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The Fall of Númenor: and Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth
J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings on the Second Age of Middle-earth, collected for the first time in one volume.
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-dûr 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 Númenor. 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 Númenóreans’ 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 Númenor 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 pencil illustrations by the doyen of Tolkien art, Alan Lee.
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-dûr 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 Númenor. 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 Númenóreans’ 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 Númenor 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 pencil illustrations by the doyen of Tolkien art, Alan Lee.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published November 10, 2022
About the author
J.R.R. Tolkien
601 books73.2k followersJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien: writer, artist, scholar, linguist. Known to millions around the world as the author of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien spent most of his life teaching at the University of Oxford where he was a distinguished academic in the fields of Old and Middle English and Old Norse. His creativity, confined to his spare time, found its outlet in fantasy works, stories for children, poetry, illustration and invented languages and alphabets.
Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 585 reviews
February 15, 2023
The Fall of Númenor is an absolute delight to read. It’s a history of an entire age of middle-earth put into a narrative that helps capture just how detailed Tolkien’s world is.
It 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.
The Fall of Númenor has been compiled from several of Tolkien’s other works. There are bits from The Silmarillion and there are bits from Unfinished Tales. There are also snippets of conversation lifted from The Lord of the Rings that describe Númenor. And it all comes together really well to capture a culture and a people that are of vital importance in the history of middle-earth.
Be warned though, there’s no new content here. There’s no new information or no new stories that are told. Instead, we have a timeline of events detailing the second age in all its tragic and eventful glory. It’s been put into order and crafted to capture the events that led up to Tolkien’s most famous novels. And it is a very good volume, one I'm proud to have on my shelf. But if you are looking for new content, you will be disappointed.
I'm really impressed with the layout of this book too. Indeed, the new artwork (Allan Lee never disappoints) and the quality of the editing are both very high. I enjoyed this book immensely, though I do think this one for the most dire hard Tolkien fans and collectors.
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It 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.
The Fall of Númenor has been compiled from several of Tolkien’s other works. There are bits from The Silmarillion and there are bits from Unfinished Tales. There are also snippets of conversation lifted from The Lord of the Rings that describe Númenor. And it all comes together really well to capture a culture and a people that are of vital importance in the history of middle-earth.
Be warned though, there’s no new content here. There’s no new information or no new stories that are told. Instead, we have a timeline of events detailing the second age in all its tragic and eventful glory. It’s been put into order and crafted to capture the events that led up to Tolkien’s most famous novels. And it is a very good volume, one I'm proud to have on my shelf. But if you are looking for new content, you will be disappointed.
I'm really impressed with the layout of this book too. Indeed, the new artwork (Allan Lee never disappoints) and the quality of the editing are both very high. I enjoyed this book immensely, though I do think this one for the most dire hard Tolkien fans and collectors.
_________________________________
You can connect with me on social media via My Linktree.
__________________________________
October 5, 2024
(10/11/22) Though this book has no new content, it’s wonderful to finally have a collection that puts the bulk of writing on the Second Age in one place.
The Fall of Númenor contains writing previously found in snatches in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, The Nature of Middle-earth, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien and multiple volumes of The History of Middle-earth. Thus, before today, if you wanted to read about the Second Age, you had to do your best Gandalf-in-Minas-Tirith impression and look like a crazy scholar surrounded by mountains and mountains of papers.
This book tells the story of the Second Age from beginning to end, with a focus on the events of Númenor (which makes sense; the most complete narratives of the second age are Aldarion and Erendis, found in Unfinished Tales, and Akallabêth, found in The Silmarillion) and puts everything into chronological order in the way recounted in the Tale of Years in the appendices of LOTR. Sibley also uses drafts of unfinished writings to fill out events, most notably in the (notoriously contradictory) stories of Celeborn and Galadriel, of which there are multiple versions. It features Celebrimbor and the forging of the rings of power, the establishment of Gondor and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men and the coming of the Third Age.
Discussion of the stories by Sibley, and how he chose to arrange them is also featured so it is obvious where things have been altered or arranged to be more cohesive. It is not unlike Unfinished Tales in presentation of the text itself, although the book as a whole is laid out in a way more reminiscent of the chronological semi-interconnected structure of The Silmarillion.
Illustrations by Alan Lee are also always welcome. It’s a beautiful book, and as someone who has always been especially drawn to the Second Age it’s one I’m thrilled to have on my shelf.
The Fall of Númenor contains writing previously found in snatches in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, The Nature of Middle-earth, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien and multiple volumes of The History of Middle-earth. Thus, before today, if you wanted to read about the Second Age, you had to do your best Gandalf-in-Minas-Tirith impression and look like a crazy scholar surrounded by mountains and mountains of papers.
This book tells the story of the Second Age from beginning to end, with a focus on the events of Númenor (which makes sense; the most complete narratives of the second age are Aldarion and Erendis, found in Unfinished Tales, and Akallabêth, found in The Silmarillion) and puts everything into chronological order in the way recounted in the Tale of Years in the appendices of LOTR. Sibley also uses drafts of unfinished writings to fill out events, most notably in the (notoriously contradictory) stories of Celeborn and Galadriel, of which there are multiple versions. It features Celebrimbor and the forging of the rings of power, the establishment of Gondor and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men and the coming of the Third Age.
Discussion of the stories by Sibley, and how he chose to arrange them is also featured so it is obvious where things have been altered or arranged to be more cohesive. It is not unlike Unfinished Tales in presentation of the text itself, although the book as a whole is laid out in a way more reminiscent of the chronological semi-interconnected structure of The Silmarillion.
Illustrations by Alan Lee are also always welcome. It’s a beautiful book, and as someone who has always been especially drawn to the Second Age it’s one I’m thrilled to have on my shelf.
Want to read
December 27, 2022I'm a simple creature: a new Tolkien book comes out and I must add it to my cart
January 9, 2023
An erudite and clear work on the Second Age of Middle Earth, drawing multiple resources together. One wishes Amazon executives had read this before making their series
It was a warm bath to return to Middle Earth. I general I don’t like the Second Age as much as the other periods Tolkien crafted in his work, but the editing of Brian Sibley makes this an accessible and engaging work, chronologically following the events of the Second Age.
Interesting how the fall of Numenor is derived by Tolkien from a recurring dream of a flood. Also telling how the difference between men and elves is captured by a Numenorean king asking how the timber of a tree he got is, with the elves responding they don’t know since they just enjoy its beauty.
Recommended for Tolkien fans, even if there is no real new material contained in the book.
It was a warm bath to return to Middle Earth. I general I don’t like the Second Age as much as the other periods Tolkien crafted in his work, but the editing of Brian Sibley makes this an accessible and engaging work, chronologically following the events of the Second Age.
Interesting how the fall of Numenor is derived by Tolkien from a recurring dream of a flood. Also telling how the difference between men and elves is captured by a Numenorean king asking how the timber of a tree he got is, with the elves responding they don’t know since they just enjoy its beauty.
