The Paper's reporter Cheng Qianqian
On June 22, the Harper Collins Publishing Group announced that it would publish a new collection of Tolkien's essays, The Fall of Númenor.
Edited by renowned Tolkien expert Brian Sibley, the book brings together J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien) on the creation of the Second Epoch, presenting it in chronicle form with commentary. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, a streaming series that will be launched by Amazon in September, is based on these stories, and it is also set in the Second Age. The book will be officially published on November 10 and is now available for pre-order on Amazon.
J.R.R. Tolkien once described the Second Age of Middle-earth as a "Dark Ages whose history is not much to tell." For years, readers can only glimpse some traces of the Lord of the Rings and its appendices. Now, they are finally able to get a full picture of the story.
Stills from the Amazon episode Lord of the Rings: Lord of Strength have been released
According to the Tolkien Society, the book contains 11 new color illustrations and dozens of pencil sketches by the famous Tolkien painter Alan Lee. Alan Lee called it "the best work to date."
The Fall of Numenor tells the story of Numenor's rise and fall. It was a kingdom established by the descendants of the three great families of the Eden on the island given to vera. It is also known in the lingua franca as "Westernesse". Its founder was Ellos, the son of Eyjarendil, and his people were known as the Númenóreans. Not only did they establish the strongest kingdom in the Second Age of Middle-Earth, but their descendants greatly influenced the history of Middle-earth in the Third Age. In addition, the book tells about the forging of the Lord of the Rings and the final alliance that ended the Second Age against Sauron.
Speaking to the Tolkien Institution, Brian Sibry said: "Ever since the first publication of The Sprite 45 years ago, I have eagerly followed Christopher Tolkien's elaborate planning and academic research to publish his father's awe-inspiring historical work on the Middle-earth world. I am honored to be able to add content to this authoritative library with The Fall of Numenor. I hope that by bringing together many threads from Second Age stories into a single work, the reader will discover—or rediscover—a rich tapestry of characters and events. This is a prelude to the Play of the Lord of the Rings told in The Lord of the Rings. ”
"The book explores the Second Age in more detail, learning more about mysterious and ancient events, alliances and disasters, and ultimately introducing the Third Age stories that we are more familiar with," Said Lee. It's fun to create illustrations for this. When I was working on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, whenever I had the chance, I tried to incorporate appropriate ancient elements into the pictures and designs, overlaying the echoes of history and those ancient stories. And The Fall of Numenor proved to be a great opportunity to dig deeper into the rich history of the Middle-earth world. ”
Cover of The Fall of Numenore
Regarding the publication of the book, Shaun Gunner, president of the Tolkien Institution, commented: "This is definitely a great pleasure for Tolkien fans. Whether you're an audience for Amazon's new series or a loyal reader for decades, this book will take you through the 'Dark Ages' of the Second Age, revealing the unknown side of the Middle-earth world as we know it. It's not just about Sauron and the forging of the Lord of the Rings, but also about the rise and fall of numenor, the great island kingdom, and the history that underpins the world of the Lord of the Rings that we love. If you love Tolkien, or Amazon's episodes, this book is for you. ”
Editor-in-Charge: Chen Shihuai
Proofreader: Yan Zhang