What do you think?
Rate this book
The History of Middle-Earth #5
The Lost Road and Other Writings
This story can be found in 'The Lost Road', along with the other two versions of it. Christopher Tolkien has edited and added footnotes to that version.
455 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1987
159 people are currently reading
11217 people want to read
About the author
J.R.R. Tolkien
786 books77.3k followersJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien: writer, artist, scholar, linguist. Known to millions around the world as the author of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien spent most of his life teaching at the University of Oxford where he was a distinguished academic in the fields of Old and Middle English and Old Norse. His creativity, confined to his spare time, found its outlet in fantasy works, stories for children, poetry, illustration and invented languages and alphabets.
Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
March 22, 2016
All of the History of Middle-earth volumes that I have read thus far have been chock full of stories, details, notes, and essays that go a long way to showing the sheer scope of what Tolkien was attempting to create from his formative years up to and beyond the creation of his most famous works (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings), but in many ways this latest volume seemed to be nearly bursting at the seams. This foray through the HoME volumes has been an intriguing journey for me (and one that I’ve enjoyed far more than I would have thought) and now it would appear that the first phase of it has come to a close, for it is in _The Lost Road_ that we reach the point Tolkien had come to in the creation of his original mythology before embarking on what would be perhaps the most important, and undeniably the most famous, (though also arguably the most disruptive) stage in his career: the composition of The Lord of the Rings.
Many nerds such as myself who are intimately familiar with the legends surrounding the lives of the Inklings, that group of Oxford writers that centred around Tolkien and his friend C. S. Lewis, know the story of a discussion the two men had when they decided that there was a dearth of the kinds of mythological and heroic tales that so fueled their own imaginations and thus as Tolkien recalled Lewis saying: “if they won’t write the kind of books we want to read, we shall have to write them ourselves.” Lewis decided to write a story that centred on the intrusion of myth into the world via the vehicle of space travel, while Tolkien was to write a story in which this happened through time travel. Lewis ended up creating the ‘Space Trilogy’ (in my mind his best works of fiction), in which his philologist hero (a probable partial nod to Tolkien himself) is thrust into a wider cosmos in which the beings and wars of the mythical world are seen to be all too real. Tolkien, as was alas often the case, never ended up finishing his story, though the fragments that exist are presented in this volume and make up the first section in which we see the birth of what was to become an important element of his ever-growing and evolving history of Middle-earth: the rise (and ultimate fall) of the fabled isle of Númenor.
Like so many of the elements of Tolkien’s mythology the importance of Númenor seems to be contradicted by the relative scarcity of actual material relating to it. In his published works it is little more than a myth and legend from the distant past whose importance looms large in implication, though less so in apparent fact. Even the posthumously published The Silmarillion has relatively little to contribute on the subject. This was one reason, I think, that the stories which presented an inside look into Tolkien’s conceptions of Númenor (both in this volume and in the book Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth) are especially tantalizing to me. Amongst all of the many writings and ideas left ‘unfinished’ by Tolkien I would probably pair the isle of Númenor with his sparse tales of Tuor, Earendil and the fall of Gondolin as the ‘missed opportunities’ that most torment me. I wish he had written more, and more fully, on these topics and so what I can find on them I treasure.
_The Lost Road_ gives us some early outlines on Númenor as a concept and its eventual fall within the context of his still developing Middle-earth mythology, along with the few chapters that Tolkien actually wrote of “The Lost Road” (his proposed companion book to Lewis’) in which a father and son were to travel back in time and discover their connection not only to this mythical isle, but also to many other significant moments in history which they would vicariously experience through their previous lives. It is in these texts that ‘Sauron’ was first used as the name for the lieutenant of Morgoth and it was perhaps his important role as the key behind Númenor’s fall (along with his off-stage appearance as ‘the Necromancer’ in _The Hobbit_) that may have contributed to his pivotal role in the work which Tolkien was to begin writing soon after and which would become his magnum opus: _The Lord of the Rings_.
The second part of the text returns us to more familiar ground as we see the further evolution of Tolkien’s composition of the Silmarillion proper in the form of an updated series of annals (for both Beleriand and Valinor), a reworking of his ‘cosmogonical myth’ the Ainulindalë in which the angelic beings called the Ainur sing worldly creation into being, and ‘the Lhammas’, a text devoted to detailing the development of the languages of the elves within the fictional framework of Middle-earth (and which I found much more compelling than that description is likely to imply). Finally section two closes with a version of the ‘Quenta Silmarillion’ in which Tolkien again rewrites the entire history of the first age of Middle-earth in a somewhat compressed form…though much of the wording will be familiar to those who have read the published Silmarillion. In contrast to the first two volumes of the HoME series where even many of the familiar stories and characters were sometimes only vaguely recognizable, we now see much that is not only familiar, but often exactly corresponds to what we will see in the published Silmarillion. There seem to be relatively few elements that are yet to change and thus it is much easier to look back across the various volumes and gain a glimpse of how it was that Christopher Tolkien came up with the final text of the published Silmarillion.
The final sections of the book (part 3 and the appendices) will be of primary interest to linguists and others who want to get to the root of the work that, by his own admission, lay behind the creation of all of Tolkien’s writings and were their ultimate key: the invented elvish languages. Along with a detailed set of etymologies, there are lists of names and some details on Tolkien’s second (and final) map of the Silmarillion. There is definitely a lot to be gleaned from these pages, but I have to admit that I skimmed over most of them. Perhaps on a subsequent read I will be more attentive, but at this time it really was the story elements of the earlier portions of the book that held my interest. Again: if you are a hard-core fan then this is definitely for you, if not then why are you reading this review?
Many nerds such as myself who are intimately familiar with the legends surrounding the lives of the Inklings, that group of Oxford writers that centred around Tolkien and his friend C. S. Lewis, know the story of a discussion the two men had when they decided that there was a dearth of the kinds of mythological and heroic tales that so fueled their own imaginations and thus as Tolkien recalled Lewis saying: “if they won’t write the kind of books we want to read, we shall have to write them ourselves.” Lewis decided to write a story that centred on the intrusion of myth into the world via the vehicle of space travel, while Tolkien was to write a story in which this happened through time travel. Lewis ended up creating the ‘Space Trilogy’ (in my mind his best works of fiction), in which his philologist hero (a probable partial nod to Tolkien himself) is thrust into a wider cosmos in which the beings and wars of the mythical world are seen to be all too real. Tolkien, as was alas often the case, never ended up finishing his story, though the fragments that exist are presented in this volume and make up the first section in which we see the birth of what was to become an important element of his ever-growing and evolving history of Middle-earth: the rise (and ultimate fall) of the fabled isle of Númenor.