Recommended for Tolkien fans, even if there is no real new material contained in the book.
Want to read
June 24, 2022Is this necessary? Probably not
Am I going to buy the physical and audio versions? Definitely yes
Am I going to buy the physical and audio versions? Definitely yes
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October 6, 2024
The Fall of Númenor is a compilation of multiple sources, telling a cohesive history of the Númenórians and of the Second Age by using an established chronological timeline. Each historical event functions as a headline and is then further explored by the addition of excerpts from various sources, focusing not only on the Númenórians but on the rise of Sauron, which eventually and tragically leads to the titular Fall of Númenor.
The fact that I was familiar with much of the source material, like LotR, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales, didn’t mar my reading experience at all. While I wouldn’t say there were any great revelations, the new compilation of the source material felt like a new approach to the topic, which I cherished, since the history of Númenor has always been fascinating to me.
Initially, I was a bit apprehensive that this book was not edited by Christopher Tolkien, but by the English writer Brian Sibley. I really need not have been; reading The Fall of Númenor was a wonderful experience and I recommend it to all Tolkien fans who can’t get enough of the legendarium.
The fact that I was familiar with much of the source material, like LotR, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales, didn’t mar my reading experience at all. While I wouldn’t say there were any great revelations, the new compilation of the source material felt like a new approach to the topic, which I cherished, since the history of Númenor has always been fascinating to me.
Initially, I was a bit apprehensive that this book was not edited by Christopher Tolkien, but by the English writer Brian Sibley. I really need not have been; reading The Fall of Númenor was a wonderful experience and I recommend it to all Tolkien fans who can’t get enough of the legendarium.
March 9, 2023
This book might not bring a lot of new information to the table, but the chronological presentation of the events of the Second Age of Middle-earth, which makes it resemble The Silmarillion rather than Beren and Luthien for example, is priceless. I loooooooved it! If you love Tolkien this is a must.
May 15, 2023
Za sve one koji su neumorno citali Tolkina ovde zaista nema nicega novog, ali neopisivo je dobro sto se Brajan Sibli potrudio da nam sastavi ovu prelepu knjigu! Sve ono sto je veliki Kristofer Tolkin razvejao u mnostvu izdanja a vezano je za Drugo Doba Srednje Zemlje sada je na jednom mestu. Ovom knjigom Tolkinov opus je konacno zaokruzen na nacin da se hronoloski moze citati i da ljudi vise ne treba da budu uplaseni cinjenicom da su ranije morali da informacije o Drugom Dobu crpe iz najmaje cetiri osnovna izvora (Silmarilion, Gospodar Prstenova i Nezavrsene Price, Priroda Srednje Zemlje), ne racunajuci Istoriju Srednje Zemlje.
December 27, 2022
2022 Best Books of the Year [#05 of 11]
December 27, 2023
A lovely volume. Heavy paper, so it has some heft in the hand. Includes artwork. Nothing really new--it draws on texts published elsewhere, though perhaps some of the editorial remarks I hadn't seen before. The main virtue is collecting all of it in a somewhat cohesive presentation. Also nice as a quick reference for the Amazon show, which of course has taken some liberties--but then again, Tolkien and his son also took liberties with the story, insofar as it continually changed and has been subject to much interpretation.
January 5, 2023
So this wasn't what I expected at all, namely a coherent story about the fall of Numenor. It was an abundance of information/facts about Numenor, gathered from all of Tolkien's writings as well as writings from his son, Christopher.
Very informative, so much that it often felt like a history lesson rather than fantasy fiction.
Very informative, so much that it often felt like a history lesson rather than fantasy fiction.
February 24, 2024
I believe this is one of the first books released in the same style as the Christopher Tolkien ones post his death. Which of course, still features massive contributions from his life’s work.
In the same vein as Christopher’s work, this sets out to give a straight-forward linear storyline for the falling of Númenor. It also does a really good job taking the reader through the early history of Sauron. It does not seek to overwrite, or undo previous works. As with the other works taken from The Silmarillion and Appendices, it does read similarly to a textbook in places, but doing audio from Brian Sibley and Samuel West made it very digestible. Personally for me, hearing pieces from each that are featured elsewhere just really helps my understanding, as it can be really dense.
This has a beautiful wrapped artwork for the dust jacket (Alan Lee of course), a ribbon bookmark, beautiful interior artwork as well as some nice smaller chapter headers and footers. It has a great quality naked hardcover wrap too, a fantastic edition for a Tolkien collector.
One thing I’d love to highlight is how perfectly this cover matches the depiction shown in The Rings of Power show…I mean spot on. Obviously it comes from the text itself anyway, but when so much else gets changed…it’s just cool. The storyline really goes to show just how much they could do with the show itself. There’s so much going on in the appendices and this edition is the proof.
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-the-fa...
In the same vein as Christopher’s work, this sets out to give a straight-forward linear storyline for the falling of Númenor. It also does a really good job taking the reader through the early history of Sauron. It does not seek to overwrite, or undo previous works. As with the other works taken from The Silmarillion and Appendices, it does read similarly to a textbook in places, but doing audio from Brian Sibley and Samuel West made it very digestible. Personally for me, hearing pieces from each that are featured elsewhere just really helps my understanding, as it can be really dense.
This has a beautiful wrapped artwork for the dust jacket (Alan Lee of course), a ribbon bookmark, beautiful interior artwork as well as some nice smaller chapter headers and footers. It has a great quality naked hardcover wrap too, a fantastic edition for a Tolkien collector.
One thing I’d love to highlight is how perfectly this cover matches the depiction shown in The Rings of Power show…I mean spot on. Obviously it comes from the text itself anyway, but when so much else gets changed…it’s just cool. The storyline really goes to show just how much they could do with the show itself. There’s so much going on in the appendices and this edition is the proof.
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-the-fa...
April 21, 2023
За падението на Нуменор всички чели Толкин знаем достатъчно, книгата е дава допълнителни и почти пълни бележки и записки на автора на Нуменорските крале .
Мога само да съжалявам, че Толкин не е завършил всичко което е бил нахвърлил като идеи и бележки, за световете които е създал .
Мога само да съжалявам, че Толкин не е завършил всичко което е бил нахвърлил като идеи и бележки, за световете които е създал .
March 1, 2024
Tall ships and tall kings
Three times three,
What brought they from the foundered land
Over the flowing sea?
Seven stars and seven stones
And one white tree.
Miluju, miluju!
Three times three,
What brought they from the foundered land
Over the flowing sea?
Seven stars and seven stones
And one white tree.
Miluju, miluju!
February 26, 2023
J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings on the Second Age of Middle-earth, collected for the first time in one volume.
Summarises the content.
The stories, notes and analysis are organised in chronological order, starting from c, 40 to 3441, the last chapter is about Sauron being overthrown and the downfall of the city Númenor and its people.
