Tales From The Perilous Realm 246
Tales From The Perilous Realm | |
author | J.R.R. Tolkein |
pages | 192 |
publisher | Harper Collins |
rating | 9 |
reviewer | Tony Williams |
ISBN | 0261103431 |
summary | Excellent short stories and poetry from a master story-tellet |
Farmer Giles of Ham
This is a marvelous tale of a reluctant, and accidental, hero and a dragon who doesn't quite live up to the stereotype. The style is a little old fashioned, making it seem more like the fairy tales of your childhood than even The Hobbit, with a dry sense of humour. That said, it also seems to be the hardest for a child to enjoy (my sample size is only two, however), though personally I liked it when I first read it and enjoy it still.. It is the longest of the four works and by far the earliest written and published, 1949.The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
The Adventures is a collection of 16 assorted poems, most are either partially quoted or referred to in The Lord Of The Rings. The poems are a mixed bag, ranging from the short and amusing "Oliphaunt" through to the more adult and wistful "The Last Ship" that closes the collection. All are enjoyable for the adult reader, some enjoyable for children. Iâ(TM)ve never really liked Tolkienâ(TM)s verse when he tries to be serious, in this collection I only really like "Oliphaunt."Leaf By Niggle
The shortest of the three stories, in this one Niggle, whose dreams far outweigh his talent, sets out to paint the perfect tree and is caught up in his own variation of the Pygmalion myth (though it is a tree that comes to life.) It is a marvelously written tale that unfolds beautifully.Smith of Wootton Major
My favourite of them all, a tale in which Smith voyages to the land of the faeries via a magical cake. Another story that revolves around the dreams and fantasies in a life. This one is a perfect fairy tale and perfect for reading aloud to a small person, full of magic and charm and whimsy it brings to mind everything I loved about The Hobbit.Conclusion
While the three tales and 16 poems all have their differences there is certainly a distinctive style across them all. Just a little old-fashioned, a little formal - in fact almost exactly how you'd expect an Oxford Professor to write fiction. This volume is worth reading, and an enjoyable read but does not quite have the magnificence of language in The Lord of The Rings nor the wonderful light touch of well-crafted children's tale in The Hobbit. They are good short pieces, that sort of excellence is hard to craft into such short works.
Anyone who enjoyed The Hobbit will find this a wonderful volume. Tolkein always talked of writing both The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings as a way of creating truly English myth and fairy tales (he felt that Arthur was too much a tale borrowed from the French). While both of those 'grew in the telling,' this small volume gives us three marvelous (and English in feel) fairy tales and some good poetry. A must for all Tolkein fans.
Tales from the Perilous Realm is harder to find than Tolkein's better-known works, but is available from online merchants including Amazon. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Who's Tom Bombadill? (Score:5, Funny)
He is your personal jesus christ (Score:2, Funny)
Re:He is your personal jesus christ (Score:5, Funny)
There actually are scenes with him (played by Richard Simmons) in the extended version available on DVD. They had to cut them because he kept bursting into tears.
Re:He is your personal jesus christ (Score:4, Funny)
Richard Simmons in Lord of the Rings? Oh dear god, what has the world come to?
Re:He is your personal jesus christ (Score:2)
Re:He is your personal jesus christ (Score:2)
Re:He is your personal jesus christ (Score:2)
Re:He is your personal jesus christ (Score:3, Interesting)
Tom raises several issues (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Tom raises several issues (Score:5, Insightful)
This is because he is a Druidic figure who believes in balance between good and evil. Unlike the good guys who want to do away with evil and the bad guys who want to do away with good. Instead, Tom sees that the fight is pretty well balanced (despite an advantage on paper for the evil side). After all, good and bad can't exist without the other to compare against.
Re:Tom raises several issues (Score:3, Funny)
The bad guys don't want to do away with good, they're just looking for unlimited power and control over good (much like the RIAA).
That, and cheap labor for their smelters.
Re:Tom raises several issues (Score:3, Insightful)
After all, good and bad can't exist without the other to compare against.
