The Return Of The Shadow: The History of the Lord of the Rings, Part One (History of Middle-earth Book 6)

Ah. My title said it the best. Very much enjoying the book. I do not find Christopher's intricate details cumbersome at all in these HOME volumes. It is fun to discover so many interesting tidbits about my favorite author and the wonderful characters that sprung from his mind over the course of his lifetime. 5 Stars for certain.

If you're not a Tolkien fan, you need not apply to the sprawling History of Middle Earth series. But if you're interested in seeing how the Professor developed the rich creation of Middle Earth, warts and all, this is a treasure trove of material.The 12 volumes of the History of Middle Earth take a close look at the creation of Tolkien's greatest achievement - Middle Earth itself - through early drafts, unpublished texts, and dead end writings. For ardent Tolkien readers it is a fascinating look at one of the great literary creations of the 20th Century. For more casual fans, it's text better left unread."The Return of the Shadow" marks the first in the four volumes dealing with the history of the writing of "The Lord of the Rings." Like the other volumes in the series, it features unpublished writings by Tolkien, supplemented, explained, footnoted, annotated and expounded upon by his son, Christopher Tolkien.Here we have the earliest versions of what would later become the most beloved fantasy epic in the world, detailing the extraordinary and convoluted history of the earliest chapters of "The Lord of the Rings." Some readers might be surprised to know just how different a book this was in its earliest stages, and just how much Tolkien was making it up as he went along in those early days.The wealth of information is fantastic, and Christopher Tolkien goes to great lengths to examine each text, putting them in the context of the larger puzzle of his father's writings. The exploration of how "The Lord of the Rings" came about is fantastic - for those interested. Otherwise, it will bore. This is, after all, a series of unfinished draft chapters and essays on the text. I enjoyed it, but many won't.Anybody wishing to do a study of Tolkien's craft, into "behind the scenes" writings, or just interested in finding a few snatches of new Middle Earth material (even if in unfinished form, there are some scattered throughout the series) will certainly find what they are looking for here. Christopher Tolkien's work here is appreciated by scores of ardent Tolkien fans.Those looking for fresh new tales about hobbits and heroes, however, will be disappointed. This isn't new fiction, nor does it even feature finished works. Seek elsewhere if you are looking for more tales in the way of "The Lord of the Rings."

Lots of great facts. It shows how the story progresses and improved over different renditions. I found it interesting how the characters and their names changed. Great book.

As a Tolkien lover I have every book in this set though the first 5 books I own in paperback I have the rest in kindle. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this!

How can you go wrong with these titles...Masterpieces

How often do fans get to read draft versions of a favorite saga, glimpsing which elements were present from the beginning, how the story evolved, and various alternatives that were considered? For fans who relish such details, this is a book for you!Tolkien did not know at the outset what his story would be, but just began writing. Although he made numerous revisions to people and events, he stayed within the same framework rather than create something entirely new. Hence, the protagonists remained hobbits, the story opened with the birthday party, the hobbits leave the Shire, they arrive in Bree and meet a helpful stranger, they are pursued, and arrive in Rivendell. Tolkien foresaw the journey to Orodruin, that Gollum would play a role, and that the Shire would suffer, but did not yet Lothlorien, Saruman, Rohan or Gondor. Treebeard was originally envisaged as an enemy and the character who would become Strider/Aragorn as a hobbit ranger named Trotter.The bulk of Return of the Shadow follows the rewrites of various events from the Birthday party to the arrival in Rivendell. Some of the differences are minor, others more significant. The final two chapters focus on the failed attempt to cross the mountains and the entry into Moria. At this point, the party consisted of Gandalf, the shire hobbits, Trotter, and Boromir, although we see that Tolkien considered adding a dwarf and elf.Throughout the book, Christopher Tolkien adds his comments about the drafts and the story. It’s amazing enough that Tolkien saved his original material, even those scribbled on scraps of paper, but Christopher’s painstaking work organizing the versions, trying to figure out the order of writing, and deciphering script that was barely legible (in some cases, pencil with a different version overwritten in ink) is truly herculean. He notes discrepancies in maps and chronology, clarifies statements and passages, even admits when he doesn’t know what his father was thinking. What he does not do is describe any philosophical outlook or response to life events that influenced his tale or Middle Earth. You will need to look elsewhere for such an analysis.Parts of the book can be tedious if you’re not particularly interested in maps, coordinating dates, or reading three versions of a scene in a row. But if you are keen to observe the process of creation that resulted in Lord of the Rings, you will find this book fascinating.

I'm picky about books. I expect that the book I buy new should arrive new. This book arrived within the time predicted and with no bends, tears, spine cracked or any other dust or dirt on the book cover or pages.

Nicht nur eine Sammlung von unveröffentlichten Geschichten: HISTORY OF MIDDLE-EARTH ist die Chronik einer jahrzehntelangen literarischen Sisyphos-Arbeit. Im Zentrum steht die Evolution der Themen und Geschichten durch viele verschiedene, z.T. widersprüchliche oder schwer zu entziffernde Texte und Textfragmente. Wer sich darauf einlässt, wird mit einem tiefgehenden Verständnis für Tolkiens Lebenswerk belohnt. Anspruchsvolle Lektüre, ungeeignet für Leser, die nur neue Geschichten aus dem HdR-Universum suchen.

I wasn't sure what to expect but I massively enjoyed reading Tolkien's first drafts, and seeing how the story was put together. Really interesting read and a must-have for Tolkien fans

Come gli altri 12 volumi della serie, ho preso anche questo per collezione e l'ho solo sfogliato per ora. Si tratta della pubblicazione degli appunti di Tolkien da parte del figlio. La monumentale opera dell'autore previde storie parallele, modifiche, tagli, prima di arrivare alla pubblicazione dei più noti Silmarillon, Lo Hobbit e Il Signore degli Anelli nella forma che troviamo nelle librerie. E' affascinante, per chi è appassionato, poter leggere le tracce originali ed anche qualche aneddoto poco noto e relativo alle ere precedenti della Terra di Mezzo. Il commento è lo stesso per gli altri volumi che ho comprato.

Turns thought on its head that LOTR was a deliberately conceived storyline from the very start and not an organic brainstorming process always developing into the text we have today. Seen via changes of characters, change of races and the late infusion of the Aragorn King of Gondor character - dropped idea of Trotter (Aragorn) once a wild wandering Ranger hobbit or flawed warrior human Boromir also a hobbit. Originally a travelling party made up of hobbits. changed to allow Boromir's contempt of the lost King of Gondor in favour of his father the Steward. Interesting the Frodo name was not a first choice. Dissecting of the well known storyline is of interest to first time fiction writers.