Questions About Beren and Lúthien

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Answered Questions (6)

Is the master craftsman playing again with the forbidden gesture of love between an eternal and mortal...ala the return of the king and the hobbit?

Liz I'm not sure what you mean, Christopher Tolkien has been studying and releasing his father's work basically his entire life, there is no newly written…moreI'm not sure what you mean, Christopher Tolkien has been studying and releasing his father's work basically his entire life, there is no newly written material here, though perhaps some that has never been published. The story of Beren and Luthien was already told in appendices and the Silmarillion, this is more of a microscope view, looking at original drafts of the story through several re-writes, to see how it changed. One of the ways it changed is that Beren was originally an elf, one of the Noldor, then was a nobody human, and finally became the son of mighty human warrior and one of the original elf-friends, in order to tie the story in to the overall arc revolving around the Silmarils. This is the original story, ROTK is an echo, the last of the 3 mortal/immortal pairings, none of which are in The Hobbit (unless you're referring to Peter Jackson's movie, which is not canon). (less)

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Is this book the middle of a series? Would I miss out on any mythological references if I read it as a standalone?

Cavak Yes and no to both questions.

It's something of an origin story for several concepts within Tolkien's vast Middle-Earth lore. Parts of this book are ta…moreYes and no to both questions.

It's something of an origin story for several concepts within Tolkien's vast Middle-Earth lore. Parts of this book are taken from another bigger origin story for the world, The Silmarillion. So the significance of Christopher's painstaking bookkeeping may be lost on you if you only read this book.

On the other hand, reading this book will be firsthand exposure to one of many legends that is referenced even within The Lord of The Rings films. And it has the added real-world bonus for charting Tolkien's multiple revisions of this same legend, a sort of educational report for aspiring writers of all ages.

It's a teensy sampling of Tolkien's Middle-Earth. If you aren't familiar with Tolkien and don't fancy a novel length venture on the first go, try this as a starting place.(less)

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Is it part of any other books, like Unfinished Tales or History of Middle-earth?

Andrew Bits and pieces of this are referenced in other published works by J.R.R. Tolkien, especially the Silmarillion, but as a novel-length narrative, this …moreBits and pieces of this are referenced in other published works by J.R.R. Tolkien, especially the Silmarillion, but as a novel-length narrative, this is entirely new.(less)

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This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)

Cavak I've read it. It's best to say that it's an anthology dedicated to the iterations of the Beren and Luthien story, so expect to read the relatively sam…moreI've read it. It's best to say that it's an anthology dedicated to the iterations of the Beren and Luthien story, so expect to read the relatively same story over and over again. There are enough variations that it will feel different though. Just know that the overall story won't change much though.

If you remember the line about the evening star in Lord of the Rings, that will get explained to you too.(less)

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Will this book be released on stoire shelves in America?

Cavak Yes. If you can't find it near you, there's always online U.S. book retailers that sell it too.…moreYes. If you can't find it near you, there's always online U.S. book retailers that sell it too.(less)

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Unanswered Questions (1)

Why was The Lay of Leithian not published in full in this book?

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