Like so many of the elements of Tolkien’s mythology the importance of Númenor seems to be contradicted by the relative scarcity of actual material relating to it. In his published works it is little more than a myth and legend from the distant past whose importance looms large in implication, though less so in apparent fact. Even the posthumously published The Silmarillion has relatively little to contribute on the subject. This was one reason, I think, that the stories which presented an inside look into Tolkien’s conceptions of Númenor (both in this volume and in the book Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth) are especially tantalizing to me. Amongst all of the many writings and ideas left ‘unfinished’ by Tolkien I would probably pair the isle of Númenor with his sparse tales of Tuor, Earendil and the fall of Gondolin as the ‘missed opportunities’ that most torment me. I wish he had written more, and more fully, on these topics and so what I can find on them I treasure.
_The Lost Road_ gives us some early outlines on Númenor as a concept and its eventual fall within the context of his still developing Middle-earth mythology, along with the few chapters that Tolkien actually wrote of “The Lost Road” (his proposed companion book to Lewis’) in which a father and son were to travel back in time and discover their connection not only to this mythical isle, but also to many other significant moments in history which they would vicariously experience through their previous lives. It is in these texts that ‘Sauron’ was first used as the name for the lieutenant of Morgoth and it was perhaps his important role as the key behind Númenor’s fall (along with his off-stage appearance as ‘the Necromancer’ in _The Hobbit_) that may have contributed to his pivotal role in the work which Tolkien was to begin writing soon after and which would become his magnum opus: _The Lord of the Rings_.
The second part of the text returns us to more familiar ground as we see the further evolution of Tolkien’s composition of the Silmarillion proper in the form of an updated series of annals (for both Beleriand and Valinor), a reworking of his ‘cosmogonical myth’ the Ainulindalë in which the angelic beings called the Ainur sing worldly creation into being, and ‘the Lhammas’, a text devoted to detailing the development of the languages of the elves within the fictional framework of Middle-earth (and which I found much more compelling than that description is likely to imply). Finally section two closes with a version of the ‘Quenta Silmarillion’ in which Tolkien again rewrites the entire history of the first age of Middle-earth in a somewhat compressed form…though much of the wording will be familiar to those who have read the published Silmarillion. In contrast to the first two volumes of the HoME series where even many of the familiar stories and characters were sometimes only vaguely recognizable, we now see much that is not only familiar, but often exactly corresponds to what we will see in the published Silmarillion. There seem to be relatively few elements that are yet to change and thus it is much easier to look back across the various volumes and gain a glimpse of how it was that Christopher Tolkien came up with the final text of the published Silmarillion.
The final sections of the book (part 3 and the appendices) will be of primary interest to linguists and others who want to get to the root of the work that, by his own admission, lay behind the creation of all of Tolkien’s writings and were their ultimate key: the invented elvish languages. Along with a detailed set of etymologies, there are lists of names and some details on Tolkien’s second (and final) map of the Silmarillion. There is definitely a lot to be gleaned from these pages, but I have to admit that I skimmed over most of them. Perhaps on a subsequent read I will be more attentive, but at this time it really was the story elements of the earlier portions of the book that held my interest. Again: if you are a hard-core fan then this is definitely for you, if not then why are you reading this review?
May 25, 2022
Ovom knjigom sam zavrsio poglavlje o Istoriji Srednje Zemlje vezano za Starije Dane, dolazak sila u okvire sveta i njegovo stvaranje, budjenje starije i mladje dece Iluvatarove i rat vilenjaka protiv mracnog neprijatelja sveta Melkora koga je Feanor nazvao Morgot Bauglir.
Ovaa poslednja knjiga se bavi Tolkinovom najkompletnijom (naj koegzistentnijom sto se tice redosleda dogadjaja, imena i same vizije sveta) verzijom Silmariliona kao i delom vezanim za ljudsko ostrvsko carstvo Numenor. Tolkin nam pricu o Numenoru donosi kroz prizmu putovanja kroz vreme uklapajuci je sa mitovima iz prva dva razdovlja Srednje Zemlje i Valinora.
Sledecih nekoliko knjiga dolaze mi u drugom velikom sveobuhvatnom tomu Istorije Srednje zemlje i ticu se dela Gospodar Prstenova. Radujem se i tom putovanju, mada svoje srce ostavljam sa Valarima, trima kucama ljudi koje su dosle u Belerijand preko planina kao i sa vilenjacima Koplja, Maca i Strele, a pogotovo sa izgnanim Noldorima.
Ovaa poslednja knjiga se bavi Tolkinovom najkompletnijom (naj koegzistentnijom sto se tice redosleda dogadjaja, imena i same vizije sveta) verzijom Silmariliona kao i delom vezanim za ljudsko ostrvsko carstvo Numenor. Tolkin nam pricu o Numenoru donosi kroz prizmu putovanja kroz vreme uklapajuci je sa mitovima iz prva dva razdovlja Srednje Zemlje i Valinora.
Sledecih nekoliko knjiga dolaze mi u drugom velikom sveobuhvatnom tomu Istorije Srednje zemlje i ticu se dela Gospodar Prstenova. Radujem se i tom putovanju, mada svoje srce ostavljam sa Valarima, trima kucama ljudi koje su dosle u Belerijand preko planina kao i sa vilenjacima Koplja, Maca i Strele, a pogotovo sa izgnanim Noldorima.
March 19, 2025
While most of this text in this volume is like the other works within The History of Middle-Earth, (namely pretty dry historical information and stories that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote to give his world depth), the unfinished story The Lost Road itself is quite different. Although only a few chapters from this time travel story remain, and they were a polished set of chapters that began a compelling story. It's too bad Tolkien abandoned the project as it was a tie-in from our world to Middle-Earth that I'm sure would have been a very interesting completed story.
