Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth

I haven't read it, and don't plan on it for a while at least. I bought it as a Christmas gift for my father in the upcoming months.
So all I can say about it at the moment is: It came in pristine condition, got great reviews before mine, and is filled with the words of JRR Tolkien. So what more could I have asked for? I'm sure that my father will love it!

This review is only for the Kindle version. While reading this version, I was constantly distracted by the inclusion of the chapter headings into the text of the story. For example, "of tuor and his coming to gondolin 25" is inserted into the middle of a sentence at location 356 of 9703. I've had this same problem with other LOTR Kindle books by this publisher.

Growing up shy,with a creative mind,and a propensity to be alone with my own thoughts and imaginative books,I was ridiculed for preferring to read:"The Hobbit","The Lord Of The Rings"and"The Silmarillion"instead of"chasing booty". After I ignored the ignorance that was put on parade,about my newfound hobby of reading,my antagonists switched tactics,in a more insidious manner by telling my relatives that I was in my room all day,reading OCCULT and DEMONIC material,since there were dragons,dwarves,goblins and"wizards"in the books which were GREATLY responsible for the enjoyable childhood and adolescence I experienced!! Though,I'd comprehended before I was TWELVE that "Gandalf","Radagast"and"Sauman"were NOT sorcerers or warlocks of ANY sort,but were essentially angels(benevolent spirit-beings,dispatched to the physical realm by the benevolent Creator of the World,while commanded to clothe themselves in BODIES of flesh,as"old men"with amazing abilities(so as to limit their incalculable POWER while operating in mortal lands)because manifesting in their GLORY fully revealed would intimidate The Free Peoples of Middle Earth into following their lead and resisting Sauron(a spirit-being who was the corrupted by "Melkor"(read:Lucifer)the most talented and BEAUTIFUL of the creations of Eru the One,who sought to shape the world the way HE saw fit,regardless of the plan of his creator Eru the One and soon took on a HORRIFYING visage while fomenting evil,strife and division in the world)the Lord of the Rings. This,I had real trouble trying to convey to my elders,who were willing to believe negativity about my books,before accepting the TRUTH of the matter. Telling them that J.R.R Tokein was in fact a CHRISTIAN,was equally as futile,as my Penecostal relatives bore a propensity to see Satans work behind EVERYthing which didn't come DIRECTLY from the pages of the Holy Bible itself!! So,I was SO glad to find a book which easily made this concept PLAIN for even a simpleton to comprehend I love the part where it states:" At first Men THOUGHT they(The spiritual Order of the Istari,which Men IN their ignorance called:"wizards")were kin of the High Elves of Lindon,with whom they indeed consorted often,but this was NOT so;for they came from over the Sea,out of the Uttermost West,in the Blessed realm of Valinor/Deathless Lands(read:Heaven)and were SENT to Middle Earth by the Valar,who were the Hildren of Eru Illuvatars'THOUGHT(also known as the"Holy Ones")under the direction of Eru Illuvatar the One,who created the world,to hinder the works of Sauron the Dark Lord of the Rings in Middle Earth. But this was known ONLY to Cirdan the Shipwright,master of the Grey Havens,who bore WITNESS to their landings on a White Ship,and knew WHAT they were,as well as the purpose of their coming. Also in the elightening chapter:"Of the Istari"a look into the Istari BEFORE they arrived in Western Middle-earth in the forms of Men is provided with:"In Valinor,a council of the Valar was underway in Aman,where it was decided to send emmisaries to Middle Earth. But WHO would go?!? For they MUST be mighty;PEERS of Sauron,but yet must FORGO this very strength,and CLOTHE themselves in weak flesh. This in itself would imperil them,as these forms would be real and not FEIGNED,but they would face all the weaknesses inherent TO the flesh;they would hunger,know fear,experience doubt and temptation to evil. Although they KNEW from WHENCE they came,being manifest in bodies with finite minds,their memory of the Blessed Realm would come to be merely a faint,blurred vision of a time afar off to them,as long as they stayed faithful to their charge." I really enjoyed showing doubtful relatives the entry which reads:"It is said that Olorin/Gandalf played the greatest part in contesting the Shadow,and that in his task,he SUFFERED greatly,and was slain. But he was sent BACK into his slain shell,by Eru the One to complete his task as the head of the Order clothed in all WHITE,and NO weapon was ABLE to harm him in THIS form,and so he completed his mission of ridding Mortal Lands of the Shadow,and so he returned to the Grey Havens,boarded a White Ship,and returned forEVER to the Blessed Realm as Olorin the Maiar." As"The Hobbit"was THE first book I'd ever read in my life,I was glad to ABSOLVE Gandalf,my childhood HERO of all accusations of occult practice!! Also the Kings of Numenor are listed by name,even to the LAST king"Ar Pharazon"who caused the Isle of Numenor to be sank into a great CHASM opened in the Sea by Eru Illuvatar Himself,after this king led the greatest armarda ever assembled in the world to arrive in the Blessed Realm by force!! This bold venture is reminiscent to the men under Nimrod who sought to build a tower to Heaven,were hampered by God through an inability to understand one anothers language,and Heaven was thereafter MOVED,so that it was no longer accessible in a physical sense,and here the Blessed Realm was at this point ON the Earth/Arda,seperated from Men,by an enormously wide body of water called:"The Sea,but after casting prideful Numenor into a chasm,the World was"changed"(from flat into an orb)and the Blessed Realm was moved into another dimension,and any ship going west toward it,would continue to travel until it returned BACK to the place it set off from,and only ONE route(called the"Straight Way"which would gradually veer a vessel off of the globe,arcing it skyward into another dimension and onto the white shores of Aman)would take one to the Blessed Realm,and ONLY a White Ship was permitted to make this journey!! Actually Tolkeins writings about beings of SPIRIT manifesting in"WEAK"forms of flesh to accomplish a lofty goal,and accounts of men trying to access heaven by their own merits has MORE to do with Biblical precepts than most of the Gospel programs being shown on television today!! Even the"Blue Wizards"Pallando and Alatar who were assigned to the farthest regions of Middle-earth and thus didn't enter into the accounts of the west of Middle-earth,are addressed here,as they are also named Romesta'mo(East-helper)and Morinehtar(Darkness-slayer)and caused me to wonder what unsung part they played in hampering the innumerable hordes of the East,under the sway of Mordor,from forming a confederacy that would sweep the forces of Gondor and Rohan into the Sea!! This book will DELIGHT any fan of Tolkiens wonderful literary works!! This is a work of Tolkeins that I CHERISH!!

I put off reading UNFINISHED TALES mostly because I feared it would try my patience the way that THE SILMARILLION did. I appreciated the latter, but between J.R.R. Tolkien’s exposition-heavy style and stretching the reading over 3 months, I didn't love it. So, the fact that I had a much smoother and more positive time with UNFINISHED TALES was a huge surprise.

UNFINISHED TALES OF NÚMENOR AND MIDDLE-EARTH is a collection of stories and essays that Tolkien never completed before his death in 1973. (His son and literary executor Christopher Tolkien compiled the materials that make up this volume.) It’s not like THE SILMARILLION, which Christopher edited so it would be a cohesive narrative. Instead, it presents the unfinished works as they are, with extensive footnotes and appendices that explain any gaps or inconsistencies. Some readers might find certain entries confusing as a result, but it’s important to know what UNFINISHED TALES’ structure is like before you dive into it.

One reason why I enjoyed UNFINISHED TALES was its new angles on Middle-Earth tales that I already know well. We learn more about the wizard Gandalf’s dealings with Thorin Oakenshield before the quest for Erebor (and what a thorn Thorin was in Gandalf’s side). We also get glimpses into Isildur’s final battle after claiming The One Ring and his resulting death, the origin stories of the palantíri (seeing stones) and the wizards, and Saruman’s machinations to thwart Sauron’s other servants for his own agenda. Much of this material either was left out of the final versions of THE HOBBIT and LORD OF THE RINGS or evolved into the stories we know now, but many of the character portrayals were consistent. Thorin was still stubborn and irascible, Gandalf wise and gracious, Saruman ambitious and deceptive.

UNFINISHED TALES also features an astonishing amount of new material on Middle-Earth. Three entries are devoted to the island of Númenor, from its geography and culture to the heart-breaking “Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner’s Wife.” That story in particular, especially Aldarion’s wanderlust and emotional isolation due to his unhappy marriage, struck a unexpected chord in me. “The History of Galadriel and Celeborn” was fascinating for the information it reveals about Galadriel, and how Tolkien wrote different accounts of how she met Celeborn and came to Middle-Earth. It was also interesting to see early versions of “Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin” and “The Children of Húrin,” the latter of which has haunted every time I’ve read it.

My main takeaway from UNFINISHED TALES, though? I have a better understanding of how challenging it’s been for Christopher Tolkien to edit his father’s unpublished writings. He’s had to work through half-finished drafts, gaps of information, and conflicting details; and I can’t imagine having to make some of the difficult editorial choices he’s has to make. So, in my opinion, he’s done an admirable job of combing through his father’s writings and making the final products coherent and easy for readers to follow.

The only critique I have for UNFINISHED TALES is on Tolkien’s dry, expository style. I’ve made the same comment on his other books; and while I accept it as his way of writing, I preferred the short stories (which featured dialogue and character interactions) than the essays or historical accounts of events. That said, UNFINISHED TALES is illuminating and impressive for its scope and expansion of one of literature’s most beloved fictional worlds. A must-have for Tolkien fans, though best appreciated after reading his more well-known works.

Unfinished Tales came out in the Fall of 1980, much to everyone’s surprise. This book contains many tales that were briefly mentioned in the form of lays in The Lord of the Rings (LOTR), and one story, Narn i Hin Hurin, the longest in this book, expands the story of Turan Turambar in The Silmarillion, telling it in its completion, to which Chapter 21, Of Turin Turmabar, is but the middle and end of the story. This later came out as one complete book, The Children of Hurin. Another story, Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin, is sort of a preface to The Silmarillion’s “Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin.”
This book is divided into four sections, covering the First, Second, and Third Age of Middle Earth, with Part Four being extra information, especially the history of wizards (Istari), the Druedain (with a fable as a bonus), and the history of the palantirs.
In a sense, these are unfinished tales, where some break off, others give more than one version, with notes from the editor (Christopher Tolkien) at the end of each story. Sometimes, you, the reader have to decide the ending. The main point is that this book tries to give an expanded history of Middle Earth with stories either briefly mentioned in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, or, and this is better, tell stories of set in certain times and places where the reader never before expected.
One tale is of Numenor, of a Mariner who loved the sea, but is also an heir to the Numenorean throne. He marries a woman who never wants to leave her land, and resents her husband going to sea all the time, leading to a lot of strife between the couple. At the end of the story, and here, you must read the notes, is revealed why, and has quite a surprise ending.
Another story covers Amroth and Nimrodel, told as a poem or song by Legolas in The Fellowship of the Ring, while the fellowship was in Lothlorien, but laid out in great detail here. There are stories mentioned in the trilogy that are more detailed that would otherwise have gone unnoticed by many readers of the LOTR trilogy. One chapter can serve as a prologue to The Hobbit, where Gandalf meets up with Thorin Oakenshield before going to The Shire to meet unsuspecting Bilbo Baggins, and there is mention of how Smaug must be destroyed before Sauron makes use of him in his scheme for world domination. This is mentioned in The Hobbit movie, so you can see that Peter Jackson has taken material out of this book for both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Here, I would recommend that you save this chapter and read it before you read, or reread, The Hobbit.
Other stories include the origins of Galadriel and Celeborn, and why they remained in Middle Earth for three ages, and stories of the Third Age, left out of The Lord of the Rings, but could have been in the appendices, such as the origins of Rohan and its people, the Hunt for the Ring, and Gollum.
In Part Four, there are three pieces of history, one being the history of the order of the wizards, and how Saruman, despite his position has head of his order, became jealous, leading to his downfall. As a bonus, the two blue wizards, whom you never meet, are named and is said that they went into the East of Middle Earth, where the reader never ventures.
These stories do appear to be unfinished, but they do give out enough information to entertain the reader and give him a better understanding of the history of Middle Earth, leading to a better understand of the trilogy, and also the movies, especially The Hobbit.
I do recommend that you read in between the lines. That is, the small print because you will catch a few fables of the three ages, reflecting not only Middle Earth, but individuals previously unknown, being both humans and elves, and places you normally would never go, or imagine.
This book is definitely worth adding to your Tolkien library, and worth multiple readings along with The Silmarillion and The Hobbit, as well as the trilogy.

