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vulturetime's review
4.25
Morgoth's Ring includes new/more detailed content on pre-Flight of the Noldor Valinor (there is information on the Valar as well as The Laws and Customs of the Eldar which, while I definitely don't like some aspects of it, it is certainly very interesting to me). There are also contained the Annals of Aman, Andreth and Finrod's conversation, and from what I remember, some on Thingol and Melian, as well as elves in general. Personally, I do enjoy new tidbits of lore as well as more detailed stories that were either briefly mentioned or not as fleshed out in other texts, so I really enjoyed Morgoth's Ring.
saepsi's review against another edition
4.75
great for lore lovers, otherwise the athrabeth is the only thing worth reading
nwhyte's review against another edition
4.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1982337.html
Having moved through the process of revisiting the compilation of The Lord of the Rings, the History of Middle-Earth now starts into Tolkien's later working through of his mythology. I found a lot of this material very interesting and it is a shame that more of it did not find its way into the published Silmarillion, particularly the "Annals of Aman" which brings much more detail to the early days of relations between the Valar and the Elves. Tolkien also gave a lot of thought to the question of Elvish death and immortality; there's a series of reworkings of what happened to Finwë's first wife Míriel, and also a long dialogue between Finrod and an early wise-woman, Andreth (Beren's great-aunt), about these issues. There's also the series of hints about Elvish sexuality which are nicely summarised in this classic essay, and some interesting speculation about the origin of Orcs. Binding the whole thing together is the question of Morgoth/Melkor's means and motivation; the title Morgoth's Ring is supplied by Christopher Tolkien, basically to suggest that the impact Morgoth's creative power had on Middle-Earth was similar to that of Sauron on the Rings of Power - Middle-Earth itself is therefore Morgoth's Ring in a way.
It is unusual that one could say this of the tenth book in a series of twelve, but I think I would actually recommend Morgoth's Ring rather strongly to Tolkien fans who have not tried any of the History of Middle-Earth series and are interested in giving one of the volumes a try.
Having moved through the process of revisiting the compilation of The Lord of the Rings, the History of Middle-Earth now starts into Tolkien's later working through of his mythology. I found a lot of this material very interesting and it is a shame that more of it did not find its way into the published Silmarillion, particularly the "Annals of Aman" which brings much more detail to the early days of relations between the Valar and the Elves. Tolkien also gave a lot of thought to the question of Elvish death and immortality; there's a series of reworkings of what happened to Finwë's first wife Míriel, and also a long dialogue between Finrod and an early wise-woman, Andreth (Beren's great-aunt), about these issues. There's also the series of hints about Elvish sexuality which are nicely summarised in this classic essay, and some interesting speculation about the origin of Orcs. Binding the whole thing together is the question of Morgoth/Melkor's means and motivation; the title Morgoth's Ring is supplied by Christopher Tolkien, basically to suggest that the impact Morgoth's creative power had on Middle-Earth was similar to that of Sauron on the Rings of Power - Middle-Earth itself is therefore Morgoth's Ring in a way.
It is unusual that one could say this of the tenth book in a series of twelve, but I think I would actually recommend Morgoth's Ring rather strongly to Tolkien fans who have not tried any of the History of Middle-Earth series and are interested in giving one of the volumes a try.
plushiefrodo's review against another edition
5.0
Of all the books in the immense "History of Middle Earth", this is the one I recommend most. It is a virtual treasure hoard for the Tolkien enthusiast, with information on Elvish culture, including marriage traditions, naming, growth, life, death, and all the wonderfully obsolete information that you never knew you needed to know before.
It also contains one of my favorite bits of Tolkien's writing: "Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth" (The Debate of Finrod and Andreth). What do the elves believe about death, God, and their relationship with Men? Is there hope in this seemingly hopeless time and age?
"‘What then was this hope, if you know?’ Finrod asked.
‘They say,’ answered Andreth: ‘they say that the One will himself enter into Arda, and heal Men and all the Marring from the beginning to the end.’"
It also contains one of my favorite bits of Tolkien's writing: "Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth" (The Debate of Finrod and Andreth). What do the elves believe about death, God, and their relationship with Men? Is there hope in this seemingly hopeless time and age?
"‘What then was this hope, if you know?’ Finrod asked.
‘They say,’ answered Andreth: ‘they say that the One will himself enter into Arda, and heal Men and all the Marring from the beginning to the end.’"
lisa_setepenre's review against another edition
4.0
It is important to note that The History of Middle-Earth should only be attempted by fans who are happy trawling through drafts that are sometimes repetitious and contradictory. However, [b:Morgoth's Ring] has contains some intriguing information about Tolkien's mythology.
There is, for instance, a detailed essay on the laws and customs of the Eldar, which explains their ideas about marriage, death, names. This is followed up by 'The Debate of Finrod and Andreth', which contains the only known coupling of a male Elf and mortal woman – but that is the least of the revelations. It talks about the fate of man and the coming of Men into "Arda Marred". There is also a re-think on the Sun and Moon's place in Tolkien's mythology and their relation to the Two Trees, an explanation on the confusing origins of Orcs (popularly believed to be corrupted Elves) and some absolutely fascinating comparisons between the first Dark Lord, Melkor/Morgoth, and the Dark Lord of Second and Third Ages, Sauron.
There is, for instance, a detailed essay on the laws and customs of the Eldar, which explains their ideas about marriage, death, names. This is followed up by 'The Debate of Finrod and Andreth', which contains the only known coupling of a male Elf and mortal woman – but that is the least of the revelations. It talks about the fate of man and the coming of Men into "Arda Marred". There is also a re-think on the Sun and Moon's place in Tolkien's mythology and their relation to the Two Trees, an explanation on the confusing origins of Orcs (popularly believed to be corrupted Elves) and some absolutely fascinating comparisons between the first Dark Lord, Melkor/Morgoth, and the Dark Lord of Second and Third Ages, Sauron.
tklos45's review
4.0
Definitely one of the better HoME volumes. The first half is great; it's just fun to see lots of pieces of the Silmarillion come into place and reach their "final" version. (Plus the Laws and Customs of the Eldar is an absolute classic essay, containing all-important information about elf sex culture.) Then in the second half, this book gets really crazy, delving into the various ways Tolkien wanted to completely change the Silmarillion mythos to fix "plot holes" and bring it into line with a more "realistic" cosmology. It's kind of a relief he never got around to fully implementing those changes, since in my opinion he would have had to sacrifice way too much of what makes his legendarium so, well, legendary.
All in all, this book isn't as stand-alone cool as the Book of Lost Tales or anything, but it's definitely a great read and gives some really interesting context to the published Silmarillion.
All in all, this book isn't as stand-alone cool as the Book of Lost Tales or anything, but it's definitely a great read and gives some really interesting context to the published Silmarillion.
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