The Fall of Númenor: and Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth
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- Author：J.R.R. Tolkien
- ISBN：006328068X
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Summary
J。R。R。 Tolkien's writings on the Second Age of Middle-earth， collected for the first time in one volume complete with new illustrations in watercolor and pencil by renowned artist Alan Lee。
J。R。R。 Tolkien famously described the Second Age of Middle-earth as a "dark age， and not very much of its history is （or need be） told。" And for many years readers would need to be content with the tantalizing glimpses of it found within the pages of The Lord of the Rings and its appendices， including the forging of the Rings of Power， the building of the Barad-d�r and the rise of Sauron。
It was not until Christopher Tolkien published The Silmarillion after his father's death that a fuller story could be told。 Although much of the book's content concerned the First Age of Middle-earth， there were at its close two key works that revealed the tumultuous events concerning the rise and fall of the island of N�menor。 Raised out of the Great Sea and gifted to the Men of Middle-earth as a reward for aiding the angelic Valar and the Elves in the defeat and capture of the Dark Lord Morgoth， the kingdom became a seat of influence and wealth; but as the N�men�reans' power increased， the seed of their downfall would inevitably be sown， culminating in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men。
Even greater insight into the Second Age would be revealed in subsequent publications， first in Unfinished Tales of N�menor and Middle-earth， then expanded upon in Christopher Tolkien's magisterial twelve-volume The History of Middle-earth， in which he presented and discussed a wealth of further tales written by his father， many in draft form。
Now， adhering to the timeline of "The Tale of Years" in the appendices to The Lord of the Rings， editor Brian Sibley has assembled into one comprehensive volume a new chronicle of the Second Age of Middle-earth， told substantially in the words of Tolkien from the various published texts， with new illustrations in watercolor and pencil by the doyen of Tolkien art， Alan Lee。
J。R。R。 Tolkien famously described the Second Age of Middle-earth as a "dark age， and not very much of its history is （or need be） told。" And for many years readers would need to be content with the tantalizing glimpses of it found within the pages of The Lord of the Rings and its appendices， including the forging of the Rings of Power， the building of the Barad-d�r and the rise of Sauron。
It was not until Christopher Tolkien published The Silmarillion after his father's death that a fuller story could be told。 Although much of the book's content concerned the First Age of Middle-earth， there were at its close two key works that revealed the tumultuous events concerning the rise and fall of the island of N�menor。 Raised out of the Great Sea and gifted to the Men of Middle-earth as a reward for aiding the angelic Valar and the Elves in the defeat and capture of the Dark Lord Morgoth， the kingdom became a seat of influence and wealth; but as the N�men�reans' power increased， the seed of their downfall would inevitably be sown， culminating in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men。
Even greater insight into the Second Age would be revealed in subsequent publications， first in Unfinished Tales of N�menor and Middle-earth， then expanded upon in Christopher Tolkien's magisterial twelve-volume The History of Middle-earth， in which he presented and discussed a wealth of further tales written by his father， many in draft form。
Now， adhering to the timeline of "The Tale of Years" in the appendices to The Lord of the Rings， editor Brian Sibley has assembled into one comprehensive volume a new chronicle of the Second Age of Middle-earth， told substantially in the words of Tolkien from the various published texts， with new illustrations in watercolor and pencil by the doyen of Tolkien art， Alan Lee。
Reviews
Isaac Rudich
，
I was pleasantly surprised by how finished this book feels。 I was expecting a collection of scattered notes with a vague and inconsistent narrative， but this was a lovely story all on its own。 I loved the Silmarillion， and Unfinished Tales， but I've never dived into Christopher's History of Middle Earth。 I'm so glad that they went to the trouble of collecting all the pieces into this book。 Highly recommend to anyone who enjoyed the Silmarillion。 I was pleasantly surprised by how finished this book feels。 I was expecting a collection of scattered notes with a vague and inconsistent narrative， but this was a lovely story all on its own。 I loved the Silmarillion， and Unfinished Tales， but I've never dived into Christopher's History of Middle Earth。 I'm so glad that they went to the trouble of collecting all the pieces into this book。 Highly recommend to anyone who enjoyed the Silmarillion。 。。。more
English
，
