And a long excerpt from the interview, in English, has been published in the May 2010 issue of Beyond Bree, pp. 4-7. I predict this will lead to one or more letters in the June or July issues.

Ya think?

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'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

Finally, I get to comment on another actual review in this thread, rather than repeatedly saying "Not exactly a review, but ... ."

And a very nice review it is, in the May 2010 issue of Amon Hen, the bulletin of The Tolkien Society, by Robert H. Walker. Here's the conclusion:



He also has great praise for Breogan's illustrations, which pleases me very much.

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'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

That's great, Voronwë! And I'm glad of the praise for the illustrations, which are such a fine addition to the book.

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“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

That is a very nice thing indeed (the praise for you and for the illustrations)!

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Congrats on the great review, V! May they keep rolling in . . . .

That is nice to see, V... congratulations to both of you!

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There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound.
~Diana Cortes

Again, not exactly a review, but a pretty significant development.

Arda Reconstructed has been named by the Mythopoeic Society as one of the five finalists for the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies. Here's the full list of finalists:

Gavin Ashenden, Charles Williams: Alchemy and Integration (Kent State, 2008)

Dimitra Fimi, Tolkien, Race, and Cultural History: From Fairies to Hobbits (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009)

Douglas Charles Kane, Arda Reconstructed: The Creation of the Published Silmarillion (Lehigh Univ. Press, 2009)

Michael Ward, Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis (Oxford, 2008)

Elizabeth A. Whittingham, The Evolution of Tolkien’s Mythology: A Study of the History of Middle-earth (McFarland, 2008)

I am quite honored to have my book selected amongst such fine company, and to be named along with some of the greatest books in Tolkien and Inklings studies.

For the full list of this years Mythopoeic Awards finalists, see here. For a list of past winners and finalists for the Inkling's Studies award, go here

Congratulations to all the finalists in each category, and good luck to all of them!

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'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

This is wonderful, Voronwë! You have my heartfelt congratulations!

and my squeeing and running in circles

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“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

:whee:

Congrats V!

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*title copyright: Teremia

'You just said "your getting shorter": you've obviously been drinking too much ent-draught and not enough Prim's.' - Jude (as Merry)

But most especially to one of them.

Great news, V!

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“It may help to understand human affairs to be clear that most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused, not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally bad, but by people being fundamentally people.”

- Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, Good Omens

Wow! And yay! What an honor - can't wait to hear what happens!

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I won't just survive
Oh, you will see me thrive
Can't write my story
I'm beyond the archetype
I won't just conform
No matter how you shake my core
'Cause my roots, they run deep, oh

When, when the fire's at my feet again
And the vultures all start circling
They're whispering, "You're out of time,"
But still I rise
This is no mistake, no accident
When you think the final nail is in, think again
Don't be surprised, I will still rise

Thanks folks. I must say I'm pretty flabbergasted about it.

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'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

When will the award be announced? At Mythcon?

And if so, does this mean you're going to Dallas? Or were you already planning on it?

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“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

Yes, the award will be announced at the banquet on Sunday night at Mythcon. Sadly, it looks like I won't be able to make it this year.

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'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

If that changes, even at the last minute, I hope you'll consider going.

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“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

I'll definitely go if I can, but other committments take precedent.

Besides, I'm fairly sure that the award is going to go to Mr. Ward's book.

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'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

Doesn't mean it wouldn't still be fun (and possibly useful) to be there.

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“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

Well, if (when) it doesn't win this year, it will still be eligible to be finalist the following year (and the year after that, too), so I might get another opportunity. (Three of the five finalist this year were holdovers from last year, Ahendon, Ward, and Whittingham.)

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'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

That is an incredible honor! I truly hope you win!

(Oh, I hope, hope, hope you win!!!!)

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