NEW 📔BOOK: BEREN AND LÚTHIEN

[Erestor Arcamen]

New book being released, Beren and Luthien:

Painstakingly restored from Tolkien’s manuscripts and presented for the first time as a fully continuous and standalone story, the epic tale of Beren and Lúthien will reunite fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with Elves and Men, Dwarves and Orcs and the rich landscape and creatures unique to Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

The tale of Beren and Lúthien was, or became, an essential element in the evolution of The Silmarillion, the myths and legends of the First Age of the World conceived by J.R.R. Tolkien. Returning from France and the battle of the Somme at the end of 1916, he wrote the tale in the following year.

Essential to the story, and never changed, is the fate that shadowed the love of Beren and Lúthien: for Beren was a mortal man, but Lúthien was an immortal Elf. Her father, a great Elvish lord, in deep opposition to Beren, imposed on him an impossible task that he must perform before he might wed Lúthien. This is the kernel of the legend; and it leads to the supremely heroic attempt of Beren and Lúthien together to rob the greatest of all evil beings, Melkor, called Morgoth, the Black Enemy, of a Silmaril.

In this book Christopher Tolkien has attempted to extract the story of Beren and Lúthien from the comprehensive work in which it was embedded; but that story was itself changing as it developed new associations within the larger history. To show something of the process whereby this legend of Middle-earth evolved over the years, he has told the story in his father's own words by giving, first, its original form, and then passages in prose and verse from later texts that illustrate the narrative as it changed. Presented together for the first time, they reveal aspects of the story, both in event and in narrative immediacy, that were afterwards lost.

Source/Preorder

 

[CirdanLinweilin]

Happy day for Tolkienists!!!!!

Maybe this will be my entry into the First Age of Middle-earth.

"The new book will feature passages from various different iterations alongside illustrations by Alan Lee."

Alan Lee won an academy award for his artwork on The Return of the King film.

 

[Starbrow]

I just got my book today. It was planning on reading it during my vacation next week, but I don't think I can wait that long.

 

[CirdanLinweilin]

I just got my book today. It was planning on reading it during my vacation next week, but I don't think I can wait that long.

Dive in, Starbrow, dive right in.

Awesome! I can't wait to read it! Too bad it's $30.00 in America...one day soon though.

Let me know how it is, I really love fantasy love stories, especially between humans and elves.

CL

 

[Andy*]

Just ordered my copy of Beren and Luthien... Looking for forward to reading it and adding it to my library.
Andy

 

[Deleted member 16067]

Currently reading it. Great to see how the story changed over time, that Beren was first a Gnome or that he served in the kitchens of Telvido, Prince of Cats.

 

[Andy*]

Neat to see a story evolve.... Will read it as soon as I am finished with my re-read of The Lord of the Rings.
Andy

 

[Starbrow]

I really enjoyed it, but I was so disappointed that Tolkien didn't finish the Lay.

 

[Andy*]

Well , still looking forward to reading it and if I ever run into the good Professor in the next world I'll ask him to finish the tale ... if he doesn't mind...
Andy

 

[octoburn]

Is this worth getting if you have Silmarillion and most of the HOME series? Reviews I read seem to say it's simply that stuff reprinted, with some new commentary from Christopher...

 

[CirdanLinweilin]

I've been reading this, and I love the addition of the original "Tale of Tinuviel" and the "Lay of Leithian", and the different extracts from the story, such as the "Quenta Noldorinwa".

I've been enjoying it so far.

Plus, Tolkien is the one person who can make CATS menacing and quite wicked, the wolves too. I love the animosity between the Dogs and Cats of Tevildo too, a classic animosity.

All in all, a great book. The commentary by Christopher is a welcome addition, especially since I got this yesterday, after Christopher resigned.

I do recommend it.

CL

 

[Elthir]

"But this book does not offer a single page of original and unpublished work. What then is the need, now, for such a book?"
"I will attempt to provide an (inevitably complex) answer, or several answers."
Christopher Tolkien, Preface, Beren and Luthien

So rather than go into those answers, if you simply want new, never before published work by Tolkien, there's isn't any here. There's new art by Alan Lee of course.

For myself, I assumed the revised long prose version of Beren and Luthien (although abandoned early) was going to be included; it still hasn't been published, but it's not here in any case, as noted in the Preface.

 

[octoburn]

Thanks, guys. Tells me all I need to know. Everything in this book can be found in BoLT and LoB (both of which I already have...). No interest really, unless I find it dirt cheap somewhere...

 

[Valandil]

I requested it for Christmas - and got it. Haven't yet started to read it, but will comment as I do.

 

[perkins]

I really enjoyed online casino bonus, but I was so disappointed that Tolkien didn't finish the Lay.

Me too.