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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Unfinished Tales is the book that, for me, completes my readings of Middle Earth.
As any other Middle Earth book, this adds to the legendarium created by Tolkien in an amazing way. Short stories, longer stories, essays, many genres are included in this book to further develop on the tales and history of Middle Earth.
I had previously read the Children of Hurin, and its version in Unfinished Tales was, I think, my favourite. My only complaint is the entire passage in Nargothrond missing from this book which I had to read from the Silmarillion, and having to replace bits and pieces here and there to better understand this story.
I also really like the story of Aldarion and Erendis, which is another one of the more complete tales of this book.
This book is extremely valuable to better understand Tolkien's mind and creation process. His writing of Middle Earth is almost academic in itself; whereas authors tell a story of a character to tell the story of a character, Tolkien made sure that each legend was documented within Middle Earth in itself. The best example is the hiding of Gollum in Moria; nowhere is it written "this happened!" but rather "this could have happen, or maybe this", educated guesses of a chronicler writing about Middle Earth. Everything exists because there is a "proof" of it.
The details Tolkien included in his work is admirable, and creates a narration so complete Middle Earth is believable in and of itself. Not only did he create languages and their evolution, the people and their culture, but also a land, kingdoms, magic, and every single detail you could study in our world.
It is my utter belief that no author is able to replicate what Tolkien did. However passionate an author can be about their world and their book, I do not believe possible to achieve this level of devotion and minutiae in our day and age.
I would also like to aplaude Christopher's Tolkien work as an editor. Going through notes scribbled here and there, reading unrelated stories, linking them, ordering them... I can only imagine how much work this must have been. His work, almost academic, to bring up this book is amazing, and done with such care and passion that it respects entirely Tolkien's own passion for his work, and does it complete justice.
It is a definite must-read for any Middle Earth lover and, even more so if, like me, you studied Tolkien's craft in an academic way and use this knowledge to better craft your own stories. I think that's what I like best about this book, beyond the quality and enjoyment of short stories; it's academic quality.
As any other Middle Earth book, this adds to the legendarium created by Tolkien in an amazing way. Short stories, longer stories, essays, many genres are included in this book to further develop on the tales and history of Middle Earth.
I had previously read the Children of Hurin, and its version in Unfinished Tales was, I think, my favourite. My only complaint is the entire passage in Nargothrond missing from this book which I had to read from the Silmarillion, and having to replace bits and pieces here and there to better understand this story.
I also really like the story of Aldarion and Erendis, which is another one of the more complete tales of this book.
This book is extremely valuable to better understand Tolkien's mind and creation process. His writing of Middle Earth is almost academic in itself; whereas authors tell a story of a character to tell the story of a character, Tolkien made sure that each legend was documented within Middle Earth in itself. The best example is the hiding of Gollum in Moria; nowhere is it written "this happened!" but rather "this could have happen, or maybe this", educated guesses of a chronicler writing about Middle Earth. Everything exists because there is a "proof" of it.
The details Tolkien included in his work is admirable, and creates a narration so complete Middle Earth is believable in and of itself. Not only did he create languages and their evolution, the people and their culture, but also a land, kingdoms, magic, and every single detail you could study in our world.
It is my utter belief that no author is able to replicate what Tolkien did. However passionate an author can be about their world and their book, I do not believe possible to achieve this level of devotion and minutiae in our day and age.
I would also like to aplaude Christopher's Tolkien work as an editor. Going through notes scribbled here and there, reading unrelated stories, linking them, ordering them... I can only imagine how much work this must have been. His work, almost academic, to bring up this book is amazing, and done with such care and passion that it respects entirely Tolkien's own passion for his work, and does it complete justice.
It is a definite must-read for any Middle Earth lover and, even more so if, like me, you studied Tolkien's craft in an academic way and use this knowledge to better craft your own stories. I think that's what I like best about this book, beyond the quality and enjoyment of short stories; it's academic quality.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Of course I loved it, was there any doubt? One thing I really dig about it is how both J.R.R. and Christopher treat the subject matter in an academic way, as if discovering ancient writings and treating discrepancies and gaps as different traditions of legend. It's really cool. The only criticisms I have are that Christopher is not as good a writer as his father, and his tendency to through all the footnotes into a list at the end of an entry makes it difficult to read, meaning that you have to constantly flip back and forth. Other than that, it rules, naturally.
A really neat deep-dive into some of the cool stories of Middle Earth. While definitely fairly technical, I found the presentation of short stories from the various Ages of ME relatively easy and enjoyable to read. Especially looking at stories of Turin and Nienor, or Galadrial, or of how the Quest for Erebor began, quite by chance as you might say.
It was also really cool dissecting the various versions of the different stories. For instance in tales of how the Nine sought after the Ring, there were about 3 different stories written over time and each had similarities and key differences in them. It felt like reading Ancient manuscripts that had almost or even were lost and all we have are the jottings here and there of what may have happened. Much more of an engaging read than The Silmarrilion.
It was also really cool dissecting the various versions of the different stories. For instance in tales of how the Nine sought after the Ring, there were about 3 different stories written over time and each had similarities and key differences in them. It felt like reading Ancient manuscripts that had almost or even were lost and all we have are the jottings here and there of what may have happened. Much more of an engaging read than The Silmarrilion.
adventurous
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This book has several different tales in it (as you'd expect) but here are my top three:
1. Aldarion and Erendis: this entire section was a case study in why you don't date people only for looks, and it was so entertaining to read. It also contextualises a lot of what happens in Akallabeth and lets you look much deeper into Numenorian culture than in the Silmarillion. Also, poor Ancalime.
2. The Druedain/The Istari: I have to put these as a tie, because they were both so good. I felt like I was reading real folklore with the Druedain, and the council on the Istari was one of the most unintentionally hilarious part of the book, which I appreciate, even if it wasn't Jirt's intention.
3. Tuor's journey to Gondolin: really, I'm just biased with this because I love Tuor and all of the other characters that crop up here, but this really felt like the start of another Children of Hurin style deal and it's such a shame that Tolkien was never able to continue it, since it was absolutely the best.
Overall, really great reading for those of us that are perhaps already in a little to deep to Tolkien, and just want to get deeper.
1. Aldarion and Erendis: this entire section was a case study in why you don't date people only for looks, and it was so entertaining to read. It also contextualises a lot of what happens in Akallabeth and lets you look much deeper into Numenorian culture than in the Silmarillion. Also, poor Ancalime.
2. The Druedain/The Istari: I have to put these as a tie, because they were both so good. I felt like I was reading real folklore with the Druedain, and the council on the Istari was one of the most unintentionally hilarious part of the book, which I appreciate, even if it wasn't Jirt's intention.
3. Tuor's journey to Gondolin: really, I'm just biased with this because I love Tuor and all of the other characters that crop up here, but this really felt like the start of another Children of Hurin style deal and it's such a shame that Tolkien was never able to continue it, since it was absolutely the best.
Overall, really great reading for those of us that are perhaps already in a little to deep to Tolkien, and just want to get deeper.