The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
cwgk85's review
1.0
I wanted to enjoy this book.
I did not.
My gripes with this book can be split into two types - issues with content and issues with editing.
In terms of content, the author seems to have a strange and inconsistent view of Tolkien. He is described as being "lazy" in one chapter and shown to be a diligent and hard worker in another. He is noted as being both indifferent to criticism and as being incensed by criticism at various points. I have learned since finishing that the author had published this book without the help, and indeed, against the explicit wishes of, the Tolkien family (there is one point in the book where the author laments about having been blacklisted by Tolkien's friends who, he says, were forbidden to talk to him by the Tolkien family). I wonder how much of the book is factual and how much was hearsay evidence collected from tertiary sources. I also wonder just how familiar the author was with Tolkien's work as he makes a number of errors regarding the people and places of Middle Earth (eg: mistaking Moria for Mordor, using Numenor and Dunedain interchangeably, etc).
In terms of editing, the book fails on numerous occasions. There are typos and grammatical errors abound. Many of the footnotes do not match up with the text (for example, one page has three marked notes in the body of the text, but has only two footnotes at the bottom of the page). On at least one occasion, the book refers to a quote that is actually included on the wrong page; the quote itself is pasted into the middle of a paragraph which has nothing to do with it. Most egregious are the large blank spaces throughout the book that are noted as "left blank due to legal considerations". I'm not sure how any of this was able to get past an editor (was there even an editor?).
There are better (authorized!) biographies of Tolkien out there. Go read one of those instead.
I did not.
My gripes with this book can be split into two types - issues with content and issues with editing.
In terms of content, the author seems to have a strange and inconsistent view of Tolkien. He is described as being "lazy" in one chapter and shown to be a diligent and hard worker in another. He is noted as being both indifferent to criticism and as being incensed by criticism at various points. I have learned since finishing that the author had published this book without the help, and indeed, against the explicit wishes of, the Tolkien family (there is one point in the book where the author laments about having been blacklisted by Tolkien's friends who, he says, were forbidden to talk to him by the Tolkien family). I wonder how much of the book is factual and how much was hearsay evidence collected from tertiary sources. I also wonder just how familiar the author was with Tolkien's work as he makes a number of errors regarding the people and places of Middle Earth (eg: mistaking Moria for Mordor, using Numenor and Dunedain interchangeably, etc).
In terms of editing, the book fails on numerous occasions. There are typos and grammatical errors abound. Many of the footnotes do not match up with the text (for example, one page has three marked notes in the body of the text, but has only two footnotes at the bottom of the page). On at least one occasion, the book refers to a quote that is actually included on the wrong page; the quote itself is pasted into the middle of a paragraph which has nothing to do with it. Most egregious are the large blank spaces throughout the book that are noted as "left blank due to legal considerations". I'm not sure how any of this was able to get past an editor (was there even an editor?).
There are better (authorized!) biographies of Tolkien out there. Go read one of those instead.
More...