Related books in order?

[Shervin]

I just finished reading The Hobbit followed by the LOTR trilogy and I'm curious as to where I go from here.

I've heard about Children of Hurin, The Silmarillion, History of Middle Earth, etc.

How many related books are there to the LOTR universe and does it matter which order I read it in?

[Elentarri]

Hmmmm...... Read the Children of Hurin or the Silmarillion or maybe Unfinished Tales next. It doesn't really matter - there isn't an order. I read the books in whatever order I could get my hands on them.

The Children of Hurin is more novelized than the Silmarillion, but only deals with one of the stories in the Silmarillion. There are no hobbits in either of these books. You might also consider reading Unfinished Tales. The stories are unfinished but give more information about Aragorn's hunt for Gollum, more stuff about the wizards and things like that.

Did you read the appendices of the Lord of the Rings? If you are curious about things that need filling in I would consider reading Unfinished Tales. If you can deal with that, then give a squiz through the History of Middle Earth. The History of Middle Earth set aren't novels, it's more like Tolkien's rough notes and ideas etc. There are 4 books in the History of Middle Earth that deal specifically with the Lord of the Rings, so you might be more interested in those 4 and not so much the other 8 books.

I hope this helps?

[Mitali]

The LOTR universe is not a 'LOTR' universe as such - it's a huge mythology of which LOTR and The Hobbit form only a tiny part. If you're looking for more books by Tolkien that are just like LOTR and The Hobbit, you're out of luck, as there aren't any. There is The Silmarillion, which is sprawling semi-mythological tale that begins with the creation of the world, and continues for many thousands of years afterwards, but the main story still ends thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit (though there is a short separate section at the end on the events leading up to LOTR and The Hobbit). It's an amazing book, but it's pretty hard to read - there are hundreds of characters and the language is dense.

Unfinished Tales is just scraps of stories that were unfinished and therefore didn't make it into LOTR or The Silmarillion, as well as some essays by Tolkien on topics such as the Wizards, and other bits of information.

The Children of Hurin is a more 'novelized' version of a story that appears in shorter form in both The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. It's a beautiful story, and can be read on its own. But IMO, it can be much better appreciated in its full context, i.e. within The Silmarillion.

I haven't read the History of Middle Earth series, but from what I understand, they are just notes and stuff kept by Tolkien while he was building his universe.

[Joana]

Elentarri wrote: "Hmmmm...... Read the Children of Hurin or the Silmarillion or maybe Unfinished Tales next. It doesn't really matter - there isn't an order. I read the books in whatever order I could get my hands..."


Yes, even though I wasn't the one who asked it, I think it was helpful. As a fan of Tolkien's Middle Earth I was actually wondering where I'd go next! Thanks!

[Elentarri]

Joana wrote: "Yes, even though I wasn't the one who asked it, I think it was helpful. As a fan of Tolkien's Middle Earth I was actually wondering where I'd go next! Thanks! "

Glad I could help. You can also try his short children's stories (all found in Tales of the Perilous Realm), but they aren't Middle-Earth stuff, except the Tales of Tom Bombadil which is poetry.

[Peter]

I consider The Hobbit, LOTR and The Silmarillion to be it.

They span 4 ages of the world, so are not exactly tightly focussed.

[Elentarri]

You should definitely read Unfinished Tales. It has such juicy little tid-bits. :)

[Peter]

i prefer to read the originals, not the son's cashing in.

[Elentarri]

Peter wrote: "i prefer to read the originals, not the son's cashing in."

The Silmarillion isn't an original then. It's stuff put together by the son.

[Isaac]

Sam wrote: "I just finished reading The Hobbit followed by the LOTR trilogy and I'm curious as to where I go from here.

I've heard about Children of Hurin, The Silmarillion, History of Middle Earth, etc.

Ho..."

In the preface of Children of Hurin, Christopher Tolkien recommends the reader to be familiar with his father's work before reading the book. Therefore, I think it is best to read The Silmarillion after The Hobbit and LOTR and then going into Children of Hurin, Unfinished Tales, etc.

[Elentarri]

I usually recommend Unfinshed Tales after the Hobbit & LOTR, simply because it has familiar characters in it. Celeborn, Galadriel, Aragorn, Gollum, Bilbo, Gandalf, Druadan, Istari etc. It's a more gentle introduction to Tolkien's other works before jumping into the Silmarillion.

[Mitali]

Elentarri wrote: "I usually recommend Unfinshed Tales after the Hobbit & LOTR, simply because it has familiar characters in it. Celeborn, Galadriel, Aragorn, Gollum, Bilbo, Gandalf, Druadan, Istari etc. It's a mor..."

But it also has a host of unfamiliar characters and stories, with little or no explanation, such as the stories of Tuor and Turin. Even The Mariner's Wife would make little sense to someone who hasn't read The Akallabeth in The Silmarillion. I wouldn't recommend Unfinished Tales to anyone who hasn't read The Silmarillion.

[Maddeson]

cool

[Peter]

Elentarri wrote: "Peter wrote: "i prefer to read the originals, not the son's cashing in."

The Silmarillion isn't an original then. It's stuff put together by the son."

The salient point is 'put together'. From Dad's notes. Not an extrapolation.

[Elentarri]

Peter wrote: "The salient point is 'put together'. From Dad's notes. Not an extrapolation. "

That describes everything published with J.R.R. Tolkien's name on except possibly the Children of Hurin. C.Tolkien makes is very clear which is his father's writing and which is his notes or commentary on the matter. I just think you are missing out by not reading Unfinished Tales, is all.

[Peter]

Except, presumably, The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. i very much doubt Christopher had anything to do with the writing of those.

And those 3 are the quintessence, which, IMO, need no padding.

[Scott]

I don't think it's a matter of "padding". I think many people just want more.

[Keri]

I have to agree with Isaac on this. The Hobbit, LotR, The Silmarillion, then The Children of Hurin. You wouldn't understand bits of The Children of Hurin nor Unfinished Tales if you weren't at least familiar with The Silmarillion.
If you are still interested in learning more after that then I would go ahead with Unfinished Tales and the Histories. The histories aren't novels nor light reading; they are more scholarly. They show Tolkien's earliest ideas, stories and notes. It is the evolution of the stories as they grew in his mind and much of course was changed and unfinished. It is not necessary to read these books to enjoy Middle-earth but only if you want to know much more about the inner workings of it all. If that is the case I would also recommend The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien and a Tolkien biography both by Humphrey Carpenter as there is some great info in these books about Middle-earth and Tolkien's thoughts on the subject.