http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200609/s1744900.htm

An unfinished book by the late author J R R Tolkien has been completed by his son Christopher and will be published early next year, he says.

Tolkien began working on The Children Of Hurin in 1918 but failed to complete it.

His son has spent about three decades completing the story from the many drafts produced by his father.

Some extracts from the book, which again features the elves and dwarves in Tolkien's three-volume Lord of the Rings masterpiece, have been previously published, but the whole story will now be pulled together in one book.

"It has seemed to me for a long time that there was a good case for presenting my father's long version of the legend of The Children Of Hurin as an independent work, between its own covers," he said in a statement.

Christopher Tolkien, who drew the distinctive maps that accompanied the Lord of the Rings and has previously edited another of his father's works, The Silmarillion, is one of the author's three surviving children.

He was opposed to the blockbuster film versions of his father's work by director Peter Jackson, which brought the tale to a worldwide audience and reaped a haul of Oscars.

"This epic story of adventure, tragedy, fellowship and heroism stands as one of the finest expressions of J R R Tolkien's skills as a storyteller," publisher HarperCollins chief executive Victoria Barnsley said.

"With a narrative as dramatic and powerful as anything contained within The Lord Of The Rings, it can now be read and enjoyed as Tolkien originally intended, and will doubtless be a revelation for millions of fans around the world."

i'll wait for the movie

i'll wait for the movie

qft

Eeek!, he edited the Silmarilion? if this goes to movie it will be like watching an episode of eat carpet!

"With a narrative as dramatic and powerful as anything contained within The Lord Of The Rings"

... dramatic? powerful? the ring was destroyed and some withered hobbit fell into lava. yeah, wow.

lord of the rings, over hyped sham of the century.

also, it was written for children, hardly a powerful narrative, not to mention the excessive use of the word "and" ...

example:

At last they rode over the downs and took the East Road, and then Merry and Pippin rode on to Buckland; and already they were singing again as they went. But Sam turned to Bywater, and so came back up the Hill, as day was ending once more. And he went on, and there was yellow light, and fire within; and the evening meal was ready, and he was expected. And Rose drew him in, and set him in his chair, and put little Elanor upon his lap.

Edit: bolded.

last edited by dice at 16:55:24 20/Sep/06

The Hobbit was writen for children "and" extrapolated for a story for grown ups when he realised it was actually quite good.

My main gripe with his writing would be going on and on about inconsequential things to the storyline though like describing a sunrise over six full pages ... UGH!!!

I never noticed the and thing before though, thats pretty shocking.

yeah that's true too, though i find robert jordan much worse when it comes to describing trivial bs ... like this:

Moriraine's room was little different from Siuan's. Her small square table, with four books lying on it, and the two cushionless straight-backed chairs could have come from the same farmhouse that had provided Siuan's. Her bed was narrower, her Illianer carpet round and flowered, and darned in several places, while on her washstand, it was the basin that had taken a blow sometime in the past. The mirror had a crack in one corner. Apart from that, they could have been the same room. She did not bother with starting a fire. She had banked her coals more carefully than Siuan, but there was no time to so much as take the edge off the room's chill.
Reaching into the back of her wardrobe, slightly larger than Siuan's but just as plain, she brought out a stout pair of shoes that made her grimace. Ugly things, made of leather much thicker than her slippers. The laces could have done to mend a saddle. But the shoes would keep her feet dry in the snow, and her slippers would not. Adding a pair of woolen stockings, she sat on the edge of her unmade bed to pull them on over those she was already wearing. For a moment, she considered donning a second shift, as well. However cold it was inside the Tower, it would be colder where she was going. But time was short. And besides, she did not want to take off her dress in that icy air. Surely recording names would be done in some sort of shelter, with a fire or a brazier for warmth. Of course it would. Most people in the camps likely would take them for sisters, just as Tamra had suggested.
Next out of the wardrobe came a narrow, worked leather belt with ..."

it just goes on and on and on and on and on about nothing. needless to say i stopped reading the page after that and haven't picked it up to actually read since.

anyone know of a novel that's actually really well written?

