Fantasy

The War of the Jewels

The War of the Jewels

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  • Create Date：2021-07-26 09:54:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：J.R.R. Tolkien
  • ISBN：0261103245
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Summary

In The War of the Jewels Christopher Tolkien takes up his account of the latter history of The Silmarillion from the point where it was left in Morgoth's Ring。 The story now returns to Middle-earth， and the ruinous conflict of the High Elves and the Men who were their allies with the power of the Dark Lord。 With the publication in this book of all J。R。R。Tolkien's later narrative writing concerned with the last centuries of the First Age， the long history of The Silmarillion， from its beginning in The Book of Lost Tales， is completed; and the enigmatic state of the work at his death can be understood。

The book contains the full text of the Grey Annals， the primary record of The War of the Jewels， and a major story of Middle-earth now published for the first time: the tale of the disaster that overtook the forest people of Brethil when Húrin the Steadfast came among them after his release from long years of captivity in Angband， the fortress of Morgoth。

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Reviews

Melissa ，

I’m going to give this one a qualified pick， there were some parts that were new and I loved them。。。the waking up of the first elves， the origin of Ents， some new Dwarven history， including their language， a whole new side story to Húrin， but there were also parts that seemed a bit repetitive （I think because I read the later books like the Children of Húrin first）， and I still found myself skimming through some of the language breakdown。 I’ll also note that as much as I love the way he pieces t I’m going to give this one a qualified pick， there were some parts that were new and I loved them。。。the waking up of the first elves， the origin of Ents， some new Dwarven history， including their language， a whole new side story to Húrin， but there were also parts that seemed a bit repetitive （I think because I read the later books like the Children of Húrin first）， and I still found myself skimming through some of the language breakdown。 I’ll also note that as much as I love the way he pieces these together and talks about the choices he made with the Silmarillion and things he’d do different now that he found more info。。。 some of the notes with what seems to me like minor word order changes seemed a bit excessive in some parts of this one。 。。。more

Stephen Poltz ，

This is the eleventh volume in the History of Middle Earth series by Christopher Tolkien。 This one focuses on the development of the later Silmarillion works after the publication of The Lord of the Rings。 This was a companion piece to volume 10， Morgoth’s Ring。 Together， they cover most of the works of Tolkien’s legendarium。 It is not quite as tough a read as Morgoth’s Ring， but it’s still only for the die-hard fan looking for intensive detail into the development of the stories。 The only part This is the eleventh volume in the History of Middle Earth series by Christopher Tolkien。 This one focuses on the development of the later Silmarillion works after the publication of The Lord of the Rings。 This was a companion piece to volume 10， Morgoth’s Ring。 Together， they cover most of the works of Tolkien’s legendarium。 It is not quite as tough a read as Morgoth’s Ring， but it’s still only for the die-hard fan looking for intensive detail into the development of the stories。 The only part that I had trouble with was the final chapter， which was a detailed description of roots and stems of the different Elvish languages。 Come visit my blog for the full review…https://itstartedwiththehugos。blogspo。。。 。。。more

Todd ，

I love Tolkien but I'm ready to be done with HOME。 I love Tolkien but I'm ready to be done with HOME。 。。。more

Nonethousand Oberrhein ，

Understanding SilmarillionThe revisions following the Lord of the Rings publications take us back again in the study of Beleriand annals and linguistic evolutions。 A new layer of polish on a legendarium that while it gets more and more defined in its focal points， it is constantly at risk of a massive rewriting by its dissatisfied author。 An interesting read （a certainty now！） that will deliver some surprises as well as some confidences about Christopher’s Silmarillion editing。 Here below my Understanding SilmarillionThe revisions following the Lord of the Rings publications take us back again in the study of Beleriand annals and linguistic evolutions。 A new layer of polish on a legendarium that while it gets more and more defined in its focal points， it is constantly at risk of a massive rewriting by its dissatisfied author。 An interesting read （a certainty now！） that will deliver some surprises as well as some confidences about Christopher’s Silmarillion editing。 Here below my reviews to the previous volumes of the History of Middle-earth:Vol。1: Sit down and listen Vol。2: Heroics of a young authorVol。3: The poet of Middle-earthVol。4: Sketches and Annals of the First AgeVol。5: A glimpse of NúmenorVol。6: When Trotter led the wayVol。7: From Rivendell to RohanVol。8: How the King returnsVol。9: The eagles will always come at the endVol。10: Life， Death and Arda in-between 。。。more

