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Article: A Look at Science Fiction Books
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ON BASILISK STATION by David Weber
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Dune - House Atreides by Brian Herbert and Kevin J AndersonBook review by Alan G. Scott
In his Afterword, Brian Herbert wrote that he had already started working with Kevin J. Anderson when his father's sequel to Chapterhouse: Dune was discovered. In Dune 7, the writing duo finally found Frank Herbert's vision of the series so they could write the prequel with confidence they were following the late author's ideals. |
The Hobbit is an adventure story written by J. R. R. Tolkien about how a hobbit comes to claim a magic ring that could control all of Middle Earth. A hobbit is a lot like a dwarf, but has no beard; they are peacable, home-based creatures and don't usually go on adventures. Middle Earth is a mythical land that is home to: humans, hobbits, dwarfs, talking eagles, orcs, wizards, and many other creatures that you will encounter in this book.
In the land of the Shire, hobbits prefer to live in holes in the ground. But they are not dirty creatures. Even though they live in the dirt, they love to stay clean and tidy. The adventure starts when Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, is having tea outside his hobbit hole on his porch. A wizard named Gandalf comes to his door-step and tells Bilbo that he has been chosen to go on a magnificent quest. Bilbo is not sure what to make out of all of this, so he tells Gandalf that hobbits do not like to be disturbed with talk about adventures and quests.
The next morning Bilbo sees Gandalf again, along with twelve dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain. The dwarfs come into the house, at Gandalf's invitation, not Bilbo's, chattering and making a mess. As the initial excitement slowly subsides, Gandalf starts with the reason why he and the dwarves have come in the first place. A long time ago, Thorin's father was King Under the Mountain, until one day the dragon named Smaug came and burned everything to the ground, routed the dwarves and made the mountain its home. This quest is to take back the mountain, kill the dragon, and let Thorin take his rightful place as King under the Mountain.
That is where the grand adventure begins; you will have to read the book to find out what happens to Bilbo Baggins and the rest of the group, and how Bilbo gets the Magical Ring. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action and fighting. The only thing that is not in this book is romance. Bilbo has many adventures in this book. If you enjoy this book, you are in luck -- as this story is the prologue to a trilogy of books called The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. The other books are about how Frodo Baggins, Bilbo\'s nephew, must destroy his uncle's magic ring before the evil takes over Middle Earth. I really hope you enjoy this book, and will read all the others.
In 1912 A Princess of Mars was first published in serial form in a publication called "All Story," and the novel has been in print ever since. This was the first novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs who went on to enjoy a prolific career as a pulp writer. A Princess of Mars has long been considered a classic of science fiction and fantasy, and offers readers generations after its creation an epic story, an alien world, and John Carter, gentleman of Virginia who is the quintessential fast-punching, sword-slashing, gun-toting, and ship-flying hero.
The story opens on Earth where John Carter is gold prospecting in Arizona after the Civil War. He does not survive an altercation with Apache warriors, but death for John Carter transports him to Mars, where he awakens among the fearsome race of green men. The green men stand fifteen feet tall, have six limbs and tusks, and they value strength and violence. To be strong is everything and weakness soon perishes if it is allowed to be born at all.
This cruel, war-like, and nomadic race is the product of the severe environment of Mars, which is a dying planet. Its seas have dried up and the air is thin. In fact, the atmosphere is only maintained by colossal air-pumping technology.
While a prisoner of the green men, John Carter learns the language and strives to adapt to his strange surroundings. He survives only because of his superior strength that results from the lower gravity of Mars where his Earthling physique allows him to jump fifty feet and kill with a single punch.
As the title of the story indicates, a princess soon enters the plot. Her name is Dejah Thoris and she is from the race of red men, who are humanoid. She is brilliant and honorable, and these traits combined with her beauty quickly make her the object of John Carter's devotion. 
The romantic element of this novel gives the swashbuckling adventure emotional depth. Due to the period in which it was written, it does not have any overt sexual scenes, but the timeless qualities of lofty speeches declaring love and heroic deeds inspired by a beautiful woman satisfy romantic cravings.
The story does have a few shortcomings that stem from an obvious lack of careful planning of details necessary to moving the adventure along. The cast of characters tend to fall together into situations with tremendous convenience, and people will pop up at just the right moments and know just the right things, like where a secret passage is. But these flaws are trifling compared to the magnificent world building accomplished by the author. And the action never fails to deliver. Great battles with hundreds of thousands of warriors and massive fleets of airships are vividly portrayed, summoning visions for the reader akin to watching a Star Wars movie.