March 8, 2009
More unfinished writing of Middle-Earth. Very little of it is entirely new material, but instead is revisions of earlier writings. This needs to be read after the previous volumes of the HoME as very few of the stories are complete enough to give a full or even followable idea of the history. If not for the fact that it was written by Tolkien, I might give this four stars as it was very slow at times, but there are some parts that are real gems so I will leave it at five stars. Not for the casual reader!
February 23, 2021
The History of Middle-earth series are only recommended for hardcore Tolkien fans. This installment is no exception. A beautiful insight in the mind of professor Tolkien, but can be a little boring sometimes. As you would expect not everything he writes can be of epic adventures like the Lord of the Rings trilogy or the Hobbit. This part answers some questions from before the time of the LOTR.
September 27, 2020
El Camino Perdido y Otros Relatos.- J.R.R. Tolkien
"Sus voces llenan los valles bajos
dónde al alentar sobre el prado y el espino
los vientos soplan más allá del filo del mundo
y despiertan la llama de un fuego errante"
Está nueva entrega de La Historia De La Tierra Media editada por Christopher Tolkien incluye nuevas versiones de Los Anales de Valinor y de Beleriand; Ainulindalë un relato sobre la música de los Ainur; La Lhammas un estudio de las lenguas de la Tierra Media; una versión casi completa del Quenta Silmarillion enviada a sus editores previa a la escritura de El Señor De Los Anillos y El relato que da título a la antología, El Camino Perdido, un relato abandonado une La Tierra Media con leyendas de otras regiones; por último, se incluye las Etimologías, un extenso tratado sobre las lenguas élficas
El relato inconcluso El Camino Perdido, nació como un desafío entre Tolkien y su amigo C.S. Lewis, uno tenía que escribir sobre un viaje espacial y el otro sobre un viaje temporal. De este desafío surgió Out Of The Silent Planet de Lewis. La idea de Tolkien era escribir sobre un padre y su hijo apareciendo en distintas épocas, hasta llegar incluso a la Atlántida De este relato inconcluso surge luego La Caída De Numenor incluída en El Silmarillion. De este relato es muy interesante todo lo que se cuenta sobre Sauron y cómo influyó en los numeroneanos.
También es para destacar la versión que se incluye del Quenta Silmarillion, previa a la revisión que tuvo posterior a la publicación de El Señor De Los Anillos. Por supuesto son fundamentales las notas y análisis de Christopher sobre los escritos de su padre, ayudándonos a recorrer el camino lleno de reescrituras que tuvo la obra más querida por su padre y que no pudo ver publicada en vida.
🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
"Sus voces llenan los valles bajos
dónde al alentar sobre el prado y el espino
los vientos soplan más allá del filo del mundo
y despiertan la llama de un fuego errante"
Está nueva entrega de La Historia De La Tierra Media editada por Christopher Tolkien incluye nuevas versiones de Los Anales de Valinor y de Beleriand; Ainulindalë un relato sobre la música de los Ainur; La Lhammas un estudio de las lenguas de la Tierra Media; una versión casi completa del Quenta Silmarillion enviada a sus editores previa a la escritura de El Señor De Los Anillos y El relato que da título a la antología, El Camino Perdido, un relato abandonado une La Tierra Media con leyendas de otras regiones; por último, se incluye las Etimologías, un extenso tratado sobre las lenguas élficas
El relato inconcluso El Camino Perdido, nació como un desafío entre Tolkien y su amigo C.S. Lewis, uno tenía que escribir sobre un viaje espacial y el otro sobre un viaje temporal. De este desafío surgió Out Of The Silent Planet de Lewis. La idea de Tolkien era escribir sobre un padre y su hijo apareciendo en distintas épocas, hasta llegar incluso a la Atlántida De este relato inconcluso surge luego La Caída De Numenor incluída en El Silmarillion. De este relato es muy interesante todo lo que se cuenta sobre Sauron y cómo influyó en los numeroneanos.
También es para destacar la versión que se incluye del Quenta Silmarillion, previa a la revisión que tuvo posterior a la publicación de El Señor De Los Anillos. Por supuesto son fundamentales las notas y análisis de Christopher sobre los escritos de su padre, ayudándonos a recorrer el camino lleno de reescrituras que tuvo la obra más querida por su padre y que no pudo ver publicada en vida.
🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
May 30, 2021
The final book about the early pre-LOTR writings of The Silmarillion sees a return to Tolkien's earlier conception of a man from England finding himself in Valinor, only this time via dreaming-induced time travel. It was rather humorous to see Tolkien himself using the guy/girl falls into Middle-earth trope before it became a thing in fanfic. It still weirds me out seeing our world and Middle-earth collide. Yes, they've always been the same world, but Middle-earth is well before our recorded history so it's easier to keep a distance from it and imagine it as elsewhere. And I've always known Tolkien envisioned The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion as being translated by a modern(ish) man who found the Thain's book, but I never would have imagined it as a man stumbling on the Straight Road and coming to Tol Erreseä.
This also provides the etymologies if you really want to learn Elvish (I don't, lol, but this would've been helpful in my fanfic writing days), and the Quenta Silmarillion, Tolkien's last attempt at the Sil prior to writing LOTR. There are a couple of corrections to "Of Beren and Luthien" that didn't make it into the published Silmarillion. It's a minor detail about Luthien being half-Maiar that allowed her to make the choice she makes in staying with Beren, so more of a clarification than something actually needed as I think it's easy enough to make that connection without it.
This has been an interesting journey, but I am glad that it's time to move onto the Histories of LOTR.
This also provides the etymologies if you really want to learn Elvish (I don't, lol, but this would've been helpful in my fanfic writing days), and the Quenta Silmarillion, Tolkien's last attempt at the Sil prior to writing LOTR. There are a couple of corrections to "Of Beren and Luthien" that didn't make it into the published Silmarillion. It's a minor detail about Luthien being half-Maiar that allowed her to make the choice she makes in staying with Beren, so more of a clarification than something actually needed as I think it's easy enough to make that connection without it.
This has been an interesting journey, but I am glad that it's time to move onto the Histories of LOTR.