Tom ，

The War of the Jewels had the same level of quality scholarship as the rest of HoME， but the actual texts analyzed are less unique and interesting than in other volumes。 That said， it was great to see everything coming into final form as it would be published。 Some random thoughts:- I particularly loved the emergence of Lady Haleth and the incorporation of Galadriel/Cirdan。- It's very sad that the last few Tales never got a full reimagining to bring them into line with later conceptions of the m The War of the Jewels had the same level of quality scholarship as the rest of HoME， but the actual texts analyzed are less unique and interesting than in other volumes。 That said， it was great to see everything coming into final form as it would be published。 Some random thoughts:- I particularly loved the emergence of Lady Haleth and the incorporation of Galadriel/Cirdan。- It's very sad that the last few Tales never got a full reimagining to bring them into line with later conceptions of the mythos。- The Wanderings of Hurin was kinda bad， I'm very grateful Christopher spared us from it in the published Silmarillion。- Quendi and Eldar provided a strong ending， with lots of unique linguistic nuggets （especially about Telerin）。Considering HoME is a very internally connected series， it's hard to rate this on its own， but I'll go with 3/5。 You should obviously read it if you've already gotten this far， but every volume can't be the best。 。。。more

Thijs ，

Another splendid part in the Complete History of Middle Earth。 Parts that stood out most were for me:- The major upheaval of the genealogy of the Three Houses of the Edain， and the massive amount of new background that comes with it。- The wanderings of Hurin， especially in Brethil。 Oh the awefulness of Tolkien never having having reworked the Nauglamir and further！ The Silmarillion will never read the same for me， alas。- A part on linguistics that is really more an analysis of the early days of Another splendid part in the Complete History of Middle Earth。 Parts that stood out most were for me:- The major upheaval of the genealogy of the Three Houses of the Edain， and the massive amount of new background that comes with it。- The wanderings of Hurin， especially in Brethil。 Oh the awefulness of Tolkien never having having reworked the Nauglamir and further！ The Silmarillion will never read the same for me， alas。- A part on linguistics that is really more an analysis of the early days of the Eldar， as such things are intrinsically linked in Tolkiens worldbuilding。 Don't skip this part even if you're not into Linguistics！This is but a small and comprised sampling of the superb edition in which Christopher overdid himself once more。Now， Once More Unto The Breach and so on to the last part of the CHoMA。 。。。more

EspeciallySarah ，

I think I prefer these volumes where the notes are from the Silmarillion and things that JRR Tolkien never completed because they feel more like myths and legends slowly settling into a steady form。 That said I struggle a little with the linguistics even though I know that's where everything comes from。 I think I prefer these volumes where the notes are from the Silmarillion and things that JRR Tolkien never completed because they feel more like myths and legends slowly settling into a steady form。 That said I struggle a little with the linguistics even though I know that's where everything comes from。 。。。more

Michael Pryor ，

Deep， absorbing， enlightening。

Raul Pegan ，

Read this mainly for the Wanderings of Húrin。 The story wasn’t that interesting or compelling though necessary for a complete understanding of Tolkien’s legendarium。

Warren Dunn ，

Although the story was of course always interesting， much of this book seemed like unnecessary repetition of previous versions of the story， leading up the final one in the Silmarillion。 The most interesting part was the new story of Hurin's travels after the death of his children。http://ossuslibrary。tripod。com/Bk_Fan。。。 Although the story was of course always interesting， much of this book seemed like unnecessary repetition of previous versions of the story， leading up the final one in the Silmarillion。 The most interesting part was the new story of Hurin's travels after the death of his children。http://ossuslibrary。tripod。com/Bk_Fan。。。 。。。more

