Customer Reviews

TALES FROM THE PERILOUS REALM: Roverandom / Farmer Giles of ham/ The Adventures of Tom Bombadil / Smith of Wooten Major / Leaf By Niggle

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This excellent book is a collection of five stories written by that master of letters, J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973). Each of the stories is excellent in its own right, and together they make a great library.

The five stories are:

1) Farmer Giles of Ham tells the story of a farmer by the name of Aegidius Ahenobarbus Julius Agricola de Hammo - or in the vulgar form, Farmer Giles of Ham. A no-nonsense man was Farmer Giles, and when someone steps onto his property, he is there to meet him with his blunderbuss. However, when the next person to set foot on his property is a giant, Farmer Giles soon finds himself dealing with kings and knights and legendary swords and, worst of all, dragons!

2) Smith of Wootton Major tells the story of a little town that has a wonderful tradition where a special cake is baked every twenty four years, and eaten by twenty four good children. But, when a magical Faery star is slipped into this year's cake, it is eaten by the local smith's son. And so the life of the younger smith is changed beyond anyone's imagination - he is marked by beauty of face and voice, and (unbeknownst to anyone) he can even visit the land of Faery whenever he likes. It is a life of magic and giving.

3) Leaf by Niggle is actually my favorite, telling the story of Niggle, a man with an artist's soul, who lives in a society that does not value art. He does what he can, when he can, but soon he must go on a trip that he was not prepared for. But, on the far side of this journey is the true art and beauty that he only glimpsed before.

4) The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is an extract of the story of the hobbit's meeting with the magical Tom Bombadil and his true love, Goldberry, the Daughter of the River, taken from The Lord of the Rings.

5) And finally, Roverandom, which tells the story of a young dog named Rover, who crosses a powerful wizard from Persia. (The wizard, named Artaxerxes, had become lost and asked for directions, the misguided guide was confused and given him directions to Pershore instead!) Artaxerxes turns Rover into a toy dog, and sends him off. This is the start of an epic quest for Rover, who meets a sand-wizard, the Man-in-the-Moon, the great dragons that live on the moon, the many merfolk living at the bottom of the ocean, and a delightful little boy.

Overall, I found this to be a charming and delightful collection of stories. Do yourself a favor, and find out why Professor Tolkien is remembered as the great author that he is. I give this book my highest recommendations!

Fabulous as usual. I hope Christopher knows that his painstaking work, is so gratefully appreciated by all of us that love Middle Earth, Valinor etc.... Thank you for giving us, books that will be read and re-read for years. Christopher's writing prowess should not be overlooked. He used notes, many nearly illegable, to produce these masterpieces. I think he is a great author in his own right. His Father would be very proud of him. I hope everyone who loves these books, writes a review, and remembers to thank both JRR & Christopher.

A continuation of imagery from J.R.R. Tolkein that won't disappoint any who enjoy his work. His son's help in publishing these stories is wonderful in his own sense.

Thanks!