Not so. Good exists; in fact, God is (cf. Moses & the burning bush...). Evil is simply the re
Re:He is your personal jesus christ (Score:2)
I wouldn't put him in the class of men.
so richard simmons would be a perfect fit!
Ha! I kill me. Dial 10-10-220
Re:Who's Tom Bombadill? (Score:2)
Re:Who's Tom Bombadill? (Score:2)
Re:Who's Tom Bombadill? (Score:2)
Re:Who's Tom Bombadill? (Score:5, Informative)
Gene Hargrove [unt.edu] has one answer [unt.edu], but it will only make sense if you've at least read the Lord of the Rings.
Re:Who's Tom Bombadill? (Score:5, Informative)
From William D. B. Loos' essay [cro.net]:
As to Tom's nature, there are several schools of thought.
He was a Maia (the most common notion). The reasoning here is plain: given the Middle-earth cast of characters as we know it, this is the most convenient pigeonhole in which to place him (and Goldberry as well) (most of the other individuals in The Lord of the Rings with "mysterious" origins: Gandalf, Sauron, Wizards, and Balrogs did in fact turn out to be Maiar).
He was IlÃvatar. The only support for this notion is on theological grounds: some have interpreted Goldberry's statement to Frodo (F: "Who is Tom Bombadil?" G: "He is.") as a form of the Christian "I am that am", which really could suggest the Creator. Tolkien rejected this interpretation quite firmly.
T.A. Shippey (in The Road to Middle-earth) and others have suggested that Tom is a one-of-a-kind type. This notion received indirect support from Tolkien himself....
For the ill-informed conspiracy theorists out there, you might wish to read this [flyingmoose.org].
And for those of you who say that public schools aren't turning out good work, you may wish to visit a less meticulous analysis [dpsk12.org] (author unknown) from DPS.
Re:Who's Tom Bombadill? (Score:2)
Funny that Loos doesn't even mention Hargroves argument though. It seems to me by far the strongest.
Re:Who's Tom Bombadill? (Score:2, Funny)
Seriously, Tom Bombadill == Väinämöinen (Score:5, Interesting)
I think it's probably significant that the Bombadil chapters occur so early in LotR, when Tolkien was casting about for a theme. He was trying to create a new English folkore, and the Kalevala was an obvious model, having virtually redefined the Finnish national identity when it was published. The Bombadil chapters of LotR just feel like an unsuccessful graft from a different story. Indeed while with some effort Tolkien managed to accomodate Bombadil in his world by giving him an unique role in it, he rather ignores Goldberry, whose nature is equally problematic.
The simplest answer is that they both belong to a different story, one that Tolkien thought he might be writing before he found his own voice in Rivendell.
Re:Who's Tom Bombadill? (Score:2, Interesting)
Yeah...for the dumbasses who reply to the original post thinking it's a serious question.
Probably because of Chris's publications (Score:5, Informative)
Christopher Tolkien's "History of Middle-Earth" (Score:5, Informative)
Everyone else probably will have comparatively little use for them. If you haven't read the "Silmarillion", I wouldn't even bother picking them up; on the other hand, if you want a "first-hand" look at how the Lord of the Rings was constructed, "The History of Middle-Earth" is very insightful (and will give you a lot of extra-geeky trivia to throw around).
I have read "Smith of Wotton Major" and "Farmer Giles of Ham", and to throw in my two bits I think they're both wonderful stories. "Farmer" is at times outright hilarious, as the above reviewer indicates the humor is dry; I found it thoughly entertaining.
"Smith" is another matter. I think it's a wonderful story, too, but it's a "fey-story" in the old sense, which means it's actually a little creepy at times. I loved it as a child, but found it a little disturbing. Recently reading it (~8 months ago) I thought it absolutely beautiful, and decidely bittersweet.
Another story not in this collection that's very recommended for both whimsical adults and any child is "Roverandom", which is a wonderful fantasy about a lost toy dog who ends up in the company of wizards...