This is obviously wrong。 There is no warrior Galadriel， there's no Southlands plot。。。。。 and Halbrand isn't mentioned anywhere！ Nothing about Númenorian racism against Elven migrants。。。I joke！ This beautiful collection of Second Age materials doesn't have any relationship to a certain Amazon series- because Rings of Power has nothing to do with Tolkien。 Sorry fans （not really）。 The Fall of Númenor does a wonderful job of not just covering the major events of the 2nd Age， but the themes and intent This is obviously wrong。 There is no warrior Galadriel， there's no Southlands plot。。。。。 and Halbrand isn't mentioned anywhere！ Nothing about Númenorian racism against Elven migrants。。。I joke！ This beautiful collection of Second Age materials doesn't have any relationship to a certain Amazon series- because Rings of Power has nothing to do with Tolkien。 Sorry fans （not really）。 The Fall of Númenor does a wonderful job of not just covering the major events of the 2nd Age， but the themes and intent of the author。 Brian Sibley has used material from J。R。R Tolkien's letters to establish exactly what he thought of certain events and characters， and the result is revealing。 Whilst Amazon showrunners brag about making Sauron into a more "complex" character it turns out the man himself did it first， and their boasting was premature。 See， Tolkien himself suggested that like some human tyrants， Sauron's relapse into evil was caused by his desire for control （not Mary Sue GuyLadriel， his fellow genocidal maniac dumping him）。 Take this quote: “Sauron never reached this stage of nihilistic madness。 He did not object to the existence of the world， as long as he could do what he liked with it。 He still had relics of the positive purposes that descended from the good of the nature in which he began， that he loved order and coordination…。 But like all minds of his cast， Sauron’s love or mere understanding of other intelligences was correspondingly weaker… his plans became the sole object of his will， and an end， the End in itself” Doesn’t’ that sound like “the end justifies the means” philosophy？ This is represented in the Rings of Power series witht the repeatedly restated “touch the darkness to find the light” line？ Almost as if the philosophy of the series is antithetical to Tolkien’s own beliefs Anyway， moving on from that， this volume also shows how important monotheism was to Numenorian culture。 I’ve often said the Akallabêth was the most explicitly religious part of Tolkien’s legendarium， and this vindicates me。 The Númenorians worshipped Eru Illuvatar， the One God， upon the highest mountain， until Sauron sought to become “a god to men”。 Tolkien even referred to what Sauron did in Númenor as instituting form of Satan worship and to Elendil in letter 131 as a “Noachian” figure。 Which means akin to the Biblical Noah。 It is， to my mind， wholly unforgivable to ignore or erase this aspect of Númenorian culture。 Rings of Power， though， does this。 There is no reference whatsoever the worship of Illuvatar in the series in 3 episodes set in Númenor。 Instead， they seem to just practice a vague polytheism。 A concept which according to Tolkien would have been “an abomination” to them。 The Faithful are good not because they endured， clung to their faith in God， and sought to honour his ways by shunning insatiable lust for immortality which led their countymen into unspeakable acts of depravity and hubris。 Instead， they are Faithful because they “liked Elves” and do what GuyLadriel tells them。 Thus， replacing Tolkien’s grand and in many ways Biblical epic of the Fall of an Atlantis like kingdom with a shallow and meaningless tale about obeying a narcissist because she’s female。 This book makes a beautiful gift- I mean it literally， its illustrated。 Mr Sibley collaborated with Alan Lee， who has provided many of the recent editions of Tolkien’s work with gorgeous， coloured illustrations and lovely black and white sketches on the chapter headings。 If you want anyone to know the true story of the Second Age， and a lovely edition to your Tolkien collection， go and buy this book。 I will be when I get my Book Voucher for Christmas。 Until then， I had to with the audio version narrated by the editor。 Who has a lovely reading voice。 。。。more
Justin Howe
，
Hardly new information for a veteran Tolkien reader， but here it is conveniently assembled in one volume in chronological order， including any comments Tolkien made in letters to friends that add more to the story。 This edition is very handsome， both in typography， binding， and Alan Lee's new paintings and sketches of some corners of the Second Age not previously pictured。 Hardly new information for a veteran Tolkien reader， but here it is conveniently assembled in one volume in chronological order， including any comments Tolkien made in letters to friends that add more to the story。 This edition is very handsome， both in typography， binding， and Alan Lee's new paintings and sketches of some corners of the Second Age not previously pictured。 。。。more
Olaf Raack
，
