By the time Kullervo is released in 2016, it’ll have been 43 years since my beloved JRR Tolkien passed away. I can say his best work was posthumous; The Silmarillion is my favorite book of all time. However, every year I’m duped into buying something…and Kullervo will prove no different. Christopher Tolkien’s last two publications, The Fall Of Arthur and Beowulf were both short on content, long on essays and neither were particularly compelling reads. They look great on my bookshelf. I enjoy having them in my collection, but I don’t love either and I never finished The Legend Of Sigurd & Gudrun. Now, The Children Of Húrin is great, but I’d read most of it in both my favorite book and in Unfinished Tales.
So, while Kullervo’s concept sounds nice, we cannot forget it was written 100 years ago. Tolkien’s works from that time, such as The Book Of Lost Tales (1 and 2) are not my favorite. I’ll admit I look forward to this tragic tale. However, I’ll keep my expectations in check.