The Fall of Númenor
And Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-Earth
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The Fall of Númenor
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Narrated by:
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Samuel West
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Brian Sibley
About this listen
J.R.R. Tolkien famously described the Second Age of Middle-earth as a ‘dark age, and not very much of its history is (or need be) told’. And for many years readers would need to be content with the tantalizing glimpses of it found within the pages of The Lord of the Rings and its appendices, including the forging of the Rings of Power, the building of the Barad-dûr and the rise of Sauron.
It was not until Christopher Tolkien published The Silmarillion after his father’s death that a fuller story could be told. Although much of the book’s content concerned the First Age of Middle-earth, there were at its close two key works that revealed the tumultuous events concerning the rise and fall of the island of Númenor. Raised out of the Great Sea and gifted to the Men of Middle-earth as a reward for aiding the angelic Valar and the Elves in the defeat and capture of the Dark Lord Morgoth, the kingdom became a seat of influence and wealth; but as the Númenóreans’ power increased, the seed of their downfall would inevitably be sown, culminating in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.
Even greater insight into the Second Age would be revealed in subsequent publications, first in Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, then expanded upon in Christopher Tolkien’s magisterial twelve-volume The History of Middle-earth, in which he presented and discussed a wealth of further tales written by his father, many in draft form.
Now, adhering to the timeline of ‘The Tale of Years’ in the appendices to The Lord of the Rings, editor Brian Sibley has assembled into one comprehensive volume a new chronicle of the Second Age of Middle-earth, told substantially in the words of J.R.R. Tolkien from the various published texts.
©2022 HarperCollinsPublishers (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers LtdListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"How, given little over half a century of work, did one man become the creative equivalent of a people?" (The Guardian)
"Demanding to be compared with English mythologies…at times rises to the greatness of true myth." (Financial Times)
"A creation of singular beauty…magnificent in its best moments." (Washington Post)
What listeners say about The Fall of Númenor
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- brian dunn
- 22-11-22
fantastic book
great story. well read. best of the Tolkien books that are published after lotrs. A must have I think
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 16-11-22
Stupendous!
Faithfully and superbly compiled and edited. Beautifully narrated with a deep love, knowledge and understanding of the words and the lore they reveal. Thank you so very much for this. I have loved the work of the Tolkiens for 50 years since the age of 17; would that they have lived for ever. Namarie nya meloni.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mel
- 26-05-24
Great insight into the development of the Numenorians
I thought this was going to be a long novel, such as the Hobbit. However, it turned out to be much more. I gain dome understanding of the complexity and difficulty that JRR Tolkien went through in developing the Numenorian history. This gives me even more appreciation for his other works especially in the development of the human kingdoms.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- wayne davies
- 18-11-22
A Must have for all Tolkien fans
A great collection of second age writings all in one place. I got the deluxe version too for the shelf but the audio book will be listened to again and again.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 06-01-23
classic tolkein
and a fine introduction to the work of the professors devoted son. will reread again and again.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Duncan G Sparrow
- 11-11-22
Fantastic
Thank you to all who put this book together I’m relieved surprised enthralled and captivated by the wonderful world of a great man. If only a Television series could’ve taken note.
Thank you
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9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Paul
- 26-01-23
A must for Tolkien geeks
It’s so good it almost got rid of the bad taste from the Rings Of Power
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Asa
- 02-11-23
A Dark Tale of the Second Age
I loved this tale in the Second Age. It's dark but beautiful to hear the myth.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 10-11-23
Loved it
Makes the history of the Second, as well as the Third, Age Michael clearer. Brilliant.
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- Anji Dale
- 19-11-23
Excellent organisation of this part of Tolkien's history
After watching “The Rings of Power” and knowing that they’d played fast and loose with Númenorean history, I was delighted to find this work to set things right, so to speak. I really liked Brian Sibley's editorial notes and Samuel West's performance of Tolkien’s words was amazing.
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