For most part I was trying to keep up with the narrative, there were a lot of characters, settings and events that I’m still getting familiar with.
And throughout, I had to continually go outside the text so I wouldn’t be completely lost.
I can see this being a fascinating read down the line but for a first read I didn’t enjoy it as much as Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle Earth .
Having said this, I could see myself reading this again in the future because its content bridges the stories between Tolkien’s The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings.
So, for now 2 stars with a strong possibility this will be higher next time.
July 31, 2023
Beni alıp layığınca Orta Dünya'ya, merak ettiğim birinci ve ikinci çağa götüren, Numenor'u, başlangıç ve bitişini anlatan güzel bir kitap oldu. Açıkcası duruluğunu, merak ettiğim konulardaki nokta vuruş bilgi aktarımlarını çok sevdim.
September 14, 2024
The best single volume since The Children of Hurin. Showing a detailed and complete narrative of the second age with minimal interruption.
December 21, 2022
This is obviously wrong. There is no warrior Galadriel, there's no Southlands plot..... and Halbrand isn't mentioned anywhere! Nothing about Númenorian racism against Elven migrants...
I joke!
This beautiful collection of Second Age materials doesn't have any relationship to a certain Amazon series- because Rings of Power has nothing to do with Tolkien. Sorry fans (not really). The Fall of Númenor does a wonderful job of not just covering the major events of the 2nd Age, but the themes and intent of the author. Brian Sibley has used material from J.R.R Tolkien's letters to establish exactly what he thought of certain events and characters, and the result is revealing.
Whilst Amazon showrunners brag about making Sauron into a more "complex" character it turns out the man himself did it first, and their boasting was premature. See, Tolkien himself suggested that like some human tyrants, Sauron's relapse into evil was caused by his desire for control (not Mary Sue GuyLadriel, his fellow genocidal maniac dumping him).
Take this quote:
Doesn’t’ that sound like “the end justifies the means” philosophy? This is represented in the Rings of Power series witht the repeatedly restated “touch the darkness to find the light” line? Almost as if the philosophy of the series is antithetical to Tolkien’s own beliefs
Anyway, moving on from that, this volume also shows how important monotheism was to Numenorian culture. I’ve often said the Akallabêth was the most explicitly religious part of Tolkien’s legendarium, and this vindicates me. The Númenorians worshipped Eru Illuvatar, the One God, upon the highest mountain, until Sauron sought to become “a god to men”. Tolkien even referred to what Sauron did in Númenor as instituting form of Satan worship and to Elendil in letter 131 as a “Noachian” figure. Which means akin to the Biblical Noah.
It is, to my mind, wholly unforgivable to ignore or erase this aspect of Númenorian culture. Rings of Power, though, does this. There is no reference whatsoever the worship of Illuvatar in the series in 3 episodes set in Númenor.
Instead, they seem to just practice a vague polytheism. A concept which according to Tolkien would have been “an abomination” to them.
The Faithful are good not because they endured, clung to their faith in God, and sought to honour his ways by shunning insatiable lust for immortality which led their countymen into unspeakable acts of depravity and hubris. Instead, they are Faithful because they “liked Elves” and do what GuyLadriel tells them. Thus, replacing Tolkien’s grand and in many ways Biblical epic of the Fall of an Atlantis like kingdom with a shallow and meaningless tale about obeying a narcissist because she’s female.
This book makes a beautiful gift- I mean it literally, its illustrated. Mr Sibley collaborated with Alan Lee, who has provided many of the recent editions of Tolkien’s work with gorgeous, coloured illustrations and lovely black and white sketches on the chapter headings. If you want anyone to know the true story of the Second Age, and a lovely edition to your Tolkien collection, go and buy this book. I will be when I get my Book Voucher for Christmas. Until then, I had to with the audio version narrated by the editor. Who has a lovely reading voice.
I joke!
This beautiful collection of Second Age materials doesn't have any relationship to a certain Amazon series- because Rings of Power has nothing to do with Tolkien. Sorry fans (not really). The Fall of Númenor does a wonderful job of not just covering the major events of the 2nd Age, but the themes and intent of the author. Brian Sibley has used material from J.R.R Tolkien's letters to establish exactly what he thought of certain events and characters, and the result is revealing.
Whilst Amazon showrunners brag about making Sauron into a more "complex" character it turns out the man himself did it first, and their boasting was premature. See, Tolkien himself suggested that like some human tyrants, Sauron's relapse into evil was caused by his desire for control (not Mary Sue GuyLadriel, his fellow genocidal maniac dumping him).
Take this quote:
“Sauron never reached this stage of nihilistic madness. He did not object to the existence of the world, as long as he could do what he liked with it. He still had relics of the positive purposes that descended from the good of the nature in which he began, that he loved order and coordination….
But like all minds of his cast, Sauron’s love or mere understanding of other intelligences was correspondingly weaker… his plans became the sole object of his will, and an end, the End in itself”
Doesn’t’ that sound like “the end justifies the means” philosophy? This is represented in the Rings of Power series witht the repeatedly restated “touch the darkness to find the light” line? Almost as if the philosophy of the series is antithetical to Tolkien’s own beliefs
Anyway, moving on from that, this volume also shows how important monotheism was to Numenorian culture. I’ve often said the Akallabêth was the most explicitly religious part of Tolkien’s legendarium, and this vindicates me. The Númenorians worshipped Eru Illuvatar, the One God, upon the highest mountain, until Sauron sought to become “a god to men”. Tolkien even referred to what Sauron did in Númenor as instituting form of Satan worship and to Elendil in letter 131 as a “Noachian” figure. Which means akin to the Biblical Noah.
It is, to my mind, wholly unforgivable to ignore or erase this aspect of Númenorian culture. Rings of Power, though, does this. There is no reference whatsoever the worship of Illuvatar in the series in 3 episodes set in Númenor.
Instead, they seem to just practice a vague polytheism. A concept which according to Tolkien would have been “an abomination” to them.
The Faithful are good not because they endured, clung to their faith in God, and sought to honour his ways by shunning insatiable lust for immortality which led their countymen into unspeakable acts of depravity and hubris. Instead, they are Faithful because they “liked Elves” and do what GuyLadriel tells them. Thus, replacing Tolkien’s grand and in many ways Biblical epic of the Fall of an Atlantis like kingdom with a shallow and meaningless tale about obeying a narcissist because she’s female.
This book makes a beautiful gift- I mean it literally, its illustrated. Mr Sibley collaborated with Alan Lee, who has provided many of the recent editions of Tolkien’s work with gorgeous, coloured illustrations and lovely black and white sketches on the chapter headings. If you want anyone to know the true story of the Second Age, and a lovely edition to your Tolkien collection, go and buy this book. I will be when I get my Book Voucher for Christmas. Until then, I had to with the audio version narrated by the editor. Who has a lovely reading voice.
