Following the success of the Fellowship of the Rings complete recordings – on Blu-Ray, CD and vinyl, pre-orders are open for The Two Towers. The limited edition vinyl comes in blue (FOTR was red) and is sure to be a sell-out.
According to the Amazon page, the price for the Fellowship vinyl has already doubled so be sure to place your order for The Two Towers: The Complete Recordings.
It’s official…”The Fall of Gondolin” by J.R.R Tolkien, edited by Christoper Tolkien, and illustrated by Alan Lee, is indeed being published. It will be released on August 30, 2018. While rumored, the release still comes as a very welcome surprise given that many expected “Beren and Lúthien” to be Christoper Tolkien’s final release. “The Fall of Gondolin” will be available in hardback, deluxe hardback, large print and e-book worldwide as well as a companion Tolkien Calendar. The Guardian has a wealth of interesting background on the story. Further details as well as reaction can also be found at The Tolkien Society.
From the HarperCollins Press Release:
In the Tale of The Fall of Gondolin are two of the greatest powers in the world. There is Morgoth of the uttermost evil, unseen in this story but ruling over a vast military power from his fortress of Angband. Deeply opposed to Morgoth is Ulmo, second in might only to Manwë, chief of the Valar: he is called the Lord of Waters, of all seas, lakes, and rivers under the sky. But he works in secret in Middle-earth to support the Noldor, the kindred of the Elves among whom were numbered Húrin and Túrin Turambar.
Central to this enmity of the gods is the city of Gondolin, beautiful but undiscoverable. It was built and peopled by Noldorin Elves who, when they dwelt in Valinor, the land of the gods, rebelled against their rule and fled to Middle-earth. Turgon King of Gondolin is hated and feared above all his enemies by Morgoth, who seeks in vain to discover the marvellously hidden city, while the gods in Valinor in heated debate largely refuse to intervene in support of Ulmo’s desires and designs.
Into this world comes Tuor, cousin of Túrin, the instrument of Ulmo’s designs. Guided unseen by him Tuor sets out from the land of his birth on the fearful journey to Gondolin, and in one of the most arresting moments in the history of Middle-earth the sea-god himself appears to him, rising out of the ocean in the midst of a storm. In Gondolin he becomes great; he is wedded to Idril, Turgon’s daughter, and their son is Eärendel, whose birth and profound importance in days to come is foreseen by Ulmo.
At last comes the terrible ending. Morgoth learns through an act of supreme treachery all that he needs to mount a devastating attack on the city, with Balrogs and dragons and numberless Orcs. After a minutely observed account of the fall of Gondolin, the tale ends with the escape of Tuor and Idril, with the child Eärendel, looking back from a cleft in the mountains as they flee southward, at the blazing wreckage of their city. They were journeying into a new story, the Tale of Eärendel, which Tolkien never wrote, but which is sketched out in this book from other sources.
Following his presentation of Beren and Lúthien Christopher Tolkien has used the same ‘history in sequence’ mode in the writing of this edition of The Fall of Gondolin. In the words of J.R.R. Tolkien, it was ‘the first real story of this imaginary world’ and, together with Beren and Lúthien and The Children of Húrin, he regarded it as one of the three ‘Great Tales’ of the Elder Days.
After a little more than a decade, fans of Howard Shore’s score for The Lord of the Rings films will finally be able to purchase the complete score for the first movie in the trilogy on vinyl.
To be released on March 30, 2018, the vinyl release of the Complete Recordings of The Fellowship of the Ring will comprise 5 LPs on 180 gm red vinyl packaged in a gorgeous boxed set which includes Doug Adams‘ liner notes that accompanied the original Complete Recordings’ CD+DVD set back in 2005.
And for fans who have been deprived of getting their own copies of the Complete Recordings on disc due to their being long out of production, the score is also being re-released on CD and BluRay.
As a long-time fan of these scores and as one who has had the CRs since their initial release, I cannot recommend the physical sets highly enough, especially at their current price points. I truly feel both versions are more than reasonably priced, considering the almost-3 hours of the complete film score (EE scenes music included!) and the quality of the physical products themselves. I say this without having seen or held the vinyl product in hand, but if the quality of the original CD+DVD set is anything to go by, one can rest assured the product will exceed expectations.
Still haven’t found the perfect gift for the Tolkien fan in your life? Let us help! We’ve assembled a list of our favorite items and where to find them. Happy Holidays from all of us at TheOneRing.net!
*Prices listed are in US dollars ($); prices may vary from what is listed.
Updated 11/3/17 – From time-to-time you, the fans, email TORn about events of interest to other fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and/or Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. As a service to our readers, we decided to created this new feature: a listing of upcoming events to keep everyone apprised of where they can hook-up and commiserate with other fans, learn a thing or two, or just plain enjoy the fandom that we’ve all come to know and love. From Howard Shore concerts in Paris, to fan get-togethers in Kentucky and South Carolina, to exhibitions in Staffordshire, U.K., it’s all listed here! The list will be updated periodically as past events drop off and future events are added. If you know of an upcoming event, please let us know either in the comments section of this story, or by emailing spymaster@theonering.net. – TORn, ‘Together in Tolkien’
Aussies watching the ABC’s News Breakfast show would have seen the exciting news that Weta Workshops latest project is opening today in Melbourne. This latest project, Bug Lab: Little Bugs, Super Powers, is a giant-sized exhibition focused on all things creepy crawly. Anyone familiar with LOTR and the Hobbit will have no doubt how effective these creepy crawlies will appear. The exhibit consists of six giant replicas and aim to give visitor an up-close view of the micro world beneath our feet.