“Hæstingas” | My New Book!

Well folks, this is it.

The Lay of Leofwin project I briefly posted about over the last few months, has taken a life of its own and been transformed into a book. An actual, published book!

Approaching Tolkien: The Fall of Gondolin

Following the same editorial structure employed in Beren and Lúthien, Christopher Tolkien’s new publication offers readers a detailed look at the evolution of the writing that was to become the main narrative behind the story of Gondolin.

The book presents several iterations of Tuor’s story — the lone man in search of the Hidden City, and his adventures before and during its fall. As with the preceding publication, there is no new material to adorn this book, although The Fall of Gondolin does present the various scattered stories found in The Book of Lost Tales and Unfinished Tales within one collection.

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.

Approaching Tolkien: The Lay of Aotrou & Itroun

Tolkien’s poetic skills are undisputed: eloquent, beautiful, moving.

I am in no way an expert on poetry. However, I like to read the odd verse or two every now and then. So what I look for in a poem is a consistent rhyming pattern, the clever construction of words and meaning in a restrictive format, and all this through an easy and clear read.

This is why I have enjoyed Tolkien’s poems above any other author’s. He is capable of saying so much, in such a beautiful way, without reverting to the abstract or metaphorical that is typical of so many poems. His pacing is progressive and the content itself is both meaningful and straight to the point.

Why I keep reading The Lord of the Rings over and over again

… as well as The Hobbit, The Silmarillion and his other works.

This applies pretty much to any kind of book and book lover out there.

What really compels one to read the same book time and time again, when they already know the outcome?

Since this post also serves as a kind of self-reflective examination, I thought best to write it down as a monologue between myself, to try and understand what moves one to re-read a favourite piece of literature over and over. It reminds me of Galileo Galilei’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, in which three individuals discuss differing views on the orbit of the Earth and the Sun.

Farewell to Middle-earth …

Hello everyone.

It seems that real life is getting busier and busier for me – which might explain the lack of updates on this blog.

Nevertheless, I’m always checking to read your fabulous comments and I promise that I will be replying soon.

That said, I’m still – on a daily basis – counting down the days till The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is released. So much so, that I have found time to do a short video about it …

7 Fantastic Middle-earth Theories

Brilliant, thought-provoking theories that are debunked, unfounded and pretty much confirmed

I’ve decided to tackle 7 theories constructed by readers of Tolkien’s Middle-earth, that are rather extraordinary in concept and make perfect sense (though some can be disproved or contested).

There are many arguments in discussion around the characters and stories of Middle-earth; but I’ve decided to focus on a few which have struck me the most.

Starting from the impossible and busted arguments to the more plausible ones, here we go …

The Desolation of Smaug: Extended Edition Review

The expanded vision of the second installment bolsters Middle-earth’s richness and reinstates Peter Jackson’s masterful filmmaking that spans a 6-film saga.

As a theatrical release, The Desolation of Smaug was a significant improvement from the occasionally slow-moving sequences (which I personally find no objection to) in An Unexpected Journey.

But whilst the first Extended Edition release (with a total of 13 minutes of extra footage) felt more like a financial (as well as traditional) move for fans (though I find the Hobbiton sequences the most appropriate), The Desolation of Smaug’s 25 minutes of new scenes marks a massive improvement in the scope of the two Extended Editions.

I can here formally extend my gratitude to Peter Jackson for re-recognizing the meaning of an Extended Edition – following the success of the format with The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Is this the Necromancer’s Voice?

– Did we just hear that?

*Warning* This post contains particular spoilers regarding the Necromancer subplot. There are no spoilers related to ‘The Hobbit’ story, but something concerning the Necromancer himself – unless, of course, you’ve read the books. So proceed at your own risk.