And Minnesota Public Radio think CT should be grateful anyone even knows the story

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/col...kien_who.shtml

Well considering that contains a gross factual error....

Perhaps, just perhaps, Margaret Atwood's remote book signing machine has more remote capability than ever imagined! ;)

(Actually, I heard the machine failed its first attempted signings. :()

And Time thinks

http://www.time.com/time/arts/articl...611448,00.html

Ebay now has one with a Buyitnow feature of $169.99 signed by both men.

Star-Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/384/story/1126832.html

That means I'll like it lots. :D

Mighty smiting. :D

$169.99 for a copy with both sigs....a veritable bargain!

The only buy-it-now on e-bay with both sigs goes for $249.99.

Where's that signing machine when I need it? Or at least a good counterfeiter. :p

Just picked it up!

It'd be great to hear everybody's perspectives after they/we finish reading.

Initial pre-read impression:

The artwork is gorgeous, but the book is so much smaller than I expected!

Oh, and many thanks to davem for the continuous influx of articles/reviews.

Smaller as in content... or smaller as in the actual physical size of the book...?

Smaller in size. I actually haven't started reading yet (just the Preface and Introduction). But the book itself is slimmer and slightly shorter than I would have expected.

Of course, its all just a rip off of Wagner, you know......

http://www.bitsofnews.com/content/view/5571/42/

Funnily enough it's actually taller than my copy of LOTR so I don't mind.

Anyway, this is the first book I've ever bought on its release day - when I bought it at Waterstones, the woman at the counter said 'this'll be quite good, actually...'. I've yet to actually start reading it, and I haven't read the Silmarillion, so could people kindly put spoiler marks if they post the ending or anything? Thanks.

More on the launch

http://entertainment.timesonline.co....cle1668625.ece

Excerpt: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...704180409/1030

Looks like the $169.00 US double sig book on ebay is gone and it was some kind of test because overnight at least five more popped up with a buy-it-now price of $299.00. The market is being tested.

Got it this morning. Had a good look at the contents although I haven't started reading.

Although mine is just the ordinary version, it's a handsome volume. Pictures seem more of landscape than people. Not sure if that's a good thing or not.

SPOILER......



The book doesn't end with the death of Hurin, as I had hoped. Nor does it clarify what happens to him and what his state of mind is, when he dies. I do feel very cheated - for me it's the crux of the story. Hurin's children were destroyed to punish Hurin, and I need to know how far Morgoth succeeded in destroying Hurin's mighty spirit.
But I accept that this issue of Hurin's despair is probably just my own little obsession and that most readers won't be so bothered about this.

This review is a little more even handed:

http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2...urce=whitelist

For those still waiting, Amazon.co.uk have the whole of Chapter 1 here

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.h...d_i=0007246226

Potter slain by Black Sword:

http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/art...060084,00.html

And how was that wonderful cover created?
 

http://endicottstudio.typepad.com/en...o_middle_.html
:eek:

More
 

http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/in...lling-wizards/

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/r...of-hurin_N.htm

Wonderful links, Child and davem.

I can't help but wonder about the number of them. Have all these sites and sources decided that the book really will be big and are they trying to get on top of the buzz? On the other hand, part of me--and sorry if this sounds terribly cynical--wonders if all these reports are part of a huge marketing campaign by HarperCollins.

For instance, my local newspaper was actually part of a contest with HarperCollins: the first 100 people who replied to an email contest (to win a trip for two to "Middle-earth", aka New Zealand) would receive a free copy of the book. Was this common with other newspapers or just something conceived locally?

Major book reviews come out on the weekend here, so I have my eye out for that. If CoH isn't reviewed, what would that mean?

Is my mind slipping, or is this new version the first time Gwindor's loss of a hand has been mentioned?

Want to read a rant on the critics' views of CoH? Here's one by Marcel Bülles, the president of the German Tolkien Society: The Children of Húrin - Tolkien is back with a vengeance!

