Rating: 
Summary: Great Background Reading!
Review: UNFISHED TALES OF NUMENOR AND MIDDLE-EARTH is a collection of stories by JRR Tolkien. The book is divided into four parts: the first part is titled "The First Age" and the stories that are in it are "Of Tour and his Coming to Gondolin" and "Narn I Hin Hurin" which is the story of Turin. So, Part One is about the two cousins. Part Two is named "The Second Age" and contains "Descriptions of the Island of Numenor", "Aldarion and Erendis", The Line of Elros: Kings of Numenor", and The History of Galadriel and Celeborn and Amroth King of Lorien". Part three, which of course is named "The Third Age" and has "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields", Cirion adn Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan", "The Quest of Erebor", The Hunt for the Ring", and "The Battle of the Fords of Isen". Part Four is, no, not named "The Fourth Age" but instead, just simply "Part Four". Part Four is for background reading and information with "The Druedain", "The Istari", and "The Palantiri". But as good as the book is by itself, I would sugest you read "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" before reading UNFINISHED TALES OF HUNEMOR AND MIDDLE-EARTH. maybe you should even read "The Simarillion" before it, even though I'm sure you will understand the contents without reading "The Simarillion". There are many stories and characters in this book, so it's hard to have a favorite character. But one of the best things about the book is the fact that JRR Tolkien paints the pictures so vividly in your mind. You can imagine the sea, the forests, and the people when you read it. If this book could have been improved, then many of the important and best parts would be lost and gone. The only warning that I give is that, unlike "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings", UNFINISHED TALES is written in a text-book, bible sort of way. For people who hate to read this kind of writing, I suggest that you read the first few stories and then see if you like it or not. I would reccommend this book to readers of JRR Tolkien(Duh!), C.S. Lewis, Brian Jacques, or any other fantasy reader. I'm sure that this book will intrest historians and geographers, too. The fantasy world of Middle Earth is so full of suprises and wonders that you're never sure if you'll like it or not- but I'm sure you will.
Rating:
Summary: This just keeps on amazing me...
Review: The best thing about Tolkien is that he's written stories for every possible human mood. Want some light entertainment? Read The Hobbit. Want a great, dark and overwhelming epic? Well, LotR is your choice. And so on. You can't say "LotR is Tolkien's greatest work" or "Silmarillion is his finest achievement", because they're both just parts of the great perfectness. Simply, Middle-Earth is his best work and greatest achievement, everything it contains and everything you imagine it to contain. That's why I've grown to adore Unfinished Tales more and more with every reading. Of all books published under Tolkien's name, it paints maybe the clearest picture of Middle-Earth's different aspects. There are Old Testament-style myths, exciting adventure stories, intelligent and interesting essays, more romance and human feelings than in his other works. I guess for an ordinary reader it can be a bit confusing that so few of these Tales are ready and whole. Christopher Tolkien has had to explain much, but for a die-hard fan like me that makes it all more interesting. Between the lines you can easily read facts about the way Tolkien handled his world, and that way is unique in litetarure. A very, very essential book.
Rating:
Summary: "Unfinished" masterpiece
Review: J.R.R. Tolkien's tales of Middle-Earth weren't restricted just to fantasy epic "Lord of the Rings." His life's work was spread over hundreds of stories and invented legends -- some were compiled into "The Silmarillion." But some were left over, little odd bits that make up "Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth." Tolkien presents stories spanning Middle-Earth's history, with dragons and mythical heroes like Turin, background information on Elf queen Galadriel and her husband Celeborn, and different accounts of searches for the One Ring, including more exposition about the wizard-turned-bad Saruman and the other Istari. There are also essays about palantiri, wizards, and the family line of Elrond's mortal brother Elros. Best among these is a "lost chapter" where Gandalf talks to Frodo about the Dwarves. This isn't a novel, or even a sort of pseudo-history like "Silmarillion." It's more like a patchwork quilt of little odd bits that don't belong anywhere else. Anybody who hasn't read "Silmarillion," "Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" will be hopelessly lost. But those who have read and understood those books will eat these right up -- there's plenty of info about favorite characters like Gandalf, Galadriel, and the heroes and villains from Tolkien's sprawling epics. Tolkien's vivid writing is shown in its different states here -- there's the stately semi-mythic writing, and the more intimate conversational style of "Lord of the Rings." He even dabbles briefly in first-person storytelling through the eyes of Frodo Baggins. Lots of details and ethereally evocative descriptions make it all come alive. "Unfinished Tales" is a fill-in-the-gaps sort of book, and Tolkien's storytelling genius still shines through in this disjointed collection of essays, bits and pieces. For those hungering for more Middle-Earth.
