Fans of high fantasy tales should give pause today. On this day in 1973, forty-five years ago, J.R.R. Tolkien breathed his last. The great mind that vibrantly brought us Middle Earth, and its extensive history, died from a bleeding ulcer and chest infection. His wife Edith died twenty-one months earlier. They are buried together in Wolvercote Cemetery in Oxford, England. His works include The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and posthumously The Silmarillion. The Hobbit was published in 1937. The Lord of the Rings published in three volumes, from July 29, 1954, to October 20, 1955. I wish most of the trilogies of today would get published that quickly.
This is a 1967 photo of J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien is the author of “The Lord of the Rings” and an Oxford University Professor. (AP Photo) From William Bjornstad on Find a Grave website.
Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy spiked my interest to read the great master. I read The Fellowship of the Ring right before the movie premiere. Actually, I had one more chapter to go before I saw the movie. Peter did a great job of following Tolkien’s tale. With only a few pages to read, I was surprised at how much action Peter put into the end of the movie. The Uruk-hai attack and Boromir’s death take place in the book The Two Towers. Frodo and Sam leaving the fellowship ends the book The Fellowship of the Ring.
I’ve enjoyed my time in Middle Earth. It is a wonderful world with an incredible history. George R.R. Martin, likewise, created an extensive history for his Song of Ice and Fire series. These are the books the HBO series Game of Thrones is based on. Terry Brooks has an extensive history of his Shannara series. Although I have not read it, I’m pretty sure Robert Jordan knew the history of his Wheel of Time series before they were ever published. I’m developing the history of the new world I created in my second manuscript. A detailed history plays an incredible, and valuable, tool in your story. Don’t neglect it.
Next week, there’s a major anniversary of an event that struck Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure. You don’t want to miss it.
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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what book is open on my Kindle. I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read a variety of authors and topics. Currently, I’m reading book thirteen of the Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael series, The Rose Rent. I also started reading Ghosts of Arkansas Highway #7 by Gary Weibye.
Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure is available on Amazon, as an eBook, and in physical formats. It is also available on the Barnes and Noble website.
HE WAS GREAT
Wonderful post today. Thank you for taking the time and care to send it. The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings–espoused to be for youth–is for all ages, as Shakespeare’s work spoke to all ages and classes.
Your post is a reminder that good writing and good stories come first.