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fatima_'s review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ameserole's review against another edition
4.0
Ever since I started reading J.R.R. Tolkiens books this month I had this strong urge to read the short stories and learn more about the "middle-earth." Now, I haven't officially read all of his books or the different series he has written that are set in the middle-earth but I still found these stories highly entertaining. I really liked how Christopher took his dads work and made it into the book of lost tales. And now after reading these I'm even more pumped to read the rest of J.R.R's books. I seriously can't wait and I'm definitely going to read the second part of these lost tales. I hope they get better!!
webjoram's review against another edition
3.0
Sigo pensando lo mismo que cuando leí por primera vez está antología de cuentos. Este es un libro para puristas del universo Tolkien. Es muy interesante como enfoco Tolkien la construcción de su cosmogonía, pero los cuentos incluidos tienen un intereses relativo para los lectores que han disfrutado de el señor de los anillos o el Hobbit.
lizshayne's review
challenging
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My goal this year is to read all 12 volumes of the history of middle earth. Also, like, other stuff. It's ALSO fascinating to me to see both JRRT's evolution in thought and Christopher's work to mediate and manage his father's ideas and legacy.
It's jsut super interesting. I'm not sure it's super interesting to people who are not very Tolkien-y but also seeing the ways that it *feels* more like mythology in these earlier stories is so cool. I'm not entirely sure how to describe it, but the way that he tells stories of tragedy and lament and...i don't know what it IS about this mode that grabs me but, well, if you're the kind of kid who read mythology anthologies cover to cover, do I have a book for you.
It's jsut super interesting. I'm not sure it's super interesting to people who are not very Tolkien-y but also seeing the ways that it *feels* more like mythology in these earlier stories is so cool. I'm not entirely sure how to describe it, but the way that he tells stories of tragedy and lament and...i don't know what it IS about this mode that grabs me but, well, if you're the kind of kid who read mythology anthologies cover to cover, do I have a book for you.
gregorso's review against another edition
4.0
The Book of Lost Tales does not only show us Tolkien's world in its early stages of development. It does much more: The text is accompanied by a very deliberate commentary by Christopher Tolkien who put great effort into presenting and explaining the various traces of thought by his father as good as possible.
For the regular reader who seeks regular Tolkien literature this is a difficult text to read at times: The commentaries disrupt the stories' flow and distance the reader from it by means of their meta-work. On the other hand do the Silmarillions contents appear much more connected here, for J.R.R. Tolkien framed them with a contextual story in which the "old tales" were embedded.
I recommend this book to everyone who
1. seeks to dive into the depths and history of Tolkien's creative work.
2. wants to experience an earlier version of the Silmarillion with many (discarded?) details that aren't present in the published form
For the regular reader who seeks regular Tolkien literature this is a difficult text to read at times: The commentaries disrupt the stories' flow and distance the reader from it by means of their meta-work. On the other hand do the Silmarillions contents appear much more connected here, for J.R.R. Tolkien framed them with a contextual story in which the "old tales" were embedded.
I recommend this book to everyone who
1. seeks to dive into the depths and history of Tolkien's creative work.
2. wants to experience an earlier version of the Silmarillion with many (discarded?) details that aren't present in the published form
pinkeyeofsauron's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
katharine_whitfield's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bones_jackson's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Gostei muito desse livro. Ele é tipo um rascunho pra O Silmarillion, mas as histórias são contadas como se fosse uma pessoa contando para a outra. A linguagem é um pouquinho complicado mas eu gosto do autor então eu não ligo muito
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Genocide, War, and Death
dorynickel's review against another edition
2.0
Not as enjoyable as Unfinished Tales for some reason, I can't put my finger on why. Loved the Cottage of Lost Play and the Tale of Sun and Moon. Loved learning about the development of the legendarium. The prose is still breathtaking, which is remarkable given that a lot of this is still from first drafts. But the disconnected stories just don't hold one's attention as well. And honestly I'm more excited for Part II, where the classic stories of Beren and Luthien, Children of Hurin, and Fall of Gondolin are all found in early states.
scarletsky's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0