Tolkien Rises From Dead, Writes New Book

[Lord Voldemoo]

I am currently re-reading The Silmarillion in anticipation of reading The Children of Hurin...

I'd forgotten how often I have to flip to the name appendix in the back to keep the farking elves' names straight.

Fingon, Fingolfin, Feanor, Finwe, Fuckingmadness

[so sorry]

I am currently re-reading The Silmarillion in anticipation of reading The Children of Hurin...

I'd forgotten how often I have to flip to the name appendix in the back to keep the farking elves' names straight.

Fingon, Fingolfin, Feanor, Finwe, Fuckingmadness

Funny you should mention this...

I was putting a book away on my bookshelf not to long ago and my eyes came across my LOTR trilogy/Silmarillion books that I've had since 1982. The trilogy books are madly dogeared and beatup from use, yet the Silmarillion is in mint condition!
WAY too indepth for a 12 year olds mind... so I just bought it to have it, and never read it.

[monorail77]

I tried listening to The Silmarillian as an audio book. Incomprehensible.

[Nordling]

If you can fight through the various names, THE SILMARILLION is a damn good story.

[Lord Voldemoo]

If you can fight through the various names, THE SILMARILLION is a damn good story.

It definitely is. Despite my whiney post above, I've read and re-read the book and have enjoyed it each time.

If one wishes to pick up one of the Tolkien encyclopedias out there, it may be helpful when reading, though. The two maps in the edition I have are pretty bad, too.

[so sorry]

Thread, rise from the DEAD!!!

I'm about a third of the way thru the children of hurin, and I feel compelled to revive this thread to see if anyone else has read it.

Got my copy at Christmas, and took me a good month to get started and get past the Intro, which was bogged down in Simarillion-esque names and places and minutia and boredom.

I actually resigned myself to the fact that I would never read it, and it would just look pretty on my bookshelf next to my other Tolkein Tomes. But I cracked it open again about a week ago, and I gotta say I am completely enthralled right now.

It is dark. It is depressing. It is HARSH. So far, nothing good is happening in the world of Middle Earth. Even the Elves are nasty.
The exchange between Hurin and Morgoth was fucking awesome. The illustrations by Alan Lee are beautiful.

Anyway, just curious to see if anyone else out there was into it...

[Pacino86845]

Thread, rise from the DEAD!!!

I'm about a third of the way thru the children of hurin, and I feel compelled to revive this thread to see if anyone else has read it.

Got my copy at Christmas, and took me a good month to get started and get past the Intro, which was bogged down in Simarillion-esque names and places and minutia and boredom.

I actually resigned myself to the fact that I would never read it, and it would just look pretty on my bookshelf next to my other Tolkein Tomes. But I cracked it open again about a week ago, and I gotta say I am completely enthralled right now.

It is dark. It is depressing. It is HARSH. So far, nothing good is happening in the world of Middle Earth. Even the Elves are nasty.
The exchange between Hurin and Morgoth was fucking awesome. The illustrations by Alan Lee are beautiful.

Anyway, just curious to see if anyone else out there was into it...

Does one need to get into Simalillidingdong before trying to read this? I've read all the LOTR and The Hobbit, is that enough?

[Fievel]

I also got a copy for Christmas... got through the intro... looked in the mirror and realized my eyes were crossed. I haven't touched it in weeks. I really need to.
Your enthusiasm gives me hope.

[so sorry]

I also got a copy for Christmas... got through the intro.... looked in the mirror and realized my eyes were crossed. I haven't touched it in weeks. I really need to.
Your enthusiasm gives me hope.

I'm telling you Fievel, that intro is NOT how the chapters are written. I don't know what he (christopher) or the publisher was thinking when they printed that Intro. Its daunting and scary. The chapters are much more reader friendly. One more piece of advice: I find it easier to read when I try not to remember every river/town/kingdom name's origin and bearing on the story. In other words, when I read "so and so from such and such", I don't try and remember where that is on the map of Middle Earth and who he or she is related to (hope that made sense).


And Pacino, you don't need a thesis in Tolkein lore (Simarillion) to enjoy this book.

[Fievel]

I also got a copy for Christmas... got through the intro... looked in the mirror and realized my eyes were crossed. I haven't touched it in weeks. I really need to.
Your enthusiasm gives me hope.

