Tolkien books

[ElfGal]

Hey, I've read The Trilogy, The Simarillion, and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. What books should i read next and in what order?

[BeardofPants]

IT'S NOT A TRILOGY!! [/cartman] >.<

;)

How 'bout the Hobbit?

Letters is a good read if you want to delve into the thoughts of Tolkien. Unfinished Tales is also a great read. And then there's the histories if you want to apply an academic bent.

[ElfGal]

what do you mean?

[Jon S.]

You have offended a LOTR purist by referring to what The Master intended as a single book as a trilogy. Be comforted, however, in the knowledge that regardless of JRR's intent it is indeed often popularly referred to as a trilogy.

Wikipedia: "Although intended as a single-volume work, it was originally published in three volumes in 1954 and 1955, and it is in this three-volume form that it is popularly known."

[BeardofPants]

IT'S NOT A TRIL-... oh, ok then. ;)

[ElfGal]

BIG DEAL. Firstly, I'm depressed that any of you would quote Wikipedia. Did you know that ANYONE can write ANYTHING they want in it? I can prove. I wrote a completely untrue fact on Wikipedia, and it's still there! Even so, I DONT CARE that LotR was possibly "intended" to be one book. I could "intend" to be president, but if I don't become president, the result would be final. Tolkien made up the titles "Fellowship of the Ring", "Two Towers", and "Return of the King". That was the final result. So don't mock me when I refer to it as a trilogy.

P.S. Same thing with C.S. Lewis. His books are separate, but can also be referred to as the "Chronicles of Narnia".

[BeardofPants]

OMG, dude, take a chill pill. Nobody was mocking you, fer bob's sake. :rolleyes:

[ecthelion]

'What a horrible little thing! ' the new dog said. 'Look at his miserable tail! Look at his feet! Look at his silly coat! '
'Look at yourself,' said Rover from the mer-lady's lap, 'and you won't want to do it again! Who called you Rover? - a cross between a duck and a tadpole pretending to be a dog!' From which you can see that they took rather a fancy to one another at first sight.

You two are obviously gonna be great friends :p
This is from Roverandom, which I love very much.

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

BeardofPants gave some good recommendations that were totally overlooked because of a semantic argument. I feel right at home here... :rolleyes:

[BeardofPants]

*snicker* Welcome. ;) What would a tolkien board be without semantic bickering? :evil:

[Jon S.]

BIG DEAL. Firstly, I'm depressed that any of you would quote Wikipedia. Did you know that ANYONE can write ANYTHING they want in it? I can prove. I wrote a completely untrue fact on Wikipedia, and it's still there! Even so, I DONT CARE that LotR was possibly "intended" to be one book. I could "intend" to be president, but if I don't become president, the result would be final. Tolkien made up the titles "Fellowship of the Ring", "Two Towers", and "Return of the King". That was the final result. So don't mock me when I refer to it as a trilogy.

P.S. Same thing with C.S. Lewis. His books are separate, but can also be referred to as the "Chronicles of Narnia".
That was uncalled for. Did it really pass your awareness that the Wikipedia entry I quoted supports you? :rolleyes: But either way, chill.

[ecthelion]

welcome, ElfGal.
we are usually nicer to newbies... :o
Search older threads, there are lots of older discussions about which tolkien books to read and in what order. The search button is usually helpful (although sometimes topics are more disguised and hard to find) and you can start here:
http://www.entmoot.com/showthread.php?t=11872

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

There was only one post in this thread that wasn't so nice and it didn't come from an old-timer.

Just sayin'.

[The Gaffer]

I thought it was six books

* ducks *

[Earniel]

You just beat me to it, Gaffer. :p


So, have you read The Hobbit, Elfgal? If not, I think that would be a good next book to look at.

[Curufin]

I'd suggest Unfinished Tales next, but that's simply because I can't stand Hobbits. ;)

[The Gaffer]

Oh yeah, definitely read the Hobbit next, then Unfinished Tales.

The Hobbit is the best-written, IMO.