Unfinished Tales came out in the Fall of 1980, much to everyone’s surprise. This book contains many tales that were briefly mentioned in the form of lays in The Lord of the Rings (LOTR), and one story, Narn i Hin Hurin, the longest in this book, expands the story of Turan Turambar in The Silmarillion, telling it in its completion, to which Chapter 21, Of Turin Turmabar, is but the middle and end of the story. This later came out as one complete book, The Children of Hurin. Another story, Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin, is sort of a preface to The Silmarillion’s “Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin.”
This book is divided into four sections, covering the First, Second, and Third Age of Middle Earth, with Part Four being extra information, especially the history of wizards (Istari), the Druedain (with a fable as a bonus), and the history of the palantirs.
In a sense, these are unfinished tales, where some break off, others give more than one version, with notes from the editor (Christopher Tolkien) at the end of each story. Sometimes, you, the reader have to decide the ending. The main point is that this book tries to give an expanded history of Middle Earth with stories either briefly mentioned in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, or, and this is better, tell stories of set in certain times and places where the reader never before expected.
One tale is of Numenor, of a Mariner who loved the sea, but is also an heir to the Numenorean throne. He marries a woman who never wants to leave her land, and resents her husband going to sea all the time, leading to a lot of strife between the couple. At the end of the story, and here, you must read the notes, is revealed why, and has quite a surprise ending.
Another story covers Amroth and Nimrodel, told as a poem or song by Legolas in The Fellowship of the Ring, while the fellowship was in Lothlorien, but laid out in great detail here. There are stories mentioned in the trilogy that are more detailed that would otherwise have gone unnoticed by many readers of the LOTR trilogy. One chapter can serve as a prologue to The Hobbit, where Gandalf meets up with Thorin Oakenshield before going to The Shire to meet unsuspecting Bilbo Baggins, and there is mention of how Smaug must be destroyed before Sauron makes use of him in his scheme for world domination. This is mentioned in The Hobbit movie, so you can see that Peter Jackson has taken material out of this book for both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Here, I would recommend that you save this chapter and read it before you read, or reread, The Hobbit.
Other stories include the origins of Galadriel and Celeborn, and why they remained in Middle Earth for three ages, and stories of the Third Age, left out of The Lord of the Rings, but could have been in the appendices, such as the origins of Rohan and its people, the Hunt for the Ring, and Gollum.
In Part Four, there are three pieces of history, one being the history of the order of the wizards, and how Saruman, despite his position has head of his order, became jealous, leading to his downfall. As a bonus, the two blue wizards, whom you never meet, are named and is said that they went into the East of Middle Earth, where the reader never ventures.
These stories do appear to be unfinished, but they do give out enough information to entertain the reader and give him a better understanding of the history of Middle Earth, leading to a better understand of the trilogy, and also the movies, especially The Hobbit.
I do recommend that you read in between the lines. That is, the small print because you will catch a few fables of the three ages, reflecting not only Middle Earth, but individuals previously unknown, being both humans and elves, and places you normally would never go, or imagine.
This book is definitely worth adding to your Tolkien library, and worth multiple readings along with The Silmarillion and The Hobbit, as well as the trilogy.

This is one volume that I am glad to have read. It has stories going all the way the first age all the way through to the third age where in the Lord of the Rings occurs. During the first age the reader is treated to an account of how Tuor found the city of Gondolin after having escaped Morgoth;s slave camp. Led by Ulmo , the sea God and elves Tuor is charged with delivering a message. But does Thingol the King of Gondolin heed that message. The second story is the tragic tale of Turin son of Hurin. Hurin a grat warrior is captured by Morgoth and forced to watch the down fall of his children through a crystal ball. Some of you maybe familiar with the tale of “children of Hurin” Well this is another version of the story.
The second age is about the Island of Numenor. Gifted to men after the first age for fighting against Morgoth. The island was pentacle shaped with a central mountain in the center used for worshipping Eru Illuvatar. The royalty lived for a very long time but were not immortal like the elves. The land was rich in forestry and things were pretty mellow with people travelling by horse and there were plenty of crops. The tale of “Aldarion and Erendis” tells how Aldarion heir to the throne goes about travelling by ship on long extended voyages to the Middle Earth. The man is in love with the sea. His extended voyages strain relations between him and his family especially with Erendis his wife. Things get to a point where she raised the daughter on her own and the daughter ended up becoming queen. It must be noted that Aldarion helped men and elves against the forces of Sauron. The next chapter tells the list of kings and queens and finally how the shadown of Sauron brought about the downfall of Numenor. Greed and oppression of men in the Middle Earth turned people against N umenor.
The second age also has a section about Lady Galadriel. Telling how she left Valinor in anger against Manwe’s permission, she held an endless grudge against Feanor and Noldor for going against the Valar. She travels over the Misty Mountain and with Cereborn they found their kingdom. She refuses Manwe’s invitation to return and only finally returns after Sauron is defeated and the elves go off to Valinor. “The disaster of Gladden Fields tells of how the rings were made and how one man named Isuldur defeats Sauron and steals his ring. He dies in a river and loses the ring. We all know that Gollum finds it. The tale then tales Cirion and Erol. Erol fights with Gondor against Sauron and the wainriders. For this he is given Rohan as a land to rule over as kings and the riders from that realm are called the Rider’s of Rohan .

Things sequay with the “Quest of Erebor” This story gives a lot more background the “Hobbit” especially if you are perplexed about the mentioning of the Shadow in the Hobbit movies. I never remembered reading about that in the Hobbit the first time. Aparentally Gandal knew what was up. He chose Bilbo for a reason as he knew his ultimate destiny to hand the ring to Frod. The hunt for the ring tells how the witch king became the leader of the nine riders. But they have no will of their own save for Suron’s. They are used for quickness. When they captured and tortured Gollum after he lost the ring to Bilbo he was tortured and questioned . Fiortunately for the Hobbits Suaron really never heard of Hobbits.
The last part of the book tells about the people of Halth, a warrior group of people who have a female warrior queen. Going further it deals with the origin of the wizards, communication stones and other denizens of the Middle Earth. A must read for Tolkien fans.

Despite the fact that I have been a Tolkien fan for many years, I only just recently picked up this volume and read it in its entirety. It was given to me as a gift many years ago, however my attempt to read it came to nothing as I found it of little interest and at the time had never even read The Silmarillion, which in my opinion is definitely a pre-requisite before attempting to read this volume. As such, this review is meant for people in a similar position, those who have read the three major published Middle Earth books (The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings), yet have not yet read this volume and may be curious as to its contents or worth as an addition to the canon.

As many have said in other reviews, this work mainly appeals to those who have a vested and enduring interest in the overall mythology and literary world of Middle Earth, however it is hard to imagine the perspective of a "casual reader" of The Lord of the Rings, given the extensive and decades-long world building that Tolkien brought to this most popular of fantasy novels. If one has read The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, including the information-rich Appendix, and still would like to know more about the peoples and histories of Middle Earth, without quite possessing the gumption to commit to the 12 volume "Histories of Middle Earth" compendium, the Unfinished Tales makes for a wonderful addition to the library of a Tolkien fan.

Several of the stories are indeed unfinished and replete with commentary by Christopher Tolkien, including appendices to the individual tales as well as extensive end notes. There are, however, a few entries that are more akin to essays on particular events, characters or objects in the Middle Earth universe. Again, this is not a matter of collected stories by a beloved fantasy author like a standard collection of short stories. This is an attempt by the author's son, after painstaking research and compilation, to gather together a selection of the hundreds (if not thousands) of pages of hand-written unpublished material that occupied the author's life before and after the writing of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. This is basically how The Silmarillion was created, however it was Christopher's desire with The Silmarillion to produce a somewhat complete and consistent collection that represented a contiguous mythological background, whereas with Unfinished Tales it is more of a collection of works presented in the form they were left by the author with added commentaries or summaries to make up for where the stories simply end abruptly because the author left them incomplete or abandoned them entirely.

That being said, there is much here to enjoy and in some cases the stories do not feel terribly incomplete, given that some of them are finished in their alternate version contained in The Silmarillion or represent mere treatises on certain aspects of the larger published works. To find fault with the content or the manner in which they are presented would seem churlish to me given that they are offered in the manner they were left by the author by one who has charged himself with providing for fans of the author as much material as possible in order to gain a wider appreciation for the world Tolkien created and the process behind its creation. Again, however, this material would likely only be fully appreciated by those who have already read (and at least adequately grasped) the three major published volumes that comprise the Middle Earth story proper and are looking for some interesting background material to flesh out their understanding of the whole.

The entries are as follows:

Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin–This is an expanded version of Tuor's childhood and his coming to the halls of the Sea where he meets the water God Ulmo and is charged with finding Gondolin to warn King Turgon of his coming doom. It is mostly comprised of Tuor's journey from the Sea to Gondolin with his Elven companion Voronwe. While the story ends abruptly once they reach Gondolin, there is much here to enjoy as it is rich with contemplative moments and wonderful descriptions of the realm and the story is finished in the correlative chapter in The Silmarillion, albeit in a more summarized version than it would have been if Tolkien had finished this more expanded version.

The Children of Hurin–This is a fuller version of Chapter 21 of The Silmarillion based on several versions of the story that Tolkien worked on throughout his life. This is a truncated version of the story that is more fully and comprehensibly told in the new single volume The Children of Hurin, and if one has not yet read Unfinished Tales, my recommendation would be to skip this entire section (easily the longest) of the book and simply read the fuller and less editorialized version of the story in its new and more elaborately presented edition.

A Description of the Isle of Numenor-This is more of an essay that describes the layout and topography of the island of Numenor, established in the Second Age after Morgoth was banished from Middle Earth. Its value is simply to better inform the reader of the realm where the events of the following story take place, as well as the events of the Akallabeth in The Silmarillion.

Aldarion and Erendis–This is a very enjoyable and rich story describing the life of King Tar-Aldarion of Numenor, one of many who ruled on this island before its destruction, and an ancient ancestor of Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings. The story follows Aldarion's relationship with his parents and his wife Erendis. Aldarion's soul belonged to the sea and he often ventured from the island for years on end, to the chagrin of his father, mother and eventually his wife, for their wedding takes place many years after their betrothal due to his continual urge to be at sea. It also foreshadows the first coming of Sauron toward the end, which leads to the ascension of Aldarion to the throne, at which point the narrative ends unfinished. Christopher Tolkien completes the story in summary form based upon the scribbled notes his father left behind, but what is here offered complete is quite fascinating and contains typical Tolkien-style royal interactions and noble conversations full of wise and authoritative words as is often found in the The Lord of the Rings and Silmarillion.

The Line of Elros-Another short treatise on the individual heirs of Elros that ruled Numenor, ending with Ar-Pharazon, the last King of that realm who led his people against the Valar to the ruination of the entire realm, all under the influence of Sauron. This is very similar to the entry in the Appendix at the end of Return of the King that follows the line of Elendil and the Kings and Stewards of Gondor.

The History of Galadriel and Celeborn–This is a rather disjointed representation of writings on the history of Galadriel and Celeborn and their coming to Lothlorien. Tolkien changed the details of Galadriel's life rather often it seems, so Christopher here presents several differing and somewhat conflicting versions of her life and history with Celeborn. I found it somewhat dry and not all that fascinating. There were a few tidbits that held my interest, but for the most part I merely skimmed it.

