The Great Tales Never End: Essays in Memory of Christopher Tolkien

Ovenden (Burning the Books), head of the Bodleian Library, and Tolkien archivist McIlwaine (Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth) take an illuminating look in this superior anthology at the work of J.R.R. Tolkien’s son Christopher (1924–2020), who played a major part in his father’s literary legacy. Vincent Ferré’s entry, “The Son Behind the Father: Christopher Tolkien as a Writer,” explores how Christopher added to what his father left behind by writing original passages when a narrative “was deficient or threads were impossible to weave together.” Verlyn Flieger’s “Listening to the Music” analyzes the way J.R.R. originally intended to end The Lord of the Rings and argues that Christopher’s serialization gave that ending more context. Especially noteworthy is Stuart Lee’s “A Milestone in BBC History? The 1955–56 Radio Dramatization of The Lord of the Rings,” which examines the scripts for a now-lost radio adaptation that J.R.R. was consulted on (and disliked). Taken together, the pieces are a great testament to what Christopher’s “extraordinary editorial efforts have brought to light.” This is a must-read for fans of Tolkien’s classic epic fantasies. (Sept.)