Scan barcode
gsk's review
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
ellanorte's review against another edition
Creo que no ha sido buena idea leer este libro sin haber leído previamente El Silmarillion. Claramente es una recopilación de esbozos de éste, mezclados con comentarios largos y tediosos de Christopher Tolkien. Me encanta Tolkien, su Tierra Media y he disfrutado con su fantasía muchísimo, pero este libro ha podido conmigo.
susanagesteves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
shallwehavetea's review against another edition
4.0
When you think of J.R.R Tolkien, you always think of The Lord Of The Rings or The Hobbit, yet it is interesting to look in to the works and the tales and the history in which Tolkien created too. There is so much history to be learnt when it comes to Middle Earth and before, that sometimes its easy to forget that Tolkien created a whole world outside of the famous franchise.
The history is rich in mythology and information, of who came first and who came next, including the names and their stories. Even within the first book, you get given so much information, that you could almost go in to overdrive and burn out, but having the extra information that Christopher adds to each of his father's tales gives you a good insight in to his mind and the way that he worked as well as learning about how he wrote and drafted each tale.
The history is rich in mythology and information, of who came first and who came next, including the names and their stories. Even within the first book, you get given so much information, that you could almost go in to overdrive and burn out, but having the extra information that Christopher adds to each of his father's tales gives you a good insight in to his mind and the way that he worked as well as learning about how he wrote and drafted each tale.
henryarmitage's review against another edition
3.0
Early works of J.R.R. Tolkien, with lots of commentary by his son Christopher. Roughly corresponds to the first part of The Silmarillion, but with some important differences. Interesting to see how the story of the creation and the early parts of the first age evolved.
lisa_setepenre's review against another edition
5.0
The Book of Lost Tales contains the very earliest writings by Tolkien on the mythology that would eventually make up The Silmarillion and the glimpses of the history of Middle-earth seen in Lord of the Rings. As such, the story and characters are familiar yet also completely alien, and the writing style is more archaic.
Part One details the very beginnings of Middle-earth: the music of Ainur, the coming of the Valar, the creation and loss of the Two Trees, the waking of the Elves and their revolt under Fëanor, and the evil doings of Melkor (at this stage named Melko), ending of with the waking of Men and the return of the Noldoli [Noldor] into Middle-earth.
All of this is framed as being told to an Anglo-Saxon man, Eriol, who has washed up on the shores of Tol Eressëa and is welcomed by the Elves and told their history. Eriol is not only a framing character to the Lost Tales but is also the in-universe explanation for the existence of for the 'lost' stories presence in the modern world (the Red Book of Westmarch functions in a similar way in Rings).
It is interesting to see the beginnings of Arda, to see the seeds and roots of what was there at the very beginning and to see what has changed, gaining insight into how Middle-earth evolved in Tolkien's mind. However, it can be heavy going at times.
The typical HOME disclaimer should apply: the History of Middle-earth series is for the more hardcore Tolkien enthusiasts, dealing with Tolkien's drafts and notes. It should also be noted that The Book of Lost Tales is harder going than your typical Tolkien because the writing style is more archaic – and honestly, if you struggled with Rings, if you struggled with The Silmarillion, you're most likely to struggle even more with this.
To be honest, I only wanted to read this because I read [b:Part Two|7346|The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two (The History of Middle-Earth, #2)|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320506194s/7346.jpg|6172120] some years ago and I wanted to complete the set – the stories of the Valar and the beginning of days have always been my least favourite part of The Silmarillion (a bit too Biblical). Yet here, suddenly it works for me and I'm falling in love with every single Vala I meet (except Ossë and, uh, obviously also Melko). The writing style I expected to hold me back is actually a plus here – sure, Tolkien's the type of writer that wants you to stop and smell the roses, then read a ten-page ode about them and mourn for all the lost and untold things in the world, but he writes with such beautiful imagery. At the Coming of the Valar and the Tale of the Sun and the Moon, I was near tears it was so beautiful.
Even Christopher Tolkien's commentary on each chapter is not as dense and they usually are, which can only be a plus. This is probably aided by the fact that the tales themselves are on the whole complete. Only the last tale – that concerning the arrival of the Noldoli [Noldor] out of Valinor and the awakening of the race of Man – is left incomplete, which is frustrating because if it had been completed The Book of Lost Tales, Part One could easily standalone.