The Disaster of the Gladden Fields–Moving into the Third Age, this is a short account of the events that led to Isildur's losing of the One Ring and how it came to be laid to rest in the river for Sméagol to find so much later. It describes the assault on Isildur and his escape from the orcs, only to be deceived by the ring and murdered by pursuing orcs. This story accords with the short scene depicting this account at the beginning of the film Fellowship of the Ring that is merely summarized at the end of The Silmarillion.

Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Rohan and Gondor–This describes the history of the founding of Rohan by the horsemen who migrated there and how it came to be a separate kingdom form Gondor, as well as the original alliance between kings that established the tradition of coming to one another's aid as is later repeated to grand effect in Return of the King. Next to the History of Galadriel, I found this chapter to be somewhat uninteresting, and had a tough time retaining interest while I read it.

The Quest of Erebor–This is a short section containing several versions of a scene that was planned for the end of the Return of the King while the fellowship is gathered at Minas Tirith after Sauron's defeat, but it was later abandoned. The scene involves Gandalf sharing with Frodo and Sam the story behind his original meeting with Thorin and how he came to the decision to invite Bilbo to come on the quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain. Clearly this chapter informed the new Hobbit films and the broader approach to the story that Jackson took, opting for a Lord of the Rings-style trilogy instead of a straight adaptation of the book. I really enjoyed this section as it most directly informs the main stories so many have come to love.

The Hunt for the Ring–This section reveals more of the journey of the Black Riders and their hunt for the Ring at the beginning of Fellowship. It provides some background on Sauron's reasoning for sending them out and his strategy in doing so, how they came to learn of the Shire, and even Saruman's involvement in the affair. Another fascinating bit that most directly informs the LOTR plot.

The Battle of the Fords of Isen–A background account of Saruman's campaign against Rohan and the battle that took the life of King Théoden's son Theodred. Somewhat fascinating but not as much as the two sections preceding it, in my opinion.

The final three sections are essays or treatises rather than stories.

The Druedain–This is a rather dry representation of the history of the Wildmen, the people who led the Rohirrim to Gondor through the forest to charge the Pelennor Fields at the end of Return of the King. It serves to flesh out the history of this people who play only a small role in the narrative of the larger stories and is merely of passing interest.

The Istari–This is probably my favorite section of the book. It describes the background of the Istari, the Wizards that came to Middle Earth at the beginning of the Third Age. They were Maiar, demi-gods sent by the Valar to assist in the quelling of Sauron as his threat to Middle Earth once again grew once his spirit settled in Dol Guldur and began to assert its influence again. It reveals the original names of the Maiar as they were known in Valinor and how they came to be selected by the Valar to go to Middle Earth. It is very fascinating and provides the reader with a broader understanding of Saruman and Gandalf especially.

The Palantiri–This is a description of the history, uses and nature of the Seeing Stones that played such a large role in the LOTR stories. It is also quite fascinating and provides a fuller account of these objects than that offered in the Appendix at the end of Return of the King, going into more detail about how they contributed to the downfall of Saruman and Dennethor particularly.

"Unfinished Tales" now represents something of a publishing problem, since the centrepiece of the book, the broken sequence of fragments and drafts of the projected 'great tale' of the children of Húrin (told only in abbreviated form in "The Silmarillion"), has recently been superseded by "The Children of Húrin" (see Narn I Chin Hurin: The Tale of the Children of Hurin). With new manuscript discoveries and a reconsideration of the relationship between the fragments it was possible to form a complete narrative, and one which differs in many details from that in "Unfinished Tales". The rest of the book contains much that is fascinating, but it is just too thin in quality, or too 'technical', to sustain the book on its own. There is only one piece that matches 'The Children of Húrin' in stature, and that is the fragment 'Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin', being what survives of a final, mature attempt to tell this story in a full form - another of the three 'great tales' Tolkien planned to produce. (As a narrative it is perhaps rather static; but for me it is the most haunting work in the book, even if the 'Narn' is greater.)

For a new reader it could hardly be recommended to ignore the new book and just read 'The Children of Húrin' in its "Unfinished Tales" form (the cat's out of the bag). But the other material in the book still needs to be preserved, and shown off to best advantage, as it was originally by association with the 'great tales'. Perhaps there is more high quality material that could be rescued from the massive "History of Middle Earth" and promoted to "Unfinished Tales"? After all, this book is by default a kind of highlights volume.

Or maybe there IS still a place for a REVISED version of the more technical style of presentation of 'The Children of Húrin' used in "Unfinished Tales", to complement the new book - with the new fragments added, as well as the new ideas for how they fit together. Certainly it's hard to imagine the book without this work at its heart. (And I must say that on balance I prefer the story in its more 'honest' "Unfinished Tales" presentation. Maybe because that's how I first read it! But in the new book the illusion of a finished work sometimes clashes with passages that lack final polish.)

A new edition would also be handy for some of the technical pieces in the book. The 'Hunt for the Ring' chapter, in particular, seems to need heavy revision in the light of new discoveries.

Tolkien was an obsessive genius and I am a life-long fan. But the original Trilogy + Hobbit is more than enough J.R.R. for anyone except other obsessives. The movies were a travesty. (Not germane here, but I can't help it.)

Upon his death in 1973, J.R.R. Tolkien left behind a vast collection of writings about Middle-earth. His third son and literary executor, Christopher, assembled some of these into The Silmarillion, published in 1977, but the question about what to do with the other reams of material was unclear. Aware that fans of Middle-earth would be eager for more material, even unfinished or existing only in rough drafts, he assembled Unfinished Tales and published it in 1980. Its success inspired him to proceed with the far more ambitious, twelve-volume History of Middle-earth project.

Unfinished Tales occupies an awkward place in the Tolkien canon. Unlike the History series, which consists of almost exclusively non-canon material (early drafts and rough notes of material that was eventually finalised and published), the material in Unfinished Tales was specifically written by Tolkien to flesh out other parts of his mythos that were not explored in the books themselves. In particular, the writings include a series of essays which were designed to answer a wide number of issues brought up by readers of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit in correspondence. Some of these essays were written very late in Tolkien's life and represent his last - and often only - word on subjects such as the origins of Gandalf and his fellow wizards, the backstory of Galadriel and the history of Numenor during the Second Age. As a result some fans hold Unfinished Tales to be the fourth Middle-earth book, only marginally less important than The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. Others choose to disregard it as anything more than a curiosity, since as Christopher Tolkien himself notes it's unlikely J.R.R. would have permitted even the completed writings in the book to be published without more polish.

Unlike The Silmarillion, which was presented as a single narrative, Unfinished Tales is a collection of stories and fragments intermingled with Christopher Tolkien's editorial notes. These are kept to a minimum in some of the stories and essays, but in others are much more prevalent (something he apologises for, but regards as necessary in the case of works where his father was working on several drafts simultaneously, risking confusion to the reader). Christopher's notes are fascinating, well-written with a clear eye for detail and minimising confusion. He assumes the reader is already familiar with the Middle-earth mythos (since they're unlikely to be reading this book otherwise) and is able to delve into various topics in depth. Whilst he clearly loves and respects his father immensely, it is also amusing to detect the vague frustrations that creep into his notes, most notably when trying to fathom why Tolkien abandoned particular narratives at key points (feelings the reader may share as the book unfolds).

The first story is 'Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin'. The story of Tuor's arrival in Gondolin and the events leading to the fall of that city in the War of the Jewels was the first story Tolkien ever wrote set in Middle-earth, and is still one of his most memorable narratives. However, the version in Unfinished Tales was written much later, in 1951 (the much more complete original can be found in The History series), featuring a more conventional prose style than the archaic original. It's stirring, epic stuff, featuring some great imagery as Tuor is confronted by the Vala Ulmo, Lord of Waters, and has a great destiny laid before him. The story proceeds with power and momentum until it abruptly halts just as Tuor reaches Gondolin itself. Even with the earlier version available and a much more compressed account of events readable in The Silmarillion, this is still a frustrating moment.

The second story is 'The Tale of the Children of Hurin', a much longer story (almost a hundred pages, taking up a quarter of the book) featuring the adventures of the doomed, tragic Turin. Unlike the story of Tuor, this tale is more or less complete, though somewhat complex due to competing drafts and different versions existing. Many years later Christopher used this material (along with some other, later unearthed manuscripts) to form the basis of The Children of Hurin, so if you already have that book be aware that you will find much of this material familiar. But still, it's a powerful story, the darkest thing Tolkien wrote set in Middle-earth, featuring lust, incest (though unwitting), war and the 'hero' bringing death and ruin to all those around him.

The next section of the book moves into the Second Age of Middle-earth, which Tolkien left somewhat vague and under-developed compared to the First Age (covered in The Silmarillion) and the Third (the setting for The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings). We start off with 'A Description of the Island of Numenor'. For fans of worldbuilding, Tolkien's description of the island empire and the accompanying map will be fascinating. However, it's the following story, 'Aldarion and Erendis', which is more intriguing. It depicts the marriage of the noble lady Erendis to Aldarion, later King of Numenor, and touches on larger aspects (such as Aldarion's re-opening of relations between Numenor and the elves of Middle-earth), but for the most part it's a strong character piece. For those who claim Tolkien is overly-romantic, this account of a failing relationship due to outside pressures (Aldarion's lengthy absences from home) is surprisingly realistic. The story breaks off towards the end, although this is more of a relationship study than a tense narrative, so is less grievous a loss than some of the other texts in the book.

Tolkien follows this up with an account of the Kings of Numenor and the major events of their reigns. This is again primarily of interest to worldbuilders, but Tolkien manages to put in some great details and elements that could have been mined to produce further stories, but sadly it was not to be. This is then succeeded by an account of the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, something that Lord of the Rings fans will be more interested in, but frustratingly is also the most 'unfinished' of all the works in the book. Tolkien conceived of several competing, but radically different possibilities for the couple's backstory and reached no firm conclusions before his death, leaving several versions which are mutually contradictory. Christopher Tolkien suggests appreciating these contradictions as part of the literary effect of having a fictional history and mythology, which may be the best approach. Even in their differences, these versions reveal more fascinating information on Sauron's activities in the Second Age and characters briefly mentioned in Lord of the Rings, such as Celebrimbor, Nimrodel and Amroth.

The final sections of the book deals with the Third Age and consists mainly of finished essays and narratives, though in some cases with competing drafts which the editor takes pains to clarify. This section begins with an account of the Battle of the Gladden Fields (the engagement where Isildur lost the Ring), here revealed to be a much larger conflict than the brief skirmish suggested by Lord of the Rings and depicted as such in the films (by necessity, since Peter Jackson did not have the film rights to Unfinished Tales he could not use the account of the conflict here). He follows this up with the history of the Rohirrim, the development of the relationship between the Rohirrim and people of Gondor, and the founding of Rohan itself, again depicting worldbuilding information through a story (here the friendship of King Cirion of Gondor and Eorl, founder of Rohan).

This is followed by sections fleshing out The Lord of the Rings. 'The Quest of Erebor' explains how Gandalf came to join forces with Thorin and the dwarves and how he convinced them to recruit Bilbo Baggins to join their quest. This was actually a chapter from The Lord of the Rings, written as part of Tolkien's attempts to better-connect The Hobbit and the later work, but was wisely exorcised for killing the pace of the novel (it was supposed to be a discussion between Gandalf and Frodo between the victory over Sauron and the Scouring of the Shire, where it would have been ill-suited). However, as a stand-alone narrative it's a valuable - and enjoyable - asset in clarifying the relationship between the two books. This is followed up by 'The Hunt for the Ring', a detailed account of how the Ringwraiths set out in search of the Ring after losing track of Gollum (who had been captured by Aragorn). Though rather brief, this short piece does feature a memorable confrontation between Saruman and the Witch-King of Angmar. Rounding off this section is 'The Battles of the Fords of Isen', revealing in detail the battles fought by Rohan against Isengard on the Isen (alluded to but unseen in The Lord of the Rings). Again, it's not essential but does help flesh out a side-element of The Lord of the Rings.