Together John Carter and Dejah Thoris make one of science fiction's great power couples. Their high stakes adventures in which they face awful tortures by heartless warlords and whole cities fall beneath looting hordes will reward readers with wonderful entertainment.
About the Author: This book review was written by Tracy Falbe, who produces A Princess of Mars ebook in six DRM-free formats in the Ebook Classics section at Falbe Publishing. http://www.falbepublishing.com
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Let me ask you this question. Suppose you picked up a science fiction book. And you read it through. If you for the life of you, couldn't tell from the body of the book when it was written and published. And it was pretty darn fun and entertaining to read plus a little politics thrown in. Wouldn't you say that this was a great SF book if I told you it was written forty or fifty years ago?
Absolutely! And that is why Robert A Heinlein (RAH) was so great. He wrote all his classic science fiction books decades ago and passed away in 1988 at the grand old age of 80. He lived a good life and wrote about 32 full SF books in his writing career.
And there is no way I could even come close to reviewing all his best books in one article. So I'm going to talk about a couple of my favorite books and then hopefully I can inspire you to do look at his other books too.
But let me preface Robert for a second here. Robert was a Libertarian which is a political belief that our government should be smaller and less intrusive. That we are responsible for our own destiny. And the United States Constitution is the only rule of law.
And when you read his books, you are going to come across some of his ideas. Robert is going to be very eloquent and passionate about conflicts that arises with overbearing governments. Such as the case for the book, "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress." Without spoiling the story for you, I'm just going to set it up. It involves a people that live in the Moon. Most of them were banished from the Earth for one reason or another. And the Earth is a dominant economic force that manipulates and got rich off the labor and efforts of the folks living in the Moon.
And there will be a crisis happening if the Lunar folks don't do something about it. And they decide to revolt and Earth has all the heavy weapons and spaceships. So what happens now? Well, THAT my friends, I leave up to you to read the book.
Another book of Robert Heinlein that I really enjoyed was the Starship Troopers. It was a coming of age story about a war against the bugs. Yeah, I know you are thinking of the movie. And yeah, that movie was based on the book. But like most movies based on the book - the book is way, way better.
So get the book and read it. It is a very good read.
Did you know that science fiction writers are really better at predicting the future than all the thinkers at the government think tanks? Well, it is certainly true in my belief. Here's another thing, Robert Heinlein invested the waterbed in one of his SF novels. But he never made a dime off of it.
I hope I got you inspired to read some of Robert A. Heinlein's books. I think you will be glad you did. And if there is someone that you know is a big science fiction reader, one or two of RAH's books will make a very nice present or gift.
Visit http://www.ChristmasPlanningIdeas.com for more ideas for shopping this holiday and planning to avoid the Christmas stress and enjoy the holidays.
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Time travel has mystified people for generations. Mark Twain wrote about it, science fiction stories abound. Real physicists are either dismissive, ambivalent, or supportive of the possibility. Time travel stories account for some great science fiction movies including "Time Cop," "The Time Machine," "Primer," and "A Connecticut Rabbit in King Arthur's court."
A time travel story has several key elements. Let's begin with the most crucial, "the Time Machine." Wells understood the centrality of the machine by naming his book after it. What is a time travel story without a time machine? It's probably boring. Think about "Terminator." Yes, I know it's about robots from the future. But there isn't actually any time travel in any of the 3 movies after the first few scenes. We never know if they really changed the future, we think so, we anticipate it. But the never-ending sequels continue to imply not. 
Compare this with "Time Cop" where characters are flitting back and forth creating paradoxes and preventing them and the story has a real ending. Star Trek has some good time travel stories, but their time machine falls flat. It's the exact same spaceship they use everyday. "Primer" is an outstanding movie where the protagonists actually build the time machine, use it, and put one time machine inside another. Now that's quality scifi.
The next key element is some type of paradox. The time traveler is trying to cause or prevent a paradox which threatens disaster, or prevents one. In the sound of thunder the hero travels back in time to try to stop the death of a butterfly. In "Time Cop" thugs are getting rich off of stock investments. In "Back to the Future" Marty's entire life unravels, and re-ravels.