I'm telling you Fievel, that intro is NOT how the chapters are written. I don't know what he (christopher) or the publisher was thinking when they printed that Intro. Its daunting and scary. The chapters are much more reader friendly. One more piece of advice: I find it easier to read when I try not to remember every river/town/kingdom name's origin and bearing on the story. In other words, when I read "so and so from such and such", I don't try and remember where that is on the map of Middle Earth and who he or she is related to (hope that made sense).


And Pacino, you don't need a thesis in Tolkein lore (Simarillion) to enjoy this book.

Oh man, that is SO good to hear!
I knew I'd eventually plow through the material, but knowing now that it's not so... academic... throughout makes it something I actually look forward to doing.
And your advice regarding locations makes me happy too as I was trying to memorize and figure everything out in just the intro.

I'll be starting tonight.

[Lord Voldemoo]

I also got a copy for Christmas... got through the intro... looked in the mirror and realized my eyes were crossed. I haven't touched it in weeks. I really need to.
Your enthusiasm gives me hope.

I'm telling you Fievel, that intro is NOT how the chapters are written. I don't know what he (christopher) or the publisher was thinking when they printed that Intro. Its daunting and scary. The chapters are much more reader friendly. One more piece of advice: I find it easier to read when I try not to remember every river/town/kingdom name's origin and bearing on the story. In other words, when I read "so and so from such and such", I don't try and remember where that is on the map of Middle Earth and who he or she is related to (hope that made sense).


And Pacino, you don't need a thesis in Tolkein lore (Simarillion) to enjoy this book.

SS, I have the book, but haven't read it yet. Obviously it must elaborate quite a bit on the "short version" of the story in The Silmarillion. How repetitive is it of the story there? The reason I haven't read it is that I just re-read the Silmarillion a couple of months ago and I didn't feel like reading the same story twice in a row, if you get my meaning.

[so sorry]

I also got a copy for Christmas... got through the intro... looked in the mirror and realized my eyes were crossed. I haven't touched it in weeks. I really need to.
Your enthusiasm gives me hope.

I'm telling you Fievel, that intro is NOT how the chapters are written. I don't know what he (christopher) or the publisher was thinking when they printed that Intro. Its daunting and scary. The chapters are much more reader friendly. One more piece of advice: I find it easier to read when I try not to remember every river/town/kingdom name's origin and bearing on the story. In other words, when I read "so and so from such and such", I don't try and remember where that is on the map of Middle Earth and who he or she is related to (hope that made sense).


And Pacino, you don't need a thesis in Tolkein lore (Simarillion) to enjoy this book.

SS, I have the book, but haven't read it yet. Obviously it must elaborate quite a bit on the "short version" of the story in The Silmarillion. How repetitive is it of the story there? The reason I haven't read it is that I just re-read the Silmarillion a couple of months ago and I didn't feel like reading the same story twice in a row, if you get my meaning.

I'd have to go back and re-read the Simarillion version to tell you that, but if memory serves me correctly, in that book, there isn't any 'dialogue' or story per se. It read like a textbook, right?

Put it in your rotation Voldy. At the very least, if you're a Tolkein fan, I don't think it'll disappoint.

CAVEAT: like I originally said, I'm only a third of the way thru, so it still had the potential to bomb, but so far so good.

[Lord Voldemoo]

I also got a copy for Christmas... got through the intro... looked in the mirror and realized my eyes were crossed. I haven't touched it in weeks. I really need to.
Your enthusiasm gives me hope.

I'm telling you Fievel, that intro is NOT how the chapters are written. I don't know what he (christopher) or the publisher was thinking when they printed that Intro. Its daunting and scary. The chapters are much more reader friendly. One more piece of advice: I find it easier to read when I try not to remember every river/town/kingdom name's origin and bearing on the story. In other words, when I read "so and so from such and such", I don't try and remember where that is on the map of Middle Earth and who he or she is related to (hope that made sense).


And Pacino, you don't need a thesis in Tolkein lore (Simarillion) to enjoy this book.

SS, I have the book, but haven't read it yet. Obviously it must elaborate quite a bit on the "short version" of the story in The Silmarillion. How repetitive is it of the story there? The reason I haven't read it is that I just re-read the Silmarillion a couple of months ago and I didn't feel like reading the same story twice in a row, if you get my meaning.

I'd have to go back and re-read the Simarillion version to tell you that, but if memory serves me correctly, in that book, there isn't any 'dialogue' or story per se. It read like a textbook, right?

