So! So!!!! It’s an ongoing struggle whether I like a) Beren or Tuor more and b) their narratives more. Part of it’s that they’re very similar characters, although they grew more different as Tolkien refined the narrative (and Tuor started to have more of a backstory overlap with Turin), but also…I just like burly, gentle, good-with-animals men who scare the shit out of everyone except their even scarier wives.

Anyway.

Like Beren & Luthien, this is a series of unfinished narratives ranging from 1917 to the 1950s. Unlike Beren & Luthien they’re in chronological, rather than narrative, order, and large chunks have already been published in either the Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales. Which still made a nice review.

It was really really interesting to see the development of Tolkien’s writing style, and fucking hilarious to think of him reading the first version to the essay group and, and listen. Tuor is a good boy okay. He’s good. He’s trying.

Otoh I have several bones to pick with various draft endings of Elwing’s story so it’s a good thing that Chris finally settled on the happy ever after one.