Rounding off the book are three complete essays on three separate topics. The first expands on the Druedain or Woses, the wood-men who help the Rohirrim bypass Sauron's armies to reach the Pelennor Fields. Tolkien reveals in this essay that he was considering giving the Druedain a much bigger role in the backstory of Middle-earth, and even have them playing a role in The Silmarillion, but passed away before this idea could be fully fleshed-out. The second discusses the Istari, or the order of wizards that Gandalf, Radagast and Saruman belong to. We learn the names of the other two wizards who vanished into the east (Alatar and Pallando) and some interesting backstory emerges here. The third and final essay delves into the Palantiri, the magical seeing-stones which play a major role in The Lord of the Rings. This is atypical Tolkien, since normally he preferred to leave the magical elements of his world vague and mysterious, but here he delves into the capabilities of each palantir with the kind of magic system-building enthusiasm we now see with writers such as Brandon Sanderson.

Unfinished Tales (*****) is a fascinating book, representing a collection of writings by the most influential fantasist of all time extending over thirty years. Many of the individual stories and essays are excellent, certainly all are interesting and the only complaint that can be made is that several break off with no resolution. But then the book does tell you that on the cover, so it's hard to hold that against it. Unfinished Tales is available now, in numerous editions, in the UK and USA.

This collection of stories is just what the name implies--unfinished tales from both the continent of Middle-Earth and the island of Numenor. These tales are great and rich in detail, but one should be warned that they are not your everyday fantasy story. Both The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion are complicated and not casually understood, but this book tops both of them in terms of complexity.
The story of the compilation of the book is this: Tolkien's son Christopher collected a mass of writings of his father--notes scrawled on scraps of paper, unpublished essays, even letters dealing with Middle-Earth. He edited and organized them, and prepared them for publication, and the result is this book. Because of this, many of the stories are missing detail and have some speculation, and all of them relate to other events related in Tolkien's other works.
Because of the relation to Tolkien's other work, this book should be read AFTER The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion, and should only be approached by those who want to seriously study and learn all there is to know of the world Tolkien created. For the casual reader this compilation may be somewhat tedious, for there is much detail lacking and it is assumed that you already have a knowledge of the history of Middle-Earth as outlined in Tolkien's other books.
For those who are serious about study, though, this book is a great addition to the already extensive world of JRR Tolkien. Ever wonder where Gandalf and the other wizards came from? Why Bilbo was chosen to accompany the Dwarves in The Hobbit? What the palantiri stones do, and where they came from? If so, then this is the book for you. You will find a collection of stories that will greatly enrich the lore of Middle-Earth (and Numenor).
For serious readers of Tolkien, this book is highly recommended. No one does fantasy like he does, and even these scattered fragments of narrative are enough to leave you begging for more.

J.R.R. Tolkien's tales of Middle-Earth weren't restricted just to fantasy epic "Lord of the Rings." His life's work was spread over hundreds of stories and invented legends -- some were compiled into "The Silmarillion." But some were left over, little odd bits that make up "Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth."
Tolkien presents stories spanning Middle-Earth's history, with dragons and mythical heroes like Turin, background information on Elf queen Galadriel and her husband Celeborn, and different accounts of searches for the One Ring, including more exposition about the wizard-turned-bad Saruman and the other Istari. There are also essays about palantiri, wizards, and the family line of Elrond's mortal brother Elros. Best among these is a "lost chapter" where Gandalf talks to Frodo about the Dwarves.
This isn't a novel, or even a sort of pseudo-history like "Silmarillion." It's more like a patchwork quilt of little odd bits that don't belong anywhere else. Anybody who hasn't read "Silmarillion," "Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" will be hopelessly lost. But those who have read and understood those books will eat these right up -- there's plenty of info about favorite characters like Gandalf, Galadriel, and the heroes and villains from Tolkien's sprawling epics.
Tolkien's vivid writing is shown in its different states here -- there's the stately semi-mythic writing, and the more intimate conversational style of "Lord of the Rings." He even dabbles briefly in first-person storytelling through the eyes of Frodo Baggins. Lots of details and ethereally evocative descriptions make it all come alive.
"Unfinished Tales" is a fill-in-the-gaps sort of book, and Tolkien's storytelling genius still shines through in this disjointed collection of essays, bits and pieces. For those hungering for more Middle-Earth.

Despite my enormous enthusiasm for the works of Tolkien, and indeed for the man himself, I can only honestly award 3 stars for this work. Why indeed did Allen and Unwin publish an entire large book of “Unfinished Tales”? The fault, I think, lies less with Christopher Tolkien, who has clearly put an enormous amount of effort into the impossible task of editing this mess, but with his father and his rather dubious work practices.

As an example, take “The History of Galadriel and Celeborn” – less a story than an essay on the inconsistency of Tolkien’s writings – of which Christopher Tolkien admits “There is no part of the history of Middle-earth more full of problems.” In The Fellowship of the Ring, Galadriel says that Celeborn “has dwelt in the West since the days of dawn, and I have dwelt with him years uncounted.” Yet in Appendix B to the same Lord of the Rings, we learn that Celeborn dwelt “for a time” in Lindon, south of the Lune. Now, unless we accept that Galadriel, described here as the “greatest of Elven women” was becoming a bit senile or was being economical with the truth, Tolkien has slipped up badly.

There is similar confusion about the reasons why Galadriel remained in Middle-earth after most of her kin had returned to the undying lands. The usual reason cited is because of a ban placed on the rebels (of whom she was one) by the Valar – a ban which was later removed “in reward for her services against Sauron” – but in another text we read that “Her pride was unwilling to return, a defeated suppliant for pardon…” and that “she refused the pardon of the Valar” for all who fought against Morgoth until she passed “the final test” (Frodo’s offer of the one ring) and decided to return. In yet another version, Galadriel was not even part of the rebellion which earned the ban. I can imagine Christopher pulling his hair out trying to make sense of all this.

Tolkien says in a couple of places that Celeborn and Galadriel had a son named Amroth; but in another version, Amroth was the son of Amdir, and was the King of Lothlorien before the time of Celeborn and Galadriel. And so on. These are just a few of the confusions and downright contradictions between the various versions.

Okay, I have only dealt with the worst example, but the problem was far more widespread than that.

The root of the problem was Tolkien’s sloppy work practices. He would write a rough version of a story and put it aside; years later he would come back to the same idea and write it again, presumably without consulting the earlier version. Sometimes there would be three or more different stories containing different and often contradictory versions of the same material. This would be fine if he was only writing for his own amusement, but he emphatically wanted his work to be published and was bitterly disappointed that The Silmarillion was not published during his lifetime. And publication requires more self-discipline than that. (He actually wanted to publish The Silmarillion first, as it covered a period several thousand years earlier, but this would never have worked; The Silmarillion could only be a viable publication after he had established himself as a major author by publishing The Lord of the Rings.) If only he could have forced himself to destroy earlier versions and produce definitive texts, he could have saved us all a lot of trouble. It’s not as if we are looking at a couple of things he was working on at the end of his life: some of these works were written around the time of World War I!

Admittedly, he was not totally to blame. Anyone who has read his letters has probably become sick of reading his complaints that he had far too much work to do; not only was his academic work extremely demanding, but it paid so poorly that he needed to supplement his income to support his family by marking examination papers for half his holidays. Ironically, it was only after his retirement that he was making enough money from sales of The Lord of the Rings to give up the marking (which he appears to have disliked intensely, though it had the famous advantage of getting him started on hobbits). Nevertheless, readers of his letters will also be aware that he would often write two thousand words or more to answer fairly trivial questions from unknown readers, and thousands of words more on letters that he appears not to have posted. The amount of time he spent on correspondence must have been enormous.

So why did I give the book 3 stars?

Because it contains some wonderful work. For example, the extended version of The Silmarillion “Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin”, which Christopher has here named “Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin” because his father did not even come close to the fall, was coming along very well, and it is a great pity he did not finish it. “The Tale of the Children of Hurin” (aka Narn I Hin Turin) was probably excellent as well, but I did not read it, as I had recently finished reading both the Silmarillion version and the brilliant full-length version The Children of Hurin (in my opinion, the greatest of Tolkien’s works after The Lord of the Rings, and I was sure this mid-length version could not be as good. “Disaster of the Gladden Fields” gives some good insights into the end of Isildur.

I have not yet even started on the multi-volume History of Middle-earth, (more unfinished works, presumably) but so far I would have to say that Unfinished Tales is the least of Middle-earth.

This book is a great source of additional info of what happens outside of the books. (I mean, the books where things are taking place and you are not being told about them being written; this has Christopher Tolkien telling you and showing you the stuff his Dad wrote, along with some explanations on the pieces of writing in this book) It's cool that they have the story of Turin Turambar in here, though it is not now complete in this book. Also what was really awesome was that they had the Battles of the Fords of Isen and the stuff on Isildur. I mean, I wondered about the Isen battles when reading THE TWO TOWERS, and now they told me! Awesome! And I learned a lot about what really happened when Isildur died. Or at least I learned about about another telling of his death, which I didn't know before. And the awesome story of Tuor meeting with Ulmo was also awesome. In short, this book is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! However, don't read this book unless you are a huge Middle-Earth fan and have already read THE HOBBIT, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, and THE SILMARILLION. They are rather important, you won't understand the content in this book if you don't read them first. Happy readings!

J.R.R. Tolkien's tales of Middle-Earth weren't restricted just to fantasy epic "Lord of the Rings." His life's work was spread over hundreds of stories and invented legends -- some were compiled into "The Silmarillion." But some were left over, little odd bits that make up "Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth."
Tolkien presents stories spanning Middle-Earth's history, with dragons and mythical heroes like Turin, background information on Elf queen Galadriel and her husband Celeborn, and different accounts of searches for the One Ring, including more exposition about the wizard-turned-bad Saruman and the other Istari. There are also essays about palantiri, wizards, and the family line of Elrond's mortal brother Elros. Best among these is a "lost chapter" where Gandalf talks to Frodo about the Dwarves.
This isn't a novel, or even a sort of pseudo-history like "Silmarillion." It's more like a patchwork quilt of little odd bits that don't belong anywhere else. Anybody who hasn't read "Silmarillion," "Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" will be hopelessly lost. But those who have read and understood those books will eat these right up -- there's plenty of info about favorite characters like Gandalf, Galadriel, and the heroes and villains from Tolkien's sprawling epics.
Tolkien's vivid writing is shown in its different states here -- there's the stately semi-mythic writing, and the more intimate conversational style of "Lord of the Rings." He even dabbles briefly in first-person storytelling through the eyes of Frodo Baggins. Lots of details and ethereally evocative descriptions make it all come alive.
"Unfinished Tales" is a fill-in-the-gaps sort of book, and Tolkien's storytelling genius still shines through in this disjointed collection of essays, bits and pieces. For those hungering for more Middle-Earth.

I found Unfinished Tales to be a pretty good book. It is more piecemeal than the completed novels, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, which was in progress when J.R.R. Tolkien died. The Silmarillion was pulled together and edited by his son Christopher.

The book is separated into four sections. The first section is the First Age and contains stories on the coming of Tuor to Gondolin and the tale of Hurin's Children. The Tale of Hurin's children in touched on in the Silmarillion but this story is much more in-depth and while fans of the Tolkien mythologies know is a tragic tale this version is most complete.

The second section of the book is the Second Age and focuses much on the Numenor. There is a description of the island of Numenor. This section contains the tale of the Mariner's Wife, which is another great and tragic story among the tales of Middle-Earth. There is a section on various kings of Numenor and a History of Galadriel and Celeborn. I found the history of Galadriel very interesting, and full of information that made events in later tales more meaningful

The third section of Unfinished Tales is the Third Age. This portion of the book contains: The Disaster on the Gladden Fields, a history on the relationship between Gondor and Rohan, The Quest for Erebor, a portion on the hunt for the One Ring, And the Battles of the Rods of Isen, which ultimately lead to the death of Theodred, the son of King Thoden. This section of the book had lots of additional information for fans of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbits to consume and make their enjoyment of the stories that much fuller.

