The second of the History of Middle Earth series edited by Christopher Tolkien. Here we are looking at two of the core stories of The Silmarillion, and several other narratives which were largely or completely set aside as Tolkien’s work developed. I found the very first story, “The Tale of Tinúviel”, particularly interesting. For the first time I was struck that it is a tale of love between one character with a short name starting with B and another with a longer name starting with T, whose father opposes the romance just as Tolkien’s own guardian opposed his relationship with Edith Bratt. Beren goes off to prove himself in battle and returns maimed, as Tolkien returned with trench fever from the Great War (though after his marriage rather than before). And of course Tolkien was himself always explicit that Tinúviel’s dancing in the forest was inspired by Edith dancing for him one day in 1917 when they were out in the woods near his base. His personal identification with this particular story can be seen on his tombstone. I was always a bit disappointed that the version in The Silmarillion doesn’t convey much emotional freight, but The Book of Lost Tales is worth getting for this chapter alone.
(We also meet the earliest version of Sauron, as Tivaldo the evil king of cats and servant of Melko, a counterpart to Beren’s heroic dog.)
The other story treated in depth here is “Turambar and the Foalókë”, which however has since been published in a pretty definitive format as The Children of HúrinThe Silmarillion, a lost tale that underlies a fair bit of Middle Earth mythology but never seems to have found a definite written form; one almost senses Tolkien feeling more comfortable with it inside his head, so that Bilbo and Aragorn could make in-jokes about it in Rivendell, rather than spoiling it by putting too much down on paper.
(Also a shout out for “The Fall of Gondolin”, with its gripping account of hand-to-hand combat as the city is taken.)
Despite the density of the prose I have found both Lost Tales volumes fairly quick reading, Tolkien’s prose being as fluent in his twenties as it was later in his life, and Christopher Tolkien’s annotations being complete enough to satisfy curiosity without being overwhelming. I’m glad to have got back into this series of books.
< Book of Lost Tales I ¦ Book of Lost Tales II
This may shoch other dr who fans, seeing how low this episode came, but I for me, I would go as far to say it was my second favourite. I am talking a Battlefield. I will try to justify myself. Although it’s not a great doctor who tradgedy story like The Caves of Androzani(which by the way I ranked 3rd, i’m not totally out of the ordinary) nor is it a great doctor who comedy(although there isn’t many) like The runaway bride, but it is one of the best dr who adventures, which many dr who stories are. Because it say’s everything about the doctor’s chararistic’s, and this story has many revelations, like when he is about to kill Ansylin, although I know some of that dialogue is copyed from the Happiness Patrol, it turns the tables on the doctor, there for makes it in to a full circle. Then when you think the tension is over The Brigadier points a gun at him! and his mother leaves him for dead which comes up later, when he shows up alive. Another great scene I think is at the end when the doctor talks Morgaine out of setting off the bomb brilliantly wriiten and acted, then it is followed by the revelation of that the woman that has wanted a rekonning with Arthur, king of the Brits, was actually in love with him, and he with her, but is gone. It is also brilliantly played by the main actors, Sylvester McCoy(My second favourite dr, although sometimes i question, if he is better than David tennant, because he can go from being physically comic, to very serious in a convincing way, of when he is around different people, or when a situation has changed) Sophie Aldred(Who has that brilliant sequence in the chalk circle, of trust and tension, and defensiveness, which she has always has from her background), Nicholas Courtney(His last hour, and he gives it his all) and Jean Marsh(whom has previously played as other characters on dr who, in major storylines, like the Dalek’s masterplan, she gives gravitas to this role, in a great way that doesn’t come over at all as hammy acting, she is much like sheila hancock who played in happiness patrol). It even sets up a new unit, led by a new brigadier, who is a woman like Magambo, from Turn Left and Planet of the Dead.
This episode also has some great action sequences(a little cheesy, I admit) and the destroyer looks brilliant, I think better than some cgi monsters in the new series.
I think the episodes that should be but lower, are the ones not included in the top 200, like The vampires in venice, and the curse of the blackspot, as well as other matt smith episodes, although has done a few great episodes, they’re have been some really simple episode story lines, with no drama to them, or meat to them. I think they give episodes based in the past a bad look. But mu number one is also not on the top 200, but it would be David Tennant’s final call, for reason’s i’ll not explin as i have given them in why I loved Battlefield of, brilliant main actors(David, Berney, Jon ‘n’ Tim)Revelation scenes(Who dies?, Lived too long) So there you go, i have other preferances on the top 200, but they’re my main ones i would like to get out there.