Tuesday, July 5, 2022

THE FALL OF NUMENOR volume

 So, thanks again to D.F. for news of the next forthcoming Tolkien book, due out this November: THE FALL OF NUMENOR.  Amazon has relatively sparse information on it: 

--that it is due out in November 

--that it's a fairly substantial volume of 320 pages

--that it'll be edited by Brian Sibley, who's mainly known for his work on audio adaptations of Tolkien's work 

--and that illustrated by Alan Lee, Christopher Tolkien's choice to illlustrate the works he edited.

https://www.amazon.com/Fall-Númenor-Other-Second-Middle-earth/dp/006328068X/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=NS5So&content-id=amzn1.sym.86732b99-5a48-4cd1-bf79-62d0f05b2b16&pf_rd_p=86732b99-5a48-4cd1-bf79-62d0f05b2b16&pf_rd_r=AE77WBZZ4RV4WS4DB574&pd_rd_wg=usLqb&pd_rd_r=bfc12fb2-bd6d-4229-ba8f-294fdfef7b13&ref_=pd_gw_wsixn_v2


Fortunately there's more on the Tolkien Society's website:


Clearly this volume extends the BEREN & LUTHIEN and FALL OF GONDOLIN treatment to Second Age/Numenor material. The question is, how far does it go? The only text mentioned by name are the relevant passages from LotR Appendix B: The Tale of Years. AKALLABETH would seem to be essential, and THE FALL OF NUMENOR itself (the one they've taken the title from). But what about THE DROWNING OF ANADUNE?  Or THE MARINER'S WIFE?  

Or, if the goal is to bring to the forefront some of Tolkien's most interesting lesser-known works,  how about his little known time-travel novel, THE NOTION CLUB PAPERS, along with his earlier similar attempt along the same lines, THE LOST ROAD?

One good thing: November's really not that far away, so half a year from now we shd know.

I'll be looking forward to it.

--John R.





2 comments:

Unknown said...

An older post, but it's worth noting that Sibley gave some more information himself about the sources:

"This edition draws on ‘Akallabeth’? ‘Of Rings of Power’ and material from ‘Peoples of ME’, ‘Sauron Defeated’, ‘Nature of ME’, ‘The Lost Road’, ‘Letters’, ‘LOTR’ etc"

https://twitter.com/BrianSibley18/status/1539685237550096385

John D. Rateliff said...

Thanks for the update. Looks like quite the assemblage. Having always been drawn to the Numenor story, I'm looking forward to see what Sibley makes of it.

In particular, it's odd that there's no mention of THE MARINER'S WIFE. And the inclusion of LOST ROAD makes the exclusion of NOTION CLUB odd.

In any case, we'll see.

--John R.