So while I was making this thread about mysteries in Pantheon:
https://www.pantheonmmo.com/content/forums/topic/7007/pantheon-mysteries
I got to thinking about other fantasy worlds with lots of lore associated with them and came up with The Lord of the Rings which I haven't read for about 20 years. I'm going to read the books again to refresh my memory but was wondering if anyone knew of any extra books I should get that explore the world of The Lord of the Rings for someone really interested in the lore?
I know there are a lot of The Lord of the Rings die hard fans out there and was wondering what sources they use to find out all of this extra information?
Looking forward to some hints and tips to keep me occupied while I wait for testing :). I need to start doing some reading again soon. I haven't read a good book in ages.
Edit: I currently own:
The Hobbit
The Lord of the Rings
The Silmarillion
Read "Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit" by Corey Olsen or really any of his books. I'm actually friends with him and he was kind enough to give me an autographed copy. He has literally dedicated his life to understanding Tolkein's massive, deep lore and it's very insightful.
Bazgrim said:Read "Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit" by Corey Olsen or really any of his books. I'm actually friends with him and he was kind enough to give me an autographed copy. He has literally dedicated his life to understanding Tolkein's massive, deep lore and it's very insightful.
Thanks for the link. I'll be sure to have a look at that. I really enjoy reading about all of the little details in fantasy worlds. It makes the whole story come alive.
In terms of books written by J.R.R Tolkien himself, look for the various "Tales" books to add to your collection. Tolkien wrote a lot of short stories set in middle-earth that were never published until after his death. Each of those short stories does something to help flesh out the lore of the world a bit.
The Silmarillion is by far my favourite Tolkien book (even though it was published posthumously and heavily edited by Christopher Tolkien), but you already own that and I assume you've read it :)
I also very much enjoyed the Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle Earth, with lots of fragmented stories in several different versions. In a way Unfinished Tales is a more extreme Silmarillion, in that it's not a complete work but rather collections of drafts that illustrate the evolution of Tolkien's universe in his mind. Chris Tolkien has published a number of books under the "History of Middle-earth" collection, analyzing his father's manuscripts, which you may find interesting.
Haven't read anything by other parties on Tolkien's universe, but I'm sure there will be plenty of material.
