Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle Earth by J.R.R Tolkien

I loved this anthology of stories throughout the history of Middle-Earth. Separated from the intensity of The Silmarillion, and the definitive journey of The Lord of the RIngs; each of the stories within the collection feel more intimate within their setting. This intimacy doesn’t mean that you can walk into a story without a robust understanding of the historical context for each narrative. Shit, you need to know your geography and second age lore or else you will be lost. I want to review some of my favorite stories here and give some thought on how the experience was overall. And yes, I am reading LOTR again.

Understanding what you’re getting into when you read this book:

It’s an anthology. I can enjoy the stories for what they are within each age of Middle-Earth history. Also the appendices are not required reading, they are just there to give you context whenever Christopher Tolkien wants to explain something to you again (l figured this out after listening to Appendix B of “Galadriel and Celeborn” on audio and nearly losing my fucking marbles).

Aldarion and Erendis

This was one of my favorites. One of the only stories to take place on Númenor, this is a love story. Tolkien opposed our expectations by unraveling a toxic relationship that eventually leads to heartbreak in the characters of Aldarion, a mariner of Númenor and his eventual estranged wife Erendis (a woman with an intense fear of the sea). the paradox of their relationship and their selfishness within it makes for a compelling narrative that broke my heart in the end.

The Hunt for the Ring

This was a story so good I couldn’t take my eyes off the page. One of the few stories of the book that I finished in one sitting I was captivated by the narrative largely taking place from Sauron’s perspective. I have always been a little disappointed when reading The Return of the King because the characters don’t have any interactions with Sauron at the very end. This story engages our ability to see and feel Sauron’s anxiety and pride as he dispatches the Ring-wraiths to find the Ring.

The Quest of Erebor

The crown jewel. I love this story because it is an elaborate attempt for Tolkien to fill a plot hole. Story centers on the frame of Gandalf’s perspective of the events of Bilbo and Frodo’s life. With the weight of Middle-earth on his shoulders we are able to see his anxieties manifest in the conflict with the looming threat of Sauron, the mysterious evil in Dol-Goldur, and the dragon who has taken up residence in the Lonely Mountain. I can’t help but think that Gandalf must have felt some sense of loneliness, anger, or sadness at the hands of his fellow Wizards. With the exception of Saruman, the other three Wizards abandoned the quest against Sauron and he alone persists in rallying the people of Middle-Earth against the rising tide of darkness.

Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard-place. Gandalf is pressed to confront his suspicions concerning the Necromancer in Dol-Goldur (who he suspects is Sauron himself), but can’t move plans into motion until something is done about the dragon in the mountain. You may call Gandalf’s motivations contrived; but his decision to ally himself with Thorin and the Dwarfs is an act of Providence by the Valar. He must motivate the dwarfs to action to take their home back because somebody needs to take care of the dragon and it can’t just be him.

The conflict of Middle-earth shifts when Gandalf chooses Hobbits to accomplish what needs to be done. In a world of elves and men the foolish things of the world are chosen to put to shame the mighty (and Wise). Only a Hobbit is going to find the ring, and only a Hobbit is going to take that ring across the country and throw it into the volcano.

Sometimes it feels like the Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings are stories that occur in the same world but don’t share continuity because of the differences in time and written genre between the stories. “The Quest of Erebor” is a rare moment when Tolkien gives reflection to his story, and it is a delight to read.