A review by octavia_cade
The Book of Lost Tales, Part One by J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien

3.0

I enjoyed this, but I had the same issue with it as I did with volume two. (Yes, I read them backwards but I've read them both before anyway, so it doesn't really matter.) The stories themselves, even when in draft form as they often are here, are lovely. I've always liked the story of the Two Trees, and how they're destroyed and transformed, and on their own the stories would get a higher rating from me. Unfortunately they're paired with what is often an excruciatingly pedantic analysis of the history of the writing - and, credit where it's due, that analysis is painstakingly researched and no doubt invaluable for academic work. For the lay reader, however, it can be a bit of a slog.