Fantasy

Review: Pyramids

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Cover image of "Pyramids" by Terry Pratchett

Pyramids

Pyramids (Discworld, 7) Terry Pratchett. HarperCollins (ISBN: 9780063393332) 2025, first published 1989.

Summary: Prince Teppic, having completed Assassins training, returns to be Pharoah of Djelibeybi, ordering the building of a huge pyramid.

Rather than cool his heels in Djelibeybi (pronounced like Jelly Baby), Prince Teppic goes to Ankh-Morpork to enroll in assassins training in the Assassins Guild. It’s a seven-year course few survived but if he did, he could bring a lucrative income into an impoverished kingdom that spent all its money on pyramids to house it’s dead kings. It was a practice that had drained the kingdom of money and, as readers will learn, of other things as well. Once it was a great kingdom. But now it is a narrow buffer along a river valley, serving as a buffer between two rival nations.

Just as he survives and passes his final exam, Teppic senses his father, the Pharoah had died. Indeed that is the case. On returning, Teppic suddenly finds himself a Pharoah and a god, responsible for the sunrise each day. New to all this, he is advised by the venerable high priest, Dios. However, he soon discovers that Dios really runs the show, when Dios twists all his novel ideas into the established traditions.

Nowhere is this more true than in the burial of his father. He has to be entombed in a pyramid. Teppic happens to know this is not what his father would have wanted (as the old king’s spirit tries to make known). In frustration, Teppic finally orders them to build the biggest pyramid ever, double the usual size.

Little does he realize the forces he has unleashed. Pyramids are objects of power. The others flared every night. No one has ever tried to build one this big. When Ptaclusp and his sons, the pyramid builders try to do this, they discover that workers and money and materials are the least of their problems as strange forces build up to a cataclysm.

But before that happens, Teppic, Ptraci, the old king’s handmaiden, and a camel with hidden powers, escape. Looking back, they see the kingdom vanish into a mere crack in the ground. Suddenly, nothing stands between the rival kingdoms which prepare to go to war.

Meanwhile, Djelibeybi still exists, just in another dimension. But all kind of craziness has ensued, beyond even Dios’ powers, which in fact are considerable. The dead kings walk the realm, as do the gods whose existence they usually ignored and disbelieved.

Will Teppic act to save his kingdom? Or will he take the opportunity to ride off with the pretty and scantily clad handmaiden into the sunset? I’ll leave it to you to find out.

Once again, this is a Terry Pratchett romp between fantasy and satire, showing religion at its silliest while making us ask, what would happen if the gods really showed up? And all those pyramids? Pratchett leaves us to wonder if the real Pharaohs would equally have hated the idea. And perhaps it all was just a poke at the silliness of “pyramid power”!

Review: Wyrd Sisters

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Cover image "Wyrd Sisters" by Terry Pratchett

Wyrd Sisters

Wyrd Sisters (Discworld, 6) Terry Pratchett. Harper Paperbacks (ISBN: 9780063385559) 2024 (first published in 1988)

Summary: Three witches living in Lancre hide the king’s heir when the king’s assassinated by Duke Felmet, and work to set things right.

Granny Weatherwax, the senior of three witches in Lancre confronts a most unusual situation. A horseman delivers a child and a crown into her hands. King Verence of Lancre has been assassinated by his cousin, Duke Felmet at the behest of his cruel wife. She gathers her sister witches, Nanny Ogg, mother of a slew of kids, and Magrat, the youngest, still enamored with the conventions of witchcraft–cauldrons, jewelry and covens. Most of the time, they help villagers with what ails them. This is not most of the time.

First, what to do with the child, named Tomjon. A company of traveling actors agree to take him and he is raised by Vitoller, who becomes a father to him. Eventually, he will become a gifted actor. The crown is secreted among the props.

The more immediately vexing problem is what to do about Lancre. The land is in trouble as forests are cut down, village burned and people disappeared. The duchess is behind much of it. And as she realizes the danger the witches pose, she and Felmet mount a disinformation campaign to discredit them before the people.

The problem is twofold. One is that they cannot use their power directly against Felmet. The other is having to wait fifteen years until the Tomjon is of age. In the meantime, how much more will Felmet do and at what cost to Lancre? If only they could sidestep time…

Two others play a role. One is dead King Verence, whose ghost escapes the castle, ending up with Nanny Ogg. The other is the Fool, who becomes attracted to Magrat. He also becomes the means of bringing Tomjon back to Lancre. He contacts the company, know based at the Dysk Theatre in Ankh-Morpork. (One of the fun thinks in this book is to note all the Shakespearean allusions.) Hwel, the company’s playwright, accepts a commission for a play to “re-write” Felmet’s history for the people.

This is the least “hither and yon” of the books so far. Most of the action, apart from the troupe’s journey back to Lancre, is in Lancre itself. The maneuverings of the three witches make up for that.

There are some fun turns at the end. But most enjoyable throughout are the interactions between the witches, a parody of the three witches in Macbeth. If there is any lesson, it is knowing when to bend the rules and by how much. Granny and Nanny write the book, very different from the one Magrat consults.

A fascinating story of using soft power to defeat tyranny.

The Weekly Wrap: April 12-18

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The Weekly Wrap: April 12-18

AI Fatigue

I came up with this phrase in writing this article, but it turns out that it is a real “thing.” Google’s “AI Overview (!) defines it as “the mental, emotional, and operational exhaustion resulting from the rapid, relentless influx of AI tools, news, and pressure to adopt artificial intelligence in the workplace.” My search turned up pages of articles on the phenomenon.

Within this definition, I think I’m able to locate my own fatigue. For me, it is the relentless news and discussion of AI in the world of books. I receive numerous newsletters, and instead of writing about books and the world of reading, they are writing about AI–reviews written by AI, books written by AI, the fear that writers will be replaced by AI, and the difficulty of detecting AI usage unless human developers and publishers are transparent. And the big element is the theft of intellectual property underneath all this. The work of humans. It needs to be talked about.

We also need to come to some solutions. Rules, tracking, and appropriate compensation of intellectual property. Transparency about AI content and blacklisting and withholding of payments for deception. I’d like to see an emblem used indicating a book or other written content is 100% human.

So why do I press for this? Frankly, I’m tired of all the AI stories (even though I’m posting one this week). I’m eager for us to get back to talking about books. Many of us read to engage with another human. And we often talk with other humans about what we read. We like to hear authors read their works. The world of books and reading is actually a highly social world. I also think it would be helpful to make it an AI-free world. Wouldn’t it be great if the world of books and reading could serve as a retreat for the AI fatigued?

Five Articles Worth Reading

John Cheever is back in the news. His daughter Susan has published a new book exploring the relationship between Cheever’s fiction and his own life. Rands Richards Cooper reviews it in “The Father Behind the Fiction.”

Another name in the news is Lena Dunham. Actually, I knew nothing of her until I learned she is a leading voice of young adulthood in these times. I learned much more about her in Sophie Gilbert’s “What Does Lena Dunham Want to Tell Us?,” a review of Dunham’s new memoir, Famesick.

Speaking of names, Andrew Lawler asks “Who Is Blake Whiting?” “Blake Whiting,” for whom no biography or CV exists published thirteen books on complex historical subjects in one week. Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing publishes his work, yet they missed the lack of biography, and the fact that “Blake Whiting” exceeded their ten book a week limit. Of course, there is no Blake Whiting, but only Amazon knows who is behind this.

Another name I keep coming across is Iris Murdoch, novelist and philosopher. We often speak of “the good, the true, and the beautiful.” In “Iris Murdoch and the Metaphysics of the Good,” Matthew B. Crawford explores Murdoch’s thinking about “the good.”

Finally, many of us like to escape into fantasy to gain perspective on the world in which we live. “4 Great New Fantasy Books to Transport You to Bold New Worlds” introduced me to some fantasy writers I’ve not heard of before.

Quote of the Week

Thornton Wilder, born on April 17, 1897, offers a watchword for all of us:

“Seek the lofty by reading, hearing and seeing great work at some moment every day.”

Miscellaneous Musings

We are grieving the passing of my wife’s lifelong friend. They met when my wife was three–sixty nine years ago. She was a dedicated educator and reading advocate, working in our state’s Reading Recovery program for many years and teaching the children of children she’d had in classes. She fed my son’s love of reading and writing. And she typified the very best of public school education.

I’ve come to the end of Deb Gregory’s Spiritual Wayfinding. I had the delightful experience of finding my son’s name in the acknowledgements for a lesson on fractals, one of his loves. Deb used to live in our home town, but I am really curious how they crossed paths. A bit of a wayfinding project in itself. By the way, if you like to walk and care about spiritual life, the book creatively combines the two!

