince him otherwise, and we're all better off for the effort.
I read the Silmarillion once years ago... I'll have to ask my mother if she still has it.
"Most of the other subsequent books were pretty much written and just needed editing." Editing is the hardest work in writing ... and you haven't grasped the creative essence of 'finishing' someone else's novel if you think it a simple task.
btt
Thought the books were OK, but the movies S-CKED Hobbit balls! A bunch of fops walking and walking and walking and walking and walking...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I know of a man who wrote a book called "Isildur". It took him many years to complete.
It tells the tale of all the events proceeding from the Creation to the events leading up to Sauron's rise. It is a fascinating book, yet the author, in correspondence with J.R.R. Tolkien, was told that the professor did not approve of other authors "spinning off" from his original work and would not give permission to publish this book. It was therefore self-published by the author only for the enjoyment of family and friends.
Knowing this and Tolkien's disapproval of this sort of thing, I wonder how his son reconciled that fact with his need to embellish and publish some of his father's work.
That's the best kind of book, isn't it? You can read it again and again.
I've actually read The Lord of the Rings out loud twice, once to my wife and once to my kids.
After I discovered TLOTR, shortly after it was published, I went back and read The Hobbit, and then remembered that it had been read aloud to my cousins and me when I was a small boy. I had completely forgotten that, but when I read it again I remembered the riddle passage, which takes place at the bottom of the Goblins' cave on the underground lakeshore, with Gollum, after Frodo accidentally finds the Ring. I don't know how old I was at the time, maybe 4 or 5.
Gibert: I just wanted to say that I'm a nerd, and I'm here tonight to stand up for the rights of other nerds. I mean uh, all our lives we've been laughed at and made to feel inferior. And tonight, those bastards, they trashed our house. Why? Cause we're smart? Cause we look different? Well, we're not. I'm a nerd, and uh, I'm pretty proud of it.Lewis: Hi, Gilbert. I'm a nerd too. I just found that out tonight. We have news for the beautiful people. There's a lot more of us then there are of you. I know there's alumni here tonight. When you went to Adams you might've been called a spazz, or a dork, or a geek. Any of you that have ever felt stepped on, left out, picked on, put down, whether you think you're a nerd or not, why don't you just come down here and join us. Okay? Come on.
Gibert: Just join us cos uh, no-one's gonna really be free until nerd persecution ends.
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