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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
A lovely and approachable collection of short stories by Tolkien. Particularly suitable for reading aloud to children at bedtime! A couple of the stories I might call four star rather than five but some are truly spectacular. And the inclusion of Tolkien's famous essay On Fairy Stories at the end is excellent.
Four star rating if I had read the book to myself. Narrator Derek Jacobi, who makes the Tales come alive, tipped the scale over to a 5 star rating. Would be great to listen to on a longish road trip. (Chosen for one of the 2022 G3 Reading Challenge categories.)
I really enjoyed these short stories and to get a deeper look into Tolkien's world.
Whilst I cannot say that I loved this book, I can say that reading this was such an enjoyable experience. This is my first time reading Tolkien since I was 11 (I am now 19) and it was so lovely and nostalgic to return. These stories might not have been to my taste, but I loved (as always) Tolkien's beautiful prose, the whimsy of these tales, and the witty humour that I was previously too young to appreciate.
I found most of these stories quite winding and confusion for me to follow, but this may just be down to personal taste, and there is certainly no fault with the exceptional quality of Tolkien's writing. This is a great collection to read over the winter months, and it was lovely to cosy up with Tolkien once more!
I'll provide my individual story ratings and brief thoughts below!
Roverandom = 4.5⭐️
- this was utterly bonkers and nonsensical but I absolutely loved it! Such a wild ride, felt like a fever dream, but so much fun. Slightly too childish in places for me, but so much fun
Farmer Giles of Ham = 3⭐️
- entertaining and funny, but for me just a bit too long for what it was, and I didn’t connect with the characters
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil = 2⭐️
- unfortunately, not even Tolkien can make me like poetry. I’m sure poetry enjoyers will like these, but not me. Plus, for a section titled with Tom Bombadil’s name, there was a noticeable lack of Tom Bombadil in most of these poems
I found most of these stories quite winding and confusion for me to follow, but this may just be down to personal taste, and there is certainly no fault with the exceptional quality of Tolkien's writing. This is a great collection to read over the winter months, and it was lovely to cosy up with Tolkien once more!
I'll provide my individual story ratings and brief thoughts below!
Roverandom = 4.5⭐️
- this was utterly bonkers and nonsensical but I absolutely loved it! Such a wild ride, felt like a fever dream, but so much fun. Slightly too childish in places for me, but so much fun
Farmer Giles of Ham = 3⭐️
- entertaining and funny, but for me just a bit too long for what it was, and I didn’t connect with the characters
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil = 2⭐️
- unfortunately, not even Tolkien can make me like poetry. I’m sure poetry enjoyers will like these, but not me. Plus, for a section titled with Tom Bombadil’s name, there was a noticeable lack of Tom Bombadil in most of these poems
It felt so good to read something from Tolkien again, especially when the stories in Tales from the Perilous Realm are this fascinating. I can´t really compare them to The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, as these are so much shorter - there wasn´t time to get very attached to the characters, but they do have a similar feeling to them. While reading I kept thinking how much more a younger me would have enjoyed this collection. Not that adults can´t get anything from the stories, but they are more targeted for a younger audience I think. Anyhow, my favourites were The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Smith of Wootton Major and Leaf by Niggle. Tolkien´s essay On Fairy-stories I found on the other hand quite uninteresting and dry. Also, I have to mention Alan Lees´ brilliant illustrations, they brought these tales alive.
I rather enjoyed this, except for “The Adventures of Tom Bombadil”. I’ve never cared for that character and most of Professor Tolkien’s poetry doesn’t really do it for me. The other works in the collection are all delightful.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes