The Great Eagles during the fall of Gondolin

© Warner Bros. & MGM Studios

I asked a particular question on the Tolkien Society Facebook page, in the hope of getting some interesting answers. But since that didn’t really happen, nor did it instigate a thought-provoking discussion, I’m re-posting the question here on this blog, hoping to evoke some comments and ideas from you all!

‘The Chapel of the Thorn’ by Charles Williams {BookTalk}

BookTalk is a new series of blog posts, where I discuss non-Tolkien books in concise and honest reviews. Read on dear reader …

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Having focused my reading habits on the works of Tolkien and Lewis for years now, not to mention acquiring a book or two about the Inklings, I thought it was the right time to dip into some of the works by other members of that literary group.

And what better way to do this than by exploring the somewhat obscure figure of Charles Williams himself?

Army numbers in Middle-earth

(C) New Line Cinema

 

When reading accounts of battles and warfare, numbers are important. They help provide context and scale to the conflict, allowing readers to assess the situation in terms of balance in favour or against an ally or enemy. Which is why I have often found it somewhat baffling that Tolkien gives us so little information on army numbers in his Middle-earth stories.

Tolkien’s Caves of the Forgotten

Hiya folks!

In a post title that feels somewhat appropriate given my recent absence from this blog, allow me to delve into yet another one of those Middle-earth topics we know very little about …

The Two Towers: is Grishnákh the orc in Fangorn Forest?

Even I doubted what I saw, for many years.

If you’ve seen The Two Towers (film), remember the orc with the evil voice who taunts and threatens Merry and Pippin? His name is Grishnákh. Remember when he comes close to knifing the hobbits before a Rohan spear drives itself through his chest?

Confirmed! Amazon Greenlights Lord of the Rings series

According to various media sources, the deal has been struck, and Amazon has green-lit a multi-season adaptation set in Middle-earth. The news also confirms that the deal was struck with the Tolkien Estate.

Ioreth of Gondor

Making a brief appearance almost halfway into The Return of the King is the character of Ioreth; a woman from Lossarnach and one of the healers in the city of Minas Tirith. No matter the limited number of pages she is present in, she nevertheless maintains a memorable presence in the book.

The Lord of the Rings – TV Series?

News has just emerged that Warner Bros. and Amazon have begun early talks for a possible The Lord of the Rings series.

“Nothing is certain,” says Elrond in The Two Towers; a very apt quote in light of this news. Whether talks are actually happening, or what the nature of these talks are, cannot be fully determined or confirmed at the moment.

However, let’s just speculate a bit.

Approaching Tolkien: The Story of Kullervo

In what has become something of a tradition in posthumous Tolkien publications, The Story of Kullervo is an unfinished literary work by the author, as he attempts to rewrite an account from the Finnish legend of the Kalevala into the short story format.

Approaching Tolkien: Beren and Lúthien

It took me a while to pick up and read Beren and Lúthien, but I finally got there. Now, I  finally present you with this new post under the “Approaching Tolkien” series.