Reviews

A forum for discussion of Voronwë's book, Arda Reconstructed: The Creation of the Published Silmarillion
Post Reply
N.E. Brigand
Posts: 6625
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 1:41 am
Location: Cleveland, OH, USA

Post by N.E. Brigand »

Voronwë_the_Faithful wrote:Another "not exactly a review" (and this one also "not in English"), but the Polish online magazine Ancalina has a long interview with me (done in English, but tranlated into Polish), along with translations into Polish of the reviews/essays that were in Beyond Bree about Arda Reconstructed, by Nancy Martsch and Christina Scull, and the responses to Christina's essay that were subsequently printed: http://bezkr.es/bt/ancalima/
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.
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

Ya think? ;)
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

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:
All in all a wonderful piece of research with many insights into how The Silmarillion was put together by Christopher Tolkien. Quite expensive, but a worthwhile purchase for the Tolkien fan and perhaps essential for the Silmarillion fan.
He also has great praise for Breogan's illustrations, which pleases me very much.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Primula Baggins
Living in hope
Posts: 40005
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:43 am
Location: Sailing the luminiferous aether
Contact:

Post by Primula Baggins »

That's great, Voronwë! And I'm glad of the praise for the illustrations, which are such a fine addition to the book.
“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
User avatar
Lalaith
Lali Beag Bídeach
Posts: 15685
Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2005 5:42 pm
Location: Rivendell

Post by Lalaith »

:sunny: That is a very nice thing indeed (the praise for you and for the illustrations)!
Image
User avatar
Teremia
Reads while walking
Posts: 4666
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2005 12:05 am

Post by Teremia »

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

:)
User avatar
Elentári
Posts: 5199
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2009 6:03 pm
Location: Green Hill Country

Post by Elentári »

8) That is nice to see, V... congratulations to both of you!
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
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

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!
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Primula Baggins
Living in hope
Posts: 40005
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:43 am
Location: Sailing the luminiferous aether
Contact:

Post by Primula Baggins »

:shock:

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

and my squeeing and running in circles :woohoo:
:hooray:

:foryou:
“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
User avatar
Inanna
Meetu's little sister
Posts: 17680
Joined: Sat Jan 07, 2006 5:03 pm

Post by Inanna »

:bow: :bow: :bow:

:whee:

Congrats V!
'You just said "your getting shorter": you've obviously been drinking too much ent-draught and not enough Prim's.' - Jude
User avatar
Frelga
Meanwhile...
Posts: 22423
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2005 11:31 pm
Location: Home, where else

Post by Frelga »

Congratulations to all the finalists in each category, and good luck to all of them!
But most especially to one of them. ;)

Great news, V! :foryou:
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.

Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
nerdanel
This is Rome
Posts: 5963
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2005 11:48 pm
Location: Concrete Jungle by the Lagoon

Post by nerdanel »

Wow! And yay! What an honor - can't wait to hear what happens!
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
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

Thanks folks. I must say I'm pretty flabbergasted about it.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Primula Baggins
Living in hope
Posts: 40005
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:43 am
Location: Sailing the luminiferous aether
Contact:

Post by Primula Baggins »

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?
“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
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

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. :(
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Primula Baggins
Living in hope
Posts: 40005
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:43 am
Location: Sailing the luminiferous aether
Contact:

Post by Primula Baggins »

:( If that changes, even at the last minute, I hope you'll consider going.
“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
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

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.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Primula Baggins
Living in hope
Posts: 40005
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:43 am
Location: Sailing the luminiferous aether
Contact:

Post by Primula Baggins »

Doesn't mean it wouldn't still be fun (and possibly useful) to be there. :)
“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
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

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.)
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Lalaith
Lali Beag Bídeach
Posts: 15685
Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2005 5:42 pm
Location: Rivendell

Post by Lalaith »

:bow: :woohoo: That is an incredible honor! I truly hope you win! :)

(Oh, I hope, hope, hope you win!!!!)
Image
Post Reply