Finally, time travel stories have to have some tension. Something surprising must be learned, history is not what we thought, a time traveler stayed in the past to become Leonardo da Vinci. There must be a resolution.
About the Author: Sean OBrien is a new science fiction writer. His stories focus on time travel, FTL travel, and aliens. Sean's novel will be ready for publication in early 2009. His stories can be found at http://www.spacetimestories.com
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The Gypsy Morph is the third and final novel in Terry Brooks' series, "The Genesis of Shannara." This is not a stand-alone book and readers would be confused and lost without having read the previous two books in the series, The Children of Armegeddon (published in 2006) and Elves of Cintra (published in 2007). This most recent book was released in August, 2008.
Like so many other fantasy books, the plot of this story is a quest undertaken by a hero with extra-human qualities. This story is set on a futuristic earth, but not the far-distant future, and the action takes place in the northwest United States. The cities are in ruins, but the names are familiar. In this story, the world of humans is coming to an end and the demons are taking over. The gypsy morph, Hawk, is a magical child that must rally the humans, the elves and other creatures against the demons, and he leads these remnants of our civilization to a place of safety, a would-be promised land of sorts. Once there, the gypsy morph child uses magic to seal the valley sanctuary off from the rest of the planet, abandoning the outside world to the demons.
Angel Perez, a 'Knight of the Word,' has been sent to bring the elves to the gypsy morph. Through elven magic, the city of the elves is to be concealed inside a small stone called the "Loden Elfstone." Angel has been severely wounded in a battle with the demons at the end of the previous book in the series, so she is left to heal while her elven companions, Kirisin and Simralin, journey to the elven city of Arborlon where a demon army is waiting to destroy the city. There, the elven King is finally convinced that the Arborlon must be moved into the safety of the Loden Elfstone so that it can be carried to Hawk, the gypsy morph, and safety. Once a safe place is established, the elves will reverse the magic to restore the city inside the stone to its original size.
When one of the demon armies catches up with the refugees, Hawk uses his magic to create a massive earthquake to swallow the demon forces. Eventually, the company arrives at a valley. The elf city Arborlon is released from the Loden Elfstone intact. Hawk then leaves his friends and climbs to a lookout point where he uses his magic to generate a mist that envelopes the entire valley and him as well. The world outside is devastated, along with the demon armies, while the refugees remain safe in the valley within the bubble of Hawk's wild magic.
In The Gypsy Morph, and the series, "The Genesis of Shannara," Brooks is attempting to link together his two classic fantasy series; "The Knight of the Word" series which consists of three books, and the "Shannara" series which is extensive. Since these two series were written independently and don�t appear to go together, this attempt to link them is a bit of a reach. Nevertheless, for readers who have enjoyed the works of Terry Brooks, this new series and this latest book contain many of the familiar themes of magical quests and conflicts between good and evil. In the realm of fantasy books, Terry Brooks has produced this capstone work that is sure to become a new favorite in a growing series of adventure storybooks. To appreciate this book, the reader must start with the earlier books in the series, and may want to begin with some of Brooks' earlier writings. The author has a suggested reading order on his website (www.TerryBrooks.net). For fantasy book enthusiasts, this is a happy task that may keep one s reading list full for many delight-filled hours.
Paul Wamack is an avid reader of fantasy books, and just loves to take these stories along in the car with the audiobooks.
Arthur C. Clarke and Frederick Pohl are two of the Giants of Science Fiction. 2001 A Space Odyssey is one of Mr. Clarke's works and Gateway by Frederick Pohl is one of my favorite books. I still remember when I was a youngster being blown away about Gateway. So now these two fine creative men have joined together for the first time. That can be a good thing, yet it can be a bad thing as well, when two writers put heads together. Writers aren't known for being 'easy to get along with', and collaborations, especially at this level are prickly at best! These two have never written together before so I went into this venture (The Last Theorem) with a hopeful attitude. To be honest I'm a bit mystified by the whole thing.
Two Great Writers... Are two heads better than one?
Ranjit Subramanian is introduced to us as a young man just barely of college age. He is described as somewhat as a loner but appears to be highly regarded by those who know him. Ranjit appears to be uncomfortable in his college and with his college classes. He does consider himself to be a Mathematician and has some difficulty with his other courses and teachers. Ranjit's best friend, Gamini is well off and the two are even described as having a sexual relationship. This was interesting to me as Science Fiction usually has some trouble with this particular subject, and coming from these two masters of the craft I was beginning to wonder if they were gonna, "go for it", as it were. I must mention also that the action takes place in Sri Lanka.
