Rating: 
Summary: Many Questions Answered
Review: This particular book I believe is the most valueable source of Middle-Earth Knowledge outside of The Hobbit, The Lord Of The Rings, and The Silmarillion. Especially "The Quest Of Erebor" which explains why Gandalf was willing to go to the lonely mountain and help fight Smaug, and why he wanted Bilbo to help.(which when I read the Hobbit was my biggest question, without this answer the book felt incomplete).
Also "The History Of Galadriel And Celeborn" tells of their history from Beleriand all the way to LothLorien.(I always wondered what happened on their journey because they were strangely absent from the 2nd age's stories)
"The Hunt For The Ring" tells of the Nazgul's journey to find the ring using the information tortured out of Gollum. It tells of the events prior to entering the Shire and it gives us a DEFINANT name of one of the Nazgul, the 2nd in command Khamul The Black Easterling. Also under this section it tells why Sarumen resents Gandalf. Also it tells of the moment Gandalf suspected Sarumen wanted the ring LONG before the Lord Of The Rings. And how Sarumen knew it was in the Shire.
And in Part 4 of the book a few eye-opening explainations were made. This is by far the most surprising section.
1.)The Druedian or the Woses, {best know as the primitive forest people living near Rohan and Gondor that show the army of Rohan a secret path through the mountains to avoid the enemy and get to Minas Tirith quicker.} This portion gives their history and explains some of their cultural aspects. I was surprised to find out that they were around in the FIRST AGE and were reported to have "Mystical" powers. This also contains a very touching story called The "The Faithful Stone" about a very special statue that protected a family.
2.)The Istari or wizards, It tells of Gandalf, Sarumen, Radagast, and the Two Blue wizards that came from the West sent by the Valar to help defeat Sauron. This part was probably the most surprising to me! I did not know that they were Maiar or lesser "gods" like Sauron. And I found out Gandalf was really Olorin the wisest of the Maiar created along with the Valar before the world began who is briefly metioned in the Silmarillion.
3.)The Palantiri tells of the Palatir stones that were held by Sauron, DenethorII, and Sarumen, and how they came to be where they are. It is told by way of the delaings of Gandalf and how his understanding of their workings, importance in the struggle with Sauron, and the sway they held over Sarumen and DenethorII. Plus we must now forget the description of Numenore or the 2nd age tales of this book which is more informative than it is entertaining. Also the stories or the 1st age are very good, but they only deal with Hurin and his children Turin, and Lalaith. I feel that if any Post-Sailmarillion book deserves a 5 star review this one was it. All of my major Hobbit, LOtR, and a few Silmarillion questions answered in full.
Rating: 
Summary: Very interesting
Review: This is one of the most underrated of Tolkien's books. It actually contains lots of interesting tales about Middle-earth, including one or two "outtakes" from the Lord of the Rings. A must have for Tolkien's fans!
Rating:
Summary: More from Middle Earth
Review: Well once again Tolkien's tales are spellbinding and historic. A true triumph in story telling. Unfortunately most of the stories are "Unfinnished" but there is narrative that explains the direction of the stories ending. if you want to find out as much as there is in the Middle Earth world, than read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great book.
Review: Want to know more about Ulmo, Turin, Tuor? Here is the book for you! Want to know why the Dwarves ended up going to see Bilbo? Want to know more about how the Black Riders and Saruman hunted for the ring? Want to know more about Numenor and the Five Wizards sent to Middle-Earth by the Valar? A very detailed, very wonderful book, with tales from the First, Second and Third Ages of Middle-Earth.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT!
Review: Some people MIGHT think me weird, but UT was the easiest read of all the books on Middle Earth other than LOTR or the Hobbit. It was almost in my mind another big story... Very well written, too bad Tolkien didn't get to see it published...
Rating:
Summary: For those who liked the appendices best
Review: Like The Silmarillion but even more so, this book is an unusual form of fiction. The pieces in this book range from short philological essays to full narratives, and range in completeness from scattered fragments that conflict with one another, through polished tales that end abruptly, to more complete works. But if the appendices to The Lord of the Rings were your favorite part, and you want even more of the intricate backstory behind Tolkien's stunning narratives, buy this book immediately without fear of disappointment. Unfinished Tales fleshes out in more detail what is only alluded to elsewhere. Here we get fully written stories, if incomplete, of Tuor and Túrin, whereas in The Silmarillion their tales received much briefer treatment. We learn more about Númenor: a map of the island, a chronology of its kings, and a story from early in its history. We find a well-written account of the ambush of Isildur at the Gladden Fields, and get a hint of what the power of Númenor was before its waning. We learn more about the Rohirrim. More about what else happened during the War of the Ring. And most tantalizing, we get short (if fragmentary) essays on the Wizards, the Palantíri, and the Drúedain. Remarkably consistent, most of these works appear to have been written late in Tolkien's life, by which I mean after The Lord of the Rings was published: he's filling in details rather than establishing the basic structure. (Even the empty lands of Enedwaith and Minhiriath get histories.) One exception is the conflicting histories of Galadriel, whose role, it seems, Tolkien was still trying to work out.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, Finished Or Not
