Unfinished Tales

Unfinished tales 

By J.R.R. Tolkien

This is the last of my posts on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, for the near future at least…

As I have mentioned enough about Tolkien in previous posts I will not mention more here except for the fact that this book was also published posthumously form a selection of Tolkien’s notes, by Christopher Tolkien, his son and literary executor.

‘Unfinished tales, is the last of the main books of Middle-Earth, starting from ‘The Silmarillion’ to ‘The Hobbit’ and lastly ‘The Lord of the Rings’. It is less well known than the other three, though for no fault of its own. Only the fact that is a sort of a supplementary appendix to the rest of the books might account for this fallacy. The book is a delightful collection of stories, odds and ends, which while being complete in themselves, also help fill in the gaps in the other books. 

The stories are arranged chronologically within the time flow of Middle-Earth, from the First Age to the Third. There is also a section which deals with the origin of the wizards (Gandalf!!), the Palantirs and on the race of the Druedain, whom readers (but not viewers) of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ would recall. As an interesting aside, viewers of the extended edition of the movie might recall the climb of the King of Rohan and Aragorn to the camp in front of the mountain pass which leads to the ‘Paths of the Dead’. The way to the mountain is lined with weather beaten statues of the Druedain or Pukel men.

Highlights:

1.     The history of the Rohirrim and the ride of Eorl

2.     The essays on the Druedain and the Istari

3.     The description of Numenorian soldiers and weaponry.

Verdict:

            Overall 10/10

            High fantasy 10/10

            Ease of readability 10/10

Only drawback – needs prior reading of the other books in the Middle-Earth legendarium for a complete contextual understanding.

Tip – buy and read, if you haven’t already!

The Silamarillion

The Silmarillion

By J.R.R. Tolkien

The history of Middle-Earth…

I have already waxed eloquently (I Hope!) about J.R.R. Tolkien, whom readers would by now know to be among my favorite authors, if not the favorite.  So I will not bore you with further details about Tolkien! However, I do feel compelled to point out that ‘The Silmarillion’ was Tolkien’s magnum opus, the book or collection of stories, legends and myths that he tried to get published during his lifetime. Unfortunately, he failed, and it was left to his youngest son and literary executor, Christopher Tolkien, to arrange his notes and have the manuscript published posthumously. I guess by that time after his death, Tolkien’s fame had increased and every publisher was desperate to lay hands on any publishable material.

‘The Silmarillion’ is a sort of backdrop story to ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’. It tells of the story of the creation, how Middle-Earth came into being, the history of the elves, dwarves and men and the long war with Morgoth, the original Dark Lord of whom Sauron was only a servant. The book is divided into three parts – the first part or the Ainulindale narrates the creation myth. The second part or the Valaquenta, makes up most of the book and tells the story of the three races (Elves, men and dwarves) and the long and fruitless conflict with Morgoth over the theft of the great Jewels, the Silmarilli, after which the book is named.

The last part or the Akallabeth, tells the story of the Isle of Numenor, which was gifted to the men who fought against Morgoth in the great war. It is somewhat inspired from the story of Atlantis, though in a subtle manner. There is some additional material about the Second Age of Middle-Earth and about the making of the Rings of Power; also some material on the war of the elves with Sauron.

Those looking for a quick read in the manner of Tolkien’s other works would be better off looking elsewhere. The book is full of archaic terms and feels like a poetic saga turned into prose. However, dedicated Tolkien fans will find a goldmine here, as would those who after reading or seeing Peter Jackson’s movies are curious to know more.

Highlights:

1.     The creation of the world

2.     The first appearance of the dwarves

3.     The fight between Fingolfin and Morgoth

4.     The fight between Glorfindel and the Balrog

5.     Glaurung!

Verdict:

            Overall 8/10

            Historical high fantasy 10/10

            Ease of reading 6/10

Tip: Not for minors

The Hobbit

The Hobbit

By J.R.R. Tolkien

In a hole in the ground lived a hobbit…

 

A well thumbed copy!

J.R.R. Tolkien is indisputably the author of the twentieth century. The books written by him have achieved the rare and enviable distinction of being best sellers, classics of literature and fan favorites! One could hardly have predicted that a poor, orphaned boy who grew up in foster homes, would reach this pinnacle. But, with perseverance, hard work and not a little luck, he was able to get along. He received a more than decent education and became an outstanding philologist and an academic, serving in important posts like the Professor of Anglo-Saxon and the Professor of English Literature at various colleges in Oxford University.