October 4, 2023
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Editor Brian Sibley draws inspiration on Christopher Tolkien’s own work around the trilogy that form the Great Tales of Middle-earth to deliver his own ultimate collection of stories from the Second Age of Middle-earth. Mostly centered around Númenor, a setting that writer J.R.R. Tolkien originally conceived with the Atlantean tragedy as prime influence, this book achieves the editor’s transcendent objective without adding much more novelty to the final product. Perfect as a collector’s item, convenient for a quick recapitulation of events within the “Black Years”, and gorgeous not only thanks to artist Alan Lee’s unquestionably beautiful artwork but the overall design and quality of this book, readers should be forewarned that much of the content can be effortlessly retraced in previously published work by the Tolkiens or experts of their work.
From the appendices of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings to Christopher Tolkien’s colossal twelve-volume The History of Middle-earth, The Fall of Númenor collects in chronological order all details and stories pertaining to this land and its people. These stories mostly relate the birth and death of a nation, a formidable alliance between Elves and Men, but also focuses on Sauron’s own rise and fall, including the story behind the rings of power. To better understand the history of this era, this book also contains a brief summary and glimpse of events that unfolds before and after the Second Age, leading up to the unforgettable adventures featured within The Lord of the Rings.
This is purely a product of a book industry capitalizing on a golden opportunity, and it is bound to please any die-hard fan of J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium, including myself. What’s there not to love about a wholly convenient collection of stories from the Second Age of Middle-earth, neatly packaged with fantastic artwork by Alan Lee himself, included with a neat and pretty red ribbon, so you don’t need to find your own bookmark, and thick paper material that makes this seem like a huge volume full of knowledge, when the content is actually pretty slim? It’s not a bad idea per se, fans and readers will gobble this up and be happy that they can simply refer to this volume if they want to quickly remember the events of this era.
However, that doesn’t mean that The Fall of Númenor is a necessary collection. Many of the references that editor Brian Sibley uses for this book are worth looking into way before this collection, allowing readers to go straight to the source to better grasp the scope of J.R.R. Tolkien’s creativity. The editorial interventions, easily identifiable through unique formatting, different from the core content, aren’t particularly mind-boggling here either. They purely serve the purpose of contextualizing certain elements; which isn’t a problem anyway, as long as readers don’t expect critical scrutiny or never-before-seen content. Readers familiar with the stories recollected here won’t have many issues following the chronicle of the Second Age of Middle-earth too, as the events that unfold are quite straightforward and simply relate facts, more often than not in the way of unadulterated description of a world and its people rather than conveying a story with intrigue or mystery.
The Fall of Númenor: and Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth is a convenient and comprehensive yet unnecessary collection of stories from the Second Age of Middle-earth.
September 27, 2024
I was a bit skeptical about this one, since it's posthumous for both JRR and Christopher, but Christopher laid out most of the groundwork for this. This is, I believe, the last in the Great Works compiling the big stories from The Silm and HoME into a single volume, this one focusing on the Númenoreans and the Second Age of Middle-earth.
As has been the standard for all these volumes, this gives us the "final" version of the story it focuses on. After The Children of Húrin, this is easily the most complete of them, or maybe it just feels that way because Sibley largely stays out of the way. That is, he allows Tolkien's writing to flow with minimal interruption for footnotes, which I greatly appreciated. If you've read The Unfinished Tales and the HoME, then you'll probably remember or recognize much of this material, but having it all in one place instead of scattered across multiple books and volumes is very convenient, and there's at least some material I don't remember coming across before.
The presentation of the material is wonderful as well. All the artwork from Alan Lee is amazing, from the sketches to the full color panels, and the recreations of the maps are so vividly drawn. The titles, headers and footers being in blue ink, the ring verse in red, the way the Line of Elros and the story organized by the different years from the Tale of Years, it all made for an extremely pleasant reading experience.
I do wish there had been a map from the Second Age, even if it had been composited from other existing maps, and I was surprised to run across typos. There weren't that many, but it's such an anomaly for this publisher and the Tolkien estate that it was noticeable when they happened.
As has been the standard for all these volumes, this gives us the "final" version of the story it focuses on. After The Children of Húrin, this is easily the most complete of them, or maybe it just feels that way because Sibley largely stays out of the way. That is, he allows Tolkien's writing to flow with minimal interruption for footnotes, which I greatly appreciated. If you've read The Unfinished Tales and the HoME, then you'll probably remember or recognize much of this material, but having it all in one place instead of scattered across multiple books and volumes is very convenient, and there's at least some material I don't remember coming across before.
The presentation of the material is wonderful as well. All the artwork from Alan Lee is amazing, from the sketches to the full color panels, and the recreations of the maps are so vividly drawn. The titles, headers and footers being in blue ink, the ring verse in red, the way the Line of Elros and the story organized by the different years from the Tale of Years, it all made for an extremely pleasant reading experience.
I do wish there had been a map from the Second Age, even if it had been composited from other existing maps, and I was surprised to run across typos. There weren't that many, but it's such an anomaly for this publisher and the Tolkien estate that it was noticeable when they happened.
Want to read
August 3, 2022
March 26, 2023
Wonderful to be back in Middle Earth - the Second Age always fascinated me, so I am thankful for this collection that brings all of the disperate tales together. Tolkien's take on Atlantis, and the gradual second fall of man made for engrossing reading. Loved it.
April 19, 2023
The value of the History of Middle Earth is not just in the content it offers, but the historiographical approach to that content: Christopher Tolkien makes it very clear what comes from when and comes from where, what changes, what remains. It's a work that puts the conflicts, contradictions, changes and developments in evidence.
This work is the opposite. Not only it doesn't seem to care for the different context between the parts it incorporates, it also does not wish for the reader to care, either. I mentioned things are badly sourced, but it's also relevant to mention that the author takes bits and pieces from contradictory versions and stitches them together, with no warning to the reader. So that, for example, you have a Míriel who was in love with Pharazôn, but who was also unwillingly married, and whose throne was usurped by him. This could be a very interesting fan approach to the story; it irks me that it is not presented as that. In fact, this book is presented as a compendium of everything ever written about Númenor - but that is simply not true.
What it actually does is try to create a coherent narrative of Númenor from its creation to its destruction. That's a goal I can respect in theory, but it is, essentially, a fan work. It might be worthwhile for some, but it definitely isn't for me. I don't like the premise and I hate the execution (and I'm beyond disappointed, because I would have loved to have an actually useful compendium of Númenor information).
There are other problems, as, for example, blatantly incorrect quotes, such as the one on page 114. In "The Fall of Númenor", it reads:
"Of the life-span granted the Númenóreans, Erendis had once said that women 'became a kind of Imitation Elves (...)"
But the original text in "The Nature of Middle Earth" reads:
"As Erendis said later, [the Númenóreans] became a kind of imitation Elves (...)"
So not only the Fall of Númenor turns indirect speech attributed to Erendis into direct speech, it changes the very subject of the sentence (besides the incomprehensible capitalization of the adjective). This is one instance - the one that caught my attention the most; there are others, as well as a number of typos.
