"The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began
Now far ahead the Road has gone
And I must follow, if I can"
For March 2021, I'm focusing on literature in this blog of mine for a fun little change - come April, we'll be back to business as usual with movie- and television-themed lists. The first of my four literature-themed posts is a ranking of the 10 best books by my all-time favorite author, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Tolkien's immense creativity, epic storytelling and themes of fellowship and hope have meant a lot to me throughout my childhood and youth, and continue to do so today. All of the books with an asterisk in the title are ones that were released posthumously, edited by Tolkien's son Christopher.
10. The Return of the Shadow (The History of Middle-Earth VI)* (1988)
The sixth volume of the History of Middle-Earth series is a peculiar one, as it focuses more on the real-life history of the first Lord of the Rings book than the fictional lore of Tolkien's fantasy world. After providing some general background on the context of Tolkien writing The Fellowship of the Ring, the book dives into its main premise: showing how the iconic book came to be, one draft at a time. Tolkien's original ideas for the book were vastly different from the story we know: the character Treebeard was first envisioned as a villain, a hobbit called Trotter had the role that later went to the iconic Aragorn, and so on.
The Return of the Shadow consists largely of various versions of the same chapters, as we slowly see Tolkien's original ideas transforming into the fully-realized story we know and love. The repetition of the same chapters with slight changes can get a bit boring at times, but overall the book is a fascinating read for die-hard Tolkien fans.
9. The Story of Kullervo* (2015)
A few things that I have in common with my favorite author: we've both read the Finnish epic Kalevala, and we're both of the opinion that the tragic hero Kullervo is the most interesting character in its mythology. I love the fact that Tolkien was a fan of Finnish folklore, and that it inspired his own works to some degree - he has admitted that the character Turin Turambar in The Silmarillion is more or less based on Kullervo (or, as Finnish schoolbooks like to report it, "The Lord of the Rings is pretty much based on Kalevala").
This posthumous publication has a lot of interesting content, from Tolkien's own analyses of Kalevala and a translation of the original Kullervo story to Tolkien's own take on the story and how it morphed into the story of Turin Turambar, which would later fit into the author's larger fantasy canon as one of its best parts. If you're Finnish and a fan of Tolkien, like me, this is a must-read.
8. Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth* (1980)
Unfinished Tales is a cool addition to Tolkien's fantasy world, as it essentially expands on the stories from The Silmarillion and shows what sort of books we might've gotten if the legendary author had lived longer. The book is a collection of stories throughout the history of Middle-Earth and its surrounding lands, and it is intriguing to read more detailed versions of these stories than what is found in The Silmarillion.
Stories from the age of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings shine a fascinating light on what was happening in other parts of Tolkien's universe while they took place, and mysterious lore elements such as the Istari and the Palantíri are properly explained. The book might not make much sense if you haven't read a lot of Tolkien, but it's a great treat for fans (read: nerds) such as myself.
7. Beren and Lúthien* (2017)
Simply put, the story of Beren and Lúthien is one of the greatest fictional love stories ever told. Its original premise was imagined by Tolkien way before his fantasy world had really come together, and many parts of it were inspired by his own love for his wide Edith. While working on The Silmarillion, Tolkien inserted this story into the history of his fantasy world, making for one of the book's better chapters. Making a book that focuses on this particular story was one of the many projects that was left undone when the author passed away, but thankfully his son Christopher was there to pick up the pieces as he did with so many great unfinished stories.
Beren and Lúthien tells the same story as the "Beren and Lúthien" chapter in The Silmarillion, but with much more detail and much more beautiful language. The story is told almost entirely in the form of lyrical poetry - if you remember the parts in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings where the characters burst into song, this is like an entire book consisting of just that. The language, just like the story at hand, is some of Tolkien's most emotional and powerful work.
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (1954)
Even the least good part of my all-time favorite fictional trilogy is quite amazing. The reason for The Fellowship of the Ring being ranked lower than the other two Lord of the Rings books is that I always found its first half to have a bit too much filler material - I love the individual side adventures and encounters in The Hobbit, but this trilogy is so focused on its epic large-scale story that it feels like a drag to spend so much time with little adventures that don't advance the plot. Fans often complain that the Tom Bombadil section of the story didn't make it into Peter Jackson's movies, but on the other hand, it says something that the movies were able to skip several consecutive chapters from the book without disrupting the story at all.
That's enough negatives, because everything else in this book is awesome and praiseworthy. It serves as an intriguing pseudo-sequel follow-up to The Hobbit, with familiar character popping up on the sidelines, new characters taking the main stage, and a somewhat darker and more high-stakes feel compared to the child-friendly adventure tone of Tolkien's original Middle-Earth tale. The Fellowship of the Ring introduces us to the grand story of The Lord of the Rings, that would only get better in the two later installments - but it's all built on the strong foundation that this book sets.
5. The Hobbit or There and Back Again (1937)
One of my favorite aspects in Tolkien's writing is just how meticulously he crafts his fictional worlds - from creating several languages just as fully fleshed out as real-life languages and envisioning different cultures with their own customs and rules, to penning down thousand-year-spanning histories for different parts of his fantasy world and crafting maps that take all possible geographical factors into account, this man was the king of worldbuilding.