Tolkien was extremely interested in language – not in the form as communication, but as whole and worthy of study in itself. He started inventing his own from an early age, with grammar, script and vocabulary. He welded and melded this love with his interest in epic sagas and myths especially from the Northern part of Europe. Major influences on him included the Norse epics and poetic literature, Icelandic myths and Anglo-Saxon traditions and heritage. The result was the creation of the Middle-Earth ‘Legendarium’ – a series of interconnected legends, myths and heroic stories in an invented or legendary world. One can say that most authors write stories and fit worlds and languages to fit them, while Tolkien added worlds and stories to fit out his constructed languages!

Coming back to ‘The Hobbit’, it was originally written as a bed time story for Tolkien’s children and its light tone and ambience clearly indicates so. However, it is extremely readable for all ages and does not feel faded even after multiple re-reads. The story is that of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, a member of a diminutive race distantly related to humans, who sets off on an adventure to burgle a dragon. He is accompanied by a company of dwarves and has numerous adventures, from encounters with trolls to meeting elves, from fighting goblins and wolves to flying off with eagles. And of course, he finds the Ring. 

Reading Tolkien is like boating on a meandering and peaceful river. As the words flow around, one can watch the banks go by, listen to the murmur and chatter of the water and feel the sun on one’s face. One can get on or off anytime and it is the same nevertheless.  The description of the world of Middle-Earth is immersive and tugs the reader into it. One can think if very few writers who could stand to comparison. 

Highlights:

            Too many to count but I’ll try and list some of my favorite moments. 

1.     The Dwarves song in Bilbo’s house

2.     The fight of the rock giants in the Misty Mountains

3.     The fight with the wolves and the flight with the eagles

4.     Beorn’s house

5.     Bilbo’s first encounter with the dragon Smaug, his descent into the tunnel for the first time and Samug the Golden!

Readability

            

            Overall – 10/10

            High fantasy – 10/10

'The Lord of the Rings" - book review part 2

The Lord of the Rings

by

J R R Tolkien

A book review - part 2

Welcome to part 2 of my review of the Lord of the Rings (LOTR). We established that LOTR is, without doubt, one of the best books of this genre - in fact, of any genre - ever written and now on to the book review proper.

The LOTR was written by J. R. R. Tolkien (1892 - 1972), an Englishman, who was an expert on Anglo-Saxon literature and also worked on the Oxford English Dictionary. Tolkien loved inventing languages as a hobby 😮 and LOTR supposedly grew out of that habit. Certainly, I don't know of any other fiction author who has invented multiple languages for his/her books complete with grammar, syntax and everything! There are online courses in Quenya (which was the language of the High Elves). Another reason for the creation of the book was that Tolkien felt that England deserved a heroic mythology of its own, similar to the Germanic tradition. From this desire grew the "Silmarillion", which was a sort of magnum opus of Tolkien. He started working on a rudimentary form from the 1920s which was finally published posthumously by his son. Probably, the LOTR was just a minor side project (still took 10 years - this gives me hope that I may achieve something great too!!)

As far as the story goes, it is not very complicated. It takes off about 60 odd years after the events of  'The Hobbit' - to which this book is a direct sequel. The reader gets a long and informative prologue, just to lay out matters concerning Hobbits and the geography of the Shire i.e. where the hobbits live. The story then starts off nice and slow, with the hundred and eleventh (or eleventy-first, in Tolkien's words!) birthday of Bilbo Baggins, who is of course the protagonist of the aforementioned 'The Hobbit'.

Bilbo passes on his ring and other effects to his nephew and heir Frodo and sort of retires. The ring of course turns out to be the ultimate lost weapon and possession of the titular Lord of the Rings, Sauron. Sauron, like magicians in an Arabian Nights tale, who store their soul in parrots for safekeeping, has poured out most of his power into  the ring. He can be destroyed only when the ring is. The crux of the story revolves around the journey of Frodo and his companions to take the ring to only place where it can be destroyed, which also happens to be Sauron's stronghold.

I especially like the pacing of the story - it's like one is going on a long journey, with the start slow and sedate and gradually picking up speed. Later on the speed picks up significantly, with multiple story lines taking place simultaneously. Nowadays, especially in fantasy fiction, the fashion is to drop the reader in the middle of the action, without any explanation or build up, the so called exposition. I prefer the prior approach, with lots of details and backstories. It's the approach that most Indian epics have. The narrative architecture of the Ramayana, the Mahabharata or even the Panchtantra, consists basically of a story within a story within a story, like a Russian Doll or the structure of an atom. Being brought up the great epics, I absolutely relish the similar approach of the LOTR.