Eins sei vorweg gesagt: »Der Untergang von Númenor« hat wenig bis gar nichts mit der Serie »Die Ringe der Macht« gemein。 Sicher， es erzählt die Ereignisse vor dem großen »Der Herr der Ringe«， was aber nicht bedeutet， dass dies ein Buch zur Serie ist。 Im Gegenteil。 Hier wird anhand von Fragmenten aus den Aufzeichnungen Tolkiens， die in einen chronologischen Ablauf gebracht und mit vielen Briefen und Erklärungen versehen worden sind， der Aufstieg und der Fall Númenors aufgezeigt。 Die Geschichte we Eins sei vorweg gesagt: »Der Untergang von Númenor« hat wenig bis gar nichts mit der Serie »Die Ringe der Macht« gemein。 Sicher， es erzählt die Ereignisse vor dem großen »Der Herr der Ringe«， was aber nicht bedeutet， dass dies ein Buch zur Serie ist。 Im Gegenteil。 Hier wird anhand von Fragmenten aus den Aufzeichnungen Tolkiens， die in einen chronologischen Ablauf gebracht und mit vielen Briefen und Erklärungen versehen worden sind， der Aufstieg und der Fall Númenors aufgezeigt。 Die Geschichte weicht deutlich von der cineastischen Umsetzung ab， was allerdings zu erwarten stand， und weder eine Wertung für Buch noch Serie ist。Die Geschichte ist in typisch epischer Tolkienmanier geschrieben， hat mich zurückversetzt in die Welt Mittelerdes und die Geschichte um Sauron und sein Streben nach Macht。 Endlich findet sich die Geschichte über die Herkunft und den Weg der Dúnedain in einem Buch。 Hervorragend zusammengefasst， aufbereitet und serviert。Für Tolkien-Fans eine Pflichtlektüre。 。。。more
Zach Scheller
，
Easily my favorite of the “Tolkien history” books so far， but probably still a step down from the novels （Lord of the Rings， Hobbit， Children of Hurin。）
Jason Entingh
，
4。5 stars only because it doesn’t include a consolidated genealogy of the kings and queens of Numenor， which seems like kind of an oversight for a text like this。But overall an incredible read。 Pulls together a bunch of Tolkien’s previously published works to form both a great overview of Numenor and an exciting narrative to follow。
Mitch Milam
，
Despite having already read all this material in other places， I think this book was a really impressive synthesis of all Tolkien's Second Age writings。 It was brilliant to use "The Tale of Years" from LotR to structure the book， and you really do get a great overview of the entire Age when reading this all from beginning to end。 This book relies on the Akallabêth， Unfinished Tales， The Lost Road， Sauron Defeated， Morgoth's Ring， The War of the Jewels， The Peoples of Middle-earth， The Nature of Despite having already read all this material in other places， I think this book was a really impressive synthesis of all Tolkien's Second Age writings。 It was brilliant to use "The Tale of Years" from LotR to structure the book， and you really do get a great overview of the entire Age when reading this all from beginning to end。 This book relies on the Akallabêth， Unfinished Tales， The Lost Road， Sauron Defeated， Morgoth's Ring， The War of the Jewels， The Peoples of Middle-earth， The Nature of Middle-earth， and Tolkien's letters to weave together the most coherent look at the Second Age we're ever going to get。 While I did have some problems with this （minor errors/mistakes）， I'm still very impressed with the final product overall。 P。S。 "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields"， while being a （VERY early） Third Age storyline， should have been included as an appendix to this book。 Isildur is a major Second Age figure， and that story sets up the later events of the Third Age so well。 。。。more
Keith
，
This is a superb work。 After being extremely disappointed both with the last 2 books， which were repeated variations on the same story， I wasn't holding my breath too much on this， but Sibley has done an excellent job here in pulling together all the disparate sources on key events in Numenorean history to provide a solid， readable book on the second age。I'd put this up there with Children of Hurin and one of only 3 books I would recommend following reading The Hobbit and LOTR for dramatic readi This is a superb work。 After being extremely disappointed both with the last 2 books， which were repeated variations on the same story， I wasn't holding my breath too much on this， but Sibley has done an excellent job here in pulling together all the disparate sources on key events in Numenorean history to provide a solid， readable book on the second age。I'd put this up there with Children of Hurin and one of only 3 books I would recommend following reading The Hobbit and LOTR for dramatic reading， rather than books that take more of a scholarly approach （The Silmarillion / Children of Hurin and now Fall of Numenor） 。。。more
Emma Cox
，
There is nothing new in The Fall of Númenor that hasn't already been previously published。 However， it nicely puts the histories of Númenor in chronological order alongside other happenings during the Second Age。 There is nothing new in The Fall of Númenor that hasn't already been previously published。 However， it nicely puts the histories of Númenor in chronological order alongside other happenings during the Second Age。 。。。more