Not to be a complete downer, the illustrations of Alan Lee are gorgeous and particularly inspired. His art has a poetical quality that suits the theme brilliantly, and his depiction of some of the characters are particularly inspired. The profile of Tar-Ancalimë on page 118, for example, is particularly inspired, with fashion details that depart a little from the common sense and add new flavor to an otherwise familiar aesthetic landscape. His full-page, full-color illustrations are captivating; one can spend a long time looking at them. In my opinion, they're the true star of this edition.
This work is the opposite. Not only it doesn't seem to care for the different context between the parts it incorporates, it also does not wish for the reader to care, either. I mentioned things are badly sourced, but it's also relevant to mention that the author takes bits and pieces from contradictory versions and stitches them together, with no warning to the reader. So that, for example, you have a Míriel who was in love with Pharazôn, but who was also unwillingly married, and whose throne was usurped by him. This could be a very interesting fan approach to the story; it irks me that it is not presented as that. In fact, this book is presented as a compendium of everything ever written about Númenor - but that is simply not true.
What it actually does is try to create a coherent narrative of Númenor from its creation to its destruction. That's a goal I can respect in theory, but it is, essentially, a fan work. It might be worthwhile for some, but it definitely isn't for me. I don't like the premise and I hate the execution (and I'm beyond disappointed, because I would have loved to have an actually useful compendium of Númenor information).
There are other problems, as, for example, blatantly incorrect quotes, such as the one on page 114. In "The Fall of Númenor", it reads:
"Of the life-span granted the Númenóreans, Erendis had once said that women 'became a kind of Imitation Elves (...)"
But the original text in "The Nature of Middle Earth" reads:
"As Erendis said later, [the Númenóreans] became a kind of imitation Elves (...)"
So not only the Fall of Númenor turns indirect speech attributed to Erendis into direct speech, it changes the very subject of the sentence (besides the incomprehensible capitalization of the adjective). This is one instance - the one that caught my attention the most; there are others, as well as a number of typos.
Not to be a complete downer, the illustrations of Alan Lee are gorgeous and particularly inspired. His art has a poetical quality that suits the theme brilliantly, and his depiction of some of the characters are particularly inspired. The profile of Tar-Ancalimë on page 118, for example, is particularly inspired, with fashion details that depart a little from the common sense and add new flavor to an otherwise familiar aesthetic landscape. His full-page, full-color illustrations are captivating; one can spend a long time looking at them. In my opinion, they're the true star of this edition.
December 3, 2022
While not a new book in the traditional sense, The Fall of Númenor has the singular distinction of bringing all of Tolkien's writings about the Second Age into a single volume. The Tale of Aldarion and Erendis? It's here. The many and varied versions of Celeborn and Galadriel? Present! The tale of Númenor itself? Got it! It's all here, thereby relieving readers from having to reference multiple volumes! And to make things even easier, everything has been organized in chronological order!
Also included are several plates of absolutely exquisite artwork! The cover alone is outstanding - not to mention I love seeing Sauron standing in the bottom right corner, staring at the wave coming toward him and very likely thinking, "I... may have miscalculated how pissed Eru might be about all of this. Whoops, my bad."
So glad I requested this from my library, and I may end up purchasing a copy of my own at some point to have as part of my own Tolkien collection.
Also included are several plates of absolutely exquisite artwork! The cover alone is outstanding - not to mention I love seeing Sauron standing in the bottom right corner, staring at the wave coming toward him and very likely thinking, "I... may have miscalculated how pissed Eru might be about all of this. Whoops, my bad."
So glad I requested this from my library, and I may end up purchasing a copy of my own at some point to have as part of my own Tolkien collection.
September 29, 2023
This was quite a tome, as one naturally expects from Tolkien, but it was an enjoyable one! I really loved learning more about Numenor in detail. While I'm sad that this is the first posthumously published Tolkien book that wasn't able to be put together by Christopher Tolkien, I felt that Brian Sibley did an excellent job and handled the task with utmost love and respect for the world of Middle Earth and its author.
One of my favorite things about this book was learning about the flora and fauna of Numenor. The fact that Tolkien thought about it down to that much detail was... well... very typical of him XD but astounding nonetheless. I loved the idea that the Numenorians in the good days had such a connection with nature that some animals would come into their homes. And the dancing bears! Bears that just go out and dance for the joy of it! That felt almost Narnian to the point I was surprised to find it in Middle Earth, but it was a fun concept.
The excerpts of stories that Tolkien took the time to (partially) expand were interesting, too. I really wish he would have finished fully writing the story about Aldarion and his wife and daughter. While it seemed it was ultimately tragic, it was nice to get a closer look at the daily lives of the Numenorians through that story.
It was also fascinating to learn that Tolkien and C.S. Lewis challenged each other to write scifi, and Lewis wrote his scifi trilogy about space travel, but Tolkien's attempt to write time travel failed and then ultimately morphed into the story of Numenor. I really enjoyed the excerpt from the Numenorian part of the attempted time travel novel. It made me wish that, (while I understand why it didn't work out as time travel), that he had been able to novelize the story of Numenor.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read for this Tolkien fan. I'll add as a final note that I definitely recommend getting the physical copy of this book because of course the artwork of Alan Lee throughout adds so much to the reading experience!
One of my favorite things about this book was learning about the flora and fauna of Numenor. The fact that Tolkien thought about it down to that much detail was... well... very typical of him XD but astounding nonetheless. I loved the idea that the Numenorians in the good days had such a connection with nature that some animals would come into their homes. And the dancing bears! Bears that just go out and dance for the joy of it! That felt almost Narnian to the point I was surprised to find it in Middle Earth, but it was a fun concept.
The excerpts of stories that Tolkien took the time to (partially) expand were interesting, too. I really wish he would have finished fully writing the story about Aldarion and his wife and daughter. While it seemed it was ultimately tragic, it was nice to get a closer look at the daily lives of the Numenorians through that story.
It was also fascinating to learn that Tolkien and C.S. Lewis challenged each other to write scifi, and Lewis wrote his scifi trilogy about space travel, but Tolkien's attempt to write time travel failed and then ultimately morphed into the story of Numenor. I really enjoyed the excerpt from the Numenorian part of the attempted time travel novel. It made me wish that, (while I understand why it didn't work out as time travel), that he had been able to novelize the story of Numenor.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read for this Tolkien fan. I'll add as a final note that I definitely recommend getting the physical copy of this book because of course the artwork of Alan Lee throughout adds so much to the reading experience!
September 6, 2024
"وهكذا انتهى مجد نومينور."
تجميعة رائعة لحكايا العصر الثاني منذ بدايته وحتى نهايته، ألمت بأغلب ما هو مهم ومتعلق بما فيه من قصص، تحديدًا مملكة نومينور.