Put it in your rotation Voldy. At the very least, if you're a Tolkein fan, I don't think it'll disappoint.

CAVEAT: like I originally said, I'm only a third of the way thru, so it still had the potential to bomb, but so far so good.

That's right. It does definitely read as a textbook. Thanks for the info, I'll definitely get to it soon.

[Nachokoolaid]

I loved this book, and I would absolutely be thrilled to see this turned to a film. Tragic, yes, but SO good. I love the last few chapters. So sorry, I have to admit that I think the best portions of the book are ahead of you. After you get done, we can chat.

[Lady Sheridan]

This reminds me, I need to move this book higher on my "to read" queue... I've had it over a year.

[Lord Voldemoo]

This reminds me, I need to move this book higher on my "to read" queue... I've had it over a year.

I know I keep looking at it and feeling guilty. I love Tolkien, I re-read at least one of his books like once a year... but for whatever reason I've been having trouble getting motivated. I think it's because i just reread Silmarillion and it's a little... draining.

I'm actually kind of surprised we haven't done it for BotM...

[RogueScribner]

I tried rereading The Hobbit, but I gave up after the escape from the goblins in the mountains. I just couldn't take it anymore. I was bored.

[unikrunk]

Jesus Christ - I forced myself to un-shelve this book last night, and finish reading it. I stopped about half-way through for some reason (probably got distracted by something shiny) and never picked it back up.

It has been staring at me from my office for months, and that was starting to get on my damned nerves, so, I just pushed ahead and plowed through the rest of it.

HOLY CRAP.

Great book.

Pure fucking tragedy, but so well done; written as an account of history rather than the standard narrative, this book is even more hard hitting for it. Leaves you to fill in the gaps in the characters motivations and ultimate failures.

The last paragraph in this book made me fucking cry. I hate crying. But it was that good, that powerful, and that heart-wrenching.

The Children of Hurin is a deceptive, brilliant title, and the work therein is no slouch.

If you like stuff like the Lay of Lúthien and Beren One-Hand, or more so The Akallabêth, you will love this shit. I did.

If The Hobbit is more your cup-o-tea, you probably won't find much here of interest.

8 out of 10 thumbs up


/re: a movie; you could do it, but I don't think audiences would embrace it. Incest, seething hate, and evil winning the day ain't gonna play in Peoria, ya' know?

[Lady Sheridan]

I know I keep looking at it and feeling guilty. I love Tolkien, I re-read at least one of his books like once a year... but for whatever reason I've been having trouble getting motivated. I think it's because i just reread Silmarillion and it's a little... draining.

I'm actually kind of surprised we haven't done it for BotM...

I keep putting it off because of the thrill of having a "new" Tolkien book was too enticing. I wanted to make it last. Now it's hit the crazy forgetful point.

[so sorry]

I meant to write a nice review of Children on Hurin when I finished it a few weeks ago, but I forgot to... and now I can't remember a lot of what I had in my mind at the time. So... here's a two-bit review (without any specific spoilage):

As I said earlier (and many seemed to agree), I stared at this book for along time before I picked it up. I guess I wasn't overly excited to get started because I figured it was Christopher Tolkein more than JRR writing it. And when I did crack it open and dived into the preface, I was hit with a string of names and places that bored the shit out of me. But I prevailed, and pushed thru it, and decided that I wasn't going to worry about remembering every river name, forest enclave, and Elrond's brother's friend's sister's first cousin on his human-side's name.

Long story short, it was really good. Turin's story is dark and messy. He's really a selfish asshole, but he's got that "its not my fault" thing going for him. And it was refreshing to see elves portrayed as something other than holier-than-thou super-beings. Highlight of the book has to be the exchange between Hurin and Morgoth... a mortal man standing up to the physical embodiment of evil... really well done.

*SPOILER* my biggest criticism is with the last chapter. After Morgoth's curse is fulfilled, and Hurin's children are dead, Morgoth releases him. He travels from captivity to the burial mound of his son and finds his wife there, on her death bed. All in a matter of a few paragraphs. It felt rushed and almost an afterthought, and there was no emotion connected to it. Would have loved to have read about Hurin's feelings on all that transpired (was he wracked with remorse and an overwhelming sense of guilt? Did he think that he made the right decisions? Did he tap that ass before she died?)

