"Lord Of The Rings" turns 20 0:55
(CNN Spanish) --
If there is an author who can be considered the father of fantasy in literature, it would be the South African JRR Tolkien thanks to his most popular work "The Lord of the Rings".
However, the entire universe of Middle-earth that he created in that work expands with other books beyond this famous novel whose popularity multiplied with the success of Peter Jackson's film trilogy.
There are quite a few more that were published posthumously by Christopher Tolkien, the author's son.
Without going any further, the last one was published in 2018.
These literary works have captivated fans around the world for decades and the books are still so relevant that adaptations to other media continue to happen.
In addition to the aforementioned cinematographic example, there is also the new Amazon television series "The Rings of Power" or the various adaptations to video games that have been.
So how many books are there in the "Lord of the Rings" universe, and in what order should you read them so you don't get lost in their narrative?
This is what we want to answer for those who want to immerse themselves in Middle-earth.
How many Tolkien books are there from "Lord of the Rings" and Middle-earth?
Although the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy of books, published between 1954 and 1955, is the most popular, Tolkien's universe extends widely with various literary works.
Without going any further, the other widely popular work is "The Hobitt", a novel published even before the famous trilogy.
Beyond these are a multitude of stories that were published largely by his son with his father's notes and writings and that tell other stories of Middle-earth as well as delve into the mythology of that universe.
"The Silmarilion" is the most popular of them, because this one tells more about the background and the different legends of Middle-earth before the events known in "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" as the origin of the different races and deities.
Tolkien's work continues with different novels, short stories and volumes focused on the fantastic world of the author.
This is how it is made up in order of publication.
"The Hobbit" - published in 1937
"The Lord of the Rings" - divided into "The Fellowship of the Ring", "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King" - published between 1954 and 1955
"The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Poems from The Red Book" - published 1962
"The Silmarillion" - published in 1977
"Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth" - published 1980
"The History of Middle-earth" - made up of 12 books published between 1983 and 2002
"The Children of Húrin" - 2007
"The story of Beren and Lúthien" - 2017
"The Fall of Gondolin" - 2018
"The Nature of Middle Earth" - 2021
In what order to read the books of "The Lord of the Rings"?
As with any set of literary works that belong to the same universe, each book can be read in the order that each reader decides.
However, in the case that concerns this universe, it should be noted that there are books that deal with ancient legends and events of the past that do not always interfere with the events narrated in other books and that provide background and context.
That is why, for example, if someone is only interested in the most immediate part of the history of famous characters such as Gandalf, Frodo and Sauron, it would suffice to read, for example, "The Hobbit" first, followed by the trilogy from "The Lord of the Rings".
"The Silmarilion" could be read before "The Hobbit" because of the chronology in which the stories narrated there take place,
but if nothing is yet known about the universe, this book may be more dense.
That is why it may be more digestible after learning more about Middle-earth.
The Tolkien Society, an association dedicated to the study and promotion of Tolkien's work since 1969, explains on its website that pointing out a specific order is something "about which it is almost impossible to be prescriptive", but that perhaps the most obvious order reading is following the order of publication of the same.
The agency also points out that an important factor to consider is the age of the reader.
So he recommends that "if you're a 9-year-old then the first book should definitely be 'The Hobbit.' quite a heavy read, and should probably be addressed a bit later.
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Instead, the association argues that for an adult the situation might be different: "For an adult it may be better to start with 'The Lord of the Rings' followed by 'The Children of Húrin', Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth." "The Silmarilion" and several volumes of "The History of Middle-earth".
Despite all these recommendations, the Tolkien Society states that "it doesn't really matter what order someone reads the books in. They should be read in whatever order the reader chooses, but most of all they should be enjoyed."
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