Lastly, I bit the bullet and ordered a new Kindle after Amazon’s email (and had it sitting at my door 6:30 the next morning). I’ll still use my old one to read the many books already loaded on it as long as it works. But I decided to go that route to avoid juggling multiple e-book accounts and different platforms, and to be ready when my old Kindle finally bricks. I really like reading on e-readers versus phones or tablets–easier on the old eyes.

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: W. David Buschart & Ryan Tafilowski, Worth Doing

Tuesday: David J. Claassen, The Divine Profile

Wednesday: Deborah Gregory, Spiritual Wayfinding

Thursday: Richard Osman, The Bullet That Missed

Friday: Tom Holland, Dominion

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap  for April 12-18.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

Review: Mort

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Cover image of "Mort" by Terry Pratchett

Mort

Mort (Discworld, Number 4, Death, Number 1), Terry Pratchett. Harper Paperbacks (ISBN: 9780063393233) 2025 (first published in 1987)

Summary: Mort is apprenticed to Death, who collects dying souls. Mort messes up the timeline when he saves a princess, killing her assassin.

In Discworld, you do not want to meet Death. As you may recall from earlier installments, Rincewind spent much of his time eluding Death. Because Death comes to collect souls of people when they die and to set them onto their destiny in the afterworld. He has bit parts in previous Discworlds. This is his first as a significant character, and this is the first of several of the Death series within Discworld.

But the title character is really the main character here, even if he must constantly remind people of his name. Mort is the teenage son of a farmer who doesn’t want to farm. So, his father takes him to town on the day various tradesmen choose apprentices. But no one wants him. That is, no one wants him except for Death, who comes just shy of closing. The irony, if you know any French, is that mort is the French word for death.

He goes to the home of Death. Two others live there. Ysabell is Death’s daughter by adoption. The other is Death’s ancient manservant, Albert. Ysabell takes a decided disliking to Mort, despite Death’s efforts to promote their companionship

Part of his apprenticeship is to accompany Death to collect souls. He quickly learns he is not to meddle with the fatal destinies of people when he attempts to prevent the assassination of the king of Sto Lat. He learns that theirs is not to decide the time of death or prevent it, but to assist the deceased. But he does not learn this well-enough, and Death, tired of the work and wanting a change, quickly turns over collecting duties to Mort.

One of those he is assigned to collect is the daughter of the assassinated king. A rival Duke is going to kill her. Instead of allowing Princess Keli’s death, he kills the Duke. But he doesn’t reckon with altered timelines. People act as if the Princess is dead, even when she tries to interact with them. She hires the wizard Igneous Cutwell, who can see her, to promote her existence and arrange her coronation. She wants to live and wants to be Queen.

But there is another problem. The real timeline is swallowing up the alternate one. Cutwell can’t stop it but is trying to get her crowned, even if briefly. Meanwhile Mort, as he seeks a solution discovers there may be more to Albert than meets the eye. And he and Ysabell team up. Meanwhile, Death is AWOL, enjoying life as a short order cook.

If you’ve not read this, I will leave it to you to discover how this all works out, as well as if anyone learns to remember Mort’s name. What is most interesting to me is that by and large, the figure of the Grim Reaper is a character without character. Pratchett gives him one, and even gives him a midlife crisis! And since Mort is such an interesting character, I hope he turns up again!

Review: The Light Fantastic

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Cover image of "The Light Fantastic" by Terry Pratchett

The Light Fantastic, (Discworld, 2) Terry Pratchett. HarperCollins (ISBN: 9780063373679) 2024 (first published in 1986).

Summary: Saved from falling off Discworld, Rincewind, Twoflower, and the Luggage try to avert its destruction by a red star.

Well, I decided to go on in Discworld! Only 39 to go. If you read the first Discworld, we left Rincewind and Twoflower falling off the edge of Discworld into the oblivion of the cosmos. Instead, they wind up in a Gingerbread house in the forest of Skund. How did this happen, you ask? It turns out that the Octavo, the book of eight spells, the eighth of which is lodged in Rincewind’s head, would not let them fall. The spell preserves itself. Thus their rescue.

There is an urgent reason for doing so. A red star is approaching Discworld and only a reading of all eight spells in the Octavo can avert it. Several groups of magicians with varying motivations are searching for Rincewind. Not knowing why they are after him, he and Twoflower elude them. However, they have a sense it is time to return to Ankh-Morpork, where the Octavo and the Unseen University of Wizards is located.