Rossrn Nunamaker ，

The War of the Jewels， as noted in the Foreward， is a companion to Morgoth's Ring， the two together address per Christopher Tolkien， "The War of the Jewels， is an expression that my father often used of the last six centuries of the First Age: the history of Beleriand after the return of Morgoth to Middle-earth and the coming of the Noldor， until its end。"While there is much good in these pages， as a fan of Turin， I particularly enjoyed The Wanderings of Hurin。 The War of the Jewels， as noted in the Foreward， is a companion to Morgoth's Ring， the two together address per Christopher Tolkien， "The War of the Jewels， is an expression that my father often used of the last six centuries of the First Age: the history of Beleriand after the return of Morgoth to Middle-earth and the coming of the Noldor， until its end。"While there is much good in these pages， as a fan of Turin， I particularly enjoyed The Wanderings of Hurin。 。。。more

Max ，

This is part 11 of a 13-part series with the history of Middle Earth。 I really love Tolkien's stories so reading this series was a bit of a necessity for me！ This one had some great stuff， but the first half was a repeat of works I read earlier。 The additions and edits are so minor that I did not notice them， so I don't think this was very necessary。 There's a piece on Beren and Luthien again， and also a lot about Turin and Nienor。The Grey Annals are given here in full， and Christopher Tolkien's This is part 11 of a 13-part series with the history of Middle Earth。 I really love Tolkien's stories so reading this series was a bit of a necessity for me！ This one had some great stuff， but the first half was a repeat of works I read earlier。 The additions and edits are so minor that I did not notice them， so I don't think this was very necessary。 There's a piece on Beren and Luthien again， and also a lot about Turin and Nienor。The Grey Annals are given here in full， and Christopher Tolkien's notes are useful for this one。Nice stories， a little repetitive， that's why I gave it three stars instead of four。 Onto the next part！ 。。。more

Ulysses ，

The books in the History of Middle-Earth series are a crapshoot。 The better ones， like Morgoth's Ring （Volume 10）， are full of interesting insights into the development of Tolkien's "audience-facing" works （i。e。 The Hobbit， LOTR， and The Silmarillion） as well as standalone rarities and outtakes that increase the reader's understanding of the Tolkien legendarium。 The worse ones， like Sauron Defeated （Volume 9）， are full of dry and virtually indistinguishable variations on themes that have been pr The books in the History of Middle-Earth series are a crapshoot。 The better ones， like Morgoth's Ring （Volume 10）， are full of interesting insights into the development of Tolkien's "audience-facing" works （i。e。 The Hobbit， LOTR， and The Silmarillion） as well as standalone rarities and outtakes that increase the reader's understanding of the Tolkien legendarium。 The worse ones， like Sauron Defeated （Volume 9）， are full of dry and virtually indistinguishable variations on themes that have been propounded in superior fashion elsewhere， and/or bizarre ramblings whose significance to the legendarium is minimal。 This one falls somewhere in between， but closer to the Worse end of the spectrum: its core （a series of riffs on the development of the latter part of the Silmarillion） is note-heavy but body-light， and anyone interested in this content can now find it in a far more refined form in Christopher Tolkien's subsequently published The Children of Hurin， Beren and Luthien， and The Fall of Gondolin， each of which extends one of the three major themes of the latter Silmarillion to feature length。 The book's new content consists mainly of a chapter on the further misadventures of the renowned warrior Hurin after the death of his children at the end of The Children of Hurin， and a lengthy dissection of Elven languages。 Although fresh， the Hurin story is simply too mundane to seem worthy of inclusion， and the section on Elven linguistics is so granular as to be of interest only to someone who is actually studying the language。 As such， this book has value for Tolkien scholars/historians and fantasy linguists but can be skipped otherwise。 。。。more

Shaene Ragan ，

Once again Tolkien's pre-history of Middle Earth is revealed just that much more to give conclusive answers to questions people have been musing about since Lord of the Rings。 This is a wonderful examination of the world of Tolkien's imagination and reveals the perfectionism in his view of writing and the genius of his storytelling。 Once again Tolkien's pre-history of Middle Earth is revealed just that much more to give conclusive answers to questions people have been musing about since Lord of the Rings。 This is a wonderful examination of the world of Tolkien's imagination and reveals the perfectionism in his view of writing and the genius of his storytelling。 。。。more