Re:Christopher Tolkien's "History of Middle-Earth" (Score:4, Funny)
inga tengwa (Score:5, Funny)
Re:inga tengwa (Score:2, Funny)
You must get all the ladies.
Re:inga tengwa (Score:4, Funny)
Mod parent down (Score:3, Funny)
Why surprised? (Score:3, Interesting)
It should be noted though that the sales of his other books have risen. They obviously just havn't sold as much as the LoTR series.
Three TV/Movie adaptions already (Score:3, Informative)
"Lord of the Rings: Part 1" Bashki's movie cartoon
"Lord of the Rings: Part 2" TV Cartoon
"Lord of Rings" Jackson trilogy
It's all about punctuation (Score:5, Insightful)
Did anyone else read this as just a very long title? Goes to show that commas still have importance in the English language.
Re:It's all about punctuation (Score:2)
The big problem is the fact that the "and" is emphasized. If it were
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil Leaf By Niggle and Smith of Wootton Major
you'd have parsed it correctly (though, yes, while one doesn't always have to put a comma after the penultimate item in a series, when the series is of phrases or clauses, especially titles, one should).
Re:It's all about punctuation (Score:4, Informative)
No, the big problem is that it's incorrectly written and typeset.
Not only is there a comma missing after "Bombadil", the titles are not emphasized correctly. Quotation marks or emphasis should be used to clearly demarcate the titles. Since the story text itself is in italics, the titles should be in roman (ie., upright) type to set them apart. The correct formatting and grammar, therefore, would be:
Re:It's all about punctuation (Score:3, Insightful)
reading aloud (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:reading aloud (Score:5, Funny)
--------
trillian42's dad
Re:reading aloud (Score:3, Funny)
j/k - I've got 3 kids under 15 months, and can't wait to read to them....
Re:Well! What are you waiting for? (Score:2)
Re:reading aloud (Score:2, Informative)
I don't think I truly appreciated Tom Bombadil, the Ent's war song, or Gollum's "gollum" until I heard Tolkien bringing them to life.
Really good book: Simarillian (Score:5, Informative)
It goes through all the history from "In the Beginning there was darkness" sort of Genisis to the final history of Aragorn and Arwen. There you learn about where Gandolf comes from, what the Wizards really are (same tier of age as Balrogs, interestingly) as well as Soron's predecessor, Melkor.
Repeat VERY GOOD BOOK TO HAVE!!!!
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:5, Interesting)
Just to be a little more specific, it is more like the Old Testament of the Bible.
The New Testament narratives are usually easier to read for the modern English reader. Many people compare The Hobbit and LoTR to the New Testament, especially in the light of prophecy being fulfilled.
As a side note, you may want to look into the books of Luke and Acts in the New Testament, which are two narratives that are relatively easy to read and are based on manuscripts with excellent Greek style (IIRC). And these two flow together, sort of like a part 1 and part 2.
A major point that many miss (Score:4, Interesting)
is that the stories of the Silmarillion aren't really meant to be read, like the published forms of the Hobbit and LotR are.
The Silmarillion is meant to be told, out loud, in the manner of a bard in the king's hall, reciting and performing before a crowd. Modern readers find the style dry because they're used to having the facial expressions and voice tones spelled out in the text, or shown to them on television. If you read the stories aloud, you find that they're not so dry after all.
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:3, Insightful)
That's debatable, to be sure. The Silmarillion is a fine tale of good intentions gone awry and the ends failing to justify the means (strangely apropos, these days). It tends to be quite dense, featuring huge chunks of explanatory text rather than
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:2)
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:2)
Yeah, that confused me, too. Different elf, same name. Check this out: http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/g/glorfindel.html
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:4, Informative)
Yeah, that confused me, too. Different elf, same name. Check this out: Glorfindel [glyphweb.com]
[er...sorry...reposted 'cause I wrongly thought slash would automagically linkify a bare URL. And then I had to wait 2 minutes to correct it. Almost not worth the trouble. So I hope you appreciate it.