Anyway... if you are one of the seemingly many who own this but haven't read it, put it in your rotation. Its a pretty easy read as long as you don't stress about remembering all the names and stuff, and ultimately its worth it. It even made me dust off my copy of the Simarillion so that I could read up on the defeat of Morgoth...

[so sorry]

I meant to write a nice review of Children on Hurin when I finished it a few weeks ago, but I forgot to... and now I can't remember a lot of what I had in my mind at the time. So... here's a two-bit review (without any specific spoilage):

As I said earlier (and many seemed to agree), I stared at this book for along time before I picked it up. I guess I wasn't overly excited to get started because I figured it was Christopher Tolkein more than JRR writing it. And when I did crack it open and dived into the preface, I was hit with a string of names and places that bored the shit out of me. But I prevailed, and pushed thru it, and decided that I wasn't going to worry about remembering every river name, forest enclave, and Elrond's brother's friend's sister's first cousin on his human-side's name.

Long story short, it was really good. Turin's story is dark and messy. He's really a selfish asshole, but he's got that "its not my fault" thing going for him. And it was refreshing to see elves portrayed as something other than holier-than-thou super-beings. Highlight of the book has to be the exchange between Hurin and Morgoth... a mortal man standing up to the physical embodiment of evil... really well done.

*SPOILER* my biggest criticism is with the last chapter. After Morgoth's curse is fulfilled, and Hurin's children are dead, Morgoth releases him. He travels from captivity to the burial mound of his son and finds his wife there, on her death bed. All in a matter of a few paragraphs. It felt rushed and almost an afterthought, and there was no emotion connected to it. Would have loved to have read about Hurin's feelings on all that transpired (was he wracked with remorse and an overwhelming sense of guilt? Did he think that he made the right decisions? Did he tap that ass before she died?)

Anyway... if you are one of the seemingly many who own this but haven't read it, put it in your rotation. Its a pretty easy read as long as you don't stress about remembering all the names and stuff, and ultimately its worth it. It even made me dust off my copy of the Simarillion so that I could read up on the defeat of Morgoth...

So within the past two months I finally decided to embark on my biennial Tolkein adventure: re-reading my dogeared LOTR books. But this time around I had loftier goals: to read, cover-to-cover, the Simarillion followed by Children of Turin followed by The Hobbit followed by LOTR.
I'm proud to say I finally read, and understood, the Simarillion, despite its pitfalls (long unpronouncable names and places, genealogy list that span paragraphs, and no real narrative to follow along with). Anywho, its turns out that the Simarillion is a pretty good read with some awesome stories and a wealth of knowledge that will make reading the Trilogy again a different experience.
Anyway... now I'm halfway thru the Children of Turin and I thought I'd pop into this book's review thread to relive some Zoner's reviews. Low and behold, the last post was my review from well over a year ago Voldy, did you ever read it? Pacino, you seemed interested, how's about you? Fievel?
My thoughts on the book now are the same as they were a year ago, with the exception of having read the Simarillion I seem to be grasping the names and places a lot better (but like i said last year, its not necessary to have read it to enjoy the Children of Turin). I wonder if Peter Jackson will use anything from the Children of Turin in his Hobbit double-movie...

[Lord Voldemoo]

I did read it! But it was nearly a year ago now myself... I wish I would have written it up then... I'm a loser.

SPOILERS BELOW SORTA

My thoughts, as I recollect them, are largely along the lines of yours. I really enjoyed it. I'm a retard for detail on Tolkien's world, which is really the only reason I can think of for the fact that I've re-read The Silmarillion like 4 times. The Silmarillion DOES have some fantastic stories intermingled between the pages and pages of names to remember, and the story of Hurin is one of them. It can be somewhat lost between the story of Feanor and, of course, the Lay of Luthien but it has always been an interesting, incredibly dark and tragic story. The story of Hurin and Turin is the Anti-Hobbit. It's the story where evil wins and the results are tragic on a personal level to the characters.

The Children of Hurin takes all that is good about that story in The Silmarillion and expands upon it. The story is well adapted by Chris Tolkien, adding to the original story where necessary with obvious reverence for the source material. It FEELS like Tolkien... which is crucial.

It's not as much fun to read as, say, The Lord of the Rings. There's no Tom Bombadil or Samwise Gamgee in this story, to lighten the mood. It's dark and heavy and can be tough to read in parts, but it is very good.

