Review by syliu - The Fall of Númenor: and Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth

syliu 's review for:

The Fall of Númenor: and Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth by J.R.R. Tolkien, Brian Sibley

5.0

adventurous dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

...The deeps rose beneath them in towering anger, and the waves like unto mountains moving with great caps of writhen snow bore them up amid the wreckage of the clouds, and after many days cast them away upon the shores of Middle-Earth...

Absolutely brilliant. This is a fantastically assembled, edited and annotated compilation of writing forming a consistent account (and so much narrative prose!) of the Second Age which I feel like has been missing all these years.

This time period is so essential, linking the epic mysticism of the First Age with the familiar anthropological motifs of LOTR. And there’s everything I hoped for here: the political intrigue of power hungry parties within Númenor struggling against one another, civil war, imperialism, religious fanaticism, mass surveillance and state propaganda, just to scrape the surface.

Of course, everything to do with philology does not disappoint. Adûnaic is a fascinating language, only made more interesting by its grappling with Quenya and Westron influences, and massive cultural and geographical shifts.

Also, Sauron got some of the main character moments he deserves! The contemplation of his motives, his stint in Eregion, then his full time occupation as a cult leader and political pundit. He’s a hilarious, badass, and belligerent piece of shit.

Also the concept of an originally flat Earth being made round sets the stage for Tolkien to capture a strange sense of existentialist dread: where once the world ended with a known abyss, now the world is “round, and finite, and a circle inescapable — save by death.” No matter which direction you travel you infinitely reach the same point, for “all roads are bent”.

(There were some great nihilist and anarchist moments throughout)

Like with much of Tolkien's writing, there’s few other places where you read a story spanning thousands of years, and witness the present transform into history then myth so intimately. This one belongs right beside the greats (The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthein). I also loved the use of colour, the illustrations are incredible, and I’m glad Alan Lee also visualises Sauron as a heavily armoured twink.

“Great kings do not brook denials, and take what is their due.” Then Ar-Pharazon, being besotted, and walking under the shadow of death…hearkened to Sauron; and he began to ponder in his heart how he might make war…

Content Warnings