PottWab Regional Library ，

SM

Jeremy ，

Another one of the History of Middle Earth Volumes where it far too much resembles the published Silmarillion。 Also， the Hurin sections， to the extent that they are new， resemble the Children of Hurin book anyway。The good stuff here an expansion of the Maeglin tale， and a few discussions in the notes of the Silmarillion early chapters。 The Grey Annals is almost worthless--a shorter treatment of stories we have seen emerging so many times now， with very little that is new， although much is omitte Another one of the History of Middle Earth Volumes where it far too much resembles the published Silmarillion。 Also， the Hurin sections， to the extent that they are new， resemble the Children of Hurin book anyway。The good stuff here an expansion of the Maeglin tale， and a few discussions in the notes of the Silmarillion early chapters。 The Grey Annals is almost worthless--a shorter treatment of stories we have seen emerging so many times now， with very little that is new， although much is omitted。 。。。more

Michael ，

While not as revealing as Morgoth's Ring， this history of the second half of the Silmarillion gives more detail into the wanderings of Hurin after his release from Angband， which was the most interesting part of this work for me。 I find the Hurin/Turin saga to be one of the most moving of the stories of the First Age， so seeing different， more in depth versions of it does continue to keep me interested as a reader。With that being said， I can live with simply skimming the chapters on Elvish langu While not as revealing as Morgoth's Ring， this history of the second half of the Silmarillion gives more detail into the wanderings of Hurin after his release from Angband， which was the most interesting part of this work for me。 I find the Hurin/Turin saga to be one of the most moving of the stories of the First Age， so seeing different， more in depth versions of it does continue to keep me interested as a reader。With that being said， I can live with simply skimming the chapters on Elvish languages。 While I'm sure some would go gaga for those， I am not one of those people。 。。。more

Ahmad Sharabiani ，

The War of the Jewels （The History of Middle-Earth #11）， J。R。R。 Tolkien， Christopher Tolkien （Editor）

Andre ，

More history of the creation of the LOTR universe， back to the first age。 While enlightening in the process of creation side of thing， it also underlines the incomplete， contradicting at time， christian nature and limited development of the world。 Again， for die-hard fans of the world。

Nona ，

I found this book the hardest to read from the entire series。 Most of it is just a list of changes to previous texts， so if you want to be really thorough you need to keep Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales open at the same time， otherwise you won't understand a thing。 I ended up skipping most of that and focusing on content that hasn't been published before in any of the previous 10 books of the series。The Grey Annals was a fun read， although having to always go to the notes/commentary section c I found this book the hardest to read from the entire series。 Most of it is just a list of changes to previous texts， so if you want to be really thorough you need to keep Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales open at the same time， otherwise you won't understand a thing。 I ended up skipping most of that and focusing on content that hasn't been published before in any of the previous 10 books of the series。The Grey Annals was a fun read， although having to always go to the notes/commentary section can be annoying。 Hurin's story was great though and just for that I think this book is worth a read。 。。。more

Mark ，

Christopher Tolkien compiles father's esoteric writings， basis for "The Silmarillion"。 May feel like rereading， revelatory how many years of thought behind Middle Earth creation。 Tolkien establishes reasons why Valar behave and they are not omnipotent。 They are bound by creator， Eru Illuvatar， and by the Doom of Valar seer， Mandos。 More information about Valinor， aka the Undying Lands and Elves， forsaking Middle Earth stewardship， through Feanor's coveting creation's light， in his forged Silmari Christopher Tolkien compiles father's esoteric writings， basis for "The Silmarillion"。 May feel like rereading， revelatory how many years of thought behind Middle Earth creation。 Tolkien establishes reasons why Valar behave and they are not omnipotent。 They are bound by creator， Eru Illuvatar， and by the Doom of Valar seer， Mandos。 More information about Valinor， aka the Undying Lands and Elves， forsaking Middle Earth stewardship， through Feanor's coveting creation's light， in his forged Silmarils。Weighty and philosophical。 。。。more

