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Liked It “This book has very different aspects and you get to know J.R.R. Tolkiens writing better the more you read it. It is very interesting to read.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“I am LOVING this book. Even the introduction was informative and kept my attention! But, it's Tolkien...can't help it. ”
Melanie T wrote this review Thursday, August 6 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I wanted to give this book a 4 star rating, however, i gave it 3 becoz of Tom bombadil poems, which was intriguing to read.”
Randa Ali wrote this review Friday, July 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This book has very different aspects and you get to know J.R.R. Tolkiens writing better the more you read it. It is very interesting to read. ”
Meredith C wrote this review Sunday, April 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Containing all of Tolkien's original, non-Middle-earth stories, the contents of Tales from the Perilous Realm have one vague theme in common: they all take place in, on the outskirts of, or in places closely resembling Faëry, the "Perilous Realm" itself, what Chesterton called "the sunny country of common sense", a land of magic, beauty, and meaning but also of danger, the forbidden, and arbitrary taboos. Roverandom is a delightful children's story written on the occasion of Tolkien's son's toy dog going missing; Farmer Giles of Ham is quite similar in tone and style to The Hobbit, and tells a story of how a plain and simple farmer, through luck and courage and the help of his sensible mare, defeats a dragon and becomes a king; The Adventures of Tom Bombadil contains two interesting and well-crafted poems about its title character as well as several other fantastic verses; the awe-inspiring and heartbreaking Smith of Wootton Major, perhaps my favorite of the stories, describes a man's occasional journeys into Faëry and the decision he must make to pass on that privilege to another; Leaf by Niggle is an allegory of sorts on the interaction of art and the good life, a study on the concept of platonic ideals, and a whetting of the appetite for the wonders, delights and perils of the afterlife. Completing the volume is Tolkien's celebrated essay "On Fairy-stories", in which the writer and professor set down his observations and experiences with the fairy-tale as a body of folklore and as a literary genre, dispelling many of the myths that surround it (that it is only, or mainly, for children, that it is not serious, that it is mere escapism, etc.). ”
Michael wrote this review Friday, January 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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