One gets a sense of immense history in the LOTR. The author's skill is such that every hill and valley, every mountain and every building resonates with a life of its own. Indeed, it is rightly said that the landscape is also character in the book! The best example of this would be the characterisation of  the ruined dwarf stronghold of Moria. The sense of lost grandeur, of immense space and of simultaneous claustrophobia, of courage and terror, of the terror of the unknown and of the ancient world is almost palpable. The prose flows like water and the reader is carried along on the flow. When the chapter ends and the other one starts, it feels like getting off a boat ride over river rapids. Two other segments in the book fit in the same description - the battle of Helm's deep and that of the Pelennor fields.

A striking point in the book is the absolute lack of magical powers in any of the main characters, except to a limited extent in Gandalf and maybe Legolas. The protagonists are absolutely, even blandly, normal. The hobbits are small, can't fight, are well mannered gentlemen. In fact, they are just like what most of us are but don't want to be. Frodo is picked to carry the Ring, a huge burden. The Ring corrupts anyone who dares to carry it. The temptations and dilemnas Frodo faces are remniscent and representative of what one faces in life. The student who has to study, the poor man who considers theft, the bureaucrat who refuses a bribe, are all part of the same struggle. The Ring in this sense is a metaphor for unchecked desire and greed. 

The LOTR is not as simple and easy a book as it first appears. It is not a childs' tale of dragons and swords. There are no happy endings, only bittersweet ones, to put it in Tolkien's words. All great tales pose questions to the reader and LOTR is no different. 

All good things must come to an end, so here I rest my pen and my keyboard, and conclude my two part review of 'The Lord of the Rings'. 

The Lord of the Rings - book review part 1

The Lord of the Rings

by

J R R Tolkien

A book review - part 1

'Three rings for the Elven kings under the sky,

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,

Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne

In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all, One ring to find them,

One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In the land of Mordor where shadows lie.'

I can still remember the first time I laid eyes on this rhyme from the 'Lord of the Rings' (LOTR). I chanced upon a copy of the book in the Chandigarh Central State Library, c1995. I had always been interested in fantasy and science fiction, but limited availability of these sort of books had restricted my own reading. Despite being an avid reader and being labelled publicly and privately as a book worm, I had never even heard of the name of J. R. R. Tolkien. Amazing, when I now think of it. For an excuse, pitiable and flimsy as it may be, I can state I was young, isolated and of course, without access to the internet (which in any case didn't exist as yet!)

I can remember the shivers I got while reading these lines for the first time. More than twenty years and multiple readings later, the impact has still not dulled. Even now, when I got out my paperback edition of the book (purchased with the help of a relative) to copy the lines from, I still felt the faint tingle and the rising tide of excitement that I had on my first reading.

It is difficult to define what reading this short poem (if one can call it so!) brings up in my mind. Many possibilities come to mind - the evocation of the spirit of adventure and of the unknown, the allure of musty halls, ruins and forgotten realms or the excitement and fascination of something new. However, I think the best explanation would fall short, so we'll leave it at that.

The 'Lord of the Rings' is, without doubt, the greatest work of fantasy literature published in the modern era (in my humble opinion!) This is despite some tough competition, especially in recent times. I may honorably mention here the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' by George R. R. Martin, who incidentally is a great fan of LOTR. The publication of this book actually kickstarted the genre in the modern era and has influenced almost all writers in this field to some extent. 

In this regard I would like to quote the eminent historian, Ramachandra Guha, here. In an essay on the threats to the freedom of expression in India - in his latest book 'Democrats and Dissenters'  - he mentions that in Modern India, the icons of different regions, castes and/or communities have become - in the eyes of their followers - untouchable and above criticism. The only exception to this seems to be Mahatma Gandhi, whom every Indian feels confident enough to criticize or denigrade (that this is done without knowing a single word of his philosophy is a separate issue!) Maybe it is because Gandhi belongs to all Indians and not to a specific caste, community or region.

Anyway, the point to be made is that the 'Lord of the Rings' serves as a sort of literary counterpart  to Gandhi, in that anyone can rip off or mock it, without in anyway lowering its prestige, quality or popularity and that's a pretty big achievement.