Jesse Booth
，
Fantastic compilation of the stories of Númenor and the 2nd age。 It's fun reading at this time when Amazon's The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power has started streaming。 There are obvious differences for storytelling purposes。 I love getting the background on Sauron， and how detailed and sly of an antagonist Tolkien wrote him as。 Fantastic compilation of the stories of Númenor and the 2nd age。 It's fun reading at this time when Amazon's The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power has started streaming。 There are obvious differences for storytelling purposes。 I love getting the background on Sauron， and how detailed and sly of an antagonist Tolkien wrote him as。 。。。more
Shawn Dawson
，
This was an agonizing book for me to get through。 I can however， appreciate the work and intelligence that went into creating this experience。 I would say that this is a read for Tolkien afficionados only。
Mark
，
Tolkien's publisher is getting better and better at creatively marketing the leftover dribs and drabs of Tolkien's writings。 This volume is a pure pleasure to hold: perfect-bound， heavy in the hand， contrasting ink used throughout the text， and gorgeous illustrations。 The Fall of Númenor contains writing previously found in The Lord of the Rings， The Silmarillion， Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth， The Nature of Middle-earth， The Letters of J。R。R。 Tolkien and The History of Middle-ear Tolkien's publisher is getting better and better at creatively marketing the leftover dribs and drabs of Tolkien's writings。 This volume is a pure pleasure to hold: perfect-bound， heavy in the hand， contrasting ink used throughout the text， and gorgeous illustrations。 The Fall of Númenor contains writing previously found in The Lord of the Rings， The Silmarillion， Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth， The Nature of Middle-earth， The Letters of J。R。R。 Tolkien and The History of Middle-earth。 Almost all of the passages include an explanation or some indication of context provided by the editor。 The passages tell the story （such as it is） of the Second Age in chronological order， and is therefore the best text covering that era of the Tolkien world， providing far more detail than the appendices of the Lord of the Rings。 There are many story fragments， some longer， some shorter， most of them interesting。 Towards the end of the Second Age， the passages on the growth of Sauron's power and the forging of the rings are of particular interest。 I have to say， I found this text to be a lot more readable than the Silmarillion or some of the other longer posthumous works （Children of Hurin， etc。）。 The shorter passages are a little easier to take in as stories， myths that provide the background to the great story of the Third Age。 That said， this is probably only of interest to die-hard Tolkien fanatics， but who knows--it could catch on。 。。。more
Bridger Hibbert
，
"Did you ever hear， "The Tragedy of the Fall of Númenor"？I'll say this much; with my basic understanding of "The Lord of The Rings"， this book was enlightening， and yet it was also a book that made me feel the grave sadness Elrond may have felt as he briefly mentioned the glory of the old days。It also has small hints that may lead one to think of "The Rings of Power" TV series （whether you like the show or not， it was useful when I read this book）。 "Did you ever hear， "The Tragedy of the Fall of Númenor"？I'll say this much; with my basic understanding of "The Lord of The Rings"， this book was enlightening， and yet it was also a book that made me feel the grave sadness Elrond may have felt as he briefly mentioned the glory of the old days。It also has small hints that may lead one to think of "The Rings of Power" TV series （whether you like the show or not， it was useful when I read this book）。 。。。more
Maverick Glaum
，
A collection of great stories and important plot points that outline the entire Second Age of Middle-Earth。 A ton of new， fleshed out material than just what’s presented in the Silmarillion alone。 A must read for fans of Tolkien’s world。
Ancillar Bradingus
，
Dear publishers:Please stop trying to milk what's left。 You're just fully repeating published material now。 Absolutely no value was added here。 Whoever told you there was should be put immediately on your "never listen to again" list。I'd actually be fine if that were my only complaint。 It is not。 The editing was beyond terrible。 This was such an unworthy， ghastly， incompetent imitation of Christopher Tolkien's life's work that I'm genuinely offended on his ghost's behalf。The text was constantly Dear publishers:Please stop trying to milk what's left。 You're just fully repeating published material now。 Absolutely no value was added here。 Whoever told you there was should be put immediately on your "never listen to again" list。I'd actually be fine if that were my only complaint。 It is not。 The editing was beyond terrible。 This was such an unworthy， ghastly， incompetent imitation of Christopher Tolkien's life's work that I'm genuinely offended on his ghost's behalf。The text was constantly interrupted with condescending bracketed explanatory phrases as if the reader was presumed to be a simpleton of the lowest order。 Apart from being unnecessary， repetitive， and overbearing， these destroyed what little narrative flow might have been preserved from JRR Tolkien's original fragments （and given the sources， there was never going to be much of that）。The footnotes couldn't decide whether they were going to be simple coded source citations （which incidentally had no business being endnotes） or long-winded irrelevant repetitive repetitive repetitive repetitive discourses on matters at absurdly varying levels of detail that continuously repeated themselves， saying the same things over and over again and also repeating themselves， as if the reader were some sort of gerbil who could only learn things by having them explained seven or eight times。 Seven or eight times。 Seven or eight times。It's true: you don't know what you've got til it's gone。 I miss the hell out of you， Christopher。Who， incidentally， had already edited and presented EVERY SINGLE WORD in this book in better form， across the Unfinished Tales， the Silmarillion， one of the Letters and the History of Middle-Earth。There are zero humans on this planet† who would be both （a） unwilling to cull this information from those sources and （b） delighted to read this absurdly awkward sequential pastiche instead， and yet this impossible intersection of preferences seems to be the intended audience。I won't bother to complain about the actual copyediting except to note that there was a typo every 3-5 pages， despite the scrupulous attention to detail supposedly performed by whatever blinkered， Philistine， pig-ignorant non-creative garbage collective it was that curated this monstrosity。Don't buy this book。 Just go for a walk instead。 Take a nap。 Stare blankly at a wall for a few days straight。 You'll be way better off。†Update: after briefly reviewing reality， it appears that such humans do exist。 Then again， so does Stockholm Syndrome。 And QAnon。 Initially giving humanity too much credit does not， I propose， invalidate my other criticisms。 And even if it did， it won't matter， because I've disabled comments。 Take that， random Internet jerks who apparently love telling random strangers to "calm down" like that's not the single most infuriating thing you can say to someone。 。。。more
Glenn ReDavid Jr
，
Adds nothing new & is pointless if you own Unfinished Tales， The Silmarillion， & LotR。 It’s basically the same republishing of known tales that Christopher Tolkien liked to do。 If you don’t own the above books， or want the info in 1 place， then it may be worth picking up。I listened to the audio version & the narrator was very good。 It’s not story so he didn’t have to come up with multiple voices。 He used his speaking voice throughout & I found it to work well for an academic book like this。
Thijs
，
I could give a review， but this site does it better then I could， adressing all my points:https://winteriscoming。net/2022/11/11。。。Two additions I do want to make to this review however， or rather one。 The absence of certain stories。Firstly with the map of Numenor and the description of the land， Hyarrostar （one of the five points of the star-isle of Numenor） is entirely absent in description。But far worse then that is the absence of the Tale of Tal-Elmar， a Man in middle-earth chronicling the ap I could give a review， but this site does it better then I could， adressing all my points:https://winteriscoming。net/2022/11/11。。。Two additions I do want to make to this review however， or rather one。 The absence of certain stories。Firstly with the map of Numenor and the description of the land， Hyarrostar （one of the five points of the star-isle of Numenor） is entirely absent in description。But far worse then that is the absence of the Tale of Tal-Elmar， a Man in middle-earth chronicling the appearance of Numenoreans in his hometown。 This would've been a perfect fit for the novel， and I can't see why it wasn't included （Originally from the Peoples of Middle-earth）。This makes me wonder what other tales they did not include （probably in their focus on Numenor） that were sadly left out and still did not give a complete tale of the 2nd age。 。。。more
Kristen （belles_bookshelves）
，
"Victory was the herald of their Downfall。"If you're going to watch Rings of Power on Amazon， but The Silmarillion gives you a panic attack， this is a great alternative。 It focuses primarily on Numenor， of course， but it talks a lot about what's going on elsewhere at the same time。 It was INCREDIBLY useful in following the show。 "Victory was the herald of their Downfall。"If you're going to watch Rings of Power on Amazon， but The Silmarillion gives you a panic attack， this is a great alternative。 It focuses primarily on Numenor， of course， but it talks a lot about what's going on elsewhere at the same time。 It was INCREDIBLY useful in following the show。 。。。more