Rating:
Summary: The next best thing to The Silmarillion
Review: The Silmarillion raised so many questions that Tolkien fans almost felt cheated when the book came out in 1977. Fortunately, Christopher Tolkien foresaw the readers' hunger for more material about Middle-earth would not be quenched and he promised in the foreword to publish some related material when time permitted. What came next was Unfinished Tales, a less-than-satisfying collection of stories and notes about the heroes and kings of the three Ages. But the disappointment didn't lay in the quality of the stories. Rather, it was only their various states of incompleteness, even though some tales (like "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields") were truly fully formed. The book is most valuable to people who want to know more about the histories and heroes of Middle-earth. People looking for Hobbit-lore will be disappointed. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien reveals more about Hobbits than Unfinished Tales. But there are exciting moments and awesome scenes, such as when Ulmo rises out of the sea before Tuor, and when Isildur realizes that the One Ring has betrayed him to his doom, which stand alongside the most memorable passages of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. Unfinished Tales shows us Tolkien at his best when he was doing nothing more than just writing out his thoughts concerning various peoples and events only mentioned in The Lord of the Rings.
Rating:
Summary: "Unfinished" masterpiece
Review: J.R.R. Tolkien's tales of Middle-Earth weren't restricted just to fantasy epic "Lord of the Rings." His life's work was spread over hundreds of stories and invented legends -- some were compiled into "The Silmarillion." But some were left over, little odd bits that make up "Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth." Tolkien presents stories spanning Middle-Earth's history, with dragons and mythical heroes like Turin, background information on Elf queen Galadriel and her husband Celeborn, and different accounts of searches for the One Ring, including more exposition about the wizard-turned-bad Saruman and the other Istari. There are also essays about palantiri, wizards, and the family line of Elrond's mortal brother Elros. Best among these is a "lost chapter" where Gandalf talks to Frodo about the Dwarves. This isn't a novel, or even a sort of pseudo-history like "Silmarillion." It's more like a patchwork quilt of little odd bits that don't belong anywhere else. Anybody who hasn't read "Silmarillion," "Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" will be hopelessly lost. But those who have read and understood those books will eat these right up -- there's plenty of info about favorite characters like Gandalf, Galadriel, and the heroes and villains from Tolkien's sprawling epics. Tolkien's vivid writing is shown in its different states here -- there's the stately semi-mythic writing, and the more intimate conversational style of "Lord of the Rings." He even dabbles briefly in first-person storytelling through the eyes of Frodo Baggins. Lots of details and ethereally evocative descriptions make it all come alive. "Unfinished Tales" is a fill-in-the-gaps sort of book, and Tolkien's storytelling genius still shines through in this disjointed collection of essays, bits and pieces. For those hungering for more Middle-Earth.
Rating:
Summary: Underrated
Review: I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this book should be the next book read by the fan who has already read the Hobbit and LOTR...not the Silmarillion. The history dealt with in this book is a little more "recent", in that much is concentrated on the 2nd and 3rd age, and with stuff about the Wizards, the Palantiri, the Nazgul, the slaying of Isildur, and Gondor and Rohan, it's more relevant to the LOTR fan than most of the stuff in the Silmarillion. This is a must read for anyone who has gotten through the Silmarillion, however, with its "alternate perspectives" for the journies of Turin and Tuor and the account of Aldarion and Erenedis, along with a physical description of Numenor and an account of its kings. For the devoted Tolkien reader, this book can also be used as an "atlas" to assist them in determining which History of Middle Earth Volumes will be most interesting to them (I like 5, 9, 10, and 12). Top notch overall.
Rating: 
Summary: Read before the Silmarillion
Review: This is a nice walk through much of the backstory that Tolkien developed in the process of crafting the Lord of the Rings. People who are hungry for more will enjoy this. Unlike Lord of the Rings, this isn't a novel. It is more of a collection of essays, stories and exposition. However, it is a lot more readable than the Silmarillion. After reading some of the tales in here, you will sound like a Tolkien guru. If it hasn't slaked your thirst, you could move on to the much denser Silmarillion.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing novel
Review: I enjoyed reading each of Tolkien's first five books: The Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, and the Silmarillion. If this is true for you, and you especially need to like the Silmarillion (I have read reviews where people don't like the Silmarillion), then you will enjoy reading Unfinished Tales. And like all of Tolkien's novels, I recommend buying it, because I believe you will want to read it more than once. However, this novel is not like his previous novels, or even like the Silmarillion. This is a collection of short stories and a publication of Tolkien's notes on some items of interest spanning from the Battle of Unnumbered Tears until the destruction of the Ring. Included are stories on Tour, Turin, Numenor, Eorl, Gandalf, and Saruman. I can say that reading Unfinished Tales has enriched the world of Middle Earth and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Tuor and Turin are my favorites
Review: This book has much more additional information on Middle earth.
I loved the intertwined stories of Tuor and Turin and the fate/doom upon them and their families. Another book from Tolkien's writings that gives the middle earth lover the goods that they want.
Get this book and read it often.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: An elegantly fantastic read! I continue to marvel at Tolkien's myth-making abilities. Like the Silmarillion -- which incidently I enjoyed even more than LOTR -- The Unfinished Tales read like the best of First Testament biblical literature. A true epic!
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