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Review
‘A worthy addition to The History of Middle-earth’ Mallorn
‘Anyone loving the oiginal books will want to study this one’ Daily Mail
Product Description
The third volume that contains the early myths and legends which led to the writing of Tolkien’s epic tale of war, The Silmarillion.
This, the third volume of The History of Middle-earth, gives us a priviledged insight into the creation of the mythology of Middle-earth, through the alliterative verse tales of two of the most crucial stories in Tolkien’s world – those of Turien and Luthien. The first of the poems is the unpublished Lay of The Children of Hurin, narrating on a grand scale the tragedy of Turin Turambar. The second is the moving Lay of Leithian, the chief source of the tale of Beren and Luthien in The Silmarillion, telling of the Quest of the Silmaril and the encounter with Morgoth in his subterranean fortress.
Accompanying the poems are commentaries on the evolution of the history of the Elder Days. Also included is the notable criticism of The Lay of The Leithian by CS Lewis, who read the poem in 1929.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Lays of Beleriand contains 2 partially completed verse tales, the 1st of which – ‘The Lay of the Children of Hurin’ is hampered by it’s reader unfriendly metre, and is no improvement on the prose version as already given in earlier volumes. In contrast ‘The Lay of Leithian’ is an excellent epic poem, and it’s a sad loss that this was never completed, as I feel this would ultimately have been one of Tolkiens most celebrated works. As usual there is a morass of needless editorial minutia concerning changing names, but due to the construction this can be readily skipped.
The ‘History of Middle Earth’ series of books often makes the mistake of presuming that every single unpublished scribbling by this great writer is worthy of publication, but this volume at least contains much that is of genuine quality.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It is just two poems - unfinished - plus fragments of several more abandoned after a couple of pages, and loads of editorial info on top of that.
Yes, but - this is gorgeous writing. The pain of Túrin is as real and gripping as the 'Silmarillion' account was factual and distant, and the love of Beren and Lúthien shines with the power unrivalled in the rest of Tolkien's writing. And that's saying a lot! The unfinished aspect of the works just serves as a reminder of the difficulty with which work of this magnitude is achieved - as well as the fragility of creative impulse that sustains it.
Rather than despair over what is left unsaid, I find myself turning to this book more often than to 'The Lord of the Rings' - the power and the relative brevity (so that much can be ingested in one sitting - the verse is extremely readable) of the works make me fall instantly in love with them every time!
Yes, but - this is gorgeous writing. The pain of Túrin is as real and gripping as the 'Silmarillion' account was factual and distant, and the love of Beren and Lúthien shines with the power unrivalled in the rest of Tolkien's writing. And that's saying a lot! The unfinished aspect of the works just serves as a reminder of the difficulty with which work of this magnitude is achieved - as well as the fragility of creative impulse that sustains it.
Rather than despair over what is left unsaid, I find myself turning to this book more often than to 'The Lord of the Rings' - the power and the relative brevity (so that much can be ingested in one sitting - the verse is extremely readable) of the works make me fall instantly in love with them every time!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Lays of Beleriand comprises of two long poems. One of them is the alliterative poem Lay of the Children of Húrin, the second one is the octosyllabic poem Lay of Leithien, i.e the story of Beren and Lúthien). Both of them are a valuable addition for a Tolkien reader. There can be found many passages of immense beaty as well as some weaker ones, partly deriving from the fact, that the poems are unfinished and so we have only a glimpse of what could be, if Tolkien had the life-span of a true Dunedain.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Overview of The History of Middle-earth Series
Collections of an author's work are often confusing, particularly when what the author has created is as complex as Tolkien's writings. Read more
Published on 6 Dec 2008 by Michael W. Perry
The History of Middle-earth unveiled...
Owning the 12 books of Tolkien's "History...", I managed to get a much better understanding of the complexity of work done by the author during his lifetime. Read more
Published on 5 May 2008 by Alexandru Baicoana
the lays of beleriand
this is an example of truly great literature in my opinion-while the narn i hin hurin is good, though not very reader friendly, the lay of leithian is worth the r.r. Read more
Published on 2 July 2006 by bairdie
It is a poem book but very ineresting!
The Lays of Beleriand tells you all about Tolkien's early tales in a poem like. At first it begins in a boring way but as you continue reading it the book will become more... Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2005 by Luca Caruana
FAB BOOK
Basicaly this is the silmarilion the way it was originaly written ( in verse ).
one of the best books i have ever read , this should be in everyones collection ( along with... Read more
one of the best books i have ever read , this should be in everyones collection ( along with... Read more
Published on 24 Dec 2001
One of the most stunning pieces of Tolkiens work!
This is perhaps one of the greatest passages by Tolkien I have evere read. Though it is an ongoing poem, it is quite easy to read, and yet as power- and beautifull, as it gets. Read more
Published on 28 Jun 1999
A great addition to an already large Tolkien library
When I bought this book a few years ago, I thought it was an excellent resource for clarifying some points not covered in The Silmarillion. Tolkien was truly gifted .
Published on 28 Mar 1999
Amazing!
Anything I say in this review could never do this book justice. Tolkien has done a wonderful job putting together these two long poems (The Lay of Leithian and The Lay of the... Read more
Published on 25 Sep 1998
Great for a fuller appreciation of Tolkien's poetic skills
Tolkien outdid himself with these two long poems. Although never completed, these alliterative verse versions of the "Lay of the Children of Hurin" and "The Lay of... Read more
Published on 25 Mar 1998
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