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4.5
When I ordered this book I was sceptical about its contents. Having read brief passages of Beowulf, The Iliad, and The Odyssey many years ago, to my boredom, I was unsure about reading a narrative poem. However, those brief passages were solely brief, required for school, and from an age when my attention span was poorly short. Today I have a greater appreciation for linguistics, and Tolkien has become my favourite author.First of all these two poems are not translations, but reinterpretations written by Tolkien to fill in missing gaps of the Poetic Edda, an important manuscript of Norse mythology. Tolkien's writing is very faithful to the style of Edda, and it is almost as if his work was simply a translation. That said, the book is not without hints of Tolkien's own outlook on life. You'll also get some hints as to what inspired Tolkien's own legends. The actual poems are enjoying to read, albeit somewhat difficult to understand. Thankfully Christopher Tolkien has included commentary that helps clarify what exactly is going on. On the first read, I recommend reading the entire introduction before the poems and reading the commentaries alongside them. The poetry is beautiful. If you enjoy Tolkien's poems, such as those in The Lord of the Rings or The Lays of Beleriand, you'll probably enjoy this book.Second of all this book is actually complete! Unlike The Silmarillion and The Children of Húrin, Christopher Tolkien has not had to fill in any missing parts. And, unlike Unfinished Tales, the stories finish and never drop out. (However there are still dozens of footnotes!) It's quite refreshing to be able to read a new and complete tale by Tolkien.Before reading this book, I recommend reading The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth. Not because they are necessary to understand the book, but because they will train you for reading long passages of description and long passages of commentary. On that note, if you're a guru used to reading archaic literature and 'scholarly' texts, then you can pick up this book and enjoy it without any previous knowledge of J. R. R. Tolkien and Middle-Earth.I recommend the hardcover edition. I recommend hardcovers for all books because they will last far longer than paperback. The hardcover edition is nicely bound and includes some illustrations. Nothing fancy like an Alan Lee painting, but it adds a touch. They may be included on the trade paperback as well, but I am unsure. Another wonderful bonus is an image of Tolkien's manuscript. It allows you to see the rather interesting handwriting of the author. A little treat for Tolkien fans.Note that the actual content of the poems is rather short. The majority of the book is the introduction and commentary.Read this book if:You like all of Tolkien's works.You enjoyed The Lays of Beleriand.You enjoy Norse mythology.You enjoy archaic poetry.Do not read this book if:You don't like poetry.You don't like heathen literature.You skipped or dreaded the poems in The Lord of the Rings.You want more Middle-Earth. For that I recommend reading The Children of Húrin, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales.Other recommended readings by the author:The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's SonSir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and OrfeoThe Children of HúrinThe SilmarillionThe Lays of Beleriand, The History of Middle-Earth Vol. III
