Yes, there is a new Tolkien book just out, but it’s not by J. R. R. Tolkien but his grandson, Simon Tolkien, a barrister in London. It’s a legal thriller called Final Witness, published as a hardcover at $24.95.
The publisher’s blurb reads:
One summer night, two men break into an isolated manor house and kill Lady Anne Robinson. Her son, Thomas, convinces the police that his father’s beautiful personal assistant sent the killers, but Thomas is known for his overactive imagination, and he has reasons to lie.
Thomas’s father, Sir Peter Robinson, the British minister of defense, refuses to believe his son. Instead, he marries his assistant, Greta Grahame, and will be giving evidence for the defense at her trial. He will be the final witness.
Author Simon Tolkien successfully combines legal suspense and psychological tension in this sharply etched portrait of four people whose lives are changed by a murder. Alternating between the trial in London’s Central Criminal Court and private moments among the characters, Tolkien expertly describes the art of the trial, the clash between Britain’s social classes, and, most notably, the complexity of family relations.
Who is telling the truth – the new wife or the bereaved son? What will Sir Peter tell the court?
With tantalizing ambiguity, Tolkien keeps readers guessing about the true motivations of these characters until the final witness.
On the back of the book there is a personal note from Simon Tolkien which reads:
Many people may think that being related to a famous writer would make it easier to become a writer yourself, but I have found the opposite to be true. I always unconsciously felt that I would be measured against my grandfather’s huge achievement, and this kept me away from fiction for a very long time.
I have always loved The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, and my grandfather’s mastery of the art of storytelling remains an inspiration to me, but my novel is set in the world of criminal law–obviously an entirely different realm from my grandfather’s work. A courtroom is an extraordinary place. Witnesses often tell their own stories in the most dramatic fashion. My experiences as a criminal barrister in London have provided me with many ideas for stories, a wide experience of human nature, and an insider’s knowledge of the courts, which means I can make my fiction true to life.
Simon Tolkien was born in 1959, the only child of Faith and Christopher Tolkien. He was educated at Trinity College, Oxford, and lives in London with his wife Tracy, and their two children.
For more information visit http://www.SimonTolkien.com
To purchase the book jump over to Amazon.com or your local bookstore. [Purchase at Amazon]
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For the past three years WETA Digital, New Zealand’s foremost visual effects facility, has used Shake software as the primary film compositing system to handle the enormous visual effects requirements for the cinematic adaptation of Lord of the Rings. Thanks to Ringer Fan Larry for the link. [More]
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Northwest Life and Seattletimes.com recently put out a call to local “Lord of the Rings” fans and asked them to prove why they were worthy of the just-invented title Most Fervent Fan. Seattle’s Line Party co-ordinator gets a mention :). Thanks to Erin for the link. [More]
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It’s Poll time. Courtesy of Wizards of the Coast (owners of the D&D franchise) – “Who would win if Gandalf and Yoda played one-on-one basketball?” Go add your vote – the poll can be found at the bottom of the page. [More]
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Australia’s Lord Of The Rings star Miranda Otto (Eowyn) married actor boyfriend Peter O’Brien as celebrity wedding bells marked the new year. Congratulations and best wishes from all of us at TheOneRing.net, Miranda! Thanks to Eric for the link. [More]
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Here at Gaming Haven’s we often get e-mails asking for help with various elements of the Lord of the Rings Video Games. This is one such e-mail from Haveneer Joe asks us “Just how do you kill that darn Balrog!?!”
Dear Havens:
I have gotten all the way to the section where Gandalf fights the Balrog. Nothing I tried seems to work, so I checked in the book I mentioned, and they suggest hitting the Balrog a number of times with a lightning blast (not a fiery blast) and/or a staff strike; then, while the Balrog is stunned, I stab it with Glamdring (as the game itself instructs). It immediately gets up, and I have to start the whole process over again. I’ve done this up to ten or twelve times. According to the Prima Official (?) Strategy Guide, the Balrog should weaken and fall off the path; but this never seems to happen. Aragorn makes a comment “Gandalf, take this”–but I have no idea what “this” is, and when I bring Gandalf to Aragorn on the other side of the bridge, I cannot approach him and get nothing from him. I must be missing something here, since I’ve got the rhythm of restoring spirit, keeping health above fifty percent at least, casting a spell, stabbing the Balrog, backing away, and casting another spell. But the thing just won’t weaken and fall off that bridge.
Comments? Suggestions? I have spent literally two hours at least on just this one part of the game. Even following suggestions in the guide (and I have not had to do that since your comment on how to handle Old Man Tree), I get nowhere.
Thanks in advance!
Joe
Well Joe, I feel this is the second most aggravating part of the game [next to the Old Man Willow], personally I feel he shoots his fireball too soon… doesn’t give you time to heal. When Aragorn is saying “Take this” he is giving you Miruvar, the drink that gives Gandalf more magic juice, so every time you’re low on magic juice he fills you up.
The trick is to get close and staff strike, then hit him three or four times with Glamdring and run like hell. He will then shoot in a pattern of left to right. Approach and repeat about 15 times [preferably without dying]. It’s an aggravating part of the game but thats the trick, dodge… dodge… staff strike… slash slash… run… repeat. Hope this helped.
Are you stuck? Need some help? Then drop us a line here at Gaming Havens and we’ll find your answer, just drop your question into an e-mail and shoot it off to Havens@TheOneRing.net.
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