The Mary Sue

Things We Saw Today: A New J.R.R. Tolkien Book 100 Years in the Making

Beren and Lúthien is described as a "very personal story" that was dreamed up by the legendary fantasy writer and Oxford professor after he returned from WWI.

HarperCollins is Publishing J.R.R. Tolkien’s Beren and Lúthien, 100 Years After It Was Written

by Maddy Myers Oct 20th

Those who've absorbed the entire body of J.R.R. Tolkien's work will remember the tale of Beren and Lúthien, a human man and elf woman who fell in love. Their story appears in The Silmarillion, and it was written back in 1917. One hundred years later, HarperCollins will be republishing the story.

The Silmarillion Recaps: Dragons, Curses, and Incest Oh My!

by Mariah Huehner Sep 25th

Wherein we discuss the only time time Tolkien acknowledges sex in Middle Earth, and everything goes epically wrong for one particular family.

The Silmarillion Recaps: Of Beren & Lúthien, Werewolves, and Half-Goddesses

Part 2

by Mariah Huehner Apr 24th

Welcome back, fellow Tolkien fans (or just those curious about the extended edition of Middle Earth)! It’s been awhile since my last recap. I had a baby, no big deal! It’s taken some time to eek out brief minutes to write about Tolkien again, but here we are. And this one’s a doozy.

“I am No Man” Doesn’t Cut It: The Story of Eowyn

And when you're done reading this, go Google Haleth, daughter of Haldad.

by Mariah Huehner Jan 27th

There are many things I love about the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings film adaptations. The attention to detail, the shout outs to uber nerds with Silmarillion refs, the way Legolas jumps up on that horse in The Two Towers.

The Silmarillion Recaps: Of Jerk Elves and Really Shiny Jewels

Part 1

by Mariah Huehner Jan 16th

I’m going to admit it up front: I love J.R.R. Tolkien’s work. I’m particularly fond of Middle Earth but my favorite book is not The Lord of The Rings. It’s The Silmarillion. I know, I know, that dry historical tome that reads like a bible? YES. That one. I love it. It is epic and dark and lyrical and poetic. It’s also kind of banana pants.

Don’t Let Ian McKellen Make You Overly Optimistic About More Lord of the Rings Films

Those were the stories that stayed with you.

by Susana Polo Dec 2nd

Ian McKellen isn't ruling out the possibility of more films set in Middle-Earth, but you probably shouldn't get your hopes up.

Things We Saw Today: David Bradley as William Hartnell As The Doctor

Things We Saw Today

by Isabella Kapur Jul 11th

The 50th Anniversary excitement continues. This image was officially released after Paris Comic Con last week, and features David Bradley, who you may know a Argus Filch and Walder Frey, in the role of William Hartnell for the film about Doctor Who's beginnings, An Adventure in Space and Time.(via Doctor Who TV)

Things We Saw Today: This Doctor Who Cake Looks Dalek-Table

Things We Saw Today

by Rebecca Pahle Jan 6th

Inquiring minds want to know: Did Mike's Amazing Cakes just clean one of the egg beater whisks they used to make this awesome Dalek cake and then use it for decoration? (via That's Nerdalicious)

Sylvester McCoy to Play Radagast the Brown? Wait… Radagast in The Hobbit?

by Susana Polo Aug 29th

The buzz about Sylvester McCoy, veteran of British television (including a stint playing the Doctor), lately has been that he is in talks to play a certain part in The Hobbit, though definitely "not the Bilbo role." (In other interesting facts: he also once played the part of the Fool in King Lear, against, yes, Ian McKellen as the titular monarch.) Bleeding Cool, however, has a "trustworthy source" that has pegged his negotiations as revolving around a much more obscure character: Radagast the Brown. Why do we care about negotiations for a bit part in The Hobbit? Because we're obssesed? Well, yes. Of course. But also because Radagast doesn't actually appear in The Hobbit, but if he does, it gives us a big hint on one of the movies' big spectacles. This is one of those prime examples of how Tolkien was an incredible historian and linguist but perhaps a bad novelist.