The fourth and final section of the book contains sections on the Druedain (or Wild Men), the Istari (or Wizards) and the palantiri (or seeing stones). This section was also very valuable in adding information to the Lord of the Rings. I was very fond of the story The Faithful Stone and found the history of the Wild Men more colorful than expected. My suspicions about the origin of the Istari were validated in this section of the book as well. And my understanding of the palantiri went up substantially from near zero.

Overall I would suggest this book to any Tolkien fan after reading at least the Lord of the Rings but better to have read the Hobbit and Silmarillion to get the most out of the tales and told in Unfinished Tales. Unfortunately, the stories are unfinished and in a few cases I found myself really wanting more but that's just the way it goes.

The best thing about Tolkien is that he's written stories for every possible human mood. Want some light entertainment? Read The Hobbit. Want a great, dark and overwhelming epic? Well, LotR is your choice. And so on. You can't say "LotR is Tolkien's greatest work" or "Silmarillion is his finest achievement", because they're both just parts of the great perfectness. Simply, Middle-Earth is his best work and greatest achievement, everything it contains and everything you imagine it to contain.
That's why I've grown to adore Unfinished Tales more and more with every reading. Of all books published under Tolkien's name, it paints maybe the clearest picture of Middle-Earth's different aspects. There are Old Testament-style myths, exciting adventure stories, intelligent and interesting essays, more romance and human feelings than in his other works. I guess for an ordinary reader it can be a bit confusing that so few of these Tales are ready and whole. Christopher Tolkien has had to explain much, but for a die-hard fan like me that makes it all more interesting. Between the lines you can easily read facts about the way Tolkien handled his world, and that way is unique in litetarure. A very, very essential book.

Like The Silmarillion but even more so, this book is an unusual form of fiction. The pieces in this book range from short philological essays to full narratives, and range in completeness from scattered fragments that conflict with one another, through polished tales that end abruptly, to more complete works. But if the appendices to The Lord of the Rings were your favorite part, and you want even more of the intricate backstory behind Tolkien's stunning narratives, buy this book immediately without fear of disappointment.
Unfinished Tales fleshes out in more detail what is only alluded to elsewhere. Here we get fully written stories, if incomplete, of Tuor and Túrin, whereas in The Silmarillion their tales received much briefer treatment. We learn more about Númenor: a map of the island, a chronology of its kings, and a story from early in its history. We find a well-written account of the ambush of Isildur at the Gladden Fields, and get a hint of what the power of Númenor was before its waning. We learn more about the Rohirrim. More about what else happened during the War of the Ring. And most tantalizing, we get short (if fragmentary) essays on the Wizards, the Palantíri, and the Drúedain.
Remarkably consistent, most of these works appear to have been written late in Tolkien's life, by which I mean after The Lord of the Rings was published: he's filling in details rather than establishing the basic structure. (Even the empty lands of Enedwaith and Minhiriath get histories.) One exception is the conflicting histories of Galadriel, whose role, it seems, Tolkien was still trying to work out.

"Unfinished Tales" is a wonderful addition to Middle-Earth lore, adding wonderful details about episodes in all three Ages as well as providing glimpses into the operation of the thought and mind of the author.
Of particular interest to most readers would be the additional material describing events in "The Hobbit" from the dwarves point of view, and the story of the Black Rider's search for the Ring. Also interesting was the essay on the Wizards.
The wise reader will enjoy not only the text, but the notes as well, as they lend even more aid in the deciphering of these fragments of stories.
Thank you Christopher for your efforts on your father's behalf. We, who love his writing, also appreciate your labors.

What can I say? This book is excellent. Christopher starts a winning pattern ot commentary with this book that he eventually carries over into his "Histories". He does a wonderful job tying up loose ends and showing how things fit into (or in some cases changing) the published works. (ie. hobbit, LOTR, Silmarillion.)
The actaul stories are beautiful. My personal favorite is "Of Tuor and his coming to Gondolin", which is much more in depth than what is in the Silmarillion. Alas, it ends only with him just reaching the city. the only way to get a true look at the city is to look past the Silmarillion deep into the early mythology to the Book of Lost Tales vol.2.
The other stories are all great esp. the ones in the Third Age.
This book is for people who mostly want to study middle-earth and the last thoughts of its creator.

In this "follow-up" to The Silmarillion and LOTR you find a literal treasure chest of knowledge concerning tales of Middle Earth. The Tale of the Children of Hurin is one of the best stories I have ever read, the essays on the Istari and the Druidain reveal two of the mysteries in LOTR, and The Battle of the Fords of Isen and Cirion and Eorl will give you good insight on the troubles of Gondor and Rohan in the Third Age. It also contains two rarely mentioned parts of LOTR; one being Aldarion and Erendis, a tale concerning a King of Numenor, and the other tells of the entire hunt for the Ring as seen by the enemy. I recommend this book to any Tolkien fan. You will read this book time and time again and simply revel in the quantity of information it gives you.

Perfect fan service for those far beyond the initial Peter Jackson stage of Middle-earth infatuation. Many of these truly unfinished tales (in the form of hasty notes and fragments, some of which contradict) have been reconstructed masterfully into something worth reading by the most qualified man in the world to understand J.R.R. Tolkien, his son Christopher Tolkien. Plentiful footnotes throughout, and encyclopedic amount of detail and explanation in the footnotes.

(2) Admittedly Unfinished Tales is recommendable ONLY to those who have read The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings (definitely including the Appendices) and Silmarillion. On the other hand, anyone who's read those 5 volumes of legendarium is ILL-advised to stop short of this astounding book. The opening brace of chapters are cinematic redactions of Silmarillion episodes from the late '50s, in which THE NAMES GET BETTER. If you've labored patiently in learning to pronounce the Elvish names as intended, you MUSTN't miss this. Chapters in the middle section enlarge dazzlingly on the Appendices' account of the "Second Age" linking the Silmarillion with the hobbit books, making Unfinished Tales the real KEY to the FULL SCOPE of JRRT's metahistorical imagination. The chapters chosen by young Chris for the closing Third-Age section thus operate in THIS FRAME, giving EXTRA DIMENSION (which shouldn't be possible!) to the hobbit books' meticulously epical narratives. So, yes, it's a supplement; but WHAT a supplement.
(1) On the scholarly side, Tolkien changed everything for medieval lit study. Having washed in on the crest of modern comparative linguistics, he brought an unprecedentedly literary sensibility to philology of the postClassical, preRenaissance works (Beowulf, the Elder Edda, the Mabinogion et hoc genus) which have come to be readily available in readable translations ONLY since Ace bootlegged the hobbit books in the mid'60s. Unfinished Tales is the crossroads between JRRT's scholarship and legendarium--key not only to the Second Age but indeed to an integrated perspective on his unique career.

. . .which actually gives the hobbits a major place.
The only criticism this hobbit has of the work done by Christopher Tolkien over the years, concerns the limited amount of space given to matters involving hobbits (which, as we all know, is of supreme interest).
This volume does not suffer from that difficulty. In addition to interesting lore from the First and Second Ages, there is interesting information about Wizards (a favorite hobbit topic) and some "behind-the-scenes" recalling of Bilbo's adventure to the Lonely Mountain and the hunt for the One Ring (from the perspective of the Black Riders).
Although there are many fragments in this volume, the clever hobbit-dad will be able to tell stories from it to his children.
Highly recommended.

After reading the Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and The Silmarillion, I was looking for more tales of the first and second ages. Bingo! The stories in this book flesh out some of the smaller tales in the Silm and give backstory on some of the characters and adventures in the LotR and Hobbit.

As a history buff, I loved the way this book was put together - lots of footnotes and asides - but this could make it hard to read for some. I enjoyed reading Christopher Tolkien's explanations of why certain things were chosen and his questions on the text. The tale of Aldarion and Erendis was an interesting character study (if a touch soap-opera-ish), and the information on the Druedain made me look at Ghan-buri-Ghan in a new light. I loved the tale of the children of Hurin for its archaism and sorrow, and the story of Tuor and his coming to Gondolin for some nice backstory on Earendil's father.

If you enjoy reading chronicle-style books, or books of short stories, and you'd like a peek into the mind of JRRT, you should enjoy this book. If you're looking for a novel, look elsewhere.

UNFISHED TALES OF NUMENOR AND MIDDLE-EARTH is a collection of stories by JRR Tolkien. The book is divided into four parts: the first part is titled "The First Age" and the stories that are in it are "Of Tour and his Coming to Gondolin" and "Narn I Hin Hurin" which is the story of Turin. So, Part One is about the two cousins. Part Two is named "The Second Age" and contains "Descriptions of the Island of Numenor", "Aldarion and Erendis", The Line of Elros: Kings of Numenor", and The History of Galadriel and Celeborn and Amroth King of Lorien". Part three, which of course is named "The Third Age" and has "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields", Cirion adn Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan", "The Quest of Erebor", The Hunt for the Ring", and "The Battle of the Fords of Isen". Part Four is, no, not named "The Fourth Age" but instead, just simply "Part Four". Part Four is for background reading and information with "The Druedain", "The Istari", and "The Palantiri".
But as good as the book is by itself, I would sugest you read "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" before reading UNFINISHED TALES OF HUNEMOR AND MIDDLE-EARTH. maybe you should even read "The Simarillion" before it, even though I'm sure you will understand the contents without reading "The Simarillion".
There are many stories and characters in this book, so it's hard to have a favorite character. But one of the best things about the book is the fact that JRR Tolkien paints the pictures so vividly in your mind. You can imagine the sea, the forests, and the people when you read it.
If this book could have been improved, then many of the important and best parts would be lost and gone. The only warning that I give is that, unlike "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings", UNFINISHED TALES is written in a text-book, bible sort of way. For people who hate to read this kind of writing, I suggest that you read the first few stories and then see if you like it or not.
I would reccommend this book to readers of JRR Tolkien(Duh!), C.S. Lewis, Brian Jacques, or any other fantasy reader. I'm sure that this book will intrest historians and geographers, too. The fantasy world of Middle Earth is so full of suprises and wonders that you're never sure if you'll like it or not- but I'm sure you will.

This is a pleasing collection of Tolkiens engrossing stories for those who do not have the time to settle into hours of reading. (This does not, however, make limitations for those who do read in long periods.) It provides the reader with many facts that justify his or her questions. This book is not suitable for those not already farmiliar with Middle-earth. I have read many of Tolkien's works many times over and this, although unfinished, is not overshadowed by his other books.

Thank you for taking the time to read my opinions on this wonderful book.