At any rate the writers let us know rather quickly that Ranjit is obsessed with mathematician Pierre de Fermat's famous Theorem which he wrote in the margin of one of his books that he proved. Ever since then Mathematician's have raced to discover the actual proof of Mr. Fermat's Theorem. It's quite clear that Fermat did know the answer to proving his Theorem but realized that it would be long which is why he mentions on the margin that it was long. Hence Fermat's Theorem has been proved in real life and only recently by Andrew Wiles in 94, which was about 150 pages.
So therefore, in the book, Ranjit eventually is able to solve the Theorem in 3 pages! He is lauded as a Genius. That's actually the crux of the entire book as far as the main character goes. There is also some scant mention of the "Grand Galactics" a omniscient race who appear to want to exterminate humanity. This odd inclusion into the book is often only a paragraph or two at the end of each chapter. I suppose this was the Science Fiction part of this book.
Oddly enough the book 'feels' promising for the first 60 or so pages, you sort of expect something interesting to happen to Ranjit and something does happen, but it's a really poor trick on the reader as Ranjit is kidnapped for a number of years. This suffering is used as a device, in this case, to denote the time needed for Ranjit to solve Mr. Fermat's Theorem. This is a cheap trick and way beneath such writers as these! I was pretty surprised as the writers really weren't able to bring Ranjit into the actual light as it were. It's actually difficult to have much feeling for him as this happens, then that, then this... it's as if a lot of typewriting is going on between these two writers.
The writing itself, of course, is top notch, it's really quite fine to reconnect with two old souls of the craft, Clarke and Pohl, they simply have a way of clarity and purpose that is beyond the ordinary mortal writer. Even a laundry list from these two would make it to a bestseller list! So it is rather unhappy for me that I have to down this work in this manner. The Last Theorem is a book that doesn't work and I can only steer you away from it.
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Science fiction books have been my favorite reading since my childhood days. I was introduced to the world of science fiction at the good young age of eight, when I was introduced to a science fiction book club. We children enjoyed good time reading classics like "The Time Machine", "Invisible Man", Journey to the Center of the Earth", and a whole lot of science fiction books. The experience of reading them was so unique that I can't really forget the story line and characters in space operas like "Citizen of the Galaxy" by Robert A. Heinlein, "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card, etc.
I always liked to anticipate the unpredictable, to see the future. It is the epic scope of the science fiction books that attracted me. The books of a specific kind called speculative fiction try to tell today what the world looks like tomorrow. Space opera captured my childhood fantasy and still continues to. Whole galaxies lining up for a war, one party to establish supremacy and the other one defending their ground; there is suspense, thriller, unpredictability, and everything you need to unleash your fantasy. Alien races from a different dimension, prophecies, betrayal, love, honor, etc made science fiction books playing with my emotions for many years now.
Many that become sci-fi lovers asked me suggestions on science fiction books. My advice to them is to browse through collections. Science fiction books are the best categorized form of fiction writing. There come dozens of new collections every year. You can find them in different combinations. While making you choice from among the variety of available science fiction books, always make it a practice to skim through the content. At first read excerpts from all science fiction genre, and without much delay you will identify the science fiction books that are really suited for your taste. Just go with your heart - do you find it interesting to read a story? Pick it. Do you find the storyline tough? Drop it. It is that simple to make your choice.
Fantasy books sometimes overlap with science fiction books, although they are always not the same. If you have a taste of fantasy, chances are higher that you have a heart for sci-fi too and vice versa. You can clearly distinguish between fantasy and sci-fi in most cases, but there are no rules to distinguish them. Harry Potter series is pure fantasy while Time Machine is purely sci-fi. Fantasy books come with some magic, supernatural powers etc, while sci-fi characters are made more believable by defining technology, timelines and possibilities and the topics sci-fi writers choose generally will be of interest by common man.
The Tombs of Atuan is the second book in LeGuin's Earthsea series of books. At less than 150 pages in length it is a small yet magical book that is suitable for children and adults. This is a perfect book for bedtime stories or if you want something light that won't take a year to finish.