anyone know of a novel that's actually really well written?

yeah, tolkein's lord of the rings

it's excellently written and it's dramatic and powerful and definitely isn't an over-hyped sham and definitely wasn't written for children and is definitely a powerful narrative and doesn't, by any means, make excessive use of 'and' and above all, doesn't make the reader's eyeballs bleed by exposing them to the head-up-your-ass-so-far-you-can-wipe-it-while-cleaning-your-teeth attitude that your forum posts exude, dice

anyone except jim know of a novel that's actually really well written?

yeah, tolkein's lord of the rings

it's excellently written and it's dramatic and powerful and definitely isn't an over-hyped sham and definitely wasn't written for children and is definitely a powerful narrative and doesn't, by any means, make excessive use of 'and' and above all, doesn't make the reader's eyeballs bleed by exposing them to the head-up-your-ass-so-far-you-can-wipe-it-while-cleaning-your-teeth attitude that your forum posts exude, dice

The Davinci Code

well that settles it, thanks, i'll go get it again tomorrow

David Gemmell is good. Magician/Silverthorn/A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E Fiest are good if you're after fantasy type stuff...

yeah i've read the riftwar saga ... they've been the best so far

what has David G. written that you'd recommend?

He's got a thing for sieges, and easily his best one is his first, called Legend. I like the Waylander books as well... Swords of Night and Day was pretty good too...

Raymond E Fiest's books are lame as s***.

He creates a cool setting, with an awesome plot idea, then destroys it with a narrative written on the same level as someone in Year 9.

narrative written on the same level as someone in Year 9.

Is that actually all that bad? I know some of his later stuff is lame, but I think the first three, particularly Magician, are cool...

Gemmell's Drenai novels are by far the best I've read.

Gemmell's Drenai novels are by far the best I've read.

2nded

i just had a read through what they showed on amazon of david gerrall's legend ... kept me reading, style seems ok ... kind of playful in the beginning and not too serious, which is pretty good. it flows to the point where i don't really step outside the work and start seeing flaws instead of the story, unlike tolkien's and jordan's ... so i might give it a go.

the only problem i have with it so far is that it creates a pretty bland picture ... you know, typical old day bar scenario, lots of people drinking ... nothing special. are the scenes awe inspiring later on or are they just the standard cliches?

also are the characters interesting/intelligent or mind numbingly irritating like in harry potter?

are the scenes awe inspiring later on or are they just the standard cliches?

Yes and yes ;) Nothing like Harry Potter...

Mantra, Magician was quite good, but the rest dropped off i think.

Most of his characters are 1 dimensional, and some parts of the story are a bit cringeworthy.

Like the siege at that mountain top place, that was pretty bad.

tolkien's lord of the rings was a fantasy benchmark & pretty much created the epic fantasy genre. you aren't going to find works of literary genious in the fantasy/fiction genre as being easy to digest by someone of average education is a major selling point. i like that a lot of it is easy to read so i can pick it up where i left off with ease.
if you want complex plots & convincing characters i recommend stuff like issac asimov's foundation series or larry niven's known space series. imo david gemmel's books have reasonably predictable plots but great characters & combat descriptions. i still love 'em though :D as a lot of reading fiction is about the escapism into your imagination & the author needs to make that transition smooth.

I've never really gotten into Fantasy series because they're all too drawn out.
However!
The Power of One is a pretty excellent book. Read that if you havn't already.

I also like the way Ben Elton writes. Check out Popcorn or High Society.

i agree with nf

as for lotr: How it should have ended

In Feist's other stuff he sets up a decent story then doesn't know how to end it. I stopped reading when some guys were escaping on a boat from having nearly completed it and a dragon came after them. Can't remember if they made it back or not, but that's when i realised he was done.

Like the stuff he did with that Wurts(?) woman. The political side was interesting.

My favourite novel of all time is The Stand by you know who. The story parallels lotr quite a bit except it isn't s***.

lotr movies are the only movies I have ever seen that were better than the book.

