I started this book in 2022 and finally finished it (after tearing through the second season of Rings of Power lol)! Given the historical-text feel, this is not a fantasy book for the faint of heart or for the passive Tolkien fan. There are so many complicated histories and family trees pieced together into a patchwork quilt of a novel by Tolkien’s son posthumously. I’m convinced that the only reason I got through the entire book this time is because I listened to the audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis (as recommended by a coworker) who has an extremely engaging voice! It also helped that I found a wonderful podcast (That’s What I’m Tolkien About) last year which has a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of the book, so I followed each chapter with a podcast episode to make sure I’d fully comprehended the events as they unfolded. It certainly saved me a lot of time and grief.

This is the type of book that I would revisit in little bits and pieces. Not every chapter was spectacular or particularly interesting to me, but there were so many little stories told throughout that I know I’d revisit for comfort! It’s like a Middle Earth storybook, honestly. I may be late to the game, but that’s another successful Tolkien tome off my list of (personally-assigned) required reading!