بداية الكتاب لم تكن مشوقة، نظرًا لأنها تتحدث عن المملكة بشكل عام وتفاصيل الأرض و طبيعتها و أساليب من يسكنوها، تمنيت أن تكون هذه المعلومات داخل القصص ذاتها.
أما بعد الدخول في القصص فهنالك قصص رائعة للغاية، وتفاصيل جميلة لم أعرفها من قبل، وعلى رأسها… أقواها وسيدتها… قصة إلداريون وَ إيرينديس.
هذه من أجمل الحكايا الرومانسية التي قرأتها في حياتي، واقعية للغاية، مؤلمة للغاية، ملهمة للغاية. تفاصيل شخصياتها وعمقهم مذهل، حوارات القصة و خواطر من هم فيها أكثر روعة، وشاعرية إقتباساتها في الختام كانت هي الأروع على الإطلاق.
من المؤسف أنها تعتبر من «الحكايا غير المكتملة»، لكن لا تزال قصة مذهلة جدًّا، وهي أروع و أقوى ما في الكتاب.
أما بالنسبة لحرب التحالف الأخير و صعود ساورون و سقوطه، فقد كان جميلًا، إلا أنه لم يكن قدر التوقعات، كان وافيًا لكنه لم يكن مذهلًا، التفاصيل قليلة، ولا يوجد فترة مثيرة للإهتمام في حربه إلا قصته مع مملكة نومينور، على عكس حروب العصر الأول مع مورجوث مثلًا.
الجمالية في قصص ساورون هي فلسفته و الدخول في تفاصيلها، كانت هذه لمسة رائعة تستمتع بقرائتها.
مشهد هلاك نومينور "كفكرة" مفجع جدًا، لكن لم يتم استثماره بشكل جيد، ومر مرور الكرام نوعًا ما، كذلك تفاصيل الملك الأخير و شخصيته.
أروع إضافة هي إضافة المشاهد لنومينور من رواية (الطريق الضائع)، ما بين إسيلدور ووالده، أيقنت لو أن تولكين قرر كتابة رواية كاملة بمنظور في أحداث العصر الأول أو الثاني لأصبحت من أعظم الروايات على الإطلاق، ولكن يا للخسارة.
حوارات القصة جميلة جدًّا على الرغم من قصرها، لدرجة أنني قررت إعادتها مباشرة.
كتاب يستحق القراءة، ويستحق 9/10.
تجميعة رائعة لحكايا العصر الثاني منذ بدايته وحتى نهايته، ألمت بأغلب ما هو مهم ومتعلق بما فيه من قصص، تحديدًا مملكة نومينور.
بداية الكتاب لم تكن مشوقة، نظرًا لأنها تتحدث عن المملكة بشكل عام وتفاصيل الأرض و طبيعتها و أساليب من يسكنوها، تمنيت أن تكون هذه المعلومات داخل القصص ذاتها.
أما بعد الدخول في القصص فهنالك قصص رائعة للغاية، وتفاصيل جميلة لم أعرفها من قبل، وعلى رأسها… أقواها وسيدتها… قصة إلداريون وَ إيرينديس.
هذه من أجمل الحكايا الرومانسية التي قرأتها في حياتي، واقعية للغاية، مؤلمة للغاية، ملهمة للغاية. تفاصيل شخصياتها وعمقهم مذهل، حوارات القصة و خواطر من هم فيها أكثر روعة، وشاعرية إقتباساتها في الختام كانت هي الأروع على الإطلاق.
من المؤسف أنها تعتبر من «الحكايا غير المكتملة»، لكن لا تزال قصة مذهلة جدًّا، وهي أروع و أقوى ما في الكتاب.
أما بالنسبة لحرب التحالف الأخير و صعود ساورون و سقوطه، فقد كان جميلًا، إلا أنه لم يكن قدر التوقعات، كان وافيًا لكنه لم يكن مذهلًا، التفاصيل قليلة، ولا يوجد فترة مثيرة للإهتمام في حربه إلا قصته مع مملكة نومينور، على عكس حروب العصر الأول مع مورجوث مثلًا.
الجمالية في قصص ساورون هي فلسفته و الدخول في تفاصيلها، كانت هذه لمسة رائعة تستمتع بقرائتها.
مشهد هلاك نومينور "كفكرة" مفجع جدًا، لكن لم يتم استثماره بشكل جيد، ومر مرور الكرام نوعًا ما، كذلك تفاصيل الملك الأخير و شخصيته.
أروع إضافة هي إضافة المشاهد لنومينور من رواية (الطريق الضائع)، ما بين إسيلدور ووالده، أيقنت لو أن تولكين قرر كتابة رواية كاملة بمنظور في أحداث العصر الأول أو الثاني لأصبحت من أعظم الروايات على الإطلاق، ولكن يا للخسارة.
حوارات القصة جميلة جدًّا على الرغم من قصرها، لدرجة أنني قررت إعادتها مباشرة.
كتاب يستحق القراءة، ويستحق 9/10.
December 6, 2022
Although I read the LOTR apendices, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales which all in some parts describe the history of Numenor, there are other sources and things I didn't know of. This book brings them all together in one epic yet tragic story of the downfall of the greatest human realm and its people. They were Tolkien's version of Atlantian myth, and island whick sank into deep sea with all of its treasures and inhabitants, save the ones who were called the Faithfull and did not break the Ban of the Valar. Those who drowned were corrupted by the greed and yearning for immortal life which they thought was denied to them. They broke the Ban and attacked those who granted them gifts beyond any measure of Men. Their punishment brought the shaping of a new world and forever divided the Land of the Valar and Middle-Earth.
This compendium of Tolkien's writings, a combination of history and stories is, for me at least, a great way to introduce readers to the Second and even some bits of the Third Age which all preceeded the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, especially the rise of Sauron.
I must mention the story of Aldarion, the King's unwilling heir and Erendis, his wife. Their individual nature and circumstances that led them from great love to estrangement is so human and relatable that I honestly couldn't discern which one was more right. After some thought I concluded they were both right in their own way which makes their falling apart all the more tragic.
The Fall of Numenor goes hand in hand in quality with The Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien and The Fall of Gondolin which are my favourite Tolkien stories extended into books of their own.
Huge recommendations for all Tolkien fans and those who are new in the world od Arda. 🙂
This compendium of Tolkien's writings, a combination of history and stories is, for me at least, a great way to introduce readers to the Second and even some bits of the Third Age which all preceeded the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, especially the rise of Sauron.
I must mention the story of Aldarion, the King's unwilling heir and Erendis, his wife. Their individual nature and circumstances that led them from great love to estrangement is so human and relatable that I honestly couldn't discern which one was more right. After some thought I concluded they were both right in their own way which makes their falling apart all the more tragic.
The Fall of Numenor goes hand in hand in quality with The Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien and The Fall of Gondolin which are my favourite Tolkien stories extended into books of their own.