But not before they encounter a few adventures. They save Bethan, a druid maiden from sacrifice with the help of Cohen the Barbarian, a toothless, 80 year old parody of the superhero figure, who still has got it! But Twoflower is poisoned and must be rescued from the realm of Death. Finally, with the help of a traveling magic shop, they return to Ankh-Morpork.

But will it be in time? Trymon, an overly ambitious wizard, attempts to read the seven remaining spells, which vanish from the pages of the Octavo and transmute Trymon into a horrible creature. Meanwhile, the red star, with eight moons is heating up Discworld. The end is near.

A nagging question throughout is why Great A’Tuin, the massive turtle who carries Discworld, supporting four huge elephants, does not simply swim away from the star rather than toward it. It’s not a dumb question, as it turns out but not one I’ll answer. The answer, and the fate of Discworld, Rincewind, Twoflower and the loyal Luggage, I’ll leave you to discover. Along the way, I’m sure you will have fun with Pratchett’s satire.

Review: The Color of Magic

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Cover image of "The Color of Magic" by Terry Pratchett

The Color of Magic (Discworld, 1) Terry Pratchett. (HarperCollins (ISBN: 9780063373662) 2024 (first published in 1983).

Summary: A failure at wizard school is compelled to protect a rich but naive traveler with a most unusual luggage chest.

So, I’ve taken the plunge into Discworld. For the uninitiated, Discworld is a planet that exists as a flat disc with continents and oceans. Four huge elephants support Discworld. They, in turn, stand on the shell of one gigantic turtle, the Great A’Tuin, who swims through space. From that alone, you will probably deduce that this is fantasy at its zaniest. And you would not be wrong. Given the huge popularity of the series, you might be surprised to know that the original British press run back in 1983 was 506 copies.

In a way, this first book serves to introduce us to Discworld. It takes the form of an odyssey that begins at Ankh-Morpork, the biggest city of Discworld. Rincewind is a wizard school flunkout whose one accomplishment was to memorize one of the eight powerful spells, which drove any other magic out of his head. Twoflower, an insurance salesman from the Agatean Empire, approaches him to serve as a guide.. He is accompanied by the Luggage–a chest with legs. The chest is full of gold and is ferociously protective of Twoflower. He hires Rincewind as a guide for what is an exorbitant fee for the poor wizard. Rincewind, of questionable scruples, tries to run away but Ankh-Morpork’s Patrician captures him and compels him to “protect” Twoflower. Relations with the much richer Agateans are at stake.

However, thieves kidnap Twoflower. Prior to the kidnapping, Twoflower had sold an insurance policy to the owner of the tavern where they were staying. While Rincewind rescues Twoflower, the owner burns down the tavern to get the insurance money, destroying the town. Rincewind and Twoflower decide to skedaddle.

In a series of adventures orchestrated by the gods of Discworld, they visit Quirm and Wyrmberg, surviving a series of challenges, complete with trolls and dragons, only to end up in the ocean. The current carries them to edge of Discworld, but the Circumfence, a net built by the nation of Krull, catches them. A sea troll retrieves them and sends them to Krull–to be sacrifices.

Twoflower seems less worried about danger than Rincewind. He is an intrepid explorer who even wants to see the beast supporting Discworld. At one time or the other Rincewind, Twoflower, the Luggage, and even a magic picture box (camera) are responsible for rescues when things were looking bad. Death personified pursues Rincewind throughout, but through his own devices and those of the gods, he elude’s Death’s grasp.

At first, I thought all of this quite strange and a bit confusing. Then the strange became interesting and amusing. By the end, I was looking forward to the next zany escape and the next adventure. Which takes me to Book Two… (I see what you are doing Terry Pratchett!).

By the way, the color of magic is octarine, a fluorescent greenish-yellow-purple. Only magicians can see it and it occurs in the presence of magic. For what it is worth.

Review: The Fall of Númenor

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Cover image of "The Fall of Númenor" by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Brian Sibley, illustrated by Alan Lee

The Fall of Númenor, J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Brian Sibley, illustrated by Alan Lee. William Morrow (ISBN: 9780063280687) 2022.

Summary: The collected writings of Tolkien on the Second Age of Middle Earth, covering the rise and fall of Númenor.