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:2)
The link seems to be slashdotted. So I don't know what it says.
But I would point out that the "same name" problem was actually an accident, and that when Tolkien discovered it, he decided that they were in fact both referring to the same elf. This, over time, led him to the theory of elvish reincarnation.
The confusion arises over the fact that he never set down "the facts" once and for all. Just kept rewriting and rewriting and amending and playing and rewriting and correcting and branching and rewo
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:2)
Yeah, I was focused more on the fact that Tolkien himself wasn't sure about this and had been working on a way to correct it.
The fact that Frodo sees Glorfindel so clearly in the shadow world (into which he is being drawn by the Morgul blade) also argues for this. It tends to indicate that he has been in Aman, in the presence of the Valar.
Interesting thought. I'll have to dig into that (it's about time I started my
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:2)
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:2)
Bombadil wasn't too bad, but I just couldn't wade through Simarillian. And trust me, I was a Middle Earth reference geek at the time. I spent as much time pouring over the appendices at the the end of Return of the King volume as I did reading the trilogy itself. I just couldn't get enough of Middle Earth's history.
Even after several attempts to start the bo
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:2)
I had no interest in reading the Lord of Rings, or even in fantasy literature beyond a bunch of David Eddings books, but the Silmarillion (from the very beginning story, the Ainulindalé) had a scale I've never seen before or since in fantasy literature.
It also introduced me to the amazing world of philology. Seriously, it was one of the top five books I've ever read.
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:3, Informative)
The Silmarillion is not his first. Maybe last (Score:2)
The book entitled "The Silmarillion" is actually one of JRR Tolkien's LAST works. He never finished it before his death, although he intended to.
To confuse matters, the body of myth that Tolkien started on before "The Hobbit" is also called the Silmarillion. In other words, there are two. The books on the writing of Tolkien's books are careful to distinguish the two.
Technically,
Re:The Silmarillion is not his first. Maybe last (Score:3, Informative)
That's not true either. There isn't a single "Silmarillion", though Tolkien continued work on it throughout his life. After "the Hobbit" turned into a big success, Tolkien tried to get the Silmarillion into print. But after being convinced by his publisher that it wouldn't sell, he basically melded aspects of the Hobbit and Silmarillion (along with the fall of Numenor) into Lord of the Rings and got that published instea
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:2)
Some of Tolkein's sketches from th
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:3, Informative)
The other books published by his son, Christopher, have also been very interesting, though much harder to digest, and probably should be taken in publication order. In decreasing order of "accessibilty," there's probably "Unfinished Tales" (sort of an addendum to the Silmarillion), "The Book of Lost Tal
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:3, Informative)
Cirdan is older. Galadriel was born in Aman in the days of the Two Trees, and after the Darkening of Valinor she crossed into Middle-earth across the Helcaraxe with Fingolfin, having been marooned in Araman by Feanor. Yes, she's extremely ancient - and hardcore, too, to have made that journey. But Cirdan began his life at Cuivienen under the Stars, and reached the western shores of Beleriand with the march of the Teleri; there he remain
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:2)
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:2)
6) Profit!
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:2)
Which I guess is why it's so damn difficult to follow - it was only intended as Tolkein's "research notes" and not as a book in its own right.
Grab.
Re:Really good book: Simarillian (Score:2)
The body of work known as "The Silmarillion" was started way before "The Hobbit" was conceived. In fact, "The Hobbit" was sort of shoehorned into this mythic world after the fact.
" it was only intended as Tolkein's "research notes" and not as a book in its own right."
Tolkien makes quite clear in his letters that he did intend to get it published some day.
Top 10 Tolkein Wrong Names (Score:3, Funny)
S I L M A R I L L I O N, not Silmarillian"
10. Who's that guy Fordo Prefect?
9. Tolkien got Golem from Yiddish myth, right?
8. Stan Lee should sue: Tolkein got "Sauron" from the X-Men Savage Land comics.
7. Captain Kirk battled Aragorn on Star Trek. [reelcriticism.com]
5. What's that bad wizard and the guy with the eye? I never get the two straight: Sarmon and Souron? Souromon and Sauromon? Whatever.
