The Blog Fantastic 033: The Silmarillion review (Unread 001)

Like many other fan of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work, whether you discovered it before watching The Lord of the Rings films or not, you eventually find out about The Silmarillion. There are varying opinions about this work but one of the prevailing comments made about it is that The Silmarillion is a difficult book to read. Having been forewarn of the challenges I put off reading it for years even though I really wanted to know more about the history of Middle-earth. For now, I’ll simply say that it was unfortunate to not have read it earlier. I wilfully deprived myself of a wonderful and satisfyingly challenging reading experience.

As most fans of Tolkien’s body of work will know, The Silmarillion was published posthumously. Tolkien’s son, Christopher Tolkien, assembled the book from multiple manuscripts into a cohesive narrative. In doing so he had a lot of difficulty as many of the stories told in the book existed in multiple versions while other texts were incomplete or only fragments remained in the possession of the Tolkien Estate. In order to reconstruct certain texts as well as create original material to bridge certain passages together, the young Tolkien enlisted the help of Guy Gavriel Kay, a Canadian who became a renowned fantasy novelist in his own right a few years after the publication of the text. Much can and has been said about Christopher Tolkien’s efforts but I will not be discussing them here as I would like to focus on the published work, not on the editing of the book nor its merits as something wholly or only partially attributed to J.R.R. Tolkien. I must admit that I personally find that sort of discussion interesting though I don’t think it’s entirely consequential. One thing is clear, I’m very grateful that he and Kay took on the challenge. 

Letters From Father Christmas review

I discovered the works of J.R.R. Tolkien because of Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. For a little more than a decade, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were all needed from Tolkien. I knew there were other works floating around, some related to the books I’d already read and some other mostly unrelated works. In the last couple of years I’ve gathered some of those other books. The first I read was The Children of Húrin which I thought was excellent. That was some time ago but I’ve finally finished reading another book by Tolkien: Letters From Father Christmas.

The book collects a familial tradition that Tolkien began in 1920 when his eldest child, John, was but three years old. Every year the children of Papa Tolkien would receive one letter (sometimes more) from Father Christmas. They came in envelopes which were covered with little flourishes and unusual postage stamps that looked like something you could only get in the North Pole. Inside each envelope was a letter written is shaky handwriting that also had plenty of flourishes. They were handwritten by Father Christmas himself! He also drew pictures for the children on occasion and as the years went by his letter would be accompanied by additional notes from the North Polar Bear scribbled in the margins and later still, Ilbereth the Elf would write on behalf of Father Christmas when he got particularly busy.

The letters vary a little in content based on the time of year they were written. If in November, for example, Father Christmas mentions how busy they’re getting up in the North Pole preparing for Christmas and he’ll often conclude by asking the children to tell him what they’d like as gifts. Otherwise, the letters tell of some of the activities going on in the North Pole since the last letter that was written. This often deals with some of the shenanigans the North Polar Bear has gotten into it (he’s well-meaning but very clumsy), a quick mention of what Father Christmas and his friends have done in the summer and how they’re preparing for Christmas day. A few letters focus on the thievery of the Goblins or their invasions of the store rooms.  They’re fun and rather precious reads when you consider their real-world origins but ultimately reading them in quick succession you can’t help but be very aware of the formulaic nature of each letter. The content of many letters are so similar that it just feels repetitive. The Goblin invasion I mention above is the biggest exception to this formula.

Despite the letters’ shortcomings as a serial narrative, Letters From Father Christmas is a wonderfully delightful book when you pull back from it and consider the tradition Tolkien (secretly) had with his children under the guise of writing letters from Father Christmas. That’s truly important because the letters are lovingly crafted. Seeing the amount of work Tolkien put into his letters is marvelous. His illustrations are colourful and fun but also quietly majestic at times. The envelopes are decorated and the scripting in the letters is stylized. Each and every person who writes in the letters (Father Christmas, North Polar Bear and his cousins, and Ilbereth) all have their very own style of writing. Father Christmas’s writing is shaky because he’s old, North Polar Bear’s writing is very blocky and makes use of many straight lines since it’s difficult for him to write with his paws (indeed, he does better when using the pen with his mouth in later letters), and Ilbereth has a very spidery script which reminds me of Elvish writing from The Lord of the Rings. As if to strengthen that link Tolkien has Ilbereth write in Elvish in one of the last letters.

What really makes Letters From Father Christmas a good read are the letters themselves and their presentation in the book. The production value of my edition is simply lovely. Thick, glossy paper which helps to bring the various illustrations and reproductions of the letters (and many of the envelopes those letter came in) to life. That’s very important considering the amount of craft put into the production of the letters, not just their content. It’s a hardcover volume which is important because this is the kind of book readers will likely flip through on a regular basis. Yet, it’s also a slim and rather compact hardcover, somewhere between the size of a mass market paperback and a the trade paperback (of not a novel, not of a comic book). It’s one of those rare book productions that manage to be both sturdy and handsome while also being compact and easily readable.

When I pull back from the book itself and think of the idea of collection something very personal, something that used to only exist for one particular family, my enthusiasm wanes a little. These are inherently private letters, from a father to his children.  You could probably discuss about Tolkien’s intention for hours (did he mean for the letters to ever be published?) but I think it’s a moot point considering the book was released by his estate. The more I think about this the more I think it doesn’t matter as much as I originally though. The letters existed for many years but their future was uncertain. By collection and publishing them the Tolkien Estate has ensured that a part of Tolkien will continue to exist in the eye of the publish for as long as it remains in print and a little while longer after that. I think I would mind less about my intellectual heritage if it was published in such a nice way as Letters From Father Christmas.  