For those who have read only The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Númenor is a place no longer existing, where a great line of kings of men ruled, a descendent of which was Isildur, who cut the Great Ring from Sauron’s hand at the end of the Second Age. In this work, Brian Sibley has assembled the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien from The Silmarillion and other sources. He gives a narrative of Numenor and the Second Age.

The First Age ended with the defeat of Morgoth at Thangorodrim by an alliance elves and men. The Fathers of Men were rewarded by the angelic Valar with the raising of an island, Númenor, west of Middle Earth. As part of their grant, they gave to men long lives, for many over 400 years. But this was on the condition that they not attempt to sail west to the Undying Lands.

The work traces the line of kings (and a couple queens) who ruled Númenor, a description of Númenor, and the major events on Númenor and in Middle Earth. In back of all of it is Sauron, diminished but not vanquished in the defeat of Morgoth.

Sauron begins stirring at the time of the first restlessness of the kingly line when Aldarion takes to the sea, building harbors on Middle Earth’s coast, trading. It is he who first realizes the danger of Sauron, who has rebuilt Barad-dur. But all this turns his heart away from Númenor and from Erendis, who he loved. He repeatedly broke promises to her. Though they married, she eventually separated from him rather than share his mistress, the sea.

From then on Númenor’s previously peaceful life is wrapped up in the resistance to Sauron, who has deceived elves, dwarves, and some men as he offers them the illusions of power and prosperity. The tale unfolds as Sauron is taken prisoner to Númenor, gradually seducing many of them. The temptation was not wealth or power, which they possessed. Instead he seduces them to invade the Undying Lands in quest of endless life. Their lives, as they grew increasingly heedless of the Valar had grown shorter and the gift of life became replaced with the curse of dying in their minds.

By breaking the Ban of the Valar, they brought about a great cataclysm. The sea overwhelmed them, along with the island of Númenor. Only Elendil and his sons Anarion and Isildur and their men escape. Of course, Sauron also survives. The exiles found Arnor and Gondor, while Sauron returns to Mordor and seizes Minas Ithil, once an outpost of Gondor. This sets up the Last Alliance of Elves and Men and the overthrow of Sauron in which Elendil and Gil-galad die, while Isildur takes, and sadly, keeps the One Ring, setting up the events of the Third Age.

This is a brief overview of a narrative at least as rich as that of the Third Age. One reflects on the restlessness of Aldarion, who could not be content to wed Erendis, and rule Númenor. One considers the seductions of Sauron, when he still seemed fair, offering power and wealth. Until too late, when the Rings of Power were forged, did they discern the danger behind the fair appearance. Likewise, the Numenoreans could not be content with the gift of long life and the teaching of the Valar. In their power, they wanted more. I think of Augustine’s observation about the restlessness of our hearts, making us vulnerable to seduction.

Alan Lee’s illustrations capture something of the beauty of Númenor. He helps us visualize the other pivotal events of the Second Age. This includes when Galadriel leads the elves through Moria and Gil-galad crosses the Misty mountains to form the Last Alliance. Sibley’s editing achieves more of a continuous narrative than some of those by Christopher Tolkien. One has a sense that this is how J.R.R. Tolkien would have rendered the tale if he had the time.

Finally, thanks for visiting Bob on Books. People aren’t reading blogs like they used to, so I appreciate that you spent time here. Feel to “look around” – see the tabs at the top of the website, and the right hand column. And use the buttons below to share this post. Blessings! [Adapted from Enough Light, a blog I follow.]

Review: Beren and Lúthien

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Cover image of "Beren and Lúthien" by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien

Beren and Lúthien, J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien, with illustrations by Allen Lee. HarperCollins (ISBN: 9781328915337) 2018.

Summary: An edited collection of different versions and extracts of one of the most celebrated love stories of Middle-earth.

The tale of the love story of Beren and Lúthien was considered by J.R.R. Tolkien one of the chief stories of The Silmarillion, published posthumously with the editorial work of his son Christopher. Beren and Lúthien is one of the last edited works by Christopher Tolkien before his death in 2020, along with The Fall of Gondolin, which followed it. It reflects Christopher’s work in collecting, ordering, and editing his father’s various writings in creating the world of Middle-earth. As in other works, Tolkien’s telling of the story evolved over time and this work shows that development.

