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Rating: 
Summary: Good, but for die-hards only
Review: Hi! The WAR OF THE JEWELS is a good book for the die-hard Tolkien fan, but I can't reccommend it for the general fantasy reader. If you have never read the Silmarillion WOTJ probably won't make any sense to you. If you have, be warned that WOTJ duplicates quite a bit of the Silmarillion. However, there is some new material too, such as a very dramatic and sometimes moving account of Hurin's wanderings after his release from Angband. So if you're a Tolkien fanatic and have a little extra money, go for it. If not, this book's probably not for you.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but for die-hards only
Review: Hi! The WAR OF THE JEWELS is a good book for the die-hard Tolkien fan, but I can't reccommend it for the general fantasy reader. If you have never read the Silmarillion WOTJ probably won't make any sense to you. If you have, be warned that WOTJ duplicates quite a bit of the Silmarillion. However, there is some new material too, such as a very dramatic and sometimes moving account of Hurin's wanderings after his release from Angband. So if you're a Tolkien fanatic and have a little extra money, go for it. If not, this book's probably not for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Great ! ! !
Review: In the eleventh volume of the History of Middle Earth Christopher Tolkien continues from where he left off in "Morgoth's Ring". It spans the time from the Siege of Angband to the Tale of Maeglin. Also included are the Grey Annals, which are a timeline of the events in Beleriand, and The Wanderings of Hurin, which is an interesting story about Hurin after his release from Angband. This is a must have for those that have read the previous HoME volumes or for any Tolkien fan.
Rating:
Summary: History of Middle Earht nearing the end!
Review: In the eleventh volume of the History of Middle Earth Christopher Tolkien continues from where he left off in "Morgoth's Ring". It spans the time from the Siege of Angband to the Tale of Maeglin. Also included are the Grey Annals, which are a timeline of the events in Beleriand, and The Wanderings of Hurin, which is an interesting story about Hurin after his release from Angband. This is a must have for those that have read the previous HoME volumes or for any Tolkien fan.
Rating:
Summary: A "must" for all J.R.R. Tolkien fans!
Review: Since J.R.R. Tolkien's death in 1973, a substantial effort has been made by first Guy Gavriel Kay working with Christopher Tolkien, then Christopher Tolkien but also a host of only marginally acknowledged Tolkien scholars such\ as Taum Santoski, John Rateliff, Doug Anderson, Richard C. West and possibly others unknown to us, to make the body of J.R.R. Tolkien's lifework available to those of us wishing to watch the creative process of architecture of Tolkien's world unfold. Early on in the process, there was a parting of the ways between Guy Gavriel Kay and J.R.R. Tolkien's son, Christopher, over the form that J.R.R. Tolkien's posthumously-published lifework would be presented. G.G. Kay opted for a posthumous collaboration format which would allow for the presentation of much of the work in a finished form. Christopher Tolkien chose a more scholarly option. Each approach has its advantages and audiences. While The History of Middle Earth in its currently eleven volumes (projected for twelve) is perhaps a unique event in publishing history, useful to the scholar but also prized by a wider group of readers, one wonders what the effect might have been of presenting this body of work as works of fiction. Phil suspects that it may have supplanted a whole generation of bad imitators of the works, style and subject matter of Tolkien. Especially if the themes were handled at a level of artfulness consistent with the will of J.R.R. Tolkien. We can only speculate whether that would even be possible without Tolkien's own hand - a core question in any discussion of individual creativity. However, since J.R.R. Tolkien thought of himself as a chronicler rather than a creator, it might be argued that a writer such as G.G. Kay who has so effectively used other historical sources as themes for his own work (e.g. A Song for Arbonne), could have achieved results that even the master would have approved. This particular volume of the History also includes the second part of a set of Tolkien's notes and commentary on the Later or Quenta Silmarillion, an unfinished MS. that appears in Volume V of the History (The Lost Road and Other Writings, 1987, p. 199-338) as well as J.R.R's background notes and annotations on The Lays of Beleriand (Volume III, 1985) and a few other similar texts from J.R.R. Tolkien's papers, with contextual commentary by Christopher Tolkien. As with most of the other works in the History, this one requires a good memory or a good library of Tolkien or both. Nevertheless the scholar or the Tolkien enthusiast will want to own the book, complete with its (typically) excellent indexes to help in establishing both the illusion that Middle Earth has an intense level of validity (almost reality) and to trace the complexities of Tolkien's creative process. The history in its entirety is a demonstration of both J.R.R. and Christopher Tolkien's textual/scholarly training in language and literature, translation and Anglo-Saxon textual studies, and the wonderful sense of play with these topics that could give rise to the entirety of Middle Earth in fictional and 'historical' detail. (Index, p. 425-470).Philip E. Kaveny Reviewer
Rating:
Summary: Great ! ! !