The story of this book is pretty straight forward and about a young girl named Tenar who is taken away from her family at the age of five. She has been determined to be a reincarnated priestess and is brought to the tombs of Atuan to fulfill her role as she has supposedly done for a thousand years.
One very remarkable thing about this story is the immense and complex labyrinth that lies under the temple of Atuan. This labyrinth is the central part of the story and holds many secrets and many treasures. Tenar spends much of her time wandering the dark corridors of this labyrinth and as a reader you will find yourself flipping to the map of the labyrinth at the front of the book. You will be drawn into the labyrinth and you will refer to the map often to track Tenar's progress as she explores the treasure room, the painted room, the room of bones, and much more.
This story starts out gentle and slow and it takes a little time to really get the feel for the main character and for what is happening but after thirty or forty pages you are going to come to the realization that you have come under the influence of quite a remarkable spell of writing that has been cast upon you. This book, and this story is just remarkable in its beauty. If you love fantasy and are looking for something special to read then I recommend this book highly.
About the World
The story takes place on one small island in a large world called the Archipelago of Earthsea. It is a vast array of islands that are populated with many different people and cultures. Some of the islands even have dragons.
Does the story stand alone?
Being the second book in a series of books the question comes up as to whether or not the book can be read alone without reading the other books and the answer to that question is yes. It can be thoroughly enjoyed as a sole reading adventure. Everything in the story ties up very neatly by the last page. But a character in the first novel of the series (A Wizard of Earthsea) plays a central role in this second novel. I do highly recommend you read the Wizard of Earthsea before you read this novel.
The books have been reprinted many times and you can purchase the first three books as a complete set. And there are currently six books in the Earthsea cycle. The Other Wind is the sixth book and it was published in 2003. You will be drawn into the world of the archipelago and Earth Sea because things happen in this book that have an effect on the rest of the world and you are going to want to explore more of the world that LeGuin has masterfully crafted.
Theme and the Story within the Story
The book can be characterized as a young girl's coming of age story but it is much more than that. It probes into the questions of reincarnation, balance and harmony in the world, and through the metaphor of the labyrinth it peeks into the mystery of everything. All of this is packed into 150 pages? Yes, and more. The book itself is a perfect example of a central theme of Earthsea - words and names are important. More words don't mean much. What is really important is the right words, and the right names of things. And LeGuin parallels this perfectly in this novel. It does in 150 pages what is often attempted in 800 pages.
For more reviews and Guides to Fantasy books visit the author's website: The Fantasy Guide - Your guide to Fantasy Books. Will Kalif is the author of two epic fantasy novels and a fan of all things fantasy and medieval. You can check out his blog on these subjects at: Heroic Dreams
The Pawn of Prophecy is the first book of a series by David Eddings called, "The Belgariad." Like most fantasy novels, this story is a quest. It is set in a mythical land somewhere during an age of knights in armor and swords, similar in technology to The Middle Ages, but the physical setting shares no recognizable geographical landmarks or proximity with our own world. With more than just different names for continents and mountain ranges, Eddings has built a different world that is subtly yet distinctively different from this planet. The history and folklore of this new world are wholly unlike the tales from the history of our Earth.
The main character, named Garion, is an orphaned farm boy who has been raised by his Aunt Pol. A peasant of very humble beginnings, Garion becomes swept up into an epic confrontation between good and evil. One day, while Garion is still a young teenager, Aunt Pol's father, a storyteller, arrives at the farm with news. Aunt Pol and her father must undertake a journey, opting to take Garion and the farm's blacksmith with them. They seek to reclaim a magical orb that was formed by one of the seven gods who created their world. Calamitously, the magical orb has been stolen by an evil magician, thus jeopardizing their entire civilization. Along the road, the company is joined by two more members, a devious scoundrel called Silk and a Viking-like warrior named Barak. Throughout the development of the story, Garion becomes increasingly concerned that he is out of his element and that his Aunt Pol is not really a relative of his at all. He suspects that she is actually a powerful sorceress well known by kings and queens. Moreover, instead of being thrilled or awed when he finds himself before these royal courts, Garion whines and longs for the simpler days of his youth and his familiar farm.
Aunt Pol has a vile temper and a sharp tongue. Her father, an apparent vagabond and philanderer, drinks too much and likes the ladies. He also lies, cheats and steals, as does the scoundrel Silk. As the story progresses, Garion discovers that few of these characters are what they appear to be. The continuing string of revelations helps move the plot forward, but perplexes Garion and throws him repeatedly off balance.