The story in brief, is of Beren, a refugee of wars with Morgoth that wiped out his people. He wanders into the elvish realm of king Thingol. There, he sees Lúthien (or Tinuviel) dancing in a glade and falls in love, which Lúthien reciprocates. But her father sets a high price for her hand, a Simaril (a precious and powerful jewel) in the crown of Morgoth. After many perils Beren is imprisoned. There are various versions, one involving imprisonment by a great cat. Sauron holds him captive in another. Lúthien, whose dances have the power to enthrall to sleep, comes to his rescue, aided by the great hound, Huan. They succeed in liberating Beren. Subsequently, she uses her powers to enter Morgoth’s fortress, subduing to sleep Morgoth long enough for Beren to cut the Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown.

Alas, they cannot escape without encountering the great wolf who guards the gate of Morgoth, now wide awake. All Beren can do is ram his hand down the wolf’s throat, which bites it off, holding the Silmaril, which drives the wolf mad, allowing their escape. How they recover the Silmaril and the further lore around Beren and Lúthien, in several versions, are all here.

As I’ve mentioned. Christopher Tolkien provides various versions of the story and extracts of parts of it from an early rendering with the cat, later replaced by Sauron, various passages with variations on the story, a lengthy verse rendering of much of the story in The Lay of Leithian, and various versions of the return and afterlife of Beren and Lúthien, as well as the subsequent history of the Silmaril.

In addition, Alan Lee provides nine full-color plates of incidents in the tale. Also, Christopher Tolkien adds an annotated list of names and glossary. This is helpful to keep straight so many names of persons and places.

In conclusion, Christopher Tolkien gives Middle-earth fans a trove of background surrounding this great story. In doing so, he helps us understand afresh the monumental world-building effort of J.R.R. Tolkien. It was so great that it took two generations (at least) to bring it all into published form.

Review: Impossible Creatures

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Cover image of "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Impossible Creatures, Katherine Rundell, illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie. Alfred A. Knopf (ISBN: 9780593809860), 2024.

Summary: Christopher helps Mal, a young girl who can fly, as she flees a murderer and seeks the reason why the magic is fading.

A young boy, Christopher, visits his grandfather, in Scotland. Before he knows it, he rescues a griffin, coming face to face with the mythical creature, and escapes a vicious wolf-like creature called a kludde. Then he follows a girl to the bottom of a pool into a hidden world, the Archipelago. This is a collection of islands on Earth, hidden from the rest of the planet.

They arrive only to confront the man trying to murder Mal, the young girl. He has already killed her great aunt. But they fend him off, flee with the help of unicorns, and jump from a cliff onto a boat captained by Nighthand. Something Mal says about the Immortal stops him from throwing them off the ship.

Besides fleeing a murderer out to kill her for reasons unknown, she is trying to figure out why the glimourie, the life force that sustains the Archipelago, is weakening. Nighthand agrees to assist them. Kraken attack them. They seek help in turn in the City of Scholars and from the sphinx, who will help only after you answer riddles. A wrong answer, and they will eat you. They learn that only the Immortal can gain access to the glimourie tree through a labyrinth. But the Immortal is lost. The last renounced his powers, and, although a new Immortal was born when he died, no one knows who the immortal is.

Yet there is something more to Christopher, Mal, and Nighthand than meets the eye. Christopher’s grandfather is a Guardian of the Archipelago. From the way animals treat him, is he as well? Nighthand is more than a captain. He is the defender of the Immortal, a kind of bodyguard. And Mal? She can fly with her magical cloak. But why is she burdened with concern for the fading of the glimourie? Who is she, really, and why does someone want to kill her? So much of the story turns on her coming to understand and accept her identity. The life of the Archipelago, indeed all Earth, hangs upon it.

This is a story to set one’s spirit soaring along with Mal. Between the characters we see courage, compassion, and sacrifice, along with sheer determination. But be warned, there are moments that will break your heart as well. Along the way we encounter dragons and centaurs and a host of other mythical creatures (Rundell even includes an illustrated bestiary at the back of the book). Rundell’s writing combines beauty, memorable characters, and a fast-paced plot. Ashley Mackenzie’s illustrations capture key scenes and feed our imaginations.

I loved the story as an adult even though it is written for middle-graders. I understand the comparisons to Tolkien and Philip Pullman. And perhaps this is fitting. Rundell is a fellow in two of the Colleges of Oxford and has written academic works on John Donne, including a Baillie Gifford prize winner. Therefore, it is thrilling that this is the first of a series. After all, what’s not to like about an adventure fantasy filled with mythical creatures and noble quests?