Read
August 8, 2022
χρόνος ανάγνωσης κριτικής: 58 δευτερόλεπτα
Αν με τον προηγούμενο τόμο ένιωσα σαν Σίσυφος όπου κάθε εκδοχή της ιστορίας ήταν σαν το κουβάλημα του βράχου στη κορυφή του βουνού, με αυτόν ένιωσα σαν Προμηθέας, κάθε εκδοχή που διάβαζα ήταν λες και κάποιος αετός μου έτρωγε το συκώτι.
Με εξαίρεση την ημιτελή ιστορία Ο Χαμένος Δρόμος που έχει στοιχεία ταξιδιού στον χρόνο τα υπόλοιπα τα ξαναδιάβασα.
Δύο εκδοχές της Πτώσης του Νούμενορ, διότι μια δεν μας φτάνει, οι 2ες εκδοχές των χρονικών του Βάλινορ και του Μπελέριαντ, η 4η εκδοχή του Σιλμαρίλλιον η οποία περιέχει την 5η εκδοχή των Παιδιών του Χούριν και του Μπέρεν και Λούθιεν. Και φυσικά το ετυμολογικό λεξικό των ξωτικών γλωσσών 60 σελίδων το οποίο και φυσικά δεν διάβασα. Όσο μαζόχα και να ‘μαι τέτοιο πράμα δεν κάνω. Εδώ καθηγητής αγγλικών και δεν διάβασα ποτέ ολόκληρο ετυμολογικό αγγλικό λεξικό, θα διαβάσω των ξωτικών;
Φυσικά υπήρχε και ένα κεφάλαιο στις γλώσσες της Μέσης Γης που δεν φτάνει που ήταν δυσνόητο, η εξονυχιστική ανάλυση του Κρίστοφερ Τόλκιν το έκανε ακόμη χειρότερο.
Χαίρομαι όμως που ξεμπέρδεψα με αυτό το βιβλίο και δε θα ξανασχοληθώ με την Πρώτη Εποχή πριν τον Οκτώβριο, καθώς οι επόμενοι 4 τόμοι ασχολούνται με τον Άρχοντα των Δαχτυλιδιών και την Τρίτη Επόχη.
Και φυσικά μπορώ πλέον να πω με βεβαιότητα ότι αν έχεις διαβάσει Άρχοντα και Σιλμαρίλλιον έχεις διαβάσει το 70% της δωδεκάτομης Ιστορίας της Μέσης Γης. Αν έχεις διαβάσει και τα βιβλία Τα Παιδιά του Χούριν, Μπέρεν και Λούθιεν, και Η Πτώση της Γκόντολιν, έχεις διαβάσει το 80% της Ιστορίας.
Με άλλα λόγια εκτός και αν είστε μελετητές του Τόλκιν ή μαζόχες όπως εγώ δεν σας συστήνω αυτό το εγχείρημα. Εξάλλου δεν έχει μεταφραστεί ποτέ και στα ελληνικά.
December 30, 2007
This book is about the history of Middle Earth, from the Akallabeth(The Drowning of Numenor) towards the First Age(which ended with the defeat of Morgoth, and destruction of Beleriand).
To simplify, its the history of Middle-Earth before the time of Lord of the Rings. It is about how the Dark Lord Sauron came to be, and how Men and Elves came to Middle-Earth.
For history and LOTR buffs, it's a good read. It answers questions that LOTR left hanging.
To simplify, its the history of Middle-Earth before the time of Lord of the Rings. It is about how the Dark Lord Sauron came to be, and how Men and Elves came to Middle-Earth.
For history and LOTR buffs, it's a good read. It answers questions that LOTR left hanging.
May 23, 2018
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1785921.html
Getting to the end of the books about how the Silmarillion was (and wasn't) written now, this volume includes several interesting insights into how Tolkien's works reached us. At the core is the rather slim pickings of The Lost Road, the time travel novel which Tolkien began at around the same time C.S. Lewis began his Ransome trilogy. Tolkien abandoned it, and it wasn't really going in the right direction; what we have here is too episodic to be coherent, and in particular, the framing narrative has a set of slightly odd father-son dynamics going on - Tolkien's own parents were absent, largely through being dead, and the same is true of most of his more successful characters (Bilbo's parents are never heard of, he in turn abandons Frodo in the first chapter of LotR, Húrin is a distant captive while his son and daughter fall in love with each other) though there are exceptions (mostly father-figures who are over-controlling - Théoden, Denethor, Thingol).
The importance of father-son dynamics extends also to the making of this book, and I was particularly interested in a passage on page 302 where Christopher Tolkien expresses his regrets that the Silmarillion as originally published was not better; he reflects on the role played by Guy Gavriel Kay in assembling the texts but in the end takes full responsibility for it himself. I was not surprised to read that the story he feels was worst served is the tale of Beren and Lúthien.
There's also a lot of meaty material on the languages - an essay called the Lhammas and a set of Elvish etymologies, which brought home to me that for Tolkien his invented structure was much more than just Quenya and Sindarin, it also included half a dozen other languages spoken by different branches of the Elves, barely mentioned in the stories. I have dabbled enough in philology to sense the uniqueness of this achievement - very few sf or fantasy writers come anywhere near Tolkien's level of detail in his invented names and words, and some (eg Robert Jordan) are so bad at it that it's painful.
Apart from that, we have the Fall of Númenor, and yet another rehash of the main text of the Silmarillion. I am looking forward to the next volume which is about the early versions of LotR.
Getting to the end of the books about how the Silmarillion was (and wasn't) written now, this volume includes several interesting insights into how Tolkien's works reached us. At the core is the rather slim pickings of The Lost Road, the time travel novel which Tolkien began at around the same time C.S. Lewis began his Ransome trilogy. Tolkien abandoned it, and it wasn't really going in the right direction; what we have here is too episodic to be coherent, and in particular, the framing narrative has a set of slightly odd father-son dynamics going on - Tolkien's own parents were absent, largely through being dead, and the same is true of most of his more successful characters (Bilbo's parents are never heard of, he in turn abandons Frodo in the first chapter of LotR, Húrin is a distant captive while his son and daughter fall in love with each other) though there are exceptions (mostly father-figures who are over-controlling - Théoden, Denethor, Thingol).