Dean
，
Just when you think a book compiled of previously published Tolkien writings already readily available for years cannot be worth your time， The Fall of Numenor proves you wrong。 This is a wonderful chronological assembly of the Second Age by Brian Sibley。 It is absolutely essential and must be added to every Tolkien shelf even if you own books such as The Silmarillion， Unfinished Tales， The Letters of JRR Tolkien， The History of Middle Earth and Nature of Middle Earth。 You'll want to use this as Just when you think a book compiled of previously published Tolkien writings already readily available for years cannot be worth your time， The Fall of Numenor proves you wrong。 This is a wonderful chronological assembly of the Second Age by Brian Sibley。 It is absolutely essential and must be added to every Tolkien shelf even if you own books such as The Silmarillion， Unfinished Tales， The Letters of JRR Tolkien， The History of Middle Earth and Nature of Middle Earth。 You'll want to use this as your definitive volume of the Second Age。 Alan Lee's sketches and paintings are epic。 The quality of the book and binding are top notch （sewn and not glued）。 I cannot thank Sibley and the Tolkien estate enough for making this happen。 It deserves to sit right alongside The Silmarillion on the shelf next to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings。 。。。more
BJ
，
Since reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time last Advent， I am convinced that the stories of Middle Earth and Numenor sync with this season。Tolkien's myth hearkens to the True Myth。No， not allegory。 Yet: The fall of men， darkness and deceit， light and royalty， supernatural power and noble weakness resonate not because of sparkling imagination but--reality。The Morgothian and eventual Numenorian desire to press beyond creaturely limitation and divine prohibition is as real as the sin in Since reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time last Advent， I am convinced that the stories of Middle Earth and Numenor sync with this season。Tolkien's myth hearkens to the True Myth。No， not allegory。 Yet: The fall of men， darkness and deceit， light and royalty， supernatural power and noble weakness resonate not because of sparkling imagination but--reality。The Morgothian and eventual Numenorian desire to press beyond creaturely limitation and divine prohibition is as real as the sin in Eden that stretches its tentacles to all humanity。Traversing Tolkien's second age was a pleasure that awakens sadness and longing。 。。。more
Ben
，
It's easy to look at yet another posthumous volume of Tolkien's works and to think to yourself "Yet another cynical cash-grab to squeeze every last drop of content from this stone。" And you wouldn't be wrong。 However， regardless of any underlying motivations by estate or publisher， I am glad this book exists。 There is no new text here; it is a compilation of already-published material from a variety of other works。 The value here is in the packaging; this book intends in some part to do for Tolk It's easy to look at yet another posthumous volume of Tolkien's works and to think to yourself "Yet another cynical cash-grab to squeeze every last drop of content from this stone。" And you wouldn't be wrong。 However， regardless of any underlying motivations by estate or publisher， I am glad this book exists。 There is no new text here; it is a compilation of already-published material from a variety of other works。 The value here is in the packaging; this book intends in some part to do for Tolkien's sparsely-recorded Second Age what The Silmarillion did for the First。Editor Brian Sibley has rearranged Tolkien's disparate materials， gathered them together， and placed them in chronological order。 Separated into distinct chapters with years listed in the heading and accompanied by Alan Lee's mythical illustrations， The Fall of Numenor is a great book for Tolkien fans as a repository for material that was otherwise harder to keep track of。 The packaging is the icing on the cake。If it included the Third Age fragment Disaster at Gladden Fields as a capstone， this would be a perfect book。 。。。more
Petra Valković
，
Although I read the LOTR apendices， The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales which all in some parts describe the history of Numenor， there are other sources and things I didn't know of。 This book brings them all together in one epic yet tragic story of the downfall of the greatest human realm and its people。 They were Tolkien's version of Atlantian myth， and island whick sank into deep sea with all of its treasures and inhabitants， save the ones who were called the Faithfull and did not break the Although I read the LOTR apendices， The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales which all in some parts describe the history of Numenor， there are other sources and things I didn't know of。 This book brings them all together in one epic yet tragic story of the downfall of the greatest human realm and its people。 