saraelise92's review against another edition
4.0
Another great Tolkien read! Maybe I’m too nerdy but it really is so fun to learn more about Middle Earth and the background stories!
frannysnow's review against another edition
Great book. If you are a fan of Tolkien this is a must read. It certainly helps if you've read the Silmarillion, but even without it Unfinshed Tales contains some great stories and background information of the characters you love.
gslife's review against another edition
5.0
Tolkien's unfinished stories are better than most people's finished ones.
sonofthunder's review against another edition
4.0
How shall I describe this one!? Well I've had this book for years but never quite summoned up the fortitude to dive deeper into Tolkien lore. Really, this book isn't as bad as I thought it would be though. Put together by Christopher Tolkien after his father's death, this is really almost like additional appendices to Lord of the Rings and/or the Silmarillion. Some things that were told in the Silmarillion are told in greater detail here (for example, the tale of the children of Hurin) and some things that were only hinted at in other texts are laid bare here. Especially some of the chapters at the end were much enjoyed by me for further coloring in the stories we read in the Hobbit and in Lord of the Rings. There is a story that gives some more backstory before Gandalf and the dwarfs invade Bilbo's home. There is a story that gives all the details prior to the death of Isildur and the losing of the ring! There is a story that gives great context to the struggles of Rohan at various periods (even as late as the battle at the Fords of the Isen that we only see the after-effects of in Lord of the Rings). Now I'm summarizing far too much! But this book is one that only a Lord of the Rings nerd could love, to be sure. Apparently I am that nerd. This book is heavily end-noted, and I couldn't help but read every single one of them. Because so many of these stories and writings were not quite finished or even contradictory of other things Tolkien wrote, Christopher does a good job of guiding the reader to understand some of the authorial thought process. It's a peek behind the curtain! And I loved it. Again, it's a bit dry, so definitely not for the faint of heart. But if you love all things Tolkien, this is well worth the read. So many nuggets and pieces of lore that I'd never heard before...this book will retain a place of honor on my fantasy shelf! My favourite chapter...? Possibly one that was set in the Second Age...a tale of ancient Numenor, a chapter called "Aldarion and Erendis". An amazing glimpse into Numenor, I simply loved this tale that I had...somehow never heard of before? A tale of a mariner and his wife, a tale of love found and love lost, a tale full of slowly growing dread and tragedy yet still somehow holding notes of beauty throughout the melancholy. Definitely not a happy story, but I still much enjoyed this read. For that story alone, this book is worth the read!
jenni_t_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Another huge accomplishment in addition to Silmarillion! Well done me!
This took me 2.5 months to read, but it was mainly because I buddy-read it and thus I had a schedule. But it was a slow book to read since the writing style was almost as complicated as it was in Silmarillion. Some stories were easier though.
I liked Silmarillion more, since Unfinished Tales is, obviously, a collection of unfinished stories and stories that have many different versions, whereas Silmarillion is more of a complete book. So the unfinishedness and differing versions were a bit frustrating at times.
You should definitely read Silmarillion before this. Unfinished Tales has a lot of references to Silmarillion and if you don't read Silmarillion first some of the stories in Unfinished Tales can feel disconnected. If you want to be fully prepared for The Rings of Power tv-show, you should consider reading both Unfinished Tales and Silmarillion.
My favourire stories in Unfinished Tales were The Children of Húrin (that is one of the saddest stories I've ever read), The Quest of Erebor (how Gandalf convinced Thorin Oakenshield to take Bilbo with them) and The Istari (about Gandalf and other wizards).
This took me 2.5 months to read, but it was mainly because I buddy-read it and thus I had a schedule. But it was a slow book to read since the writing style was almost as complicated as it was in Silmarillion. Some stories were easier though.
I liked Silmarillion more, since Unfinished Tales is, obviously, a collection of unfinished stories and stories that have many different versions, whereas Silmarillion is more of a complete book. So the unfinishedness and differing versions were a bit frustrating at times.
You should definitely read Silmarillion before this. Unfinished Tales has a lot of references to Silmarillion and if you don't read Silmarillion first some of the stories in Unfinished Tales can feel disconnected. If you want to be fully prepared for The Rings of Power tv-show, you should consider reading both Unfinished Tales and Silmarillion.
My favourire stories in Unfinished Tales were The Children of Húrin (that is one of the saddest stories I've ever read), The Quest of Erebor (how Gandalf convinced Thorin Oakenshield to take Bilbo with them) and The Istari (about Gandalf and other wizards).
sallysocker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
5.0
“We also are daughters of the great, and we have wills and courage of our own.”
A really good book and very interesting to read. You get to know about the things that don’t fit in Tolkien’s other books.
A really good book and very interesting to read. You get to know about the things that don’t fit in Tolkien’s other books.
vulturetime's review against another edition
3.75
Not all aspects here were parts of lore I particularly cared about, making it sometimes a slog to get through. Other sections intrigued me much more, though, so I think I will probably revisit Unfinished Tales in the future, even though this initial read-through certainly tried its best to make sure that my reading of it remain unfinished.
afharker's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Very hard to get through, but a lot of good information. As evidenced in the title, these writings aren’t as well edited as Tolkien’s other works, so it’s a lot more encyclopedic even than The Silmarillion. I really loved the section about Numenor and the Istari (aka the wizards in the third age).
fatima_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ksull95's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Provides some great background info and fills in some blanks in Tolkien’s Middle-Earth. Great for those who want some short stories and who like to know the progression Tolkien’s writing took!