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kba76's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A rather whimsical read that feels rather dated in part.
There’s little new here - the stories take on many of the standard fairy tale elements, but I find them interesting as they seem so different to what I expect from Tolkien. In fact, the most interesting part of the book for me was the appendixes where our writer examines the influences on these tales and the role they play in childhood.
At moments in each of the stories I found myself thinking it felt similar to a moment in my other Tolkien readings, but my favourite story was that of Smith and his dalliance with the world of fairy after eating the cake.
There’s little new here - the stories take on many of the standard fairy tale elements, but I find them interesting as they seem so different to what I expect from Tolkien. In fact, the most interesting part of the book for me was the appendixes where our writer examines the influences on these tales and the role they play in childhood.
At moments in each of the stories I found myself thinking it felt similar to a moment in my other Tolkien readings, but my favourite story was that of Smith and his dalliance with the world of fairy after eating the cake.
chaosetc's review against another edition
3.0
** Roverandom : Well written, but a bit long and juvenile for my personal preference.
*** Farmer Giles of Ham : A fun little adventure but still quite tame.
*** The Adventures of Tom Bombadil : I don't think I would have enjoyed reading this, but hearing it read to me was actually quite good. It takes some mental effort to follow the verse.
*** Smith of Wootton Major : Funnier than the others, and who doesn't like a good cake.
*** Leaf by Niggle : I have mixed feelings on this one. It was heavily existential, which I usually like, but some parts were confusing rather than thoughtful, so that knocked it down a bit. Still, it's more memorable than the other stories in this collection.
briandemarco_97's review against another edition
4.0
"Tales From the Perilous Realm" is a collection of J.R.R. Tolkien's shorter works, some published during his lifetime, some posthumously. Most of these stories are a lot more lighthearted than "The Lord of the Rings", and fit much more with "the Hobbit" than that larger work. Don't be fooled, though - while some of these stories are certainly more child oriented, like "Roverandom", they all contain that signature tolkienism that makes them enjoyable to pretty much any fan of Tolkien or fantasy. These tales are whimsical and serious, fantastical and personal.
"Roverandom" is probably the best one to read to your children, since Tolkien wrote it specifically for his child. It is about Rover, a dog who gets turned into a toy by a disgruntled wizard. He ends up on the beach, hitches a ride to to the Moon, and finally swims with a whale down to the bottom of the ocean before he is finally turned back to normal. It is also the longest in this collection, at about 100 pages. I do admit that it could be a little bit shorter. My favorite part of this one was the descriptions of the Moon and Rover's adventures on them
"Farmer Giles of Ham" is a story that has much in common with "the Hobbit", in which an unassuming person finds himself battling a fearsome dragon. The story contains lots of philological jokes that only Tolkien and his friends would get. The dragon here is somewhat comically portrayed, as is the king, who gifts Farmer Giles the magic sword without knowing what it was. A charming story, but I didn't enjoy it as much as "Roverandom".
"The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" is a collection of poems that is somewhat misnamed, as only two of them actually concern Tom Bombadil, the mysterious character from "The Fellowship of the Ring". Tolkien presents them as the works of several hobbits, being translation from the Red Book containing the stories of his other Middle Earth works. Most are pretty whimsical, all except one, which is supposedly about Frodo and a dream he had. Tolkien is one of my favorite poets, and this collection only solidifies that.
The final two works are more serious than the others. The first "Smith of Wooton Major" is the story that best fits Tolkien's own description of a fairy story: a man from our world crosses the border to Faerie and has adventures therein. This work is very a combination of whimsical and serious, and sometimes gets melancholy, especially towards the end. A fantastic read.
"Leaf by Niggle" is by far my favorite. It concerns Niggle, a man who has a large painting of a tree he wants to work on, but can never finish due to distractions from elsewhere and his own procrastinations. It is a very autobiographical story, directly symbolizing Tolkien's own fears: the fear that he may never finish the Silmarillion, that his life's work might never actually be realized. It is depressing but also hopeful.
As a bonus, this book also includes Tolkien's famous essay "On Fairy Stories" which he originally gave in 1939. It is a lot more scholarly than any of these stories, and would probably only be interesting to a fellow writer interested in fantasy. Overall, I would heartily recommend this book to just about anyone. It's a nice escape from what we normally think of Tolkien as.
"Roverandom" is probably the best one to read to your children, since Tolkien wrote it specifically for his child. It is about Rover, a dog who gets turned into a toy by a disgruntled wizard. He ends up on the beach, hitches a ride to to the Moon, and finally swims with a whale down to the bottom of the ocean before he is finally turned back to normal. It is also the longest in this collection, at about 100 pages. I do admit that it could be a little bit shorter. My favorite part of this one was the descriptions of the Moon and Rover's adventures on them
"Farmer Giles of Ham" is a story that has much in common with "the Hobbit", in which an unassuming person finds himself battling a fearsome dragon. The story contains lots of philological jokes that only Tolkien and his friends would get. The dragon here is somewhat comically portrayed, as is the king, who gifts Farmer Giles the magic sword without knowing what it was. A charming story, but I didn't enjoy it as much as "Roverandom".
"The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" is a collection of poems that is somewhat misnamed, as only two of them actually concern Tom Bombadil, the mysterious character from "The Fellowship of the Ring". Tolkien presents them as the works of several hobbits, being translation from the Red Book containing the stories of his other Middle Earth works. Most are pretty whimsical, all except one, which is supposedly about Frodo and a dream he had. Tolkien is one of my favorite poets, and this collection only solidifies that.
The final two works are more serious than the others. The first "Smith of Wooton Major" is the story that best fits Tolkien's own description of a fairy story: a man from our world crosses the border to Faerie and has adventures therein. This work is very a combination of whimsical and serious, and sometimes gets melancholy, especially towards the end. A fantastic read.
"Leaf by Niggle" is by far my favorite. It concerns Niggle, a man who has a large painting of a tree he wants to work on, but can never finish due to distractions from elsewhere and his own procrastinations. It is a very autobiographical story, directly symbolizing Tolkien's own fears: the fear that he may never finish the Silmarillion, that his life's work might never actually be realized. It is depressing but also hopeful.
As a bonus, this book also includes Tolkien's famous essay "On Fairy Stories" which he originally gave in 1939. It is a lot more scholarly than any of these stories, and would probably only be interesting to a fellow writer interested in fantasy. Overall, I would heartily recommend this book to just about anyone. It's a nice escape from what we normally think of Tolkien as.
jalis's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
adship2009's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
I was torn on a rating. It is an epic adventure of a little dog. Good little fairytale but I felt like it was a bit drawn out for a kid but too simplistic for YA.
autiger239's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
g_bryce42's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
misfitnightmare's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
gbelter's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5