Let's clear the air: I am a huge Tolkien fan and I have loved this book for years. But this edition (Houghton Mifflin hardcover) is just a jewel. Nansmith's cover art of Túrin and Mîm the Dwarf is stunning.
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are famous, and justly so, for they are the only novels that Tolkien ever completed. He was a real perfectionist. So if you really want to witness the full genius of Tolkien you have to tap into a vast series of works, each individually "unfinished" but altogether forming a very satisfying completeness. The Silmarillion is a key and a summary of the vasy mythology--it really is required reading--but once that is behind you Unfinished Tales is your first stop to experience the greatness that is Middle-earth. And, despite its name, the writings collected in this volume are for the most part fairly complete.
The highlight of Unfinished Tales is the Tale of the Children of Húrin (Narn i Hîn Húrin), itself a short novel over 100 pages in length--thirteen chapters plus Appendix. This is an incredible epic story set in the First Age, written in full narrative form. The great human hero Húrin of the North is captured alive after slaying seventy trolls in the great War of the Jewels, and brought before the throne of Morgoth, god of evil (Sauron's ancient master). When Húrin refuses to serve him, he casts a great curse on all his kin. We then follow the fate of Húrin's son Túrin--his fostering by the Elvenking Thingol; his adventures as an outlaw; his friendship with Beleg the Bowman and Mîm the Dwarf; of the nation they founded and their war with the Orcs; of Túrin's capture ... and most importantly of his feud and battles with Glaurung, Father of Dragons. This is one of my favorite stories of all time, and I highly recommend it. The sequel is The Wanderings of Húrin, published in The War of the Jewels--which follows the father Húrin's actions after he is finally released from prison. Also an intriguing read.
Unfinished Tales also includes a ton of short works dealing with the First Age, the Second Age, and the Third Age--there are fourteen pieces together. Many of these are tales directly relating to The Lord of the Rings--the tale of Isildur, for example; The Hobbit told from Gandalf's point of view; and The Fellowship of the Ring told from the point of view of the Ringwraiths. But my favorite is a section called 'The Istari'.
'The Istari' (the order of Wizards) is extremely important. It includes several essays on the Five Wizards: their names, their nature, their origin, their powers, and their mission. This is the central, underlying subtext of The Lord of the Rings which is never really explained until you read this. Learn of the mission of Radagast the Brown. Learn of the ancient rivalry between Saruman the White and Gandalf the Grey. Learn the names and the fate of the two remaining wizards, the Blue Wizards.
It must be pretty clear that I wholeheartedly recommend this book, but that I only recommend it after The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. But if you qualify, you are in for a treat, my friend.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this book should be the next book read by the fan who has already read the Hobbit and LOTR...not the Silmarillion. The history dealt with in this book is a little more "recent", in that much is concentrated on the 2nd and 3rd age, and with stuff about the Wizards, the Palantiri, the Nazgul, the slaying of Isildur, and Gondor and Rohan, it's more relevant to the LOTR fan than most of the stuff in the Silmarillion. This is a must read for anyone who has gotten through the Silmarillion, however, with its "alternate perspectives" for the journies of Turin and Tuor and the account of Aldarion and Erenedis, along with a physical description of Numenor and an account of its kings. For the devoted Tolkien reader, this book can also be used as an "atlas" to assist them in determining which History of Middle Earth Volumes will be most interesting to them (I like 5, 9, 10, and 12). Top notch overall.

If you love the Tolkien universe and thirst for more about your favourite characters and the mythology of Middle Earth, you won't regret this purchase. Unfinished to varying degrees, there are stories that must have helped Tolkien flesh out the characters and story in his own mind (glimpses of Gandalf), earlier tales of the world, and interesting notes to help the reader understand the snippets.
On the other hand, it is certainly not a novel, and readers seeking *Finished* tales should try The Book of Lost Tales or one of the volumes on the history of Middle Earth edited by Christopher Tolkien.

In this book you will find the revised and expanded version of the stories of the Silmarillian, as well some significant backstory for Galadriel. There are also Gandalf's account of the hunt for the ring as well as Gandalf's account of how he came to bring 13 dwarves together with Bilbo--stories that were cut from the Lord of the Rings. You will also find an expanded history of Númenor. Truly excellent! DON'T read the Silmarillian without following it up with this book!

Update: This book is also published as Unfinished Tales & Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth!

The interesting thing to me about any story is thinking about what else is going on. Characters do not live in a void where only their actions effect the outside world. While many of the stories have no definitive ending or resolution contained herein, the resolutions come from other sources, such as the Hobbit, the Rings Trilogy or the Silmarillion.
For example, the Battle of Isen Ford concerning the death of Theodred, Theoden's heir is excellent source material. It did not make sense in LOTR because we were not introduced to Theodred, because the Hobbits, who were the writers of the story, never met him - but he is referenced. Yet we know what happened after those events, and his burial place is noted as the companions make their way to Isengard.
Another good example is how Gandalf met Thorin, Thrain his father, and convinced the Dwarves to go from the Blue Mountains to Bag End on their way to visit Smaug. This is the prelude to There and Back Again (aka The Hobbit), and we know exactly what happened after the Dwarves arrived at Bag End, but where did Gandalf get that all important Map and Key?
The story of the Istari's arrival is interesting, as is that "Of Tuor" (if you're a Silmarillion fan). They are short stories in themselves, that are more fact based, with no endings or conclusions, but we know what happens in the end because it's already written elsewhere.
Next to the Lays of Belerand, this is perhaps the best companion to the major works - although I haven't gotten through the Peoples of Middle Earth yet, maybe after I see the movie next week! I do not view the stories in Unfinished tales as unfinished, but rather as pieces to be plugged into the greater story.

This book is great. My name is Elvara, at least that's what my fellow Numenor and Middle-earth historians call me. If you're as much of a Tolkien freak as I am (I learned the entire Elvish language in 4 days)you will find this book great and informative. It also leaves you thinking about certain things such as: What really happened to Amroth and Nimrodel? For those of you who just like to read fantasy I reccomend this book. It isn't a book that has a consistent topic or has consistent characters since it is a collections of tales, but that wasn't a problem for me. My favorite tales were "Narn I hin Hurin" or "The Tale of the Children of Hurin" and "The Battles of the Fords of Isen". It even includes details about the Istari or (for those who don't know what the Istari are) the Five Wizards. I hope you find my review helpful.

Namarie

I know, because I read them, there are a few out there who say this book is for fans-of-the-scholarly-type of Tolkien, and that it can be a bit boring. But let me tell you, I doesn't!!!!

I'm glad I didn't listen to them:)

Having read de trilogy of LotR, The Hobbit, and Silmarillion, this is the next book to read. It has very good stories, stories that in the Silmarillion , for example, don't get too much insight or detail, well, here's detail for you.

A lot, and I mean a lot of foot notes, very iteresting for the Tolkien fan, with clues to understand things that you may not get yet, by reading the previous books.

I read it with enthusiasm, and it has open for me the possibility of reading the rest of them, namely Lost Tales, etc.

Since I have realized you don't have to be a scholar to enjoy them, you just have to love Tolkien, and Middle Earth. Is there another reason to buy and read these books???

So please, enjoy, just as I have.

by the way, you do get to know much more about Gandalf, Bilbo, the dwarfs, the first age, Isildur and the ring, but I didn't want to spoil the fun by telling.

why do I say this. because it is. After reading the Lord of the rings I thought their was nothing left of tolkien. no more than hobbits and many characters without any real histories. I was wrong , when I found this book I found what I wanted in a science fiction series. It is nore romanceful or whatever and covers quite a bit more time than his other stories but man. You just get locked in this book and before long like me you may find your self reading it 10 times, and then you'll want to read the lotr's again.

This book is an excellent resource for further background on Tolkien's world of Middle-earth. I did my senior research paper on JRR Tolkien and read several (i.e. twelve) books on Tolkien and his magnificent world of fantasy. I tend to steer clear of Christopher Tolkien's History of Middle-earth series because I have kept the mindset that Christopher's series is only a reverberation of the brilliancy of JRR, his father. Because this book is mostly composed of JRR Tolkien's works, I include it with the original tales of Middle-earth. Therefore it is surrounded by perfection. This is a great supplement to any Tolkien collection.

Let's clear the air: I am a huge Tolkien fan and I have loved this book for years. But this edition (Houghton Mifflin hardcover) is just a jewel. Nansmith's cover art of Túrin and Mîm the Dwarf is stunning.
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are famous, and justly so, for they are the only novels that Tolkien ever completed. He was a real perfectionist. So if you really want to witness the full genius of Tolkien you have to tap into a vast series of works, each individually "unfinished" but altogether forming a very satisfying completeness. The Silmarillion is a key and a summary of the vasy mythology--it really is required reading--but once that is behind you Unfinished Tales is your first stop to experience the greatness that is Middle-earth. And, despite its name, the writings collected in this volume are for the most part fairly complete.
The highlight of Unfinished Tales is the Tale of the Children of Húrin (Narn i Hîn Húrin), itself a short novel over 100 pages in length--thirteen chapters plus Appendix. This is an incredible epic story set in the First Age, written in full narrative form. The great human hero Húrin of the North is captured alive after slaying seventy trolls in the great War of the Jewels, and brought before the throne of Morgoth, god of evil (Sauron's ancient master). When Húrin refuses to serve him, he casts a great curse on all his kin. We then follow the fate of Húrin's son Túrin--his fostering by the Elvenking Thingol; his adventures as an outlaw; his friendship with Beleg the Bowman and Mîm the Dwarf; of the nation they founded and their war with the Orcs; of Túrin's capture ... and most importantly of his feud and battles with Glaurung, Father of Dragons. This is one of my favorite stories of all time, and I highly recommend it. The sequel is The Wanderings of Húrin, published in The War of the Jewels--which follows the father Húrin's actions after he is finally released from prison. Also an intriguing read.
Unfinished Tales also includes a ton of short works dealing with the First Age, the Second Age, and the Third Age--there are fourteen pieces together. Many of these are tales directly relating to The Lord of the Rings--the tale of Isildur, for example; The Hobbit told from Gandalf's point of view; and The Fellowship of the Ring told from the point of view of the Ringwraiths. But my favorite is a section called 'The Istari'.
'The Istari' (the order of Wizards) is extremely important. It includes several essays on the Five Wizards: their names, their nature, their origin, their powers, and their mission. This is the central, underlying subtext of The Lord of the Rings which is never really explained until you read this. Learn of the mission of Radagast the Brown. Learn of the ancient rivalry between Saruman the White and Gandalf the Grey. Learn the names and the fate of the two remaining wizards, the Blue Wizards.
It must be pretty clear that I wholeheartedly recommend this book, but that I only recommend it after The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. But if you qualify, you are in for a treat, my friend.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this book should be the next book read by the fan who has already read the Hobbit and LOTR...not the Silmarillion. The history dealt with in this book is a little more "recent", in that much is concentrated on the 2nd and 3rd age, and with stuff about the Wizards, the Palantiri, the Nazgul, the slaying of Isildur, and Gondor and Rohan, it's more relevant to the LOTR fan than most of the stuff in the Silmarillion. This is a must read for anyone who has gotten through the Silmarillion, however, with its "alternate perspectives" for the journies of Turin and Tuor and the account of Aldarion and Erenedis, along with a physical description of Numenor and an account of its kings. For the devoted Tolkien reader, this book can also be used as an "atlas" to assist them in determining which History of Middle Earth Volumes will be most interesting to them (I like 5, 9, 10, and 12). Top notch overall.

If you love the Tolkien universe and thirst for more about your favourite characters and the mythology of Middle Earth, you won't regret this purchase. Unfinished to varying degrees, there are stories that must have helped Tolkien flesh out the characters and story in his own mind (glimpses of Gandalf), earlier tales of the world, and interesting notes to help the reader understand the snippets.
On the other hand, it is certainly not a novel, and readers seeking *Finished* tales should try The Book of Lost Tales or one of the volumes on the history of Middle Earth edited by Christopher Tolkien.

In this book you will find the revised and expanded version of the stories of the Silmarillian, as well some significant backstory for Galadriel. There are also Gandalf's account of the hunt for the ring as well as Gandalf's account of how he came to bring 13 dwarves together with Bilbo--stories that were cut from the Lord of the Rings. You will also find an expanded history of Númenor. Truly excellent! DON'T read the Silmarillian without following it up with this book!

Update: This book is also published as Unfinished Tales & Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth!

The interesting thing to me about any story is thinking about what else is going on. Characters do not live in a void where only their actions effect the outside world. While many of the stories have no definitive ending or resolution contained herein, the resolutions come from other sources, such as the Hobbit, the Rings Trilogy or the Silmarillion.
For example, the Battle of Isen Ford concerning the death of Theodred, Theoden's heir is excellent source material. It did not make sense in LOTR because we were not introduced to Theodred, because the Hobbits, who were the writers of the story, never met him - but he is referenced. Yet we know what happened after those events, and his burial place is noted as the companions make their way to Isengard.
Another good example is how Gandalf met Thorin, Thrain his father, and convinced the Dwarves to go from the Blue Mountains to Bag End on their way to visit Smaug. This is the prelude to There and Back Again (aka The Hobbit), and we know exactly what happened after the Dwarves arrived at Bag End, but where did Gandalf get that all important Map and Key?
The story of the Istari's arrival is interesting, as is that "Of Tuor" (if you're a Silmarillion fan). They are short stories in themselves, that are more fact based, with no endings or conclusions, but we know what happens in the end because it's already written elsewhere.
Next to the Lays of Belerand, this is perhaps the best companion to the major works - although I haven't gotten through the Peoples of Middle Earth yet, maybe after I see the movie next week! I do not view the stories in Unfinished tales as unfinished, but rather as pieces to be plugged into the greater story.