4. If you call me with a technical support question about your Tolkien Ring networ [cisco.com]
Top 10 ? (Score:2)
No. 6 (Score:2)
6. Galadriel? Isn't that an air-freshener?
(It was either that, or something that involved how Tolkien ripped off "Sword of Shannara".)_
Re:No. 6 (Score:2)
Ring of Shannara (Score:2)
What about his most important work?? (Score:2, Interesting)
wait there's more (Score:2, Interesting)
Tolkein's Translation of Gilgamesh (Score:5, Interesting)
I remember reading a couple of months back that some researcher requested someo f Tolkein's papers from the Oxford archives, and found within it a line-by-line translation of Gilgamesh, in Tolkein's own hand, with his comments. The article said that the translation was to be published this summer. I can find no reference to this on the web, however.
Anyone else here of this?
Re:Tolkein's Translation of Gilgamesh (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Tolkein's Translation of Gilgamesh (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Tolkein's Translation of Gilgamesh (Score:2, Informative)
Most of the time, at least in my experience, these working translations aren't very good reading. W
Re:Tolkein's Translation of Gilgamesh (Score:2)
Another Great Accomplishment (Score:5, Interesting)
yes... yes... I know that many of you don't believe in God, etc. But, hopefully, you'll recognize that translating the entire Bible to English is quite an accomplishment for one of our favorite authors. And, just maybe, you'll even appreciate how happy it makes us Christians to have this great author bring his talents to scripture.
Then again, maybe I'll just get modded to oblivion...
Re:Another Great Accomplishment (Score:5, Interesting)
He worked on a couple of books (eg, Ruth, maybe, if my memory serves?), but (as was typical throughout his life) he got far too involved in the details. Being a lover of language above all else, he contributed vast reams of notes on the linguistic history of each phrase and missed out on the bigger picture. It's a bit of a stretch to talk about him translating the entire Bible.
This comment, by the way, is not a criticism of Tolkien as such, more an observation. If you read his Letters, time and time again you'll come across apologies for being late with submissions to his publishers, having neglected this or that work...he always bit off far more than he could chew and inevitably produced rich fragments. That's why Christopher Tolkien has such a magnificent stash of notes to exploit^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hpublish.
Interestingly enough, this happens to be perhaps the major failing of Niggle in Leaf by Niggle, despite Tolkien's oft-misquoted distaste for allegory. (The other major theme you may well see in that work is an allegory of Purgatory, which some critics claim stems directly from Tolkien's strong Catholic beliefs.)
Tolkien, in fact, was a very staunch Catholic, and his Catholic beliefs pervaded everything he did (although for his views on this you really have to read his Letters, where he disclaims allegations of religious parallels in certain of his works). A long evening stroll that he took with C.S. Lewis was instrumental in Lewis' renewed interest in Christianity. Tolkien was naturally happy about this, but at the same time a bit disquieted and not a little hurt that Lewis went on to become so famous and well-regarded given he was almost a johnny-come-lately, having reconverted to Christianity at a later age in life. (Tolkien was also a bit miffed that Lewis became an Anglican (Episcopalian in the U.S.); he viewed Anglicanism as being a watered-down imitation of Catholicism, whose main recommendation was their beautiful cathedrals which had been perverted from their rightful Catholic purpose.)
Happened to me! (Score:5, Funny)
That happened to me at the office Christmas party! Someone tooks photos and then put them up on the notice board. It was really embarassing.
3 of 4 (Score:3, Interesting)
Letters from Father Christmas (Score:5, Interesting)
Every year for 23 years, Tolkien wrote his children a letter from Father Christmas, from the late 20's into the 40's. The great depression and WWII get mentioned in passing, but Father Christmas always triumphs.
This one is good for reading to children, with wonderful pictures by Tolkien. For older children, you can sprinkle in a bit of history by telling why Father Christmas had such trouble delivering toys in 1932, and so on. For the Tolkien fancier, the book gives some insight into the author's mind. For example, my edition has samples of the ``elvish writing'' which Father Christmas sent to the children.
Re:Letters from Father Christmas (Score:2)
I knew
Homer Simpson Moment. (Score:3, Funny)
Mmmm... Brownies...
Re:Homer Simpson Moment. (Score:2)
Marge, you're my wife and I love you very much. But you're living in a world of make-believe with flowers and bells and leprechauns,and magic frogs with funny little hats.
You answer you own question (Score:2, Interesting)
A: Because they aren't as good as LOTR.
Duh.
Personally I hated the LOTR trilogy and I can't see why any of it is popular. It is a crude and awkward reading experience. Sure, it is the grandfather of fantasy - but it is by no means the best.
I am mostly a science fiction fan, but my favorite fantasy book ever is "Magician" by Raymond E. Feist. Highly recommended even to those (like myself) that otherwise hate the genre. There are a bunch of books in the se
Re:You answer you own question (Score:3, Interesting)
Part of the Genius of LOTR (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:You answer you own question (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm just plowing through the "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" series from Tad Williams ATM. It's good so far. Warning: the main criticism ppl have is that it's too slow. Fair enough, but the fact tha
Re:You answer you own question (Score:2)
The first level is as a really good advanture story. On first reading, this is the level most people perceive, and LOTR doesn't disappoint. This is the only level that most other fantasy writers (such as Fei
Farmer Giles of Ham (Score:5, Informative)
For example, when Tolkien talks about Farmer Giles' blunderbuss, he makes a point of saying that people might not know what a blunderbuss is, then goes on to say the "the four wise clerks of Oxenford" define it as . This is lifted EXACTLY from the then-current edition of the the Oxford English Dictionary.
The dry, pedantic style was also directed at the similar style employed by academics.
Also, one has to remember that this was written in the aftermath of one of the most terrible wars the country had ever seen, and also came at the end of rationing in the UK, and despite the style, FGoH is a rollicking great belly laugh, definitely one of JRRT's really intelligent works.
BTW, was going through my papers last night and found my old copies of JRRT's poems, "Imram," which chronicles the travels of Saint Brendan, and "The Lay of Aotrao and Itroun", a very dark epic poem in the Breton tradition, which I copied by hand from the original manuscripts back in the '70s. As far as I know these have never been published, which is a shame, as they are both excellent works...
Re:Farmer Giles of Ham (Score:3, Insightful)
Wow... is there any way you could make those copies available online? They sound fascinating.
Re:Farmer Giles of Ham (Score:2, Informative)
aye... (Score:2)
Offtopic, but just for bragging points, I actually met Tolkein although i was too young to remember virtually anything of that. Can any other
Leaf by Niggle (Score:2, Insightful)
New box set (Score:4, Informative)
Tolkien.co.uk [tolkien.co.uk] gives Feb/03 as the publication date.
Clem.
Ethel the Aadrvark Goes Quantity Surveying... (Score:2, Funny)
An open plea to animation companies... (Score:3, Interesting)
Given the way these stories are written, they almost BEG to be done as animated features. Farmer Giles of Ham done under the right producing/directing team at Disney could be one very fun movie to watch (they can borrow the drawing style of Pauline Baynes, the original illustrator of the book) and Mr. Bliss is almost perfect as a Pixar feature. How about it, folks?
(P.S. I know Tolkien back in the 1950's had qualms about Disney animation, but Disney has shown since 1995 they can go with very different drawing styles successfully, styles that he probably would have approved.)
Re:An open plea to animation companies... (Score:2)
More Crap? (Score:2)
Look, I like a good story, I have always liked to read. But Tolkien has a way of taking FOREVER to get to a point, WAY over descriptive and tedious.
Give me Bradbury, Clarke, a Linux Guide, Anything but his longwinded fairy tales.