Huge recommendations for all Tolkien fans and those who are new in the world od Arda. 🙂
November 29, 2022
The Fall of Númenor: and Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth collects the stories of the Second Age into one, complete volume for the first time. The Fall of Númenor will not present new stories to the avid reader of Tolkien, however it will take those stories that we know and arrange them in chronological order adhering to "The Tale of Years."
Readers of Tolkien who are venturing beyond The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings will find this to be a great volume to immerse themselves in Middle-earth once more. This book isn't meant to supplant the stories included in other books, like the "Akallabêth" in The Silmarillion, as their renditions in The Fall of Númenor may be noticeably different because of the ordering of the volume, following a chronological history of the island kingdom of Númenor.
Beautifully illustrated by Alan Lee and with matching format to the latest editions of various, illustrated volumes of Tolkien's works, this is a beautiful book and well worth the read for new readers, and those who may be familiar with the stories.
(Note: Stories and tales of the Second Age could previously be found The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, The Nature of Middle-earth, and in The Histories of Middle-earth, making this a worthy addition to Tolkien's catalog and collector's shelves.)
Readers of Tolkien who are venturing beyond The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings will find this to be a great volume to immerse themselves in Middle-earth once more. This book isn't meant to supplant the stories included in other books, like the "Akallabêth" in The Silmarillion, as their renditions in The Fall of Númenor may be noticeably different because of the ordering of the volume, following a chronological history of the island kingdom of Númenor.
Beautifully illustrated by Alan Lee and with matching format to the latest editions of various, illustrated volumes of Tolkien's works, this is a beautiful book and well worth the read for new readers, and those who may be familiar with the stories.
(Note: Stories and tales of the Second Age could previously be found The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, The Nature of Middle-earth, and in The Histories of Middle-earth, making this a worthy addition to Tolkien's catalog and collector's shelves.)
October 30, 2023
Tras el final de la Primera Edad, la captura de Melkor y los daños que dejaron las incursiones del ejército de los Valar convocado por Eärendil en la Tierra Media hay cosas que deben tomar otro rumbo. Es así como los elfos que deciden quedarse al oriente del mar se reorganizan, fundan nuevos refugios para ellos. Por su parte, los Hombres reciben como recompensa por su ayuda un nuevo reino en medio del mar en el que su prole pueda progresar: la isla de Elenna, que más tarde sería conocida como el reino de Númenor. Esta es la historia del origen, auge y caída de la isla, junto con la historia de la recomposición de la Tierra Media luego de la derrota de Melkor y el ascenso de Sauron. Todos estos sucesos son el molde de lo que veremos más tarde en la opera magna de Tolkien: El señor de los anillos.
De esta forma, en La caída de Númenor Brian Sibley reúne todo el material sobre la Segunda Edad disponible en El Silmarillion, Cuentos inconclusos de Númenor y la Tierra Media, la serie de Historia de la Tierra Media y El señor de los anillos adherido a “La cuenta de los años” disponible en los “Apéndices” de ESDLA y, sobre todo, siguiendo los pasos de Christopher Tolkien. Antes de llegar a la parte gruesa del libro, Brian hace una trazabilidad del origen del material, seguro con el fin de dejar claro de que nada de lo que contienen el libro fue sacado de la chistera, o es inventado.
Si bien para mí nada de lo contenido en el libro es material nuevo, sí hubo un par de cosas que resonaron bastante durante la lectura bien fuera porque son datos que dejé pasar en su momento, o porque no me había detenido a contemplar con el suficiente detalle. Es así como nunca me había detenido a pensar en los elfos de la Tierra Media como un grupo más ventajoso que sus congéneres al oeste del mar. Los que habitan en la Tierra Media gozan de la paz, la beatitud y la perfecta memoria del oeste mientras viven en las tierras en las que su prestigio es mayor que en Valinor. Basta con ver a Gil-galad para entender de lo que hablo.
Por otro lado, si bien la historia del fin de Númenor es triste, es también un intento de conservación de la memoria. Todo lo que sabemos de ella vino por medios orales a la Tierra Media, es así como no sabeos a ciencia cierta el tamaño de la isla e ideas muy vagas de la relación que tenían los númenoreános con los animales, que parecía ser mas estrecha de lo que se cree a primera vista.
Todo esto sin dejar de lado el hecho de que, debido a la extensión de los relatos de esa época, el primer milenio de la historia de Númenor parece ser más concurrido que el tiempo subsiguiente. Basta con mirar la historia de Aldarion y Erendis —de lejos la más desarrollada de todas las historias isleñas— para quedarse con esa sensación, aunque esto no sea cierto y la segunda parte de la historia de Númenor y la Segunda Edad tenga puntos clave que moldearon el futuro de los pueblos de Arda.
Tolkien siempre fue consciente de la interdependencia del Silmarillion y ESDLA y todos los acontecimientos narrados en La caída de Númenor están en consonancia con ambos relatos. Es muy curioso que siendo una época tan importante —casi que puede ser vista como una época de transición entre los días antiguos y los Grandes Años— la información sobre la Segunda Edad esté tan desperdigada y parezca ser tan fragmentaria. Creo que este es el punto más importante y el vacío que viene a llenar La caída de Númenor dentro del Legendarium. Que no lo hace solamente juntando el material referenciado, sino organizándolo de forma tal que se facilita su lectura y las referencias cruzadas a las que puede dar lugar.
En La caída de Númenor queda en evidencia el hecho de que cuando los hombres como especie se integran en la historia del mundo, los relatos pierden carácter mítico y giran hacia el cuento y la novela. Queda en evidencia también, una correlación entre las grandes e imponentes construcciones como Angband, Barad-dûr e incluso el templo en la cima del Meneltarma y las fuerzas del mal. Queda también latente el hecho de que Tolkien no usa a la ligera palabra tan gruesas como “Poder”, una palabra que dentro de sus creaciones y diferente a los Valar, es una palabra que denota maldad, avaricia.
Númenor y toda la historia de la Segunda Edad son una muestra más de la erudición de Tolkien y del rigor y disciplina de su creatividad literaria. La caída de Númenor es muestra de ello.
El trabajo que ha hecho Brian está a la altura del de Christopher y ha respetado todas las decisiones editoriales que él tomó durante su carrera como editor de su padre. Alan Lee ha hecho un trabajo bello con sus ilustraciones, aunque a mí algunas se me quedaron cortas en su pertinencia o incluso en lo que plasman de la isla.
La caída de Númenor es ideal para tener el material de la Segunda Edad disponible de forma rápida si no se tienen los demás libros de donde provienen los extractos, en el caso contrario, no es un libro tan necesario como se pensara. La verdad, espero que una próxima publicación que lleve el sello de Tolkien dé un poco más que una reorganización del material que la gran mayoría ya conoce.
