A new book of J.R.R. Tolkien’s writing is soon to be published. According to The Tolkien Society, The Fall of Númenor will collect together all of Tolkien’s writing on the Second Age – the stories that the upcoming TV show The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power is based on. It’s available to preorder on Amazon now.
“The book brings many of Tolkien’s writings together, and uses The Tale of Years in the Appendices of The Lord of the Rings in order to present the content in an order and a style that works well for readers,” the Tolkien Society revealed.
The Lord of the Rings appendices provides much of the inspiration for the upcoming show. So, you can see why this volume might be of particular interest right now.
The Fall of Númenor tells the story of the foundations of Númenor – the Kingdom of Men established on an island that was risen from the sea by the Valar in the Second Age of Middle Earth.
It also tells of the forging of the Rings of Power, as well as the Last Alliance against Sauron that ended the Second Age. Edited by Tolkien scholar Brian Sibley, the book provides new commentary while bringing all of Tolkien’s works on the Second Age together in one handy edition. It certainly sounds like an excellent companion for those looking forward to the TV show, and will release on November 10, just a few weeks after the show will conclude.
“It has been a great honor to have been entrusted with the task of bringing together J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings (under the editorship of Christopher Tolkien) relating to the dramatic history spanning the Second Age of Middle-earth,” said Sibley. “I hope that this opportunity to read, as a single narrative, an account of those years, will provide a new appreciation of how the monumental events of the Second Age were to impact on those told in The Lord of the Rings.”
The Fall of Númenor also includes ten new color plates by classic Tolien illustrator Alan Lee, featuring scenes such as the building of Barad-dûr and Galadriel leading the Elves through Khazad-dûm.
Read more about The Rings of Power with our exclusive first look at the Orcs, as well as a thrilling image of a snow troll.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power stars Robert Aramayo as Elrond, Owain Arthur as Durin IV, Maxim Baldry as Isildur, Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn, and Morfydd Clark as Galadriel. They’re joined by Ismael Cruz Córdova, Charles Edwards, and Lenny Henry.
The Rings of Power was developed by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay based on the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.