The importance of father-son dynamics extends also to the making of this book, and I was particularly interested in a passage on page 302 where Christopher Tolkien expresses his regrets that the Silmarillion as originally published was not better; he reflects on the role played by Guy Gavriel Kay in assembling the texts but in the end takes full responsibility for it himself. I was not surprised to read that the story he feels was worst served is the tale of Beren and Lúthien.
There's also a lot of meaty material on the languages - an essay called the Lhammas and a set of Elvish etymologies, which brought home to me that for Tolkien his invented structure was much more than just Quenya and Sindarin, it also included half a dozen other languages spoken by different branches of the Elves, barely mentioned in the stories. I have dabbled enough in philology to sense the uniqueness of this achievement - very few sf or fantasy writers come anywhere near Tolkien's level of detail in his invented names and words, and some (eg Robert Jordan) are so bad at it that it's painful.
Apart from that, we have the Fall of Númenor, and yet another rehash of the main text of the Silmarillion. I am looking forward to the next volume which is about the early versions of LotR.
January 20, 2018
Precisely - 4.5 stars, for great deal of this 455 pages long manuscript is about creation and derivation of Elvish languages (Lhammas), their etymologies and genealogies, that I do not fancy much. But, the early version of the Númenorian annals where Valar were much involved in the plot (contrariwise to both official version of "The Silmarillion" and "Unfinished Tales"), along with Sauron's impact on story-line as well as Aelfwinas's song written in the old English poem "Pearl" fashion I fancied much. The second part is dedicated to later annals of Valinor and Beleriand, and gives insight in step-by-step development of the stories from The Silmarillion, but I found it somewhat tedious and redundant.
December 15, 2024
Utracona droga i inne pisma, zredagowane przez niezawodnego Christophera Tolkiena, to już piąty tom Historii Śródziemia i kolejna prawdziwa perełka dla fanów J.R.R. Tolkiena. Tym razem możemy bliżej przyjrzeć się historii powstawania Władca Pierścieni.
Podróż w czasie i inne.
Standardowo nie będę Wam streszczać pism i innych historii zawartych w piątej odsłonie Historii Śródziemia J.R.R. Tolkiena, ale pozostawię tu tylko ich tytuły:
CZĘŚĆ PIERWSZA
UPADEK NUMENORU I UTRACONA DROGA
Wczesne dzieje pewnej legendy.
Upadek Numenoru.
Utracona droga.
CZĘŚĆ DRUGA
VALINOR I ŚRÓDZIEMIE PRZED WŁADCĄ PIERŚCIENI
Teksty i relacje między nimi.
Późniejsze Kroniki Valinoru.
Późniejsze Kroniki Beleriandu.
Ainulindale.
Lhammas.
Quenta Silmarillion.
CZĘŚĆ TRZECIA
ETYMOLOGIE
A Władca Pierścieni powstawał tak. ;)
Nie da się ukryć, że piąty tom Historii Śródziemia to wyjątkowa gratka dla miłośników twórczości Tolkiena.
Wszystko przez to, iż w Utraconej drodze ponownie zanurzamy się w fascynujący proces twórczy mistrza, odkrywamy teksty takie jak Upadek Númenoru czy analizy języków Śródziemia. Niezwykle interesującym elementem jest tytułowa opowieść – efekt literackiego zakładu Tolkiena z C.S. Lewisem, gdzie autor eksploruje wątek podróży w czasie, ukazując zupełnie nowe oblicze swojej twórczości.
Czytając Utraconą drogę i inne pisma nie sposób zapomnieć o Christopherze Tolkienie, który ponownie odwalił kawał dobrej roboty, zbierając te wszystkie te szkice i fragmenty refleksji swojego rodziciela, dzięki czemu, my maluczcy możemy śledzić nie tylko proces twórczy, ale także myślowy wielkiego mistrza.
Dalej pochwała należy się również Wydawnictwu Zysk i Sk-a, za wspaniałą oprawę graficzną i wysoką jakością tłumaczenia całej Historii Śródziemia.
Na koniec – uczciwie trzeba powiedzieć: Utracona droga to nie jest lekka lektura na dwa wieczory. To wymagająca książka, która daje wiele satysfakcji, zwłaszcza jeśli chcecie głębiej zrozumieć bogactwo i tajemnice Śródziemia.
Zdecydowanie polecam każdemu, kto kocha fantastykę i magię literackiego geniuszu Tolkiena!
https://unserious.pl/2024/12/utracona...
Podróż w czasie i inne.
Standardowo nie będę Wam streszczać pism i innych historii zawartych w piątej odsłonie Historii Śródziemia J.R.R. Tolkiena, ale pozostawię tu tylko ich tytuły:
CZĘŚĆ PIERWSZA
UPADEK NUMENORU I UTRACONA DROGA
Wczesne dzieje pewnej legendy.
Upadek Numenoru.
Utracona droga.
CZĘŚĆ DRUGA
VALINOR I ŚRÓDZIEMIE PRZED WŁADCĄ PIERŚCIENI
Teksty i relacje między nimi.
Późniejsze Kroniki Valinoru.
Późniejsze Kroniki Beleriandu.
Ainulindale.
Lhammas.
Quenta Silmarillion.
CZĘŚĆ TRZECIA
ETYMOLOGIE
A Władca Pierścieni powstawał tak. ;)
Nie da się ukryć, że piąty tom Historii Śródziemia to wyjątkowa gratka dla miłośników twórczości Tolkiena.
Wszystko przez to, iż w Utraconej drodze ponownie zanurzamy się w fascynujący proces twórczy mistrza, odkrywamy teksty takie jak Upadek Númenoru czy analizy języków Śródziemia. Niezwykle interesującym elementem jest tytułowa opowieść – efekt literackiego zakładu Tolkiena z C.S. Lewisem, gdzie autor eksploruje wątek podróży w czasie, ukazując zupełnie nowe oblicze swojej twórczości.
Czytając Utraconą drogę i inne pisma nie sposób zapomnieć o Christopherze Tolkienie, który ponownie odwalił kawał dobrej roboty, zbierając te wszystkie te szkice i fragmenty refleksji swojego rodziciela, dzięki czemu, my maluczcy możemy śledzić nie tylko proces twórczy, ale także myślowy wielkiego mistrza.