This book is easy to read with a simple plot that sets up the beginning of a longer quest. The character development is not intricate or complex. Although the characters are imperfect, their flaws add to the entertainment within the story. The storyline is plain and straightforward. There is magic, much magic, like most fantasy works, but this is not a dark magic and the story has much good humor. The sequence of events moves easily and quickly, without surprises or interwoven subplots, holding the reader s attention with action, not analysis.
Paul Wamack is an avid reader of fantasy books, and just loves to take these stories along in the car with the audiobooks. Check back on this site often to see what else Paul is reading!
The Star Trek fans are alive and well to this day, Gene Roddenberry would be proud indeed. Although he died in October of 1991, it seems his fans have taken his brand and made it into a cult like following, propelling the future through Science Fiction.
In fact, if you want to learn more about it and see where all this has led then you owe it to yourself to read a bit of the Best of Trek. And to help introduce this to you, let me recommend an excellent read, a paperback book that will illustrate this point. The book is:
"The Best of Trek # 12" from the Magazine for Star Trek; edited by Walter Irwin and G.B. Love; Signet; New York, NY. 1987.
This is a collection of great Science Fiction writing around the USS Enterprise and Star Trek theme. The book goes into the science behind the movie and the psychology of the characters and the current space mission in the US. It puts together pieces and allows Star Trek to live on. Most everything is hypothetical and yet, rational, but speculative.
The past, present, future all come alive or rather stay alive. Putting the hot topics of the Star Trek magazine into a book and into full perspective is totally cool and it is done so professionally, it's almost as if it has created a paperback book rivaling the Online "Second Life" and thus, it is worthy of reading from cover to cover. You'll love it, so please think on this.
Lance Winslow enjoys community philanthropy - Lance Winslow likes small business Lance Winslow has also been involved in the Oil Industry; http://www.oilchangeguys.com/aboutus.shtml
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Ever wondered what the best science fiction books are? Well the selection out there is massive and people's opinions will differ according to taste. If you do an online search, you will soon see that the best science fiction books can be any of many.
We will show you in this article what has been commonly listed as being the best science fiction books of all time.
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1. HG Wells The Time Machine: The Time Machine was first published in 1895 and is indeed one of the oldest and best science fiction books ever wrote. It is over 100 years old, but the story is just as exciting to read now, as it would have been then. HG Wells was the first person to ever make us think that it could be possible to create a machine that could jump through time.
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2. Arthur C Clarke's 2001 A Space Odyssey: The Stanley Kubrick movie classic was released at the same time as the book. The movie is great, but without Arthur C Clarke's masterpiece it could never have made the transition into film. For this reason there is no doubt that this stands up as an all time classic and deserves to be so.
3. Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy By D. Adams: Douglas Adams has always been able to put a totally unique style into his writing that I have yet to see replicated by anyone else to the quality that this book has displayed. It is an all time great no question, and his unusual sense of humour that is shown in his books have built up a massive fan base over the years. It all starts with Arthur Dent trying to stop his house from being demolished, to earth's destruction, to finding out the answer to the ultimate question. Great Stuff!
If you would like to learn more about the best science fiction books around today visit http://scifimemorabilia.com/ and discover a whole world of sci-fi books, memorabilia and info.
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The Children of Hurin, a new book of fiction set in J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional land of Middle-earth, first arrived in bookstores on April 17, 2007. How? J.R.R. Tolkien passed away on September 2, 1973.
Whenever a new book arrives by a long-dead author, certain inevitable questions crop up. Is this a newly-discovered manuscript, found boxed away in a dusty attic? Is it even new material at all, or simply a repackaging of previously published material? Or is it even (sacrilegiously) not even written by the said author, but marketed under his/her name for the purposes of sales and popularity?
Thankfully, The Children of Hurin does not fall into the last category. It is entirely written by J.R.R. Tolkien (outside of a few minor editorial changes). Those who are aware of Tolkien's earlier mythology (published in The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales) already knew at least part of the tale of Turin Turambar and the rest of Hurin's cursed family.
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Christopher Tolkien (J.R.R. Tolkien's son and also the editor of all of his father's posthumously published material) merely pieced together the numerous versions and scattered pieces of the story that already existed, creating a single coherent story.