Review: Let's clear the air: I am a huge Tolkien fan and I have loved this book for years. But this edition (Houghton Mifflin hardcover) is just a jewel. Nansmith's cover art of Túrin and Mîm the Dwarf is stunning. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are famous, and justly so, for they are the only novels that Tolkien ever completed. He was a real perfectionist. So if you really want to witness the full genius of Tolkien you have to tap into a vast series of works, each individually "unfinished" but altogether forming a very satisfying completeness. The Silmarillion is a key and a summary of the vasy mythology--it really is required reading--but once that is behind you Unfinished Tales is your first stop to experience the greatness that is Middle-earth. And, despite its name, the writings collected in this volume are for the most part fairly complete. The highlight of Unfinished Tales is the Tale of the Children of Húrin (Narn i Hîn Húrin), itself a short novel over 100 pages in length--thirteen chapters plus Appendix. This is an incredible epic story set in the First Age, written in full narrative form. The great human hero Húrin of the North is captured alive after slaying seventy trolls in the great War of the Jewels, and brought before the throne of Morgoth, god of evil (Sauron's ancient master). When Húrin refuses to serve him, he casts a great curse on all his kin. We then follow the fate of Húrin's son Túrin--his fostering by the Elvenking Thingol; his adventures as an outlaw; his friendship with Beleg the Bowman and Mîm the Dwarf; of the nation they founded and their war with the Orcs; of Túrin's capture ... and most importantly of his feud and battles with Glaurung, Father of Dragons. This is one of my favorite stories of all time, and I highly recommend it. The sequel is The Wanderings of Húrin, published in The War of the Jewels--which follows the father Húrin's actions after he is finally released from prison. Also an intriguing read. Unfinished Tales also includes a ton of short works dealing with the First Age, the Second Age, and the Third Age--there are fourteen pieces together. Many of these are tales directly relating to The Lord of the Rings--the tale of Isildur, for example; The Hobbit told from Gandalf's point of view; and The Fellowship of the Ring told from the point of view of the Ringwraiths. But my favorite is a section called 'The Istari'. 'The Istari' (the order of Wizards) is extremely important. It includes several essays on the Five Wizards: their names, their nature, their origin, their powers, and their mission. This is the central, underlying subtext of The Lord of the Rings which is never really explained until you read this. Learn of the mission of Radagast the Brown. Learn of the ancient rivalry between Saruman the White and Gandalf the Grey. Learn the names and the fate of the two remaining wizards, the Blue Wizards. It must be pretty clear that I wholeheartedly recommend this book, but that I only recommend it after The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. But if you qualify, you are in for a treat, my friend.
Rating:
Summary: More then Unfinished
Review: The interesting thing to me about any story is thinking about what else is going on. Characters do not live in a void where only their actions effect the outside world. While many of the stories have no definitive ending or resolution contained herein, the resolutions come from other sources, such as the Hobbit, the Rings Trilogy or the Silmarillion. For example, the Battle of Isen Ford concerning the death of Theodred, Theoden's heir is excellent source material. It did not make sense in LOTR because we were not introduced to Theodred, because the Hobbits, who were the writers of the story, never met him - but he is referenced. Yet we know what happened after those events, and his burial place is noted as the companions make their way to Isengard. Another good example is how Gandalf met Thorin, Thrain his father, and convinced the Dwarves to go from the Blue Mountains to Bag End on their way to visit Smaug. This is the prelude to There and Back Again (aka The Hobbit), and we know exactly what happened after the Dwarves arrived at Bag End, but where did Gandalf get that all important Map and Key? The story of the Istari's arrival is interesting, as is that "Of Tuor" (if you're a Silmarillion fan). They are short stories in themselves, that are more fact based, with no endings or conclusions, but we know what happens in the end because it's already written elsewhere. Next to the Lays of Belerand, this is perhaps the best companion to the major works - although I haven't gotten through the Peoples of Middle Earth yet, maybe after I see the movie next week! I do not view the stories in Unfinished tales as unfinished, but rather as pieces to be plugged into the greater story.
Rating:
Summary: The Freak Maker
Review: (2) Admittedly Unfinished Tales is recommendable ONLY to those who have read The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings (definitely including the Appendices) and Silmarillion. On the other hand, anyone who's read those 5 volumes of legendarium is ILL-advised to stop short of this astounding book. The opening brace of chapters are cinematic redactions of Silmarillion episodes from the late '50s, in which THE NAMES GET BETTER. If you've labored patiently in learning to pronounce the Elvish names as intended, you MUSTN't miss this. Chapters in the middle section enlarge dazzlingly on the Appendices' account of the "Second Age" linking the Silmarillion with the hobbit books, making Unfinished Tales the real KEY to the FULL SCOPE of JRRT's metahistorical imagination. The chapters chosen by young Chris for the closing Third-Age section thus operate in THIS FRAME, giving EXTRA DIMENSION (which shouldn't be possible!) to the hobbit books' meticulously epical narratives. So, yes, it's a supplement; but WHAT a supplement. (1) On the scholarly side, Tolkien changed everything for medieval lit study. Having washed in on the crest of modern comparative linguistics, he brought an unprecedentedly literary sensibility to philology of the postClassical, preRenaissance works (Beowulf, the Elder Edda, the Mabinogion et hoc genus) which have come to be readily available in readable translations ONLY since Ace bootlegged the hobbit books in the mid'60s. Unfinished Tales is the crossroads between JRRT's scholarship and legendarium--key not only to the Second Age but indeed to an integrated perspective on his unique career.
Rating:
Summary: A glimpse of what the Silmarillion might have been.
Review: In this book you will find the revised and expanded version of the stories of the Silmarillian, as well some significant backstory for Galadriel. There are also Gandalf's account of the hunt for the ring as well as Gandalf's account of how he came to bring 13 dwarves together with Bilbo--stories that were cut from the Lord of the Rings. You will also find an expanded history of Numenor. DON'T read the Silmarillian without following it up with this book!
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