Dalej pochwała należy się również Wydawnictwu Zysk i Sk-a, za wspaniałą oprawę graficzną i wysoką jakością tłumaczenia całej Historii Śródziemia.
Na koniec – uczciwie trzeba powiedzieć: Utracona droga to nie jest lekka lektura na dwa wieczory. To wymagająca książka, która daje wiele satysfakcji, zwłaszcza jeśli chcecie głębiej zrozumieć bogactwo i tajemnice Śródziemia.
Zdecydowanie polecam każdemu, kto kocha fantastykę i magię literackiego geniuszu Tolkiena!
https://unserious.pl/2024/12/utracona...
November 24, 2013
I am slowly plugging my way through the History of Middle Earth series. I liked reading this volume more than some of the other ones.
It contains a story called "The Lost Road" that is about a contemporary father and son who are transported back to Númenor because they are descendants who start "remembering" the ancient language. Tolkien never finished it, but it's a neat oblique story.
It also contains another draft of the Quenta Silmarillion, and now that I know more about the history of Tolkien's cosmology, a lot of this stuff made more sense than when I read the earlier volumes.
In addition there are writings about the languages and some maps. Admittedly I skimmed through the etymology section.
Well, five down, seven to go!
It contains a story called "The Lost Road" that is about a contemporary father and son who are transported back to Númenor because they are descendants who start "remembering" the ancient language. Tolkien never finished it, but it's a neat oblique story.
It also contains another draft of the Quenta Silmarillion, and now that I know more about the history of Tolkien's cosmology, a lot of this stuff made more sense than when I read the earlier volumes.
In addition there are writings about the languages and some maps. Admittedly I skimmed through the etymology section.
Well, five down, seven to go!
December 15, 2011
A little less engaging that the other Histories I've read thus far. Looking forward to the 5th in the series, followed quickly (I hope) by the 6th, which takes up the behind the scenes tale at the point in Tolkien's life when he begins the Lord of the Rings. Recommend this one only for the die hard or the scholar.
I wrote about the experience of reading all 12 of these volumes here: http://soundscryer.com/2011/06/13/chr... (part 1) and here: http://soundscryer.com/2011/12/02/chr... (part 2). Much more detail about the series in those two pieces.
I wrote about the experience of reading all 12 of these volumes here: http://soundscryer.com/2011/06/13/chr... (part 1) and here: http://soundscryer.com/2011/12/02/chr... (part 2). Much more detail about the series in those two pieces.
October 3, 2023
History of Middle-Earth volume 5: The Lost Road and Other Writings. This volume brings new developments of "Fall of Numenor" and "The Lost Road", which was Tolkien's attempt at writing a time travelling story with reincarnation elements (he has a bet with C.S. Lewis about each of them attempting a type of time travelling story). Other new elements are "The Lammas" (account of the tongues) and "The Etymologies", which is elvish vocabulary. Overall, another excellent edition to the Histories. A series that goes into depth about the development of Middle-Earth.
August 30, 2018
Again I am reminded, how lucky his son is and in fact we are, that Tolkien lived and worked in the time he did, no computers and often when paper was scarce. Without those two facts there would be very little creative process to unearth. As it was, much of it survived, written on the backs of other dates letters and material, and thanks to the time and dedication of his son, made available to us. It truly is an amazing snapshot of an author creating a complex world.
October 15, 2012
For an in-depth look at the history of Middle Earth from start to finish, this is the fifth one to read in "The History of Middle Earth" series of books, edited by Christopher Tolkien. An interesting look into Tolkien's creative genius at work! :-)
Want to read
February 21, 2023"And it seemed to men that Sauron was great; though they feared the light of his eyes. To many he appeared fair, to others terrible; but to some evil."
I'm hurting that these two sentences didn't make the cut in The Silmarillion, because they're epic.
I'm hurting that these two sentences didn't make the cut in The Silmarillion, because they're epic.
September 3, 2008
Only mildly interesting from a literary history virepoint. Hardly the "last chapter" of anything, except maybe Christopher's efforts to peddle on his father's name.
April 12, 2023
More textual archaeology here by Christopher Tolkien. This is where the mythology really starts taking on the characteristics of what ultimately got published and is better known.
December 31, 2022
The last of the pre-Lord of the Rings era History of Middle-Earth volumes is now complete! As with volume 4, this one lacks a hook to distinguish it beyond “more Silmarillion drafts.” It does include a smattering of 2nd age material, but it is lightweight at best and plays more with the failed Aelfwine concept that Tolkien just will not give up.
And that’s part of the problem that I’m noticing over the course of all of these drafts: Tolkien just doesn’t know when to let something go. He has some of the most brilliant ideas at play, but gets caught on the minutiae and just can’t move on. His greatest strength is also his biggest weakness. Consider how many variations of the myth of the sun and moon we’ve read versus the fall of Gondolin. Or how often the map of 1st age Middle Earth has been slightly shuffled versus the tellings of the journeys of Earendil. He continues to restart the drafts at the beginning, gets caught in the weeds partway through, then abandons the whole project before it is done, and starts the whole process anew.
Whenever the book hits its moments of pure storytelling, things absolutely sing. But whenever we get caught in the slog of figuring out who was located where on a map and why that river needs an extra tributary for the 5,000 time, things ground to a halt. And I cannot really blame Tolkien for that. These are drafts in unfinished form, not meant for our consumption. We are reading them to see the process and development, knowing that they’re in a developmental state. And, with that in mind, there are still plenty of fun twists and turns along the way and new revelations to be found.
All in all, a mixed read, but if you’re in this deep, one worth continuing through.
And that’s part of the problem that I’m noticing over the course of all of these drafts: Tolkien just doesn’t know when to let something go. He has some of the most brilliant ideas at play, but gets caught on the minutiae and just can’t move on. His greatest strength is also his biggest weakness. Consider how many variations of the myth of the sun and moon we’ve read versus the fall of Gondolin. Or how often the map of 1st age Middle Earth has been slightly shuffled versus the tellings of the journeys of Earendil. He continues to restart the drafts at the beginning, gets caught in the weeds partway through, then abandons the whole project before it is done, and starts the whole process anew.