Nota al pie: La publicación de La caída de Númenor fue anunciado por los mismos días en los que Historia de Númenor y la Tierra Media de la Segunda Edad también era anunciado. Fue una sorpresa que en un primer momento nos dejó un poco tristes porque no sabíamos que algo del tipo se estaba preparando, pero que luego nos dejó bastante tranquilos al saber que ambos libros, si bien compartían temática, habían transitado caminos diferentes en su construcción. Ahora es grato ver los dos libros como hermanos que fueron criados en dos lados opuestos del mar.
De esta forma, en La caída de Númenor Brian Sibley reúne todo el material sobre la Segunda Edad disponible en El Silmarillion, Cuentos inconclusos de Númenor y la Tierra Media, la serie de Historia de la Tierra Media y El señor de los anillos adherido a “La cuenta de los años” disponible en los “Apéndices” de ESDLA y, sobre todo, siguiendo los pasos de Christopher Tolkien. Antes de llegar a la parte gruesa del libro, Brian hace una trazabilidad del origen del material, seguro con el fin de dejar claro de que nada de lo que contienen el libro fue sacado de la chistera, o es inventado.
Si bien para mí nada de lo contenido en el libro es material nuevo, sí hubo un par de cosas que resonaron bastante durante la lectura bien fuera porque son datos que dejé pasar en su momento, o porque no me había detenido a contemplar con el suficiente detalle. Es así como nunca me había detenido a pensar en los elfos de la Tierra Media como un grupo más ventajoso que sus congéneres al oeste del mar. Los que habitan en la Tierra Media gozan de la paz, la beatitud y la perfecta memoria del oeste mientras viven en las tierras en las que su prestigio es mayor que en Valinor. Basta con ver a Gil-galad para entender de lo que hablo.
Por otro lado, si bien la historia del fin de Númenor es triste, es también un intento de conservación de la memoria. Todo lo que sabemos de ella vino por medios orales a la Tierra Media, es así como no sabeos a ciencia cierta el tamaño de la isla e ideas muy vagas de la relación que tenían los númenoreános con los animales, que parecía ser mas estrecha de lo que se cree a primera vista.
Todo esto sin dejar de lado el hecho de que, debido a la extensión de los relatos de esa época, el primer milenio de la historia de Númenor parece ser más concurrido que el tiempo subsiguiente. Basta con mirar la historia de Aldarion y Erendis —de lejos la más desarrollada de todas las historias isleñas— para quedarse con esa sensación, aunque esto no sea cierto y la segunda parte de la historia de Númenor y la Segunda Edad tenga puntos clave que moldearon el futuro de los pueblos de Arda.
Tolkien siempre fue consciente de la interdependencia del Silmarillion y ESDLA y todos los acontecimientos narrados en La caída de Númenor están en consonancia con ambos relatos. Es muy curioso que siendo una época tan importante —casi que puede ser vista como una época de transición entre los días antiguos y los Grandes Años— la información sobre la Segunda Edad esté tan desperdigada y parezca ser tan fragmentaria. Creo que este es el punto más importante y el vacío que viene a llenar La caída de Númenor dentro del Legendarium. Que no lo hace solamente juntando el material referenciado, sino organizándolo de forma tal que se facilita su lectura y las referencias cruzadas a las que puede dar lugar.
En La caída de Númenor queda en evidencia el hecho de que cuando los hombres como especie se integran en la historia del mundo, los relatos pierden carácter mítico y giran hacia el cuento y la novela. Queda en evidencia también, una correlación entre las grandes e imponentes construcciones como Angband, Barad-dûr e incluso el templo en la cima del Meneltarma y las fuerzas del mal. Queda también latente el hecho de que Tolkien no usa a la ligera palabra tan gruesas como “Poder”, una palabra que dentro de sus creaciones y diferente a los Valar, es una palabra que denota maldad, avaricia.
Númenor y toda la historia de la Segunda Edad son una muestra más de la erudición de Tolkien y del rigor y disciplina de su creatividad literaria. La caída de Númenor es muestra de ello.
El trabajo que ha hecho Brian está a la altura del de Christopher y ha respetado todas las decisiones editoriales que él tomó durante su carrera como editor de su padre. Alan Lee ha hecho un trabajo bello con sus ilustraciones, aunque a mí algunas se me quedaron cortas en su pertinencia o incluso en lo que plasman de la isla.
La caída de Númenor es ideal para tener el material de la Segunda Edad disponible de forma rápida si no se tienen los demás libros de donde provienen los extractos, en el caso contrario, no es un libro tan necesario como se pensara. La verdad, espero que una próxima publicación que lleve el sello de Tolkien dé un poco más que una reorganización del material que la gran mayoría ya conoce.
Nota al pie: La publicación de La caída de Númenor fue anunciado por los mismos días en los que Historia de Númenor y la Tierra Media de la Segunda Edad también era anunciado. Fue una sorpresa que en un primer momento nos dejó un poco tristes porque no sabíamos que algo del tipo se estaba preparando, pero que luego nos dejó bastante tranquilos al saber que ambos libros, si bien compartían temática, habían transitado caminos diferentes en su construcción. Ahora es grato ver los dos libros como hermanos que fueron criados en dos lados opuestos del mar.
July 14, 2024
I enjoyed traveling back to Middle Earth during a lesser-known time. Taken from bits of other Tolkien works, this book is a collection of all things Second Era with a specific focus on the Numenorians. No new material is presented here, but rather it acts as a single-stop shop for what happened after the defeat of Melkor.
I enjoy reading fantasy for its own sake but also appreciated the warnings here against pride. It is destructive, blinding, and harmful to not just yourself but others. Recognizing our limitations and the order inherent to creation allows us to be thankful for the many gifts we already possess.
If interested, I suggest reading the Silmarillion beforehand for two reasons. First, that book covers the First Era and sets the backdrop for events and people referenced here. Second, the Silmarillion and Fall are similar in that they are more akin to a history of Middle Earth than a novel like LOTR; if you don’t like the Silmarillion, you probably won’t like Fall either. That said, I found Fall the easier of the two to read. Furthermore, despite its historical structure, there is still a cohesive narrative across this book covering the rise and fall of Numenor.
In summary, I’m thankful for having more Tolkien to read. If you want more of Middle Earth, there is a larger world to step into.
I enjoy reading fantasy for its own sake but also appreciated the warnings here against pride. It is destructive, blinding, and harmful to not just yourself but others. Recognizing our limitations and the order inherent to creation allows us to be thankful for the many gifts we already possess.
If interested, I suggest reading the Silmarillion beforehand for two reasons. First, that book covers the First Era and sets the backdrop for events and people referenced here. Second, the Silmarillion and Fall are similar in that they are more akin to a history of Middle Earth than a novel like LOTR; if you don’t like the Silmarillion, you probably won’t like Fall either. That said, I found Fall the easier of the two to read. Furthermore, despite its historical structure, there is still a cohesive narrative across this book covering the rise and fall of Numenor.
In summary, I’m thankful for having more Tolkien to read. If you want more of Middle Earth, there is a larger world to step into.
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