I am so glad I decided to complete this because the writing of The Book of Lost Tales is so beautiful. Not only that, but this book has given me a new appreciation of the more divine side of Tolkien's mythology. Yet even so, I acknowledge that it is not the easiest or best book to read and if you're not a Tolkien enthusiast you should probably avoid.
Part One details the very beginnings of Middle-earth: the music of Ainur, the coming of the Valar, the creation and loss of the Two Trees, the waking of the Elves and their revolt under Fëanor, and the evil doings of Melkor (at this stage named Melko), ending of with the waking of Men and the return of the Noldoli [Noldor] into Middle-earth.
All of this is framed as being told to an Anglo-Saxon man, Eriol, who has washed up on the shores of Tol Eressëa and is welcomed by the Elves and told their history. Eriol is not only a framing character to the Lost Tales but is also the in-universe explanation for the existence of for the 'lost' stories presence in the modern world (the Red Book of Westmarch functions in a similar way in Rings).
It is interesting to see the beginnings of Arda, to see the seeds and roots of what was there at the very beginning and to see what has changed, gaining insight into how Middle-earth evolved in Tolkien's mind. However, it can be heavy going at times.
The typical HOME disclaimer should apply: the History of Middle-earth series is for the more hardcore Tolkien enthusiasts, dealing with Tolkien's drafts and notes. It should also be noted that The Book of Lost Tales is harder going than your typical Tolkien because the writing style is more archaic – and honestly, if you struggled with Rings, if you struggled with The Silmarillion, you're most likely to struggle even more with this.
To be honest, I only wanted to read this because I read [b:Part Two|7346|The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two (The History of Middle-Earth, #2)|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320506194s/7346.jpg|6172120] some years ago and I wanted to complete the set – the stories of the Valar and the beginning of days have always been my least favourite part of The Silmarillion (a bit too Biblical). Yet here, suddenly it works for me and I'm falling in love with every single Vala I meet (except Ossë and, uh, obviously also Melko). The writing style I expected to hold me back is actually a plus here – sure, Tolkien's the type of writer that wants you to stop and smell the roses, then read a ten-page ode about them and mourn for all the lost and untold things in the world, but he writes with such beautiful imagery. At the Coming of the Valar and the Tale of the Sun and the Moon, I was near tears it was so beautiful.
Even Christopher Tolkien's commentary on each chapter is not as dense and they usually are, which can only be a plus. This is probably aided by the fact that the tales themselves are on the whole complete. Only the last tale – that concerning the arrival of the Noldoli [Noldor] out of Valinor and the awakening of the race of Man – is left incomplete, which is frustrating because if it had been completed The Book of Lost Tales, Part One could easily standalone.
I am so glad I decided to complete this because the writing of The Book of Lost Tales is so beautiful. Not only that, but this book has given me a new appreciation of the more divine side of Tolkien's mythology. Yet even so, I acknowledge that it is not the easiest or best book to read and if you're not a Tolkien enthusiast you should probably avoid.
alexactually's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
octoberdad's review
3.0
Rating this a 3 primarily so as not to invoke Dave's ire. He's right that the tales are "turgid, tedious, and unconscionably self-indulgent." But then, he also uses "belike" in a nonsensical way.
Where I differ from him is in trying to imagine what the reviews would be in a world that didn't contain Tolkien's other published works. First of all, I shudder to think of such a world. Secondly, we don't live in that world, so what's the point in rating a book from that subjunctive point of view? Such arguments are simply attempts to justify one's own peevishness.
The Book of Lost Tales is a solid 3. No, the tales are not great, and yes sometimes they are downright terrible. But the book does precisely what it's supposed to do: Provide early, unrefined versions of stories that NEVER got to a point where Tolkien himself was comfortable publishing them. It's for the Tolkien lovers who want to delve into that minutiae. There's no reason to criticize the book simply because you're not one of those people.
Where I differ from him is in trying to imagine what the reviews would be in a world that didn't contain Tolkien's other published works. First of all, I shudder to think of such a world. Secondly, we don't live in that world, so what's the point in rating a book from that subjunctive point of view? Such arguments are simply attempts to justify one's own peevishness.
The Book of Lost Tales is a solid 3. No, the tales are not great, and yes sometimes they are downright terrible. But the book does precisely what it's supposed to do: Provide early, unrefined versions of stories that NEVER got to a point where Tolkien himself was comfortable publishing them. It's for the Tolkien lovers who want to delve into that minutiae. There's no reason to criticize the book simply because you're not one of those people.