One of the nicest thing about this book is that it has a completely different appeal to me as a reader than the rest of Tolkien’s work I’ve had the pleasure of reading. I’m not a Tolkien scholar or even an exceptionally passionate admirer of his life and body of work. I rank him as one of the most gifted and serious fantasy writers of the 20^th century but this is my first time reading a book by Tolkien the non-fantasy writer. Don’t tell me that because there are goblins, bits of magic and that Father Christmas is a potential pre-cursor for Gandalf that Letters From Father Christmas is and should continue to be considered a work of the fantasy genre. You’re missing the point. These letters weren’t written by Tolkien as a scholar or as a fantasy novelist, they’re written by Tolkien as a father. They’re imbued with so much love and joy that it’s impossible not to appreciate this book’s charm. I’ve read letters and essays by Tolkien and they’ve often had a stuffy, overly-serious tone so to read his Father Christmas letters addressed to his children was a special treat because it added some much-needed lightness to the man and his legacy.

I’m still a tiny bit bothered by the implications of publishing something so personal, especially posthumously, but this isn’t the first time a publication has been released after an author’s death and it likely won’t be the last. Yet, I’m starting to think that if the Tolkien Estate made the decision and his children were involved (they were, primarily Christopher Tolkien) then I really shouldn’t let myself be bothered by it and simply enjoy this wonderful gift from the life of J.R.R. Tolkien. Merry Christmas!

The Children of Húrin – review

The Children of Húrin was a fascinating read. Outside of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings this is the only other book by J.R.R. Tolkien that I have read and it was excellent.

I have to say the archaic writing style made the story feel really old which suits the book perfectly as it is a tale from the First Age in Tolkien’s legendarium. The writing style reminded me of Homer’s style of writing, especially the way Tolkien mentions the lineage of a person in the earlier chapters of the book. I also like that the novel is written in a matter-of-fact way. Tolkien tells you what happens as much as he lets it happen through the dialogue and the actions of the characters. Some people do not like the “tell and not show” style but when telling a story that is supposed to have happened a very, very long time ago it works exceptionally well. It’s almost as if the story is so old there are a few details missing, that explains why the writing is clear and to the point because only the most important details have survived through the ages.

Morgoth is an interesting villain. Like many villains he lets his henchmen do much of his bidding but when it is required Morgoth will take a more central role such as with his confrontation with Húrin. Some might complain that Morgoth does not play large enough a role in the novel. I don't think so. I’m fine with that; this is after all the story of Húrin’s children. The main character is Túrin and later on his sister Niënor plays a larger role. Besides, Morgoth’s evil is felt throughout.

The way Tolkien writes about magic is very interesting. It’s almost a religious magic in the sense that objects and people can be blessed or cursed according to the spell caster’s wishes. For example, a black blade may be forged by a powerful Dark Elf and seek to drink the blood of its victims as well as choose if and when to change masters. It’s a blade blessed with sentience and in some hands it may be a blessing for the good deeds it accomplishes in the hands of a good person but it may choose to change hands and be a curse to those that wield it by taking the lives of loved ones. As well, a person may be cursed, like it’s the case for Húrin, who is cursed to see with the sight of Morgoth and witness the hardships of his children.

The Children of Húrin is a tragedy; it’s unreasonable to expect a happy ending. In the tradition of classical tragedies, it doesn’t end well for many of the characters. It’s interesting how different in tone this book is compared to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Good and Evil are also portrayed different, they are more nuanced than in those two earlier books (published earlier but placed much later in the history of Middle-Earth). Túrin is the hero but throughout the book he does some terrible, qualitatively evil, things. Can we still consider him a hero despite his actions? You can if you remind yourself he’s been under a curse for most of his life. The evil actions he commits are done because of the curse, he’s not entirely in control of his fate and it makes for a tragic hero. I’m certain an English Major would have much to say on the character of Túrin and many other interesting and flawed characters found in the book.

This book is good for the same reason most of Tolkien’s books are good. There is a real sense of history to these stories. Finishing Children of Húrin you are left wanting more, much more. I was so curious about the history of the First Age and of the geography of Beleriand. Being much more familiar with the history of Middle-Earth during The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, I was a bit lost and confused when I first started to read The Children of Húrin but after poking around online and in my Tolkien related books such as A Guide to Tolkien by David Day. I found the First Age to be perhaps more fascinating and engrossing than the events that take place near the end of the Third Age. Having read the book I wanted to know more of Morgoth, the hidden city of Gondolin and Turgon its king, I wanted to know more of the elves of Goliath, King Thingol, Melian, Eol, Beleg, Mîm the last of the Petty Dwarves, I wanted to know more of Glaurung, father of Dragons, Fingolfin, Faënor and his sons, I would like to know more of Húrin and his father and brother and more on the Battle of Unnumbered Tears.

The Children of Húrin is a short novel but it’s dense and immensely engrossing. Tolkien impresses us with the depth and scope of his story without sacrificing story and character. I genuinely cared about many of the characters and that’s one of the reasons I want to know more about them. I want to know more of the world and its times because I know we’re only scratching the surface of the history of Middle-Earth and Tolkien makes that clear in his storytelling. As for the characters, that’s where this book shines whether it’s a short appearance by Turgon or the continuing story of the life of Túrin, they fascinated me and I want to read so much more about them. Good thing I’ve never read The Silmarillion.