Tower of Iron Will

"I want fire and gold and songs of old

and red wine flowing free!"

The quote is from Tolkien's poem "The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon." I can't think of a better line to describe the wistful longing for rich old things that reading Tolkien inspires and the vague sense of disappointment that comes after.

Tales is a collection of Tolkien's shorter pieces; I am tempted to say ephemera. I believe this is the first time all of them have been collected in one volume. Previously one would have to track down three or more small books to find all of these pieces. You no longer have an excuse for not reading them.

Roverandom is the first and longest tale in the collection. It tells the story of a dog that is changed by a wizard into a toy and then goes on a quest to regain his doghood. Along the way he flies of a bird's back to the moon and rides in a whale's mouth to the kingdom of the mer-folk at the bottom of the ocean. I can't help bu think it would have made a great Hayao Miyazaki film.

Farmer Giles of Ham is one of Tolkien's funnier pieces. A rustic farmer with a magic sword is pressured by his neighbors into fighting a dragon. If you liked the Hobbit better than Lord of the Rings and wished Tolkien had written more in a lighter vein then you will probably enjoy Farmer.

Smith of Wooten Major is the closest Tolkien every came to a portal quest style fantasy, but in the end it is more of an intrusion fantasy. As a child Smith finds a silver star in a cake that gives him passage to the realm of Faery. This is the one story in the book I wish Tolkien had further developed. I would love to read a Tolkien novel in the vein of Neil Gaiman's Stardust.

Leaf by Niggle is the most allegorical thing Tolkien every wrote, which is remarkable as Tolkien famously disliked allegory. Niggle is an artist who cannot complete his masterpiece because of constant interruptions by his neighbors. Before you think this was Tolkien's commentary on the obligations of daily life that interfered with his writing process, there is a twist. Niggle finds himself in a sort of purgatory where he is judged not for his art but for his humility and his willingness to help his neighbors. Eventually he reaches a paradise where his artistic vision is made real and surpasses all his dreams. It makes me wonder if Tolkien dreamed of dying and going to a real Middle Earth. If so I hope the old professor is enjoying his pipe outside of his Hobbit hole.

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is a collection of 16 narrative poems, some featuring the enigmatic character from LotR. Fans who only know Tolkien's work from the Peter Jackson films may be surprised to learn that Tolkien filled his books with poems and songs. Poetry critics may not take Tolkien's poetry seriously but I enjoy a poem that tells a story and uses a formal meter and rhyme scheme. Ever since Jackson chose to omit Bombadil from the films I have been waiting for someone to write a "Tom Bombadil is Dead" retelling of LotR from old Tom's perspective.

The books ends with an appendix, because Tolkien, which consists of his classic essay "On Fairy-Stories." I love this essay and would consider it worth the price of the book if it wasn't available for free online. Rereading it makes me wish I could have taken a class taught by the man back in his days as a professor at Oxford.