Ranking (Almost) All of Tolkien's Works

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 มิ.ย. 2024
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    Today, we're ranking and discussing (almost) all of Tolkien's works!
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ความคิดเห็น • 514

  • @craigvdodge
    @craigvdodge 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +197

    “It’ll drive up engagement, so I can’t really be mad.”
    S tier for honesty.

    • @ninja393
      @ninja393 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      This is actually my favorite thing youtubers do. Honesty is cool, clickbait is cringe.

  • @therabidbanshee824
    @therabidbanshee824 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +150

    I don't think I've ever read anything nearly as enthralling and visual as the beginning of the Silmarillion. Singing existence into being is so beautiful, and the sowing of discord into the melody is such a genius way to depict the idea of the fall

    • @gatergates8813
      @gatergates8813 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

      It's my favorite creation story I've ever read, the way the 3 themes of the Song reflect the 3 ages took me a few read throughs to fully understand, but it's like reading an overture for the entire story of Arda- telling the framework of the story without giving anything away.
      And after reading it a few times, I've started to really feel some honest sympathy for Melkor- he starts out more-or-less as a deity of temperature, so while the others each have their own personal element to work with, Melkor by his very nature had to act on the creations of the others to be able to do anything at all.
      He brought out the potential in all the others by pushing them to their extremes, just as Eru intended.

  • @shanestevens5352
    @shanestevens5352 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +183

    I never would’ve expected the “my cabbages” guy from Avatar the Last Airbender to be a Tolkien invention but here we are

    • @Jess_of_the_Shire
      @Jess_of_the_Shire  3 หลายเดือนก่อน +68

      Right? I laughed out loud at that part

    • @EvelynDayless
      @EvelynDayless 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +17

      Running into cabbage carts is a trope as old as time

    • @sebastianevangelista4921
      @sebastianevangelista4921 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +20

      @@Jess_of_the_Shire Maybe Rings of Power was underwhelming because it was lacking in cabbage guy.

    • @adamdavis1648
      @adamdavis1648 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      ​@@EvelynDayless And so are hybrid animals, apparently.

    • @edwinguaman5257
      @edwinguaman5257 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I don't understand what they mean. Can someone explain it to me plz?

  • @Augustus_Imperator
    @Augustus_Imperator 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +74

    The rating for the Silmarillion is in the name itself. S. 😀

    • @azanocegrog748
      @azanocegrog748 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +15

      Same with the lord of the ringS and the Shobbit

    • @RayaAllen13
      @RayaAllen13 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@azanocegrog748 shobbit 😂

  • @zmani4379
    @zmani4379 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +72

    Tolkien's Letters to Father Christmas?!
    TOLKIEN: "Fly, you fools!"
    SANTA AND RUDOLPH: "Ok"

    • @Hermestrismegiston
      @Hermestrismegiston 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      I mean it's still Tolkien, so they have to fight hordes of goblins attacking the north pole occasionaly...

    • @adamdavis1648
      @adamdavis1648 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      Is that what Gandalf says in the movie right before he's pulled down by the balrog? I always wondered because it sounds to me like he says "flutter, you fools" or "flubber, you fools", but I always figured I probably wasn't hearing it right.

    • @alanpennie8013
      @alanpennie8013 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      ​@@adamdavis1648
      Oh it's an old fan joke that he was actually advising them to find some Eagles to fly them to Mordor, but unfortunately they didn't understand him.

  • @Peter_1986
    @Peter_1986 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

    I love how the character Tom Bombadil existed long before the novel "Lord Of The Rings" was written;
    this perfectly mirrors how he is older than pretty much everyone in the actual story.

    • @alanpennie8013
      @alanpennie8013 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      He does give the impression of having strayed into ME from a different universe, because that's exactly what happened.

  • @cirthador1453
    @cirthador1453 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +82

    I have read the Silmarillion even more times than LOTR. It is so good!

    • @P1Gman
      @P1Gman 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +17

      I needed to read it 4 times to actually take in all of the information. Such a hard read, but so rewarding.

    • @RayaAllen13
      @RayaAllen13 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      @@P1Gman I’m on my first time and I don’t understand a word. I intend to read it another 4-5 times in order to actually understand it. I WILL FOLLOW THROUGH THIS ONE I PROMISE.

    • @P1Gman
      @P1Gman หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@RayaAllen13 God speed, TH-cam has some of the stories on audiobook.

  • @joncarroll2040
    @joncarroll2040 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +298

    B for "Bilbo's translations"
    C for "Celeborn's collection"
    D for "Denethor's ramblings."
    E for "Eowyn hates it"
    F...I got nothing.

    • @skeeterd5150
      @skeeterd5150 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +94

      Feanor…. Nuff said

    • @jacksavere6988
      @jacksavere6988 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +30

      Fell-beast food

    • @therabidbanshee824
      @therabidbanshee824 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +15

      Fangorn Forest

    • @CrustyCheapster
      @CrustyCheapster 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +31

      F is just Faramir. Just Faramir.

    • @ski7301
      @ski7301 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +45

      F for “Faramir-the movie version”

  • @MarkaNgamer
    @MarkaNgamer 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +143

    I'm shocked. For me putting the Silmarillion anywhere but in S tier is madness (in Gandalf's voice).

    • @dragonofmordor
      @dragonofmordor 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +22

      The Silmarillion is genuinely my favorite book and what made me truly fall in love with Middle Earth.