Nancy Laney ，

History of Middle Earth Book 11

Neil R。 Coulter ，

Reading the History of Middle-Earth series requires skills in determining when to read closely and when to skim。 I don't say that to insult the series--and I don't think Christopher Tolkien would disagree--and certainly each reader will have a different opinion on which sections are "read-closely" and which sections are "skim。" Of the volumes I've read so far （only one more to go now！）， The War of the Jewels was the most taxing to read， having what I considered the highest percentage of skimmabl Reading the History of Middle-Earth series requires skills in determining when to read closely and when to skim。 I don't say that to insult the series--and I don't think Christopher Tolkien would disagree--and certainly each reader will have a different opinion on which sections are "read-closely" and which sections are "skim。" Of the volumes I've read so far （only one more to go now！）， The War of the Jewels was the most taxing to read， having what I considered the highest percentage of skimmable text。 The first part， the Grey Annals， is a marathon of flipping between the main text section and the commentary section。 By this point in the series， I feel like we've reached a point at which the changes are so small， and the layers of previous versions so dense， that it's a bit difficult to fully recall what it is that's being developed or changed in these new versions。 The same was true of the next section， the final chapters of "the Later Quenta Silmarillion"--though that was followed by some fascinating new elements in the story of Hurin。 The close of this volume is a section of grammar and phonological description of elvish languages。 I have some experience in linguistics， and I recognize Tolkien's achievement in designing such a complex history for the languages， but I'm not interested enough to read straight through this section without a lot of skimming。 Just one volume remains， and then I'll have finished the series。 I'm looking forward to the final bits that Christopher presents。 In all of the volumes， I really appreciate Christopher's humility。 Here is the person in the world who could swagger as much as he likes， since he is the closest to his father of any Tolkien scholar， but he consistently admits his uncertainties and possible missteps。 It's a refreshing attitude in any kind of scholarship。 。。。more

Tommy Grooms ，

This volume is a companion to the tenth volume， focused on the later， Beleriand-oriented material。 Aside from Tolkien's final revisions， it includes the unpublished （and exciting） "The Wanderings of Hurin" showing what is essentially a courtroom drama in Brethil， which warmed my law student's heart。 It also includes a treatise of Elvish phonology， which will probably only appeal to a select few。 The meat of the book， the final Silmarillion revisions， approaches the tedium of volume four （again， This volume is a companion to the tenth volume， focused on the later， Beleriand-oriented material。 Aside from Tolkien's final revisions， it includes the unpublished （and exciting） "The Wanderings of Hurin" showing what is essentially a courtroom drama in Brethil， which warmed my law student's heart。 It also includes a treatise of Elvish phonology， which will probably only appeal to a select few。 The meat of the book， the final Silmarillion revisions， approaches the tedium of volume four （again， the five-star review reflects the History of Middle-Earth series as a whole）， but they are valuable primarily for the insight into the challenges Christopher Tolkien faced when redacting the unified， published Silmarillion。 Christopher's dissatisfaction with his treatment of the "Of the Ruin of Doriath" material was particularly interesting。 。。。more

Michael Joosten ，

This was one of the last HoME volumes I encountered， and I was greatly looking forward to it; it had， after all， the Wanderings of Húrin。 In the end， I've found that this is one of the volumes I use less in the series。 In the end， I think I turn to Quendi and Eldar more than the Wanderings。 This was one of the last HoME volumes I encountered， and I was greatly looking forward to it; it had， after all， the Wanderings of Húrin。 In the end， I've found that this is one of the volumes I use less in the series。 In the end， I think I turn to Quendi and Eldar more than the Wanderings。 。。。more

Glen Hastings ，

Another good addition to the series， but with a bit less new materials: best parts relate to Hurin and the origins of the elves。 Unfortunately some other sections are sparse （on nets and eagles） or too detailed （language analysis）

