Started: 15/04/20
Finished: 23/04/20
Spoliers: No
Tolkien is a literary genius. What he managed to create in a single lifetime is awe-inspiring. The depth of detail within his many stories never fails to send my head spinning. If the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings weren’t glorious enough, we have an entire history to delve into. A whole mythology, cultures, languages. Tolkien’s Middle Earth stories aren’t just books, they’re a study in creative brilliance. That one man could think up so much is truly mind-boggling. This is worth the read just to bask in the breadth of Tolkien’s talent and imagination, and an absolute must for any Tolkien enthusiasts.
As someone who found Melkor/Morgoth fascinating in the Silmarillion, it was great to read a book that focused more heavily on him during a particular period in history. He’s the ultimate villain. The baddest of the bad and the elves are definitely my favourite of Tolkien’s race. Their courage in the face of utter destruction is inspiring. They just fight, knowing it’s a lost cause and fight all the harder for it. They won’t be deterred.
It was fascinating to learn more about this story, mentioned only briefly in the Silmarillion. And it was a wonderful surprise seeing Legolas again, even if he’s mentioned only sparingly. I didn’t expect him to be in this book and it was like a warming little slice of home.
This is the first Christopher Tolkien editorial I’ve read outside of the Silmarillion. The only other one I currently own is Children of Hurin, which I plan to get to this year. So with this in mind, I didn’t expect the book to be presented this way. I assumed would be a story written in the style of Lord of the Rings, but quickly learned it reads more like the Silmarillion with commentary from Christopher Tolkien. A narrative of history written as if after the fact rather than as it happens. I’m not upset by this format, however, as it’s closer to how JRR Tolkien originally imagined it. And now I know that this is how Christopher Tolkien presents the books, I’m better prepared for the next one I read.
In a sense, the presentation of this book was quite wonderful. You can tell from the way Christopher wrote about his father and the work he created that he absolutely idolised him. He was so passionate about his father’s work and his enthusiasm for it shines through. He dedicated his entire life to piecing together the scribblings of his father’s genius and the for that I have to thank him. It’s inspiring and heart-warming to read him speak of this work like a bible and his father like a god.
This was truly a labour of love for him and his devotion radiates from the pages. I hope he was very proud of what he managed to achieve in his father’s name, and I hope JRR Tolkien would have been proud of him too.
Thank you, Christopher Tolkien, for editing so many books that the world might otherwise have never seen. And that would have been a real tragedy.
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