[Tolkien Book of Epic]

Check out some stuff written by Stephen Donaldson as well, not the Thomas covenant chronicles as I feel they are pretty much something he did to work out how to write fantasy and didn't quite pull it off in themselves.

Look at Mordants need: The mirror of her dreams and A man rides through for good story and character driven fantasy.

Also look at The gap series: The Gap into Conflict: The Real Story (1990), The Gap into Vision: Forbidden Knowledge (1991), The Gap into Power: A Dark and Hungry God Arises (1992), The Gap into Madness: Chaos and Disorder (1993), and The Gap into Ruin: This Day All Gods Die (1994).

Best Sci-fi series EVAR!, Every character is exceptional in how he or she is written and the story and their f***ed up lives and mental issues will draw you right in!
Definately no kids themes here when theres abuse both physical, mental and sexual, murder, rape and torture as fairly common aspects in the storyline.

I cannot reccomend the series enough and am reading it again myself :D (for the fifth time).

last edited by Xy at 01:59:42 21/Sep/06

qft

qft

the nights dawn trilogy by peter f hamilton > *

i agree crusher

i want to get a set of those books and vacuum seal them for all eternity

in no way or form am i promoting scientology or condoing, but L. ron hubbards books f***ing rule. battlefield eath for example. s*** movie though.

I've always been a fan of David Eddings, with belgerath etc.. finished that series and reading Silverthorn now.

fiest ftw :p

The name of this thread should be changed to "Another book about people walking".

READ people! READ

It's actually David & Leigh Eddings.

eddings' books are alright but the characters are so goddam childish half the time

In Feist's other stuff he sets up a decent story then doesn't know how to end it. I stopped reading when some guys were escaping on a boat from having nearly completed it and a dragon came after them. Can't remember if they made it back or not, but that's when i realised he was done.

yeah i think you summed it up better than i did, the endings of most of his novels seem rushed, and he tidies up lose ends really lamely.

the end of the 3rd riftwar book was like that, and it put me off reading anymore of his books.

I would have to say the magician rocked my world pretty hardcore!
Reading fantasy for a good 12 years, it would be the best book ive read!
Silverthorn was a bit eh. The 3rd was pretty good, but not as good as the magician.
I have finished the first 2 of the Empire series, and they are pretty f***ing awesome too! Have to wait tll end of semester until i can finish the 3rd in the series :(

I recent finished Eddings Begariad and the 2nd one. And it was a bit too predictable for my liking. Was still pretty good though.

I have a big soft spot for Feist as well since it was the first "big" fantasy series I ever read (The riftwar saga) but unfortunately as things go on he keeps bringing in bigger and badder foes untill it's just impossible for him to write a story about a conflict with them.

*Spoiler in case you don't know what happens eventually and plan on reading all the books to do with the saga*
 Introducing a god of gods that can't even be thought about or instantly fall under his power no matter how strong a mortal you are doesn't make for a very exciting matchup and it shows since it was basically left hanging on that note with the good guys vowing to try and stop his minions and erasing their memories of him to be able to do so.
I really eanjoy all the sideline books though like betrayal at krondor since with characters like Jimmy he didn't have to try and make foes so powerful to face off against people like Pug in the storyline and it allowed him to get back to his writing style roots in the magician with flashy swordsman and sneaky thieves. 

I honestly don't see what the big deal about Magician is. It's an alright story, but over all I'd rate it as being pretty average.

George R.R Martin's "A Song Of Ice And Fire" series ~ last book(s?) still being written.
Best adult/heroic fantasy I have ever read. First series in a long long time that I've loved the bad guys as much as the good guys and he throws in some real twists that you don't see coming (which is refreshing)

Also, the "Sword of Truth" series by Terry Goodkind
Robin Hobbs is another decent writer (f*** she makes her characters suffer).

R.A Salvatore is another enjoyable storyteller/writer (ps he also did some of the lines the bots user in Quake 3!!)

Yeah much <3 for Robin Hobb. Her stuff is great. If you like her, give Ian Irvine a try. He punishes his characters a fair bit. I think the problem with a lot of fantasy authors is that they forget that stories are about a person or people overcoming a challenge.

