The Fall of Arthur by J.R.R. Tolkien and edited by Christopher Tolkien

This book contains J.R.R. Tolkien's unfinished attempt to write part of the Matter of Britain in an alliterative verse form used for Old English poetry (such as Beowulf) and used again in Middle English (for example, in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight). The story starts with Arthur away from England, going east to fight barbarians when he hears of his nephew/son Mordred's treachery back home. The poem is enjoyable--Tolkien had a good ear for this verse form (as he also demonstrated in some of the poetry in his Middle Earth stories and in his translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight). Perhaps more interesting, though, is the supplementary material. The first essay is on The Fall of Arthur's place among other tellings of the story of King Arthur, especially The History of the Kings of Britain, the alliterative Morte Arthur, the stanzaic Morte Arthur, and Le Morte Darthur. The second essay argues (I think more convincingly thematically than on hard evidence) that not only was Middle Earth Tolkien's attempt to provide mythology for the English people, but that it was directly connected to the King Arthur legends--indeed, that the Isle of Avalon (where in some versions of the story King Arthur still awaits the moment to return and lead Britain to glory) is Tol Eressëa, or the lonely island, which was where the elves could dwell and look on Valinor after their exile. I really enjoyed this volume; however I would not recommend it to anyone just looking for a good story (there are better--and more complete--retellings of the Arthur myth) or who is a casual fan of The Lord of the Rings. If you like Tolkien's poetry, or are interested in the intricacies of the Arthur story, however, this book is well worth a look.