Author Elizabeth M Stephen‘s new book focuses on Aragorn the hero-king of The Lord of the Rings, although he is one of the pivotal figures of Tolkien’s mythology, a detailed examination of this popular character has been a notable omission from the spectrum of existing study. The book is published by ADC books.
Hobbit to Hero: The Making of Tolkien’s King, is a uniquely detailed study of the character “Aragorn” unraveling his evolution from hobbit ranger to Numenorean King and exploring how this unexpected transformation enabled Tolkien to fulfill some of the profound functions of his wider mythology.
Thanks to ringerspy Liz for the heads up. For details on the official book launch and for pre-ordering read more here.
This month, J.W. reviews The Atlas of Middle-earth by Karen Wynn Fonstad. Meanwhile, he tackles the tough questions (“Why three Hobbit films?” “Why was Beorn in a Lord of the Rings commercial?”) in his mailbag section below.
J.W. Braun’s Mailbag:
OK I have to ask: Lord of the Rings, over 1000 pages, three films. The Hobbit, 300 pages, three films. What’s up with that?! – James
We all listened to and read Peter Jackson’s words from Comic-Con about three possible “Hobbit,” movies carefully. But we didn’t listen to all the words and we missed a few things.
He told us. He told us — he did.
He said exactly what he meant, he said it plainly and the media and fans (and me) tried to figure out what he meant when he told us in plainness. Monday, Jackson dropped an atomic bomb of news and fandom reacted accordingly.
“The Hobbit,” adapted for the screen from the 300-page, 75-year-old book by J.R.R. Tolkien changed from from two movies to three in the blink of a Facebook post.
AMBITION
More on the words we ignored in a minute. We need to figure out when these films break, what it means for fans and websites and studios and cinema and the director, but lets not rush past the size and scope of this news. Lets not walk around Paris admiring all the cafes and churches without also pausing and noticing the big tower in the center of town.
We witnessed, the last few weeks since Comic-Con, something monumental, unprecedented, unparalleled and a little bit crazy. Jackson (and when we say “Jackson” we always mean the director and Walsh, Boyens and a team of others supporting their vision) is in unchartered territory here. Continue reading “The bold ‘Hobbit’ trilogy decision and what to expect”
In the era of digital books, music, and movies – everything seems possible. It seems the imagination is no longer a limiting factor. Bluewater Productions has published a limited-edition graphic novel biography covering the life and impact of J.R.R. Tolkien: “ORBIT: JRR TOLKIEN True Lord of the Rings” Originally released in May and sold exclusively through comic book shops, its now for sale on iTunes.
Authors Michael Lent and Brian McCarthy researched Tolkien’s life in great detail “We’re definitely fans,” artist Luis Chichón said “But we wanted to make sure readers get full measure of the man. That beyond his work in fantasy he was a fragile World War I veteran, well-respected philologist and university professor…all of which played a part in his creation of Middle Earth.”
For lovers and collectors of movie tie-in books, Houghton Mifflin is releasing a slew of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey tie-in books for adults and kids over the coming months. Veteran collectors will note the involvement of Jude Fisher and Brian Sibley.
However, the first of these is a movie tie-in edition of The Hobbit published by Mariner books that will debut on September 18. If the prints of the “movie” versions of the Lord of the Rings are a good guide (and we are pretty sure they are), the text will remain the same, with the cover an iconic image taken from the film.
Houghton Mifflin sent a full list list to reviews.libraryjournal.com of the of books will hit bookstores on November 6.
Author Elizabeth M Stephen‘s new book focuses on Aragorn the hero-king of The Lord of the Rings, although he is one of the pivotal figures of Tolkien’s mythology, a detailed examination of this popular character has been a notable omission from the spectrum of existing study. The book is published by ADC books.