    • @trexasaurus5322
      @trexasaurus5322 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      I couldn’t even finish it, it was just too boring and felt like I was in a history class. I think C is a solid choice based purely off its readability. If you’re ranking based off of importance to the lore then it would probably be an S

    • @totalwar1793
      @totalwar1793 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Honestly, you need to divide the books in the Silmarillion. Like Ainulindale is an F tier book. Quenta and Akallabeth on the other hand are A tier.

    • @KnowhereClue
      @KnowhereClue 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      @@trexasaurus5322 Its written like a religious text, it works better if it's being read to you, similar to a priest/preacher would. The audio book is the best way to consume it.

    • @gilbertculloden87
      @gilbertculloden87 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      ​@trexasaurus5322 the Silmarillion is really written in the style of old mythic epics like say the Elder Edda and the Prose Edda. These types of texts have sweeping narratives, epic heroes, and fantastic exploits but don't have some of the features we associate with modern novels (like character development based on internal emotional struggles, comic relief, etc). If you approach the Silmarillion as a mythic epic in the style of ancient texts it works well, but it's definitely a different genre than Lord of the Rings or other modern novels.

  • @cameton_youtube
    @cameton_youtube 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +68

    The only tolkein book I've read is the Hobbit, but I was told to challenge your tier list for engagement, so....
    Wait, you put the Hobbit in S tier, 100% correct tier list

  • @jimlang7461
    @jimlang7461 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +24

    The Silmarillion is definitely tier S for me. I love how the Music of the Ainur presages how important music is in the magic of Middle Earth. Most of the the magic, e. g. the magic of Luthien, is accomplished through song

  • @dws0828
    @dws0828 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +36

    According to sources, Jess ranking the Silmarillion at a C is the primary cause for The Battle of Unnumbered Tears 😢

  • @gurugoat8298
    @gurugoat8298 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +44

    Honestly, as much as I love the Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion, the Children of Hurin is my absolute favorite of Tolkien's work. It feels even more ancient and dark with it's grim narrative and heroic deeds. It reminded me a lot of Beowulf (another favorite of mine; Tolkien's translation is superb).

    • @adamsjoberrg
      @adamsjoberrg 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      I agree. The standalone of the Children of Hurin is an incredible work of art. It's so unique and so heartwrenching.

    • @oxygenashvili_
      @oxygenashvili_ 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      i agreeeee
      silmarillon and children of hurin both incredible@@adamsjoberrg

    • @The_Custos
      @The_Custos 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Yes, I am finding that as well.

  • @dontgivetwothwips3615
    @dontgivetwothwips3615 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

    You had me at “held up by a gang of bears”.

  • @MountainFisher
    @MountainFisher 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +21

    Jess in Leaf By Niggle and you talking about getting caught up in little details. I read something Einstein wrote to a friend about young scientists he was acquainted with. He wrote his friend that the scientists he was meeting had no notion of subjects outside their fields, but thought they did. Einstein said they reminded him of someone who had studied thousands of trees, but had never seen a forest. I don't know why what you said brought that to my mind, but it seemed appropriate.

  • @michelhv
    @michelhv 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

    The translations/adaptations like Sigurd and Gudrun or The Fall of Arthur have been a revelation for me. More than the Green Knight translation, they show Tolkien’s talent at thinking through entire literary traditions.

  • @jmatos316
    @jmatos316 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

    Children of Hurin is one of my favorites ... but it is very painful read :)
    But not mad at the B... I spent my entire life thinking I was the only one reading Tolkien's stories until I was like... 24 .. so yeah i'm just glad you have a channel and so many subscribers :)

  • @ianmartinesq
    @ianmartinesq 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +28

    I think The Children of Hurin is Tolkien’s Oedipus Rex.

    • @Jess_of_the_Shire
      @Jess_of_the_Shire  3 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

      Honestly, a great point. It very closely follows the form of a classical tragedy.

    • @vinnycordeiro
      @vinnycordeiro 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

      @@Jess_of_the_Shire It also draws heavily from the Kalevala, specifically the legend of Kullervo (it's almost a rewriting of it but with a Christian undertone).

    • @gatergates8813
      @gatergates8813 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      It's simultaneously the best book and the worst book, both reasons being the incest

    • @sebastianevangelista4921
      @sebastianevangelista4921 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@gatergates8813 George RR Martin being a fan of Tolkien really checks out now.

  • @ericbond8284
    @ericbond8284 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

    "A" for Aragorn for whom the timeless pass,
    "B" for Boromir who never transcends "A"
    "C" for Celebrimbor whose mettle is crass
    "D" for Denethor worst dad of all
    In the realm of TH-cam where the haters lie.
    One "E" for Eowyn, betrayed by Rankin,
    One "F" for Faramir, likewise forgotten by Bass
    In vast TH-cam where Algorithms decry
    But they were all of them deceived, for another tier was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret, a master rank, to surpass all others.

    • @alanpennie8013
      @alanpennie8013 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Excellent.

    • @kwanshawn
      @kwanshawn หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      This is a severely underrated comment

  • @legionarybooks13
    @legionarybooks13 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +15

    Jess, if you're into European Heavy Metal, you should check out "Nightfall in Middle Earth" by Blind Guardian. It's an entire Tolkien inspired album, not about Lord of the Rings, but The Silmarillion. "Curse of Feanor" is a bombastic masterpiece. Would love to hear your take on the album, even if you're not into Metal.

  • @ilikemandalorians9861
    @ilikemandalorians9861 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +20

    I wish your laptop a speedy recovery! 💐

  • @