They were Tolkien's version of Atlantian myth， and island whick sank into deep sea with all of its treasures and inhabitants， save the ones who were called the Faithfull and did not break the Ban of the Valar。 Those who drowned were corrupted by the greed and yearning for immortal life which they thought was denied to them。 They broke the Ban and attacked those who granted them gifts beyond any measure of Men。 Their punishment brought the shaping of a new world and forever divided the Land of the Valar and Middle-Earth。 This compendium of Tolkien's writings， a combination of history and stories is， for me at least， a great way to introduce readers to the Second and even some bits of the Third Age which all preceeded the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings， especially the rise of Sauron。I must mention the story of Aldarion， the King's unwilling heir and Erendis， his wife。 Their individual nature and circumstances that led them from great love to estrangement is so human and relatable that I honestly couldn't discern which one was more right。 After some thought I concluded they were both right in their own way which makes their falling apart all the more tragic。 The Fall of Numenor goes hand in hand in quality with The Children of Hurin， Beren and Luthien and The Fall of Gondolin which are my favourite Tolkien stories extended into books of their own。 Huge recommendations for all Tolkien fans and those who are new in the world od Arda。 🙂 。。。more
Ryan Frost
，
Glad to have all of Tolkien’s second age writings in one collection。 The artwork from Allen Lee is spectacular。 Beautiful book to add to any library。
Dalton
，
I devoured this latest Tolkien read。 I think it helps that all the information here is recycled from other works， so I knew what to expect。 Still， I have to offer the highest praise to Brian Sibley for the work involved in editing this and creating a definitive， digestible text of the Second Age。 With clear detail and organization along with a treasure trove of beautiful illustrations from Alan Lee， The Fall of Númenor will delight Tolkien fans alike and can serve as an incredibly helpful guide I devoured this latest Tolkien read。 I think it helps that all the information here is recycled from other works， so I knew what to expect。 Still， I have to offer the highest praise to Brian Sibley for the work involved in editing this and creating a definitive， digestible text of the Second Age。 With clear detail and organization along with a treasure trove of beautiful illustrations from Alan Lee， The Fall of Númenor will delight Tolkien fans alike and can serve as an incredibly helpful guide for those just getting into the legendarium。 。。。more
GARY MILLER
，
This book is a wonderful chronological compilation of the stories of the Second Age。 Easy to follow， with appropriate comments from the editor。 I highly recommend to all with an interest in Tolkein's works， but find his writing style hard to follow。 This book is a wonderful chronological compilation of the stories of the Second Age。 Easy to follow， with appropriate comments from the editor。 I highly recommend to all with an interest in Tolkein's works， but find his writing style hard to follow。 。。。more
Kim
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While not a new book in the traditional sense， The Fall of Númenor has the singular distinction of bringing all of Tolkien's writings about the Second Age into a single volume。 The Tale of Aldarion and Erendis？ It's here。 The many and varied versions of Celeborn and Galadriel？ Present！ The tale of Númenor itself？ Got it！ It's all here， thereby relieving readers from having to reference multiple volumes！ And to make things even easier， everything has been organized in chronological order！Also inc While not a new book in the traditional sense， The Fall of Númenor has the singular distinction of bringing all of Tolkien's writings about the Second Age into a single volume。 The Tale of Aldarion and Erendis？ It's here。 The many and varied versions of Celeborn and Galadriel？ Present！ The tale of Númenor itself？ Got it！ It's all here， thereby relieving readers from having to reference multiple volumes！ And to make things even easier， everything has been organized in chronological order！Also included are several plates of absolutely exquisite artwork！ The cover alone is outstanding - not to mention I love seeing Sauron standing in the bottom right corner， staring at the wave coming toward him and very likely thinking， "I。。。 may have miscalculated how pissed Eru might be about all of this。 Whoops， my bad。"So glad I requested this from my library， and I may end up purchasing a copy of my own at some point to have as part of my own Tolkien collection。 。。。more
Sue Bridgwater