Nicholas Whyte ，

http://nwhyte。livejournal。com/2007516。htmlThe War of the Jewels brings together some final notes from the Silmarillion and a few other essays。 The first chunk， the Grey Annals， is yet another attempt to retell the Silmarillion stories but this time taking a year-by-year approach; it also has much more detail on the Dark-Elf Ëol and his fathering of Maeglin than I remember before。 There's also a long section on the tragic wanderings of Húrin after the deaths of his children which I don't remember http://nwhyte。livejournal。com/2007516。htmlThe War of the Jewels brings together some final notes from the Silmarillion and a few other essays。 The first chunk， the Grey Annals， is yet another attempt to retell the Silmarillion stories but this time taking a year-by-year approach; it also has much more detail on the Dark-Elf Ëol and his fathering of Maeglin than I remember before。 There's also a long section on the tragic wanderings of Húrin after the deaths of his children which I don't remember from elsewhere， though it may have been in the Tale of the Children of Húrin。 Various essays include some reflections on the origins of the races other than Elves and Men， more Elvish linguistics and the story of the Elves' awakening。 Several comments from Tolkien junior reflecting on how he now wishes he had done the Silmarillion a bit differently。 。。。more

Dru ，

This will be my 12-volume write-up of the entire series "The History of Middle Earth"。--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This series is ONLY for the hardcore Tolkien fanatic。 Predominantly written byJRR's son， based on JRR's notes on the creation of The Silmarilion andThe Lord of the Rings （much less on The Hobbit）。 It is somewhat interesting tosee the evolution of the story （for example， "Strider" was originally conceived asa Hobbit （one of tho This will be my 12-volume write-up of the entire series "The History of Middle Earth"。--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This series is ONLY for the hardcore Tolkien fanatic。 Predominantly written byJRR's son， based on JRR's notes on the creation of The Silmarilion andThe Lord of the Rings （much less on The Hobbit）。 It is somewhat interesting tosee the evolution of the story （for example， "Strider" was originally conceived asa Hobbit （one of those who "went off into the blue with Gandalf" as alluded toin The Hobbit）。 But the downside to this is that it isn't very fun to read。 You can only read yetanother version of Beren and Luthien so many times before you're tired of seeingthe miniscule changes from one version to the next。So， overall， I slogged through this over about a year。 I'd say it was worth itin the end for someone like me who loves Tolkien and his entire created worldof Arda （and Ea in general）。 But I'll never re-read them。 They come off too muchas seeming like Christopher Tolkien just bundled every scrap of paper he could find，rather than thinning them down into a logical consistency。 。。。more

Michael Davis ，

Great stuff- much more meaty than I anticipated， being the 11th volume in a 12 volume collection。 I wrote about the experience of reading all 12 of those volumes here: http://soundscryer。com/2011/06/13/chr。。。 （part 1） and here: http://soundscryer。com/2011/12/02/chr。。。 （part 2）。 Much more detail about the series in those two pieces。 Great stuff- much more meaty than I anticipated， being the 11th volume in a 12 volume collection。 I wrote about the experience of reading all 12 of those volumes here: http://soundscryer。com/2011/06/13/chr。。。 （part 1） and here: http://soundscryer。com/2011/12/02/chr。。。 （part 2）。 Much more detail about the series in those two pieces。 。。。more

Sam ，

Once again this is an interesting read that hints at the extent of Middle Earth that Tolkien originally envisioned but sadly didn't finish。 There is a far bit of commentary and notes for each one although this time it was more helpful as many of the stories were incomplete and needed some explanation but still would've preferred these a little shorted with longer notes to the back of the book。 Despite this though the big imagination of Tolkien's original work still comes through and takes you on Once again this is an interesting read that hints at the extent of Middle Earth that Tolkien originally envisioned but sadly didn't finish。 There is a far bit of commentary and notes for each one although this time it was more helpful as many of the stories were incomplete and needed some explanation but still would've preferred these a little shorted with longer notes to the back of the book。 Despite this though the big imagination of Tolkien's original work still comes through and takes you on a journey through the wars and battles of Middle Earth。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The War of the Jewels

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The War of the Jewels&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The War of the Jewels&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0