This book is great. My name is Elvara, at least that's what my fellow Numenor and Middle-earth historians call me. If you're as much of a Tolkien freak as I am (I learned the entire Elvish language in 4 days)you will find this book great and informative. It also leaves you thinking about certain things such as: What really happened to Amroth and Nimrodel? For those of you who just like to read fantasy I reccomend this book. It isn't a book that has a consistent topic or has consistent characters since it is a collections of tales, but that wasn't a problem for me. My favorite tales were "Narn I hin Hurin" or "The Tale of the Children of Hurin" and "The Battles of the Fords of Isen". It even includes details about the Istari or (for those who don't know what the Istari are) the Five Wizards. I hope you find my review helpful.

Namarie

I know, because I read them, there are a few out there who say this book is for fans-of-the-scholarly-type of Tolkien, and that it can be a bit boring. But let me tell you, I doesn't!!!!

I'm glad I didn't listen to them:)

Having read de trilogy of LotR, The Hobbit, and Silmarillion, this is the next book to read. It has very good stories, stories that in the Silmarillion , for example, don't get too much insight or detail, well, here's detail for you.

A lot, and I mean a lot of foot notes, very iteresting for the Tolkien fan, with clues to understand things that you may not get yet, by reading the previous books.

I read it with enthusiasm, and it has open for me the possibility of reading the rest of them, namely Lost Tales, etc.

Since I have realized you don't have to be a scholar to enjoy them, you just have to love Tolkien, and Middle Earth. Is there another reason to buy and read these books???

So please, enjoy, just as I have.

by the way, you do get to know much more about Gandalf, Bilbo, the dwarfs, the first age, Isildur and the ring, but I didn't want to spoil the fun by telling.

why do I say this. because it is. After reading the Lord of the rings I thought their was nothing left of tolkien. no more than hobbits and many characters without any real histories. I was wrong , when I found this book I found what I wanted in a science fiction series. It is nore romanceful or whatever and covers quite a bit more time than his other stories but man. You just get locked in this book and before long like me you may find your self reading it 10 times, and then you'll want to read the lotr's again.

This book is an excellent resource for further background on Tolkien's world of Middle-earth. I did my senior research paper on JRR Tolkien and read several (i.e. twelve) books on Tolkien and his magnificent world of fantasy. I tend to steer clear of Christopher Tolkien's History of Middle-earth series because I have kept the mindset that Christopher's series is only a reverberation of the brilliancy of JRR, his father. Because this book is mostly composed of JRR Tolkien's works, I include it with the original tales of Middle-earth. Therefore it is surrounded by perfection. This is a great supplement to any Tolkien collection.

"Unfinished Tales" is a must-have for any Tolkien lover with a desire to know more about Middle-Earth.
It is not, despite what some of these reviews say, a novel. It is a collection of shorter writings, all of them (in case it wasn't obvious) unfinished, in one sense or another, edited with notes and commentary by J. R. R. Tolkien's son Christopher.
It stands functionally somewhere between "The Silmarillion" and the later-published books; the former was presented as a more-or-less complete work (even though Tolkien never really stopped working on it) while the latter are intended more as a study of the evolution of Tolkien's Middle-Earth universe. "Unfinished Tales" shows some of this evolution, too, with different and sometimes contradictory versions of many of the stories; but the emphasis is on the stories and not their writing.
Much as I enjoyed "The Silmarillion", I would not describe it as required reading for all Tolkien fans -- it's stylistically very different from "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings", much less oriented to a popular audience and more difficult for many readers. The first two parts of "Unfinished Tales" likewise. Those who revel in the rich mythology of "The Silmarillion" will find more to treasure here; those whose Tolkien appreciation doesn't extend to "The Silmarillion" won't enjoy the first half of "Unfinished Tales" either.
But the latter half of the book will appeal to any LotR fan. The background on the history of the relationship between Gondor and Rohan; the recounting of Sauron's desperate search for the Ring; Gandalf's recollections of how and why he brought the odd couple of Thorin Oakenshield and Bilbo Baggins together -- great stuff, and perhaps best of all is the terse and tense recounting of "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields", when Isuldur lost the Ring and his life, setting in motion the whole War of the Ring centuries later.
BUT... all this is marred in the 2001 hardcover edition by, let us not mince words, the rape of the map. I bought this book expecting the large, pull-out map, updated beyond what's in LotR, that was included in the first edition. Instead it's reduced to the size of two book pages and printed before the title page! Not only does the reduction render it near-unreadable, but of course the binding seam goes right down the middle, obliterating names and locations of some of the most significant places in Middle-Earth from Rivendell to Dol Amroth. Houghton Mifflin ought to be ashamed. With a proper map I would have given five stars; with this atrocity, I can give only three.

Anyone who claims to be a Tolkien buff should read this once. Twice would really be a test. It certainly does not flow and hold your interest like The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings -- it was not meant to. You have to remember that this is a book of mostly haphazard, disconnected notes with a few interesting stories found here and there, so it's kind of like hunting for treasure on the Dagorlad Plain. The treasure's there, but there is also lots of bracken and scraps to wade through to find it.

I happily read The Hobbit and the Rings Trilogy once every two or three years (and have for the past 35 years), but once is enough for this book. Again the Tolkien buff -- especially the true Tolkien trivia buff with lots of reading time -- will appreciate this one. All others will probably not finish it.

Anyone who knows and loves the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, knows that he died leaving most of his work unfinished and unpublished. He was constantly rewriting and rethinking different parts of Middle-earth's history, and has left us with many different questions that will never be answered.
After reading The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, many readers are amazed and stop here announcing that Tolkien is a true genius (if they even reach this point), but there are some of us who have grown to love Tolkien's work, and embrace every aspect of it with such a lust for knowledge, that we delve deeper into the works of this intricate man. His son, Christopher Tolkien, has made this possible by piecing together and editing his father's massive amounts of work and sorting it out and explaining it all to us, the readers.
Before diving into the twelve book series "The History of Middle-earth," which Christopher has so delicately and perfectly presented, I highly suggest reading this piece of literature, which explains more in depth, smaller aspects of the published writings of Tolkien.
Read Tolkien's last effort at the story of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin, a story which tragically was not finished, and can only be glimpsed at in its rough stages in Volume II of The History of Middle-earth (The Book of Lost Tales 2), and then diverge into the complete "Narn I Hín Húrin," the story of the children of Húrin: Túrin Turambar and Nienor Niniel, two of the most tragic characters in existence in the first section of Unfinished Tales which deals with the first age of the sun of Middle-earth.
The second section of Unfinished Tales is very important for it contains many accounts of events that occured in the second age of the sun, a time that is hardly written about, that is filled with much history and tragedy. Read about the Isle of Gift: Númenor, which the ancestors of Elendil were given and which they lost towards the end of the Second Age, and about it's sixth king: Tar-Aldarion, and his strong wife, Erendis, who wages a battle with the Lady of the Sea for her husband's love in one of the most awesome love stories ever written. Read also about the fate of the Elves who remained in Middle-earth and defied the might of the Dark Lord Sauron until the Last Alliance, in which a tangled history of Celeborn and Galadriel is woven with the story of Amroth and Nimrodel, and the Sindarin princes who ruled the Silvan Elves of the forests of Middle-earth after Beleriand's fall.
In section three read about aspects of the Third Age yet to be covered, like the fate of Isildur who cut the One Ring, to the history of the Riders of Rohan who befriended the failing kingdom of Gondor in their need to the meeting of Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield in an inn within the walls of Bree, a chance meeting which would be vital in the destruction of a dragon which could have ended The Lord of the Rings very differently, while reading about the fate of Theodred, son of Theoden King of Rohan.
Finally, read rare appendices on the stunted Drúedain, the only technical and historical writings on the Palantiri (the seven seeing stones from the West), and one of the most talked about features of Tolkien's writings: the Istari, a race of the Maiar who were sent as emmisaries into Middle-earth (who also became known as "wizards") to drive Men and Elves to good deeds during the Third Age of Middle-earth.
This book is a necessary part of any Tolkien Reader's library and will most likely be read and studied again and again by readers young and old of any profession.

Christopher Tolkien, JRR Tolkien's son, took over after his father died. When Tolkien died he'd left behind all these background stories or things left out from Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit. So Christopher went and made them into a series of books. This is just on of them, but it's one of my favorites. It really helps you see Lord of the Rings in a new light. Why Saurman acted the way he did toward Gandalf, the Rings themselves, and even though it's more like reading short stories, which can be boring at times, this will keep you interested, and you'll never want to put the book down!

This particular book I believe is the most valueable source of Middle-Earth Knowledge outside of The Hobbit, The Lord Of The Rings, and The Silmarillion. Especially "The Quest Of Erebor" which explains why Gandalf was willing to go to the lonely mountain and help fight Smaug, and why he wanted Bilbo to help.(which when I read the Hobbit was my biggest question, without this answer the book felt incomplete).

Also "The History Of Galadriel And Celeborn" tells of their history from Beleriand all the way to LothLorien.(I always wondered what happened on their journey because they were strangely absent from the 2nd age's stories)

"The Hunt For The Ring" tells of the Nazgul's journey to find the ring using the information tortured out of Gollum. It tells of the events prior to entering the Shire and it gives us a DEFINANT name of one of the Nazgul, the 2nd in command Khamul The Black Easterling. Also under this section it tells why Sarumen resents Gandalf. Also it tells of the moment Gandalf suspected Sarumen wanted the ring LONG before the Lord Of The Rings. And how Sarumen knew it was in the Shire.

And in Part 4 of the book a few eye-opening explainations were made. This is by far the most surprising section.
1.)The Druedian or the Woses, {best know as the primitive forest people living near Rohan and Gondor that show the army of Rohan a secret path through the mountains to avoid the enemy and get to Minas Tirith quicker.} This portion gives their history and explains some of their cultural aspects. I was surprised to find out that they were around in the FIRST AGE and were reported to have "Mystical" powers. This also contains a very touching story called The "The Faithful Stone" about a very special statue that protected a family.
2.)The Istari or wizards, It tells of Gandalf, Sarumen, Radagast, and the Two Blue wizards that came from the West sent by the Valar to help defeat Sauron. This part was probably the most surprising to me! I did not know that they were Maiar or lesser "gods" like Sauron. And I found out Gandalf was really Olorin the wisest of the Maiar created along with the Valar before the world began who is briefly metioned in the Silmarillion.
3.)The Palantiri tells of the Palatir stones that were held by Sauron, DenethorII, and Sarumen, and how they came to be where they are. It is told by way of the delaings of Gandalf and how his understanding of their workings, importance in the struggle with Sauron, and the sway they held over Sarumen and DenethorII.
Plus we must now forget the description of Numenore or the 2nd age tales of this book which is more informative than it is entertaining. Also the stories or the 1st age are very good, but they only deal with Hurin and his children Turin, and Lalaith.
I feel that if any Post-Sailmarillion book deserves a 5 star review this one was it. All of my major Hobbit, LOtR, and a few Silmarillion questions answered in full.

"Unfinished Tales" is another Christopher Tolkien posthumous publication of his father's unpublished works. First published 30 years ago, the book helps fill in some gaps in the mythology of Middle-Earth that remained after the publication of the "Silmarillion." Some of the more notable items include: Stories of Numenor from the second age, the history of the Palantir, a detailed account of how Isildur lost the One Ring and an explanation of Gandalf's "race" - which really helps to explain how his reincarnation in "The Two Towers" was possible. The language in the book can be as difficult to slag through as the "Silmarillion" at times and really won't be enjoyed by individuals who are simply casual fans of Tolkien's work. The fact that most of the tales are incomplete can leave you frustrated as it requires Tolkien's son to insert editorial comments - which can be distracting. A great read for hardcore Tolkien/Lord of the Rings fans, but the rest may wish to leave this "unfinished."