However, there is something to be said for the most simple and least-thought-out book I've read from Tolkien, because the man also just knew how to create a cool adventure story.
The Hobbit is fun, entertaining, and easy to read (at least by Tolkien's standards; my definition of "easy to read" has likely been ruined by the likes of The Silmarillion and Kalevala). It is filled with humorous dialogue, awe-inspiring depictions of fascinating fantasy locations, and depictions of what is going on in Bilbo Baggins's head that will feel relatable for anyone who has ever been in a situation where they've felt like an outsider. I loved reading The Hobbit as a little kid, and I love re-reading it to this day.
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (1954)
The second Lord of the Rings book is like the first, but better. Every element of the story is engaging, and the following of multiple storylines is fascinating. The first half of the book focuses on the storylines of Aragorn and company making their way from the island of Amon Hen to the battle of Helm's Deep and beyond, as well as Merry and Pippin encountering all sorts of adventures from being imprisoned by the Uruk-Hai to befriending Treebeard the Ent. Meanwhile, the second half of the book follows the same timeline but from the point-of-view of Frodo and Sam, and their adventures with the treacherous Gollum on their way to Mordor.
Tolkien's beautiful use of language when describing fantastical locations is at the top of its game, as places such as the ancient and mysterious Fangorn Forest or the dark and wretched pass of Cirith Ungol come to life through some masterful writing. Peter Jackson's cinematic adaptation of the trilogy may be my favorite movie franchise of all time, but there's still no beating Tolkien's original work.
3. The Silmarillion* (1977)
Purely story-wise, this is Tolkien's best book. That is kind of obvious, since all of the canon stories from his fantasy universe are told in this gargantuan work, which many call "the Bible of the Tolkien world". I don't think the Bible comparison is exactly fair, although I do get the point - one is the greatest story ever told, and the Bible is also pretty neat.
Worship complexes aside, The Silmarillion honestly is my favorite fictional story, as it tells the entire history of Tolkien's fantasy world, which includes an astonishing amount of well-written characters, poetic archs, epic battles, fascinating encounters and dramatic turns. The reason for it being at third place instead of first is the language - one of the best things about Tolkien is how beautifully he writes and describes things in great detail.
I do understand that The Silmarillion has so much story to tell that it has to tell it in a compact, objective and distant manner, but unfortunately that is what keeps this larger-than-life epic from being my favorite Tolkien book. The man had such a brain for beautiful choices of words and poetic, slow-paced depictions of locations and characters, that my favorite book from him can't be one that doesn't have time for such things due to having to tell so much story in a matter-of-fact way. Still, a 10/10 masterpiece in its own category.
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (1955)
If the second Lord of the Rings book was better than the first, then the final instalment of the trilogy took things to a whole new level. In terms of the style of writing, it's just as good as its other two counterparts, but the reason for The Return of the King being the best part of the trilogy is the story it tells. Of course, the build-up of the first two books is to be thanked for this book's series of payoffs as the trilogy works best as a whole, but that doesn't change the fact that nearly all of my favorite chapters and moments from the trilogy take place in the final instalment.
The Return of the King is well-paced with its utter lack of dull moments, emotional with the way it brings major storylines to an end, and most of all, epic. Peter Jackson's cinematic adaptation of the film wouldn't have won eleven Oscars if it wasn't for the fact that the film's literary source is, perhaps, fiction's most ultimate work of grand-scale adventure and dramatically high stakes. The trilogy's central themes of heroism, loyalty and fellowship are also more evident than ever, which is appropriate for the work that brings home the trilogy that I consider to be the ultimate good vs. evil story in all fiction.
1. The Children of Húrin* (2007)
Like Beren and Lúthien, this is essentially an individual chapter from The Silmarillion, but expanded with more detail. Essentially, The Children of Húrin is what happens when you combine the very best storytelling elements of The Silmarillion with the more grounded, descriptive and beautiful writing style of The Lord of the Rings. In other words, it is all of Tolkien's greatest strengths as an author rolled into one exquisite book.
The main character, Turin Turambar, is without a doubt one of the greatest fictional characters of all time. The archetypes of the tragic hero, the anti-hero, the lone warrior and many others are combined into a fleshed-out individual with a poetic journey across the book. The story is heartbreaking, epic and dramatic, while the various fascinating locations come to life brilliantly through Tolkien's words.
It was a tough decision to say that The Children of Húrin (or pretty much any book ever made) is better than The Silmarillion or the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but that is where I stand when all is said and done. Although the stakes aren't as high as in The Lord of the Rings and the story isn't as grand-scale as in The Silmarillion, the book still manages to feel even more larger-than-life due to the sheer poetic gravitas of the story. Some of the most powerful moments from any literature I've read come from this book.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week, as I continue Literature Month with a ranking of my favorite Agatha Christie mysteries - which book will be at first place, and who is to blame?
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