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

I really enjoy reading The Hobbit aloud to my kid. It flows off the tongue; it's a storyteller's story.

[Curufin]

The Hobbit is the best-written, IMO.

:eek:

You think so? Really?

If the Hobbit had been the first thing I read of Tolkien's, I probably wouldn't have touched another of his books with a ten-foot bargepole. ;)

I much prefer the poetic prose of The Silmarillion or Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth to the childish tone of The Hobbit.

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

Hey, I know you! :D

I never particularly liked reading The Silmarillion until I heard the audio book. I find it much more powerful spoken than in print.

[Curufin]

Yes, indeed you do. ;) I believe we're both here to escape certain Nazgúl? :eek:

As for the Silmarillion, I was only a lukewarm Tolkien fan until I read it. I liked Lord of the Rings alright, but I wasn't that blown away. There weren't any characters I could relate to, and if Frodo and Sam had had any more scenes where they were just walking...walking...walking, I was going to tell the Nazgúl where they were myself. :rolleyes:

But when I read the Silmarillion, it totally stole my heart. Blew me away! And after I read it, Lord of the Rings was so much more poignant, and all the emotion and characters so much more real.

*hugs the Silmarillion*

As for the Hobbit, I must admit it was a bit of a dissapointment to me. Still can't get used to those elves.

:eek:

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

Tra La La Lally! :D

[Curufin]

:eek:

Just for your information, we don't talk like this.

This is more our style:

'Á cenë, pérë-toron! Sina ná laica lá lambalya. Á raiþa nan minë taré lúmë mapan nomenya ar i melmë atarinyo, ar cé ta úcóluva i Noldor eryo man merë nië i tur móliva.'

Seriously, though, it was a bit of a shock for someone who had just finished The Silmarillion and the Athrabeth.

;)

[The Telcontarion]

Yes, indeed you do. ;) I believe we're both here to escape certain Nazgúl? :eek:

As for the Silmarillion, I was only a lukewarm Tolkien fan until I read it. I liked Lord of the Rings alright, but I wasn't that blown away. There weren't any characters I could relate to, and if Frodo and Sam had had any more scenes where they were just walking...walking...walking, I was going to tell the Nazgúl where they were myself. :rolleyes:

But when I read the Silmarillion, it totally stole my heart. Blew me away! And after I read it, Lord of the Rings was so much more poignant, and all the emotion and characters so much more real.

*hugs the Silmarillion*

As for the Hobbit, I must admit it was a bit of a dissapointment to me. Still can't get used to those elves.

:eek:

The silmarillion is the best of Tolkien's books, by far. To me it is the most imaginative and expansive book I have ever read.

[Curufin]

:D

Fantastic! Glad to hear I'm not alone.

It touched my heart like few other books have, and I hate to read about people having so much trouble with it and disliking it!

[Varnafindë]

'Á cenë, pérë-toron! Sina ná laica lá lambalya. Á raiþa nan minë taré lúmë mapan nomenya ar i melmë atarinyo, ar cé ta úcóluva i Noldor eryo man merë nië i tur móliva.'


I refuse to answer that. I just walk away. :mad:

(;) )

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

Actually, we've briefly discussed this before, but I think the Elves of Middle Earth are far happier than many give them credit for. Next time I read LotR, I'm going to take note of the adjectives and actions that indicate the mood of the Elves so I can confirm or disprove my intuition.

It seems to me that since the War of Wrath, when Elves get depressed, they leave Middle Earth. Therefore, Elves remaining in Middle Earth are the joyful ones. They're very often described as laughing or making some clever remark or jest.

Sure, the Silmarillion Elves are bummed out; they're constantly fighting two battles they cannot win: one against Morgoth and one against an oath that none can break and none should take.

By the third age, those that couldn't hack it emotionally had fled and only the really cool ones with good senses of humor were left. :p
Sorry, I couldn't resist at least one crack.

[Zilbanne]

After Reading The Hobbit and the three Lord Of The Rings volumes and
The Silmarillion

... then I think... Lost Tales and A Tolkien Reader would come next.

Just my opinion.