Review: Unfinished Tales Of Numenor And Middle-Earth

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Cover image of "Unfinished Tales Of Numenor And Middle-Earth" by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien

Unfinished Tales Of Numenor And Middle-Earth, J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien. William Morrow (ASIN: B00796E7CA), 2012 (originally published by Houghton Mifflin, 1980).

Summary: A collection of stories, many in unfinished state, by J.R.R. Tolkien providing background information on the three ages of Numenor and Middle Earth, edited by his son.

The creation of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) is perhaps one of the most astounding instances of worldbuilding in fantasy fiction. Tolkien not only creates Middle-Earth but a whole history surrounding the events in his stories. He invented the languages spoken by the different races. He wrote backstories of many key figures appearing in these works or mentioned. Tolkien intended to publish at least some of this material but it was left unfinished at the time of his death in 1973.

Tolkien’s son, Christopher, has made a life’s work of marshalling this literary inheritance into print, beginning with The Silmarillion, in 1977. Here, Christopher Tolkien wove the extant fragments his father had written into a cohesive narrative of the three ages of Middle Earth. In Lost Tales, we see some of the raw materials with which he worked. Sometimes Tolkien changed names, or events. What Christopher Tolkien does is give us these stories, with some editing on his part, along with an extensive set of notes, annotations as it were on the text, changes made, and so forth.

The stories offer helpful background for any dedicated reader of Tolkien. The book follows the three ages of Middle Earth.

Part One: The First Age

This includes the story of Tuor, son of Huor, his captivity in and escape from Morgoth. Tolkien renders Tuor’s journey with the elf, Voronwe, and his coming to Gondolin, carrying the message of Ulmo, and being revealed in all his greatness. Also included is the tragic story of Hurin, son of Turin, involving his marriage to Nienor, not knowing she was his sister.

Part Two: The Second Age

This part opens with a description of the geography, people, and some history of Numenor, often referred to in LOTR. “Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner’s Wife” tells the story of a prince who loves the sea, and voyaging to Middle Earth more than his wife. Perhaps most moving is the step his father the king takes in resigning his throne to this son. Tolkien follows with an account of the lineage of the kings of Numenor. The part ends with the marriage of Celeborn and Galadriel and we learn of the sadness that marked her life as well as her distinctive greatness.

Part Three: The Third Age

This section begins with the death of Isildur and the loss of the Great Ring in the battle of Gladden Fields. “Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan” traces the beginnings and long alliance between Rohan and Gondor, so crucial in the final war of the Ring. One of the delights of this collection is the story Gandalf tells Frodo of why he chose Bilbo as the thief to help the dwarves retake the Lonely Mountain. In “The Hunt for the Ring” we learn of the Nine Riders search for The Ring from when Gollum was questioned until Frodo leaves the Shire–as if we didn’t think the Nine sinister enough! In LOTR, we know Theoden lost his son in the battle of Isen. The final story is the account of this battle.

Part Four

The final part of the book includes three background essays. The first gives the background of the Druedain, wild men who inhabited the forests. The second and third were of greater interest. In “The Ishtari,” we learn the history of the wizards, sent by the Valar. We learn there were five, two who passed into the east and out of history. Tolkien traces the long and hidden resentment of Saruman toward Gandalf and of his treachery. Tolkien gives us all the names by which each were known. The last essay describes the nature and number of the Palantiri, including how they were used for seeing and communicating.

Christopher Tolkien appends an Index giving all the names used in the stories and a brief description of each–incredibly useful.

Comments

The success of this work encouraged Christopher Tolkien to embark on his twelve volume History of Middle Earth. This revealed to me the power of Tolkien’s worldmaking. We re-read his major works and want to read more of this world. That’s why an edited collection of unfinished works holds such a fascination. We will wade through pages of notes and even revel in indexes. We want to fix in our minds the contours of this world.

This is not for Tolkien newbies. Rather, it is for dedicated readers who aren’t contented with mere references to Numenor. This is for the afficionado, the one who wants to read everything connected with Tolkien. I would read it after The Silmarillion, which it followed, and after reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The stories vary in quality. The account of Turin and that of Aldarion and Erendis are great tragedies. The story of the choosing of Bilbo is just great fun. The lineage of Numenor’s kings and the essay on the Druedain fell into the category of “for your information.”