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- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
- Edition: Paperback (September 2000)
- Average Customer Rating:
Essential reading for the Tolkien scholar
- "The Treason of Isengard" marks the second of four volumes dealing with the history of the writing of "The Lord of the Rings." Like the other volumes in the series, it features unpublished writings by Tolkien, supplemented, explained, footnoted, annotated and expounded upon by his son, Christopher Tolkien.
This book is also part of the larger, 12-part History of Middle Earth series, which takes a close look at the creation of Tolkien's greatest achievement - Middle Earth itself - through early drafts, unpublished texts, and dead end writings. For ardent Tolkien readers it is a fascinating look at one of the great literary creations of the 20th Century. For more casual fans, it's text better left unread. If you're not a Tolkien fan, you need not apply to this sprawling series. But if you're interested in seeing how the Professor developed the rich creation of Middle Earth, warts and all, this is a treasure trove of material. Here, like the first volume, we have the earliest versions of what would later become the most beloved fantasy epic in the world, detailing the extraordinary and convoluted history of the middle chapters of "The Lord of the Rings." The early versions of Treebeard, some fascinating ideas Tolkien abandoned regarding Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, and other dead end plot threads will fascinate readers interesting in knowing about the epic's creation. The wealth of information is fantastic, and Christopher Tolkien goes to great lengths to examine each text, putting them in the context of the larger puzzle of his father's writings. The exploration of how "The Lord of the Rings" came about is fantastic - for those interested. Otherwise, it will bore. This is, after all, a series of unfinished draft chapters and essays on the text. I enjoyed it, but many won't. Anybody wishing to do a study of Tolkien's craft, into "behind the scenes" writings, or just interested in finding a few snatches of new Middle Earth material (even if in unfinished form, there are some scattered throughout the series) will certainly find what they are looking for here. Christopher Tolkien's work here is appreciated by scores of ardent Tolkien fans. Those looking for fresh new tales about hobbits and heroes, however, will be disappointed. This isn't new fiction, nor does it even feature finished works. Seek elsewhere if you are looking for more tales in the way of "The Lord of the Rings."
Great continuation of a great series
- I never realized how interesting it would be to read a detailed, almost blow-by-blow, account of the creation of a masterpiece. Christopher Tolkien has done all Tolkien scholars, both professional and amateur, a great service by detailing his father's often tortuous development of Middle Earth especially Rohan, Saruman and Isengard, and the creation of Treebeard and the wonderful Ents. Also versions of Frodo and Sam's further journey that are very different from what makes it into "The Two Towers" are fascinating. Those who think that Mr. Tolkien has only done this for the money should look again at these works (if indeed they even looked at them at all). No person in his or her right mind would go through this amount of detailed work just for money. No amount of money would be enough to pay for work of this magnitude.
Important for Tolkien Scholars, not for movie fans
- The History series are mostly about the evolution of the people, places, and history of the world of Arda. A lot of the stories are "rabbit trails;" stories that changed or conflict with other information. It has helped Tolkien Scholars (and can help amatuer Tolkien Scholars) to form more complete understandings of the world. The appendix on runes is a good example.
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