If you enjoy Tolkien, I recommend it. Especially so if you have read The Silmarillion and enjoyed some of the smaller stories contained within, but don't like the book as a whole because of the pages of names, origin story, etc.

[Ribbons]

Oh, Adam, I just noticed that this would be your second posthumous review so far... What's next on the cards, Epimenides of Knossos' long-thought-lost self-help book, "The Art of Making a Happier & Brighter You"?

You know, actually I think this might prove be the Year of the Dead Guy Books. Not only was there Dick's, but this month I'm reviewing the last Gordon R. Dickson book in the Childe (Dorsai) cycle which is also posthumously completed, then in April Hurin comes out, and then this summer Kevin J Anderson is co-writing the long lost sequel to Slan and finishing up the Dune series.

SLAN! BWAHAHAHA!!!

[Ribbons]

So, I just read this... not bad. I'm not much of a Tolkien aficianado -- I've only read The Hobbit and bits and pieces of LotR -- so all of the names of people and places were a little intimidating (seriously, peep the index in back; each character has like five different names), but buried in there was a pretty nice story. Also I think that's part of the charm of Tolkien's worlds: there's the sense that they've been lived in and that an entire history surrounds everything that inhabits them. Anyway, I liked the style that the book was written in. It reminded me of epic poems or "songs" that people used to write, so that was kind of neat. Although I agree with sosorry that the ending of the book seemed a little rushed and left a lot of issues unresolved, I also thought the last moment between Hurin and Morwen was surprisingly tender, and probably the most affecting part of the entire tale. I can't say this book is for everybody; it is a little 'name-y' after all and you kind of have to work to get past that aspect of it, but if you're interested in the world of Tolkien I think you'll be richly rewarded.

Also, for those of you who are curious, there are several appendices in the back where Christopher Tolkien explains how much of the story he was responsbile for.

[TheButcher]

From TheOneRing.net July 13th, 2012:
A new Tolkien book looms on the horizon

The Tolkien scholarly community is afire with curiosity and rumours after it emerged that a new Tolkien book is on the horizon. The book, which we understand will be called The Fall of Arthur appears to be set for a May 2013 release going from pre-order information that inadvertently popped up on the website of retailing giant Amazon. It’s possible that it has been edited by Christopher Tolkien, but this is unconfirmed.

The Fall of Arthur is a long, alliterative poem based on Arthurian legends. Some excerpts from it were published in Humphrey Carpenter’s biography of JRR Tolkien. It seems it was written in the 1930s. In Letters of JRR Tolkien there is a bare mention of The Fall of Arthur.

I write alliterative verse with pleasure, though I have published little beyond fragments in The Lord of the Rings, except ‘The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth’… a dramatic dialogue on the nature of the ‘heroic’ and the ‘chivalrous’. I still hope to finish a long poem on The Fall of Arthur in the same measure. Letter 165, Letters of JRR Tolkien.

[TheButcher]

'New' JRR Tolkien epic due out next year

Lord of the Rings author's previously unseen 200-page poem of Arthurian legend draws on tales of ancient Britain rather than Middle-earth

It's the story of a dark world, of knights and princesses, swords and sorcery, quests and betrayals, and it's from the pen of JRR Tolkien. But this is not Middle-earth, it's ancient Britain, and this previously unpublished work from the Lord of the Rings author stars not Aragorn, Gandalf and Frodo, but King Arthur.

HarperCollins has announced the acquisition of Tolkien's never-before-published poem The Fall of Arthur, which will be released for the first time next May. Running to more than 200 pages, Tolkien's story was inspired by Geoffrey of Monmouth and Thomas Malory's tales of King Arthur, and is told in narrative verse. Set in the last days of Arthur's reign, the poem sees Tolkien tackling the old king's battle to save his country from Mordred the usurper, opening as Arthur and Gawain go to war.

"It is well known that a prominent strain in my father's poetry was his abiding love for the old 'Northern' alliterative verse," said Tolkien's son, Christopher Tolkien, who has edited the book and provided commentary. "In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight he displayed his skill in his rendering of the alliterative verse of the 14th century into the same metre in modern English. To these is now added his unfinished and unpublished poem The Fall of Arthur."