As with all of Tolkiens books, this is one book that any devoted fan must read! Not only will it answer many quetions (although they are relatively simple ones for us lore masters) but it contains, many stories that are in a relatively coplete narrative form.
The first of these, is the tale of Tuor's coming to Gondolin. This is a much longer account of the six page one given in the Silmarillion, and unfortunately stops quite suddenly (however, the rest of the story can be found in the second book of Lost Tales and The Silmarillion).
The second story, in my opinion, should be a book it's self. It is in complete narrative form, from beginning to end (except for one part which, disapointingly, is found only in a more condensed form in the Silmarillion). This is the Narn i hin Hurin, or the Tale of the Children of Hurin (Of Turin Turambar in the Silmarillion). This major portion of the book includes, as do most of the tales, an informative appendix. This is one of my favorite, if not my very favorite tale by Tolkien (Yes, even before Lord of the Rings).
After this, much information considering the Second-Age of Middle-earth is given, including a beautiful tale (Whi about a Numenorean King and his wife, Aldarion and Erendis. Following this, is the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, which includes the trajic yet beautiful tale of Amroth and Nimrodel (Legolas sings a part of this tale in The Fellowship of the Ring). This section also includes the tale of the Disaster on the Gladden Fields and Isildur's death.
Following thit are the tales from the third age which were not included in the Lord of the Rings (or perhaps in less detail). These are mostly just very short stories and notes, yet still they feed your knowledge, and leave it begging for more (and yes, more is available). They include The Oath of Cirion and Eorl (Steward of Gondor and first king of Rohan), Gandalf's account of how he sent the dwarves to Bag End, The Hunt for the Ring (telling of the journey of the Nazgul while they hunted Frodo) and The Battles of the Fords of Isen, telling of the battles of Rohan with the forces of Saruman during the War of the Ring.
The fourth part includes three essays, The Druedain, giving much information on the "Wild men of the Woods", such as the people of Haleth and the men of Ghan-buri-ghan. The Istari, giving very interesting information on the backround of the five wizards, and how it came to be that they were sent to Middle-earth. The third is several notes and short writings about The Palantiri, the seeing-stones.
Having given this book so much praise, I know would say that it should only be read by the serious Tolkien fan, because this is not your ordinary fantasy book, it's a history. Not only that, but it's written in such a way that anyone who has not read The Silmarillion, the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, would be quite confused.
I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to feed their knowledge of Middle-earth.

...because breathtaking is the one word I would use to describe this work. People who have already read the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings and most especially the Silmarillion will have great appreciation for the further insight and mythology offered in the Unfinished Tales.

My favourite part has to be the story of Numenor; this is also the only collection of stories that contains a map of Numenor. It's my favourite because it ties in very nicely with the ending of the main section in the Silmarillion. I get the impression that Tolkien was figuratively "singing" of this fabulous and blessed kingdom of men which is referenced very often in the Lord of the Rings. So from the backward-looking perspective, it is very interesting as it gives the reader a much deeper, complex understanding of Aragorn, Elrond and the kindgom of Gondor in the Lord of the Rings. From the forward-looking perspective, however, it tells the story of a middle earth that has only just recovered from the ravages of the first age and the great wars therein.

Like other reviewers have mentioned, the other stories also serve to augment a Tolkien reader's existing knowledge of middle earth and the forces which have played a part in its history. While a very good (albeit complex) book on its own, it transforms into a consummate masterpiece when read with Tolkien's other stories.

the beginning of Christopher Tolkien's research into his father's magnum opus. contains alternate versions, expansions, and explanations of stories told in The Silmarillion. Best read with a copy of The Silmarillion near at hand for reference.

Though Unfinished Tales cannot be read as a book in its own right, any one who comes to it after reading The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion will indubitably find it interesting, as the book gives various nuggets of information about characters, events and places that are only hinted at in the other two books; e.g. the chapter on the Istari. 'Old' legends or myths of Middle-Earth, like the actual story of Isildur's fall in the Gladden Fields, are given in their 'authoritative' versions. A number of other tales, like the history of Galadriel and Celeborn or the Black Riders' hunt for Frodo and the Ring, are told in different versions or from differing perspectives.
A particular gem is the story of Aldarion and Erendis, the only story of Numenor before its fall. Through it, Numenor becomes a living place, not just a name from legends.
A map of Numenor is also included in the book.
A lovely book - no other words for it.

This book, in my opinion, is just a continuance of The Silmarillion, with some added commentary from Christopher Tolkien. It is, as the title claims, unfinished and previously unpublished works of Tolkien's now combined in a single collection. I found that I could never keep my place--I constantly had to flip back and read over things again because I either missed them, or just plain didn't understand them the first time. There also was a lack of general plot structure. Each individual story had its own plot, of course, but the book as a whole was lacking transition. Starting a new chapter was like starting a new book. I was also frustrated by Chris Tolkien's commentary at the end of every section. It ruined the whole grace and finesse of a well-crafted piece of literature. On the whole, however, the book did an excellent job tying up some loose ends left for you in The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings. It went into more depth about the origin of Aragorn's people (though not actually mentioned as Aragorn's ancestors, they are as such); where the wizards Gandalf and Saruman came from and WHY they came; as well as a greater look into the War of the Ring.
I rate Unfinished Tales as a 3-star work because my feelings on it are neither good nor bad. The layout and general plot structure was a disaster, but the basic principle of the stories told within were excellent fillers. Overall, though this book did not thrill me, it is a must-have for any diehard Tolkien fan and a great help answering any "why?" question you may have regarding the nuances and details of The Lord of the Rings.

An excellent job of bringing together unfinished, partially finished, and fragmentary stories of Middle Earth along with commentary. As background material, it doesn't stand alone, but will be of considerable interest to those already familiar with Middle Earth's history and mythology.

I'll just start out by saying that I am a huge LOTR fan, and this book is like another volume of The Lord if the Rings to me, or perhaps another part of The Silmarillion.
The stori in this book are amazing, and are always great backround reading for stand-alone books like The Children of Hurin.

Well once again Tolkien's tales are spellbinding and historic. A true triumph in story telling. Unfortunately most of the stories are "Unfinnished" but there is narrative that explains the direction of the stories ending. if you want to find out as much as there is in the Middle Earth world, than read this book.

This book is an extremely useful supplement to the Silmarillion. A collection of short essays and accounts which take into depth the tales of the eldar days, and to a lesser extent, the War of the Ring and the third age. Most useful/interesting is the account of the Istari (Wizards), telling of their coming to Middle Earth under order of the Valá in the blessed realm and their quest. Also the description of the Isle of Númenor, home of the old Kings of the men of Westernesse makes for good reading. However, not one for the casual reader, and serves as aforesaid a supplement to The Silmarillion.

Some people MIGHT think me weird, but UT was the easiest read of all the books on Middle Earth other than LOTR or the Hobbit. It was almost in my mind another big story... Very well written, too bad Tolkien didn't get to see it published...

The details of the story... how well each story complements each other (for example Tuor and Turin's stories)... I'm out of words... there are few words I know that could expressed how this book mesmerized me! A definite MUST for any Tolkien fan.

This book is for those folks who read the Lord of the Rings all of the way through, including the appendices. It collects several different stories that do not really fit into a narrative of their own. Yet they're in a more cohesive state than the Silmarillion, which was also released posthumously. If you like to read all that you can of J.R.R. Tolkiens creation you'll want this book. It adds extra depth to the underlying themes in the Lord of the Rings.

This is a collection of narratives ranging in time from the Elder Days of iddle Earth to the end of the War of the Ring. It is a book for those who have not sufficiently explored Middle Earth, its language, its legeneds, politics and kings.

These Unfinished Tales give some much desired background information on Middle-Earth. Turin and Tuor have their lives explained in this book, as they were somewhat abridged in the Silmarillion. Read this book.

This is one of those books that knaws at your mind tell you finish it it just wont let you STOP! It tells of all Three Ages of Middle-Earth Of Turin the Dragonhelm and Blacksward(one of my favorite)And the Istari which is where Gandalf and Saruman and Radagast came from (along with two others) BUT I DON'T WANA GIVE IT AWAY that is why i say IF YOU LIKE TOLKIE, YOU'LL LOVE THIS!!!

He never stops amazing me. I read and I read his books. This is a must read for everyone. BUY IT NOW. You will love it. The exquisit detail even in the very first story amazes me. I read it three times for the detail

I read this book very quickly because I was so fascinated by all the works that Tolkien left unfinished at the time of his death. His son did a beautiful job of compiling these works into an organized book and I really enjoyed it.

you'll love this one. On the plus side, I found it very useful for bedtime reading -- it definitely did not keep me awake. The laconic prose and tersely developed and emotionally inaccessible characters left me saying, "who cares what happens next."

If you are looking for something interesting that you can connect with in the same way as the Hobbit or the Ring trilogy, you might be disappointed with this. If you are just really into the whole Tolkien fantasy realm and/or you enjoy folk epic literature, you'll probably enjoy this more than I did.

Although the tales are, of course, unfinished, they are interesting nonetheless, and provide a lot more detail and new perspectives on events that may have only been briefly touched upon. If you just read the Lord of the Rings and have no idea what the Silmarillion is, this may not be the book for you. However, if the Appendices of LOTR left you wanting more, pick this one up.

This is one of the most underrated of Tolkien's books. It actually contains lots of interesting tales about Middle-earth, including one or two "outtakes" from the Lord of the Rings. A must have for Tolkien's fans!

Unfinished Tales was a great book. My favorit story was Narn Hin Hurin. Its a great story and it realy held my interist.I would hiley recomend it to not just any Tolkien fan but anybody who loves a good long fantasy book.

This book is a fantastic companion to Tolkien's LOTR trilogy and the Hobbit. It ties up a lot of loose ends and gives you more background to Middle Earth's history. It is in a pretty random order being that it was taken from notes Tolkien left behind when he passed away, but for anyone whose seriously interested I highly recommend it.

This isn't the beautifully told saga of Lord Of The Rings or even the epic, coherent mythology of The Silmarillion. As the title implies, it's a collection of fragments. Some are remarkably detailed, beautiful narratives of the episodes which were only summarized in the huge history of The Simarillion. My personal favourites among these are the longer versions of the Lay of Luthien and Beren, and the Song of the Children of Hurin.
But the highlight for most will probably be the final scene you'll ever read of Gandalf and the Hobbits, whiling away some time in Minas Tirith after the war of the Ring. This was intended as an additional chapter of Lord of the Rings, but was finally left out. It's worth getting the book just to read it.

i was very happy with the turnaround on shipping, considering i elected to have the book shipped with the store's free supersaver option. unfortunately, the (hardcover) book arrived with the upper right corners of both the front and back covers smooshed, as if someone dropped it from a considerable height. it is not bad enough to warrant all the hassle of trying to obtain a replacement, yet it is disappointing nonetheless.

therefore, the three start rating is for the condition in which the book arrived. as for the content--well, it's tolkien. and as much as I loved The Silmarillion (I daresay it is my favorite book of all time), I can't imagine that i will not thoroughly enjoy it as well.

One of the Great books of Western Literature, written by the greatest author of the 20th century and among the greats of all history. It's manna from heaven after reading the "Lord of the Rings" and wanting to devour more of Mr. Tolkien's work. It will answer a lot of your questions. You need to own this book.

** This is my original one star review, left only because I didn't recognize the cover and unfairly assumed it was fan fiction trying to capitalize on JRR Tolkiens name.
It seems this is only a retitled version of Unfinished Tales.Which naturally recieved 5 Stars. If not Please let me know. The sample matches the originally titled book exactly. This review is from the sample.

Unfinished tales is a hodge-podge of stuff. There are bits and pieces
of lots of things, and it is not all fiction. You get notes, backstory,
comments, the odd essay type piece of writing, and other stuff. You
really want to be a pretty hardcore Tolkien type to want to buy this,
rather than borrow to flip through. A lot of people will find it very
dull.