No language worries, by the way - the entry is in English.

Yes http://www.thebookseller.com/control/?p=6&a=36306
Inevitable. Tolkien is both Harper Collins & Houghton Mifflin's 'star' apparently. They need to sell CoH big time.

Look at Bloomsbury's profits for last year - down 75% just because there was no Harry Potter book out. What happens to them when the HP saga concludes?

Hmm. Are you sure about that? I can think of a few choice Old English derived words which might cause some language worries on this forum. :D

And one of the best so far:

http://www.marcel-buelles.de/the-chi...h-a-vengeance/

Unless my French is a lot rustier than I thought this French website quotes teh MD of Harper Collins as not ruling out a film deal despite the estate not wanting it... but is waiting for the reaction of readers before he cedes the rights to the Hollywood sharks!
http://www.fantasy.fr/news/actu/3119...au-cinema.html

Here too.. http://www.cinempire.com/films/news/170407e.html More completely...

«Avant toute chose, nous voulons que le livre puisse suivre son cheminement en tant que livre» a déclaré Brawn.
«Personne ne peut dire 'Non' à un film (mais) les droits sont réservés par l' Estate (Tolkien Estate). Nous voulons d'abord voir la réaction qu'il suscitera et on le laissera suivre son cours» a rajouté le directeur.

L'histoire se déroule avant l'époque du Seigneur des anneaux dans une partie de la Terre du Milieu qui a été inondée avant l'apparition des Hobbits. Le livre retranscrit le destin tragique des enfants de Húrin, Túrin et Niniel, maudits par Morgoth, le premier Seigneur des Ténèbres.


Very roughly - maybe TGWBS or one of our Quebecois can improve...

'"What we want first of all, is that the book is able to make its way as a book" declared Brawn. "Nobody can say "No!" to a film [ I think Christopher will as long as he lives. Mith]but the rights are retained by the (Tolkien) Estate. We want to see what response it generates and will let it take its course" . The story takes place before the time of the The Lord of the Rings in a part of Middle Earth flooded before the appearance of Hobbits. The book recounts the tragic desting of the children of Hurin, Turin and Niniel, cursed by Morgoth. the first Dark Lord.'

Yes, that's the same link I posted earlier. Remember Marcel? He led the auction we attended one evening in Birmingham...

http://entertainment.timesonline.co....cle1613657.ece

Do we have this already .... it seems we have a convert or nearly ;)

Sorry, I'm linking to them as fast as I find them. Actually, in some case faster than I read them. I'm surprised I haven't duplicated my own links, never mind other people's
:o

Have we had this yet?
 

Michael Drout on NPR http://www.here-now.org/shows/2007/04/20070417_17.asp

I haven't seen this one yet. If it's already been posted, just let me know.

The Columbus Dispatch:

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/disp...3_AO6DOK1.html

More
 

http://www.ugo.com/ugo/html/article/...89&sectionId=7

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...EGU&refer=muse

I've got mine now and I must say it looks really promising. The artwork by Alan Lee is fascinating! I read the introduction etc and even it made me excited (I had kind of calmed down, but now I'm excited about this again :D).

Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...041902308.html
EDIT just corrected wrong link

Metro review:

http://www.metro.co.uk/metrolife/boo...&in_page_id=28

I am so intoxicated by the smell of a new seriously bound book that I haven't even read that much ...;)

For anyone who hasn't found the link from TOR.n

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/

Listen to an interview with Adam Tolkien - last but one in the listing on the right hand side

I shall try and nab the book tomorrow. I wonder if anyone could tell me if there've been any major changes in the Nirnaeth?

I'm hoping for a resounding "No"!

This book is definitely bringing out strong reactions in reviewers, and unexpected ones. The ghastly but pro-Tolkien AS Byatt viciously attacked it, but from these reviews it seems that many writers normally indifferent or hostile to Tolkien are moved by it.