Tolkien began writing The Fall of Arthur a few years before he wrote The Hobbit. Its publication is the latest in a series of "new" releases from the author, including The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún in 2009 and the unfinished Middle-Earth story The Children of Húrin in 2007.

For the book's editor at HarperCollins, Chris Smith, the news that Tolkien had finished work on The Fall of Arthur was an unexpected surprise. "Though its title had been known from Humphrey Carpenter's Biography and JRR Tolkien's own letters, we never supposed that it would see the light of day," he said.

He described the previously unpublished work as "extraordinary", saying that it "breathes new life into one of our greatest heroes, liberating him from the clutches of Malory's romantic treatment, and revealing Arthur as a complex, all-too human individual who must rise above the greatest of betrayals to liberate his beloved kingdom".

He added that, "though Tolkien's use of alliterative verse will mean the poem is of more specialised interest than his other work, we would like to think that the subject of King Arthur is one that will resonate with readers of his more celebrated works."

"In The Fall of Arthur we find themes of lost identity, betrayal, and sacrifice for greater glory, which have their echoes in other works, such as The Lord of the Rings, but anyone looking for closer connections will find no wizards or magic swords. In this respect The Fall of Arthur is closer to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight or The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún."

These are the "new" poem's opening lines:

"Arthur eastward in arms purposed
his war to wage on the wild marches,
over seas sailing to Saxon lands,
from the Roman realm ruin defending.
Thus the tides of time to turn backward
and the heathen to humble, his hope urged him,
that with harrying ships they should hunt no more
on the shining shores and shallow waters
of South Britain, booty seeking."

John Garth, author of Tolkien and the Great War, said that from the fragments he had seen, the omens looked good. "In The Fall of Arthur, Tolkien depicts Arthur going off to fight the Saxons in Mirkwood – not the Mirkwood of Middle-earth, but the great German forests. Whether it's as good as the best by Tolkien will have to wait on the full publication, but snippets published so far are encouraging, showing him in darkly evocative mode writing about one of the great English villains, Mordred: 'His bed was barren; there black phantoms/ of desire unsated and savage fury/ in his brain brooded till bleak morning.'

"Any addition to the Arthurian tradition by a major author is welcome; this one is also exciting because of what it adds to our picture of a great modern imagination."

[TheButcher]

The Fall of Arthur

The world first publication of a previously unknown work by J.R.R. Tolkien, which tells the extraordinary story of the final days of England’s legendary hero, King Arthur.

The Fall of Arthur recounts in verse the last campaign of King Arthur who, even as he stands at the threshold of Mirkwood is summoned back to Britain by news of the treachery of Mordred. Already weakened in spirit by Guinevere's infidelity with the now-exiled Lancelot, Arthur must rouse his knights to battle one last time against Mordred's rebels and foreign mercenaries.

Powerful, passionate and filled with vivid imagery, The Fall of Arthur reveals Tolkien's gift for storytelling at its brilliant best. Originally composed by J.R.R. Tolkien in the 1930s, this work was set aside for The Hobbit and has lain untouched for 80 years.

Now it has been edited for publication by Tolkien's son, Christopher, who contributes three illuminating essays that explore the literary world of King Arthur, reveal the deeper meaning of the verses and the painstaking work that his father applied to bring it to a finished form, and the intriguing links between The Fall of Arthur and his greatest creation, Middle-earth.

[so sorry]

That's kinda cool. Written as a poem though...that's a put off to me.

I'll wait for Peter Jackson's 5 part epic 4D 2042fps movie adaptation, coming in 2032-2051.

[Fievel]

I'll wait for Peter Jackson's 5 part epic 4D 2042fps movie adaptation, coming in 2032-2051.

It sucks!!!

Poem = huge put off for me. I'm not looking for deep meaning or interpretation. Just tell me the damn story!!!

[TheBaxter]

'New' JRR Tolkien epic due out next year

These are the "new" poem's opening lines:

"Arthur eastward in arms purposed
his war to wage on the wild marches,
over seas sailing to Saxon lands,
from the Roman realm ruin defending.
Thus the tides of time to turn backward
and the heathen to humble, his hope urged him,
that with harrying ships they should hunt no more
on the shining shores and shallow waters
of South Britain, booty seeking."

you had me at booty seeking

[BuckyO'harre]

Written as a poem though...that's a put off to me.

Poem = huge put off for me. I'm not looking for deep meaning or interpretation. Just tell me the damn story!!!