Christopher Tolkien to finish lost Middle Earth novel

[davem]

Originally Posted by Lindolirian

Does this mean that CoH is the only one he considers "big" enough to do a complete book on? Why wouldn't Beren and Luthien or the Fall of Gondolin qualify?

What are your thoughts, and what have you heard on it in out there in the world?

No - it just means that Children of Hurin is the only one of the three Great Tales that Tolkien brought near enough to completion in a novel length version (or, let's be honest, a novella length version, given the size of the text & margins chosen for this edition) to be publishable.

There won't be any more - unless someone is authorised to write fuller versions based on the shorter accounts & notes Tolkien left - in which case they won't be genuine 'Tolkien' books, but fanfic.

CoH is all we're going to get from Tolkien's hand, sadly.

(I'm reminded of that line in 'Illuninatus!' by Shea & Wilson, about 'the original being published in heaven'....)