Review by Booklist Review
Tolkien's previously unknown, unfinished tale is one of his earliest writings, inspired by the Finnish myths of the Kalevala. It is meticulously researched and contains the seeds of a new lexicon and magical motifs, such as a supernatural helper and a powerful weapon, that appear in his later works. Fans of The Silmarillion (1977) will be intrigued by this story of a hapless hero cast out by his uncle, who unsuccessfully tries to kill him three times. With themes of loss, murder, incest, and slavery, it is very dark, and the story's tragic and vengeful hero does not garner much sympathy. It is a short and brutal tale, told with a wistful lyricism. The tale blends Tolkien's trademark prose and epic poetry, and it is fascinating to catch this tantalizing glimpse into his brilliant mind. He took fairy tales very seriously and was deeply affected by the delicious exaggerations of these wild tales that inspired him to compose his later masterpieces. This scholarly collection, containing the author's drafts, notes, and essays, will please readers who wish to unveil how Tolkien's creative process evolved.--McCammond-Watts, Heather Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Aimed more at scholars than at the casual reader, this new edition of an early short story-which dates to the years 1912-1916-offers a taste of fantasies to come from the master of Middle-Earth. Tolkien adapted this fragment from an episode of the Finnish epic Kalevala, and his account of the young son of a fratricide and his tragic destiny would ultimately inform the characters and events of the Silmarillion, the narrative framework for all of his fiction. The story is muddled by name changes midway through its telling and completed from Tolkien's sketchy notes, but it nevertheless evokes the mythic grandeur that would come to characterize his forays into the fantastic. Transcriptions of Tolkien's Oxford University lectures on the Kalevala, and editor Flieger's essay, "Tolkien, Kalevala, and The Story of Kullervo"-in which she describes the tale as "an essential step on Tolkien's road from adaptation to invention"-provide context for appreciating the nascent genius of one of the 20th century's greatest fantasists. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
This book is perhaps the final offering from the desk of medieval scholar and beloved fabulist Tolkien, who died in 1973. It may also be the thinnest, a 36-page story that breaks off halfway through, followed by a page and a half of notes outlining a possible ending. The text is important, though, as the first attempt by a very young Tolkien to shape myth into fiction. Editor Flieger, a noted Tolkien scholar, notes similarities between the character of Kullervo and Turin Túrambar of The Silmarillion. Tolkien was barely 20 when he became enamored of the Finnish epic Kalevala: this slim tale is his bid to flesh out the saga of a character in that dark savage tale. Kullervo, enslaved by his uncle, escapes but later returns to kill him. Afterward, Kullervo realizes that he had committed incest with his own sister, and he orders his enchanted sword to kill him as well. The volume is enhanced with essays by the editor and two drafts of a nearly identical talk on the Kalevala first delivered by Tolkien at Oxford in 1914. Verdict This slim volume will disappoint all but the most dedicated Tolkienite but is valuable for its historical significance. [See Prepub Alert, 10/26/16.]-David Keymer, Modesto, CA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Hobbitmeister Tolkien's first effort at fantasy, surrounded by scholarly scaffolding. Somewhere around 1912the chronology is a little fuzzyTolkien immersed himself in the body of Finnish mythology called the Kalevala and then set to work writing a story in its general style, full of moody portent but at least light on dragons. Imagine Longfellow in collision with Tennyson and Washington Irving, and you might arrive at something approaching Tolkien's result: "And therewith he devised all manner of evil for the boy (for so already did the babe appear, so sudden and so marvellous was his growth in form and strength) and only his twin sister the fair maid Wanona (for so already did she appear, so great and wondrous was her growth in form and beauty) had compassion on him." The diction varies between that kind of flat modernism and faux-King James: "Break thou the teeth of Sari O flint: rend thou the tongue of Kampa's son that speaketh always harshness and knows of no respect to those above him." At times, Tolkien turns to verse, taking his miniature saga into fog and mist and death in just three dozen pages. Added to this are two related papers, separated in time, by Tolkien on the Kalevala, against which he compares the Finnish mythic cycle to similar bodies of work in Welsh, Irish, Norse, and other traditions, as well as scholarly notes that link the hero with Trin Turambar of The Silmarillion. Of particular interest to die-hard fans of Tolkien's are his notes on the story, mapping out alternate endings and plot points and revealing the beginnings of a dark mythical vision that will find full force a couple of decades later with the Lord of the Rings cycle. Tolkien compleatists will want to have this, of course, but serious students of his work and of world folklore will appreciate this more than will general readers. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