Whenever the book hits its moments of pure storytelling, things absolutely sing. But whenever we get caught in the slog of figuring out who was located where on a map and why that river needs an extra tributary for the 5,000 time, things ground to a halt. And I cannot really blame Tolkien for that. These are drafts in unfinished form, not meant for our consumption. We are reading them to see the process and development, knowing that they’re in a developmental state. And, with that in mind, there are still plenty of fun twists and turns along the way and new revelations to be found.
All in all, a mixed read, but if you’re in this deep, one worth continuing through.
January 24, 2018
4.5*
No me creo ni yo que haya terminado este libro tan rápido. Creo que en parte se debe a que soy una lectora más madura actualmente que cuando empecé la saga y, de la misma manera, el haber leído ya varios volúmenes de la Historia de la Tierra Media hace que sea más sencilla su lectura ya que no partimos de cero. A todo esto podemos sumarle que tengo insomnio desde hace demasiados días y por tanto leo bastante.
Una vez más considero que Christopher Tolkien hace una grandísima labor aportándonos todo lo que su padre tenía en la cabeza, es decir, por traernos la Tierra Media en toda su descripción. Sin embargo, he de reconocer que siguen resultándome pesadas algunas de las partes en la que comenta los textos ya que considero que se extiende demasiado. Pero, más allá de ello, este es el primer volumen que de verdad he disfrutado desde la primera hasta la última hoja.
No me creo ni yo que haya terminado este libro tan rápido. Creo que en parte se debe a que soy una lectora más madura actualmente que cuando empecé la saga y, de la misma manera, el haber leído ya varios volúmenes de la Historia de la Tierra Media hace que sea más sencilla su lectura ya que no partimos de cero. A todo esto podemos sumarle que tengo insomnio desde hace demasiados días y por tanto leo bastante.
Una vez más considero que Christopher Tolkien hace una grandísima labor aportándonos todo lo que su padre tenía en la cabeza, es decir, por traernos la Tierra Media en toda su descripción. Sin embargo, he de reconocer que siguen resultándome pesadas algunas de las partes en la que comenta los textos ya que considero que se extiende demasiado. Pero, más allá de ello, este es el primer volumen que de verdad he disfrutado desde la primera hasta la última hoja.
October 9, 2022
Nagyon érdekes Az elveszett út: szokatlan Tolkientől a modern korban játszódó történetet olvasni, pláne amiben a főszereplő ilyen egyértelműen önéletrajzi ihletésű. A számtalanszor olvasott Szilmarilok-történeteket sem tudom megunni, hiába olvasom a sokadik töredékes verziót belőlük. A nyelvekkel foglalkozó fejezet már azért engem is próbára tett, ahogy a szöveget sűrűn megszakító kommentárok sem éppen könnyed olvasmányok, hogy az Etimológiák fejezetről már ne is beszéljünk (utóbbit át is ugrottam, ez tényleg kutatóknak való) - viszont mindezek újabb és újabb bizonyítékai, milyen hihetetlen munkát végzett Christopher apja életművének rendezésekor és közrebocsátásakor. Szinte érthetetlen, hogy volt képes így átlátni az egészet.
A szöveganyag összetettsége a fordítót és a szerkesztőket is hatalmas munka elé állította, le a kalappal előttük és a MTT szakértői, lektorai előtt is.
A szöveganyag összetettsége a fordítót és a szerkesztőket is hatalmas munka elé állította, le a kalappal előttük és a MTT szakértői, lektorai előtt is.
September 29, 2023
GOD..... FINALLY
Ok my bad experience with this book is probably my own fault, this is book 5 of an older set of publications chronicling a bunch of Tolkien's early drafts and amendations, had I done a bit more research I could have saved myself a lot of headaches.
HOWEVER..... I think this book's structure sets readers up for attention span failure. Unless you're a true Tolkien academic (which unfortunately I am not) the pure density and lack of explanation for a lot of content is horrific. Unlike later publications like Beren and Luthien or The Children of Hurin which hyper focus on stories Tolkien spent more time developing, The Lost Road as a collection of writing CRAMS in as much as humanly possible. It leapfrogs between so many stories it's somehow a slog to get through despite so much interesting material. Which is unfortunate since the concept of Tolkien's "lost road" is incredibly cool, wish I had a more concise explanation of it's conception and development.
Ok my bad experience with this book is probably my own fault, this is book 5 of an older set of publications chronicling a bunch of Tolkien's early drafts and amendations, had I done a bit more research I could have saved myself a lot of headaches.
HOWEVER..... I think this book's structure sets readers up for attention span failure. Unless you're a true Tolkien academic (which unfortunately I am not) the pure density and lack of explanation for a lot of content is horrific. Unlike later publications like Beren and Luthien or The Children of Hurin which hyper focus on stories Tolkien spent more time developing, The Lost Road as a collection of writing CRAMS in as much as humanly possible. It leapfrogs between so many stories it's somehow a slog to get through despite so much interesting material. Which is unfortunate since the concept of Tolkien's "lost road" is incredibly cool, wish I had a more concise explanation of it's conception and development.
November 4, 2024
HISTORIA ŚRÓDZIEMIA to najwspanialszy prezent jaki mogło Wydawnictwo Zysk i S-ka podarować czytelnikom, nie tylko fanom TOLKIENA, ale ogólnie WSZYSTKIM, ponieważ każdy może się łatwo przekonać, że świat, który stworzył ten piękny umysł jest nie tylko wspaniały, ale i potężny. Pisarz skonstruował szczegółowy, przemyślany, odrębny wymiar, do którego ja zawsze z radością, niecierpliwością i podziwem wkraczam. Nowe odsłony tej potęgi słowa sprawiają mi nieopisaną przyjemność i nieustannie zachwycam się metaforycznym wydźwiękiem każdego pojedynczego wyrazu.
TOM 5, czyli UTRACONA DROGA I INNE PISMA, to kolejny rozdział podróży wgłąb umysłu mistrza pióra. Jego absolutnie cudowny syn, który już nie może stać na straży twórczości ojca, Christopher Tolkien - wykonał tytaniczną pracę przy tym cyklu. Zebrał całą, domyślam się, że nie zawsze poukładaną - pracę J.R.R. TOKIEN'a - i stworzył HISTORIĘ ŚRÓDZIEMIA, która pokazuje skomplikowany, pracochłonny proces twórczy... ogrom wysiłku zaowocował wyjątkową spuścizną dla następnych pokoleń... pokoleń czytelników i pisarzy.
