J.R.R. Tolkien is one of the most well-known names in the fictional theme. He was born in England in 1892 and served in WWI on the Western Front, which influenced his work. After that he served at the Oxford English Dictionary headquarters and eventually got into academics.
A perpetual writer at heart, Tolkien would frequently tell his children stories which, in due course, provided the basis for The Hobbit.
Following the popularity of The Hobbit, he began on The Silmarillion, which got a tepid reaction from his editors. This prompted him to break ground on a follow-up to The Hobbit, what would become The Lord of the Rings series, that several believe to be his best work.
Tolkien was a forefather of fantasy. Later on, Peter Jackson adapted two of writings into cinematic films and Amazon went ahead to produce an epic television series.
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Best Works by J.R.R Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings: One Volume
This historical landmark has sold approximately 150 million copies and is still in print. An incredible accomplishment in fiction and literature, LoTR has been adapted into a full-fledged film series. Check out the trailer, here!
The young Hobbit Frodo Baggins tries to to shatter the Ruling Ring by throwing it into the Cracks of Doom at Mordor, thus rendering Sauron’s powers useless.
Directors developed the book into an award-winning film trilogy, and the book manages to impact famous society today. The book continues to influence games like Warcraft and Ever Quest. People voted the book as England’s best-loved book by the BBC in 2003.
The Hobbit
While most people widely regard The Lord of the Rings trio as Tolkien’s most refined masterpiece, The Hobbit was his first and garnered widespread critical and financial success. The Hobbit was also one of the nominees for the Carnegie Medal when Tolkien released it in 1937. The book seems to captivate readers worldwide, with the tale most notably turned into a series of movies by Peter Jackson.
The Hobbit depicts the humble Hobbit Bilbo Baggins in a fantastic tale that takes him to the Battle of the Five Armies and pits him against Smaug the Dragon. Tolkien initially intended the book for a younger readership. It is based on the author’s own terrible experiences fighting in World War One.
https://youtu.be/7ElIHgAPy-wThE Hobbit- Audiobook
The Silmarillion
Tolkien worked on this compilation sporadically during his lifetime. Tolkien released the Silmarillion in 1977, and people frequently regard it as a successor to The Lord of the Rings.
It covers the whole Ea world, including Valinor, Beleriand, and Nmenor, in addition to Middle Earth. The novel is divided into five sections. It provides a more significant extension into the universe and the people you already know and love. It is considered to be Tolkien’s best after The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is a book of poems first released in 1962. It’s not exactly a narrative, but is just as detailed and expansive.
It includes facts about Middle Earth that aren’t available elsewhere and obscure references to Hobbit mythology for die-hard enthusiasts. W.H. Auden, a well-known poet, has stated that Tolkien’s best poem is The Sea Bell, and this volume contains it.
Bilbo’s Last Song
After the incidents of The Lord of the Rings, Bilbo Baggins undertakes his last trip from Middle Earth to the Undying Lands. The poem does an excellent job of depicting this. It was written after Tolkien’s death and is full of depth and poetry.
The Shaping of Middle-Earth
This is the fourth novel in Christopher Tolkien’s History of Middle-Earth sequence. It includes the first catalog of maps and illustrations that begin to explore the globe, which would become Middle Earth and the cosmos of Ea.
This is a must-read for Tolkien enthusiasts. Furthermore, it also includes the oldest versions of the Valinor Annals.
The War of the Jewels
This book is the 11th volume in Christopher Tolkien’s History of Middle Earth collection. It is a component of a larger project to examine his father’s unreleased writings. The War of the Jewels contains several reports, like a draught of the Silmarillion and research into the Ents’ beginnings.
The Children of Hurin
The job of revising this work passed to his son, Christopher Tolkien. The latter collected it into a cohesive story for release in 2007. Tolkien started it in 1910, but he left it unfinished when he died in 1973.
The epic book is set in Middle Earth. It covers many of Tolkien’s recurring themes and Finnish mythology, especially the tale of Kullervo. Alan Lee contributed 33 drawings to the book.
Morgoth’s Ring
This is Christopher’s tenth book. It includes the first portion of the Silmarillion text and even the Annals of Aman. The Annals of Aman was a project Tolkien was concentrating on after finishing The Lord of the Rings. The book delves deeper into Middle Earth’s beginnings.
Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth
Gandalf’s humorous narrative on transporting the Dwarves to Bag-End for celebrations, the legend of Amroth, the aggressive structure of the Riders of Rohan, as well as several other tales are included in this complicated selection of stories, which Christopher Tolkien also curated. Christopher also gives a thorough overview.
Parting Words from Podium
For more such intriguing awe inspiring book recommendations, head towards the Podium Blog. Happy Reading!
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