Review: The Hobbite is the best book I have ever read. If you do not read it you really miss something , I recommend this book to anybody, you will love it. Once you began to read it you would wish it had no end ! ! !
Rating:
Summary: The War of the Jewels
Review: The War of the Jewels is one of the most misunderstood and underrated volumes in the History of Middle-earth series. Although it is primarily a scholarly work which explains precisely how Christopher Tolkien brought together the various sources to produce the published Silmarillion, this book also opens up new vistas into First Age Middle-earth that readers never imagined could exist. Casual readers will enjoy "The Wanderings of Hurin", which Christopher has editorialized to some extent. The story of what Hurin REALLY did after he left Morgoth's domain is an eye-opening experience, and it explains why the sons of Earendil and Elwing were the last heirs of the heroic chieftains of the Edain. But "The Wanderings of Hurin" also gives us the only detailed view of the Folk of Haleth, the mysterious woodmen who figured so prominently in "Narn i Chin Hurin", the tale of Turin Turambar. Another fantastic gem lies between the covers of this book, however. Accompanying the very scholarly essay "Quendi and Eldar" is a short Elvish nursery tale which provides the only account of how the Elves awoke at Cuivienen, and who the eldest Elves actually were. Their names will surprise everyone. "Quendi and Eldar" itself is filled with a great deal of historical and cultural information although it is primarily a linguistic work. It may represent the last significant contribution Tolkien made to his mythology, even though he later changed his mind on a few details.
Rating:
Summary: Christopher Tolkien unveils the truth about The Silmarillion
Review: The War of the Jewels is one of the most misunderstood and underrated volumes in the History of Middle-earth series. Although it is primarily a scholarly work which explains precisely how Christopher Tolkien brought together the various sources to produce the published Silmarillion, this book also opens up new vistas into First Age Middle-earth that readers never imagined could exist. Casual readers will enjoy "The Wanderings of Hurin", which Christopher has editorialized to some extent. The story of what Hurin REALLY did after he left Morgoth's domain is an eye-opening experience, and it explains why the sons of Earendil and Elwing were the last heirs of the heroic chieftains of the Edain. But "The Wanderings of Hurin" also gives us the only detailed view of the Folk of Haleth, the mysterious woodmen who figured so prominently in "Narn i Chin Hurin", the tale of Turin Turambar. Another fantastic gem lies between the covers of this book, however. Accompanying the very scholarly essay "Quendi and Eldar" is a short Elvish nursery tale which provides the only account of how the Elves awoke at Cuivienen, and who the eldest Elves actually were. Their names will surprise everyone. "Quendi and Eldar" itself is filled with a great deal of historical and cultural information although it is primarily a linguistic work. It may represent the last significant contribution Tolkien made to his mythology, even though he later changed his mind on a few details.
Rating:
Summary: The War of the Jewels
Review: This book had a very well played out story line and it explained alot about the other books
Rating:
Summary: Like the other HoME books, this book was s u p e r b ! ! !
Review: This continues where book TEN of the History of Middle Earth series leaves off. It has the later drafts of many of Tolkien's tales. It is a great read I say.
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