Hermi got me hooked on Hobb after the last thread about books, I went out and bought the Farseer, Tawny Man and Liveship Traders Trilogies, and glad I did!

Terry Goodkind is another worth reading (again, the characters suffer).

R.A Salvatore, well, I enjoyed his stuff when I was younger (AD&D novels) but I havn't read anything of his in many years.

I read the first Assasins books of robin Hobb, I liked the first 2, the 3rd was a bit eh!
Anyone read Katherine Kerr? f***ing long series and very twisty and turny, Shes taken so long to release the next ones that ive forgotten, much of what i read 6-7 years ago.
But i still enjoy the series :)

Did you guys know that Robin Hobbs has a new trilogy called "Soldiers Son" ? Books one and two have already been released.

Salvatore is lightweight and for that reason enjoyable, same as I found Gemell. Stuck for something to read I always knew that I could enjoy those authors. I dunno if you remember Tanaka, I asked years ago if you read Gemmels work an hence the nick

Ian Irvine eh?
Been considering some of his work for a while just hadn't heard anyone say anything about em
done!

last edited by HERMITech at 20:31:25 21/Sep/06

I honestly don't see what the big deal about Magician is. It's an alright story, but over all I'd rate it as being pretty average.

i agree. but it's still the best i've read so far.

harry potter has won hands down plot wise ... if it wasn't for the good old "WOW SO THAT'S WHAT WAS HAPPENING" factor, i'd hate pretty much everything about her work, especially how she makes her characters extremely dumb just so the plot can work

Dice nailed it.

LotR novels i found to be utterly f***ing s***house just to lengthy with excessive prose and I could deal with the WoT. Fiest and Gemmel write great novels even terry pratchett does ok.

Oh yeah and magician is still the best fantasy novel i have read, riftwar saga was just behind.

What I don't understand is how Stephen King is considered "The Master Of Horror"
Now there's a guy who takes twenty pages to describe how a cigarette was lit...

he's written the most horror books ... that's all there is to it

if you look at every book, you'll always see bs praise for the author

two examples that i have close to me:
"The International No. 1 Best Seller." - New Spring, Robert Jordan
"Bestselling Master Storyteller of Fantasy." - The Scions of Shannara, Terry Brooks

whenever i walk into a book store, all i see is "MOST AMAZING BEST STORYTELLER EVER TO HAVE LIVED", "GREATEST WORK TO RIVAL EVEN GODS" and "THIS IS THE BEST SELLING BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE!!!!!!!!!"

so pay no attention to what the industries tell you about novels/authors, it's just hype to get you to buy their bs. think about it, if magician is one of the best stories ever written, how bad must all the other stories be?

Yeah I get that, I just don't get why they praise him so much
Edit: The only time that praise on a book cover piques my interest if it's an author whose work I enjoy.

That said, SK short stories used to be ok, I also quite enjoyed "The Stand" (movie)

Speaking of Horror, I quite enjoyed (despite my amazement) Brian Lumleys Harry Keogh an the subsequent Blood Brothers books

last edited by HERMITech at 22:23:30 21/Sep/06

i like reading old sci-fi horror like h.p.lovecraft & karl edgar wagner :D i can't get into much mainstream horror as the ideas all seem a bit too similar. i have read a couple of 'ok' modern horror by dean koontz, which i didn't really like the style but the concepts were new to me.
i personally don't rate raymond fiest very high... i read all of 'em but they didn't really impress. his book 'faery tale' stands out just coz it was different. i agree with xy on stephen donaldson's works, although i really liked the thomas covenant series as well... i did read it when i was a teenager though :P i didn't like david eddings books... the characters are all lacking personality & they all have the same personality@!@# whether the character is a million year old wizard or a 8 year old girl they think & act the same way... like a 14 year old boy :P~
also decent (imo) are the 2 series by julian may (many coloured land & the intervention), tales of the bard by micheal scott, the various series & stand alones by micheal moorcock, the citizen kane series by robert howard & prolly heaps more that i can't remember right now :P