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Review ofThe Fall of Númenor: and Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth Edited by Brian Sibley and compiled from The Lord of the Rings， The Silmarillion， Unfinished Tales， volumes from The History of Middle-earth by Christopher Tolkien， and other sources。HarperCollinsPublishers， 2022I have very much enjoyed this book and believe it will have a valuable place in the wealth of Tolkien scholarship and readership with which we are now blessed。 This is what Tolkien wrote in c1951 to Milton Review ofThe Fall of Númenor: and Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth Edited by Brian Sibley and compiled from The Lord of the Rings， The Silmarillion， Unfinished Tales， volumes from The History of Middle-earth by Christopher Tolkien， and other sources。HarperCollinsPublishers， 2022I have very much enjoyed this book and believe it will have a valuable place in the wealth of Tolkien scholarship and readership with which we are now blessed。 This is what Tolkien wrote in c1951 to Milton Waldman （Letter 131）: I would draw some of the great tales in fullness， and leave many only placed in the scheme， and sketched。 The cycles should be linked to a majestic whole， and yet leave scope for other minds and hands， wielding paint and music and drama。After Tolkien’s death， other minds and hands gradually began to take up this invitation。 First among them in time and in closeness to Tolkien was of course his son Christopher， whose work demonstrates that those minds and hands may also work upon that ‘majestic whole’ in written scholarship and story， with reverence and commitment。 The Silmarillion， Unfinished Tales， and the twelve volumes of The History of Middle-earth were the work of the man who best understood his father’s work and who laboured for forty-five years to open up that work to those who desired to know more。 Yet he went beyond the huge task of editing the unfinished works and draft papers。 It was Christopher Tolkien himself who first produced selective volumes designed to bring to readers – especially perhaps readers who might not find the twelve volumes approachable – the three ‘Great Tales’ in the closest possible form to free-standing stories， novelistic in some ways though blending prose and poetic versions of those tales: The Children of Húrin; Beren and Lúthien; The Fall of Gondolin。 Brian Sibley’s work should be seen in this context， for it too focuses on major themes in Tolkien’s legendarium: the Fall， Mortality， Immortality。 This work presents the events of the Second Age sequentially as a discrete tale of supreme importance to Tolkien’s work。Just as Carl Hostetter， in The Nature of Middle-earth （2021） allowed us some further scholarly insights related to The History of Middle-earth， Brian Sibley has added another narrative approach to the stories we so much love， and I thank him for that。 。。。more
Ashley Dean
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Such a refresher after the last book！There wasn't a whole lot of new information， but I loved having all of the major events of the Second Age collected together。 Makes it easier to find than flipping between "The Silmarillian，" "The Unfinished Tales，" and "The Nature of Middle-Earth。" That last one I particularly prefer not to crack at again。The way the book is set up was also something I appreciated。 It was all in chronological order， allowing the reader to go through history as it played out。 Such a refresher after the last book！There wasn't a whole lot of new information， but I loved having all of the major events of the Second Age collected together。 Makes it easier to find than flipping between "The Silmarillian，" "The Unfinished Tales，" and "The Nature of Middle-Earth。" That last one I particularly prefer not to crack at again。The way the book is set up was also something I appreciated。 It was all in chronological order， allowing the reader to go through history as it played out。 The information itself was clear and easy to understand。 Plus the illustrations were beautiful！A great addition to my Tolkien collection！ 。。。more
Clinton Tibbitts
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There isnt anything new in this book。 However; Tolkien's writings of the second age are all over the place！ Before， if you wanted to read about the second age of middle earth you would have to read a lot of books to find small nuggets of the timeline。 Having it all in one place makes your Tolkien studies so much easier！ I also love that the book is organized in the correct chronology of second age years。 Love having the book on my shelf and enjoyed reading all of the second age writings without There isnt anything new in this book。 However; Tolkien's writings of the second age are all over the place！ Before， if you wanted to read about the second age of middle earth you would have to read a lot of books to find small nuggets of the timeline。 Having it all in one place makes your Tolkien studies so much easier！ I also love that the book is organized in the correct chronology of second age years。 Love having the book on my shelf and enjoyed reading all of the second age writings without having to jump from book to book to book。 。。。more
Alex
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