W tym konkretnym tomie odnajdziemy UPADEK NUMENORU i UTRACONĄ DROGĘ, VALINOR i ŚRÓDZIEMIE przed WŁADCĄ PIERŚCIENI oraz (moja ulubiona część) ETYMOLOGIE, czyli nieustający zachwyt nad słowem! Coś absolutnie wyjątkowego!
Oczywiście nie sposób tej książki przeczytać na jednym posiedzeniu. To raczej cykl, który podczytuje się fragmentami. Ja wybieram to, co aktualnie mnie zajmuje i poświęcam skrawek dnia na podziw dla niegasnącego talentu TOLKIENA i niezmierzonej pracowitości i rzetelności jego syna. TOM 5 został przetłumaczony 0 w moim odczuciu DOSKONALE - przez Ryszarda Derdzińskiego "Galadhorna", zaś wiersze przełożyła Katarzyna Staniewska "Elring". Wielkie brawa i podziękowania!
Cała seria wydana jest obłędnie! Nie mogę się napatrzeć na piękno okładek. Każda następna lepsza od poprzedniej, ale najlepszej nie sposób wyłonić - bo każda wspaniała. Michał Krawczyk, to niesamowicie utalentowany artysta i obraz na TOMIE 5 prezentuje się zjawiskowo! Ogromnie polecam każdemu wszystko, co tylko dotyczy TOLKIEN'a, a Zysk i S-ka, to gigant w wydawaniu dzieł tego pisarza!
słowo jest potężne
Historia Śródziemia
tom 5
Wydawnictwo Zysk i S-ka
egzemplarz recenzencki
TOM 5, czyli UTRACONA DROGA I INNE PISMA, to kolejny rozdział podróży wgłąb umysłu mistrza pióra. Jego absolutnie cudowny syn, który już nie może stać na straży twórczości ojca, Christopher Tolkien - wykonał tytaniczną pracę przy tym cyklu. Zebrał całą, domyślam się, że nie zawsze poukładaną - pracę J.R.R. TOKIEN'a - i stworzył HISTORIĘ ŚRÓDZIEMIA, która pokazuje skomplikowany, pracochłonny proces twórczy... ogrom wysiłku zaowocował wyjątkową spuścizną dla następnych pokoleń... pokoleń czytelników i pisarzy.
W tym konkretnym tomie odnajdziemy UPADEK NUMENORU i UTRACONĄ DROGĘ, VALINOR i ŚRÓDZIEMIE przed WŁADCĄ PIERŚCIENI oraz (moja ulubiona część) ETYMOLOGIE, czyli nieustający zachwyt nad słowem! Coś absolutnie wyjątkowego!
Oczywiście nie sposób tej książki przeczytać na jednym posiedzeniu. To raczej cykl, który podczytuje się fragmentami. Ja wybieram to, co aktualnie mnie zajmuje i poświęcam skrawek dnia na podziw dla niegasnącego talentu TOLKIENA i niezmierzonej pracowitości i rzetelności jego syna. TOM 5 został przetłumaczony 0 w moim odczuciu DOSKONALE - przez Ryszarda Derdzińskiego "Galadhorna", zaś wiersze przełożyła Katarzyna Staniewska "Elring". Wielkie brawa i podziękowania!
Cała seria wydana jest obłędnie! Nie mogę się napatrzeć na piękno okładek. Każda następna lepsza od poprzedniej, ale najlepszej nie sposób wyłonić - bo każda wspaniała. Michał Krawczyk, to niesamowicie utalentowany artysta i obraz na TOMIE 5 prezentuje się zjawiskowo! Ogromnie polecam każdemu wszystko, co tylko dotyczy TOLKIEN'a, a Zysk i S-ka, to gigant w wydawaniu dzieł tego pisarza!
słowo jest potężne
Historia Śródziemia
tom 5
Wydawnictwo Zysk i S-ka
egzemplarz recenzencki
January 3, 2025
It's uncertain if Tolkien was more than a linguist and scholar of ancient tomes outside of his extant works as evidence and his son, Christopher, has done his best to bring us a comprehensive library of his late father's work. The Lost Road, however, displays to me a man out of his time already that a challenge to conceive of "time travel" felt like an obligatory redundancy. Here, we see the rare times Tolkien set a story in a contemporary setting and it feels like living out of one's skin. Tolkien culled from his youth and to me it reads almost like a bowl upside down tasked with retaining elements of the weather. Tolkien's mind and heart was always into the history of folklore, language and legends. Here, we get the fragments leading up to the years when Tolkien embarked on his major journey to Middle-Earth, The Lord of the Rings. From the trenches of warfare to academe, I have read these volumes and realized that it takes an entire life to create a world. These posthumous release of Tolkien's efforts were always for the die-hard fans but they are and were and always will be windows into a massive and admirable creative process of one of literature's rare lions.
October 21, 2022
I love tolkiens work, so it pains me to only give this one 2 stars. I liked te story of the lost road, bit it was only a small part of the book. most of it tells reteals stuff fron the silmarillion and from part 4 of this serie. And there is a big part about all the languages of middle earth. It was just to much for me, i might blame my dyslexia and adhd. This serie is very difficult to read, but i hope the later part, regarding the lord of the rings are more my cup of tea.
May 27, 2021
3.75 stars.
The rereading of the same stories from The Silmarillion from the last two volumes with no real new additions and an etymology section that goes on for a bit too long for the casual reader make this book a bit tedious out of the whole series, although the brief references to Irish myths like Tír na nÓg and Tolkien's attenpt at a time travel story are fun.
The rereading of the same stories from The Silmarillion from the last two volumes with no real new additions and an etymology section that goes on for a bit too long for the casual reader make this book a bit tedious out of the whole series, although the brief references to Irish myths like Tír na nÓg and Tolkien's attenpt at a time travel story are fun.
March 6, 2025
This series really makes one feel an expert on the first age. But I do love the mythology of the first age.
April 7, 2019
Absorbing, detailed, insightful.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews