Yes, indeed. It is a new Tolkien book! Begun shortly after he returned home from the trenches of World War One and tinkered with for decades afterward, The Children of Hurin, like The Silmarillion, was never completed in his lifetime. But Tolkien's son and literary heir, Christopher, has painstakingly culled, edited, and reconstructed all the scattered variants of the story, much as he did decades ago with The Silmarillion. The laborious task took thirty years. But now, the much-anticipated book will be in stores by the middle of this next month. And the rumor is that the famously arcane Tolkien notebooks hold yet another gem (or maybe even two) and Christopher is working feverishly to prepare it for publication as well. One can only hope.
I love Tolkien. Is it really going to be in stores in a month?
ReplyDeleteWhat is it about?
Matt: The release date in the US is April 18.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I read the comments. I was on the way to the bookstore!
ReplyDeleteI, for one, will be extremely interested to see how Christopher Tolkien decides to tell this tale. He has rather a lot of possible variations given the already published material, and apparently he is also working from previously unpublished material.
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing this to our attention, Dr.
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ReplyDeleteDr. Grant,
ReplyDeleteHave you had a chance to read the latest Bernard Cornwell novel, Lords of the North? I'm about to start the Saxon series.