The Children of Hurin does not contain much new material. Most of the tale that appears here was published previously, in the aforementioned books as well as the twelve-volume History of Middle-Earth series, which consisted of Tolkien unfinished stories and notes.
The world became familiar with Middle-earth through The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and those who delved into Tolkien's further writings became aware of the tremendous depth that Tolkien had created when building his fictional world.
The events in The Lord of the Rings take place in the Third Age of Middle-earth. Tolkien had begun writing tales of his fictional world as much as twenty years before he began writing The Lord of the Rings, and he already had an established background history, from a creation story through the First and Second Ages.
J.R.R. Tolkien's early tales focused primarily upon the First Age, especially three tales known as his "Great Three". "The Tale of the Children of Hurin" was one of these "Great Three", and the tale most near to complete.
The other two major tales, "The Tale of Beren & Luthien" and "Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin", are much more fragmentary, with quite obvious holes in the narrative.
"The Tale of the Children of Hurin" appears in various degrees of completeness in The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales, and other small discarded fragments of the story appeared in The Book of Lost Tales, Part II and The War of the Jewels, volumes II and XI of The History of Middle-Earth.
This new version of The Children of Hurin is an attempt to publish a single, unbroken narrative of the story from beginning to end. The version told in The Silmarillion was little more than an overview, and the more complete version given in Unfinished Tales omits some important pieces of the story. It is also broken up by distracting editorial commentary.
And it works. Publishing the tale in complete form, without confusing editorial notes and breaks in the narrative, allows the reader to fall headlong into Tolkien's created world. That is exactly how the story is intended to be given.
But readers beware! The Children of Hurin is not a stroll through the green shire. There are no cuddly hobbits or Tom Bombadils to brighten the story. It is dark and mournful, resembling the Finnish and Norse mythology that inspired it as much as much as the green world of Frodo and Bilbo. Pride, anger, suicide, and even incest are part and parcel of the tale, and the heroes seldom ride into a happily-ever-after.
The Children of Hurin tells the story of Turin Turambar, the son of the great warriors of men. When Turin is a child, his father leaves to join a great alliance of men and elves to do battle against Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. By way of reference, Sauron (the great Dark Lord of the Lord of the Rings) is merely one of Morgoth's lieutenants.
The battle does not go as anticipated ... the alliance is routed and Hurin is taken prisoner by the Dark Lord. Hurin possesses knowledge that Morgoth needs, but he mocks the Dark Lord instead. Thus Morgoth places Hurin and all his offspring under a curse. He sets Hurin high on a hill and gives him sight so that he can watch the curse play out on his helpless progeny.
Turin grows up to become one of the greatest warriors of the realm, but all of his choices turn to ill. Misfortune and poor decisions haunt the hero throughout his life, and his overwhelming pride plays a defining role.
The Children of Hurin does not possess the lighthearted charm of The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, but it is an immensely readable and powerful story that belongs on the reading list of any fan of Tolkien, fantasy, or great literature in general.
For more in-depth information on J.R.R. Tolkien's life and writings, visit the author's website at JRR Tolkien Online
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This is an older book by a very incredible author, Arthur C. Clarke. It is a great Sci-Fi novel that captures your imagination and actually has some influence on movies like District 9, Independence Day, Signs, etc. in that a giant space ship appears over major cities in the world.
Clarke is such a prolific and important author of our time. 2001: A Space Odyssey, and 2010: Odyssey 2 were major hits for him as they were turned into Hollywood movies.
Childhood's End was written in 1952. The aliens are called Over Lords. By the way, I won't give anything important away but it is a must read. So they have a few demands and it is known that they are militarily and in all other ways superior to man. What they want is an end to war, an end to poverty and a unity of mankind.
There is a very definite, underlying motive that starts to manifest as you read the book and it is quite startling when it is finally revealed.
Some of the interesting points that occur are how they finally get the middle East to stop fighting with each other after many warnings. Or how they stop bull fighting as something cruel. He (Arthur C. Clarke) puts in some very interesting handlings for persisting problems on earth.
Another interesting point is that the aliens never show themselves until the current generation... Well read the book and see for yourself. I feel it would be unfair of me to reveal too much.
I am actually not surprised that it was never turned into a movie. You'll understand if you read it.
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