middle earth rediscovered

After a hiatus from Tolkien, I was plunged back in by the recent release of The Children of Húrin. While I had never really dived into any works other than The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, this was a pleasant surprise.

This story is edited by Christopher Tolkien, J.R.R.'s literary executor, from the long poems and notes written by his father. The story is from the First Age (if you are a LOTR geek, you know that Bilbo and the rest are at the end of the Third Age). This is one of three main stories which Tolkien felt shaped the mythology behind The Lord of the Rings. It is a tragic tale, but is well written, and reflects the attention to detail Tolkien gave to the "back stories" of his epics. A worthy read for those that enjoyed The Hobbit and made it through The Lord of the Rings.

Reading this new release has opened the door to the rest of Tolkien's fantasy. Some great stories written for his children (Roverandom and Letters from Father Christmas) which make you envy being in his family. They are beautifully written and made me feel like a kid again.

I hope that some of you may find some joy in revisiting some of Tolkien's lesser known work (you probably will want to stay away from The History of Middle-Earth, unless you are a geek like me).

If not, you should at least enjoy this music video by The Flight of the Conchords: