The Fall of Númenor:
And Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-Earth
And Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-Earth
Author: J. R. R. Tolkien
Editor: Brian Sibley
Illustrator: Alan Lee
Published by: Harper Collins
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★★
Editor: Brian Sibley
Illustrator: Alan Lee
Published by: Harper Collins
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★★
J.R.R. Tolkien famously described the Second Age of Middle-earth as a 'dark age, and not very much of its history is (or need be) told'. And for many years readers would need to be content with the tantalizing glimpses of it found within the pages of The Lord of the Rings and its appendices, including the forging of the Rings of Power, the building of the Barad-dur and the rise of Sauron.
It was not until Christopher Tolkien published The Silmarillion after his father's death that a fuller story could be told. Although much of the book's content concerned the First Age of Middle earth, there were at its close two key works that revealed the tumultuous events concerning the rise and fall of the island of Numenor. Raised out of the Great Sea and gifted to the Men of Middle earth as a reward for aiding the angelic Valar and the Elves in the defeat and capture of the Dark Lord Morgoth, the kingdom became a seat of influence and wealth; but as the Numenoreans' power increased, the seed of their downfall would inevitably be sown, culminating in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.
Even greater insight into the Second Age would be revealed in subsequent publications, first in Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-earth, then expanded upon in Christopher Tolkien's magisterial twelve-volume The History of Middle-earth, in which he presented and discussed a wealth of further tales written by his father, many in draft form.
Now, adhering to the timeline of 'The Tale of Years' in the appendices to The Lord of the Rings, editor Brian Sibley has assembled into one comprehensive volume a new chronicle of the Second Age of Middle-earth, told substantially in the words of J.R.R. Tolkien from the various published texts, with new illustrations in watercolour and pencil by the doyen of Tolkien art, Alan Lee.
My thoughts:
The Fall of Númenor is is the latest volume in a series of posthumous releases containing the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, made up of his writings on the Second Age of Middle earth and collected for the first time in one volume. Readers are most likely to be familiar with his bestselling books The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, and the events in this new release take place a few thousand years prior to those books during an era known as the Second Age.
This is a well-constructed volume that puts Tolkien’s writings about the Second Age in chronological order, including a breakdown of different aspects of Numenor as a place and a people. Admittedly, it has been a few years since I read The Lord of the Rings series, so I was a little nervous that I’d find it hard to keep up.
Once I’d started reading, I realised that this wasn't what I expected at all, namely a coherent story about the fall of Numenor. Art times this felt more like an abundance of information and facts about Numenor, gathered from all of Tolkien's writings as well as writings from his son, Christopher. So, to avoid confusion I would encourage readers to bear in mind that The Fall of Númenor has been compiled from several of Tolkien’s other works. There are a few familiar names, such as Galadriel and Sauron, but the kingdom of Númenor is the main feature here, which is an island where men and women have extended lifetimes and from whom the Dúnedain (the people of Tolkien's character Aragorn) are descended. There are extracts from The Silmarillion and there are moments from Unfinished Tales. There are also snippets of conversation lifted from The Lord of the Rings that describe Númenor. Also, if you have watched Amazon’s The Rings of Power series recently, this book covers the same fictional period in Middle-earth history, the Second Age.
Whilst this style might not work for everyone, it all comes together very effectively to capture a culture and a people that are of vital importance in the history of Middle-earth. Once I’d gotten used to the format, I couldn’t tear myself away. The book mostly focuses on the collapse of Númenor, the actions of Sauron and the forming of The Last Alliance. It establishes a strong image of what Númenor was and how significant its fall was. Discussions of the stories by Brian Sibley, and how he chose to arrange them are also featured so it is easy to understand where things have been altered or arranged to be more cohesive.
This beautiful compendium of Tolkien’s Second Age stories features the artwork of Alan Lee, which was the main thing that drew me to the book in the first place. His work is so distinctive and atmospheric, and the book features a variety of pencil sketches as well as some full colour illustrations. Alan Lee is a remarkable figure in fantasy art, specialising in book illustrations and working as a film conceptual designer. He even earned an Oscar for his work as a conceptual designer on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
It really is such a beautiful edition, and as someone who has always been a fan of Tolkien’s high fantasy, it’s one I’m thrilled to have on my bookshelf. I was lucky enough to get my copy signed and personalised by Alan Lee at a launch event in Bath!
I highly recommend this for Tolkien fans, even if there is no real new material contained in the book. In addition to the cover art, inside The Fall of Númenor we are treated to ten full colour pieces of Lee’s art, depicting elements of Tolkien’s world that have rarely been illustrated. Throughout the book Alan Lee also provides over fifty pencil sketches for the chapter headings and endpoints.
While The Fall of Númenor is successful on balance, arguably there is a limit to how much repackaging of existing material can be done. It will be interesting to see what comes next in the posthumous releases of Tolkien’s work, but for me, it’s the artwork in this new edition that really shines through. It feels great to be back in Middle-Earth.
Overall reaction:
The Fall of Númenor is is the latest volume in a series of posthumous releases containing the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, made up of his writings on the Second Age of Middle earth and collected for the first time in one volume. Readers are most likely to be familiar with his bestselling books The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, and the events in this new release take place a few thousand years prior to those books during an era known as the Second Age.
This is a well-constructed volume that puts Tolkien’s writings about the Second Age in chronological order, including a breakdown of different aspects of Numenor as a place and a people. Admittedly, it has been a few years since I read The Lord of the Rings series, so I was a little nervous that I’d find it hard to keep up.
Once I’d started reading, I realised that this wasn't what I expected at all, namely a coherent story about the fall of Numenor. Art times this felt more like an abundance of information and facts about Numenor, gathered from all of Tolkien's writings as well as writings from his son, Christopher. So, to avoid confusion I would encourage readers to bear in mind that The Fall of Númenor has been compiled from several of Tolkien’s other works. There are a few familiar names, such as Galadriel and Sauron, but the kingdom of Númenor is the main feature here, which is an island where men and women have extended lifetimes and from whom the Dúnedain (the people of Tolkien's character Aragorn) are descended. There are extracts from The Silmarillion and there are moments from Unfinished Tales. There are also snippets of conversation lifted from The Lord of the Rings that describe Númenor. Also, if you have watched Amazon’s The Rings of Power series recently, this book covers the same fictional period in Middle-earth history, the Second Age.
Whilst this style might not work for everyone, it all comes together very effectively to capture a culture and a people that are of vital importance in the history of Middle-earth. Once I’d gotten used to the format, I couldn’t tear myself away. The book mostly focuses on the collapse of Númenor, the actions of Sauron and the forming of The Last Alliance. It establishes a strong image of what Númenor was and how significant its fall was. Discussions of the stories by Brian Sibley, and how he chose to arrange them are also featured so it is easy to understand where things have been altered or arranged to be more cohesive.
This beautiful compendium of Tolkien’s Second Age stories features the artwork of Alan Lee, which was the main thing that drew me to the book in the first place. His work is so distinctive and atmospheric, and the book features a variety of pencil sketches as well as some full colour illustrations. Alan Lee is a remarkable figure in fantasy art, specialising in book illustrations and working as a film conceptual designer. He even earned an Oscar for his work as a conceptual designer on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
It really is such a beautiful edition, and as someone who has always been a fan of Tolkien’s high fantasy, it’s one I’m thrilled to have on my bookshelf. I was lucky enough to get my copy signed and personalised by Alan Lee at a launch event in Bath!
I highly recommend this for Tolkien fans, even if there is no real new material contained in the book. In addition to the cover art, inside The Fall of Númenor we are treated to ten full colour pieces of Lee’s art, depicting elements of Tolkien’s world that have rarely been illustrated. Throughout the book Alan Lee also provides over fifty pencil sketches for the chapter headings and endpoints.
While The Fall of Númenor is successful on balance, arguably there is a limit to how much repackaging of existing material can be done. It will be interesting to see what comes next in the posthumous releases of Tolkien’s work, but for me, it’s the artwork in this new edition that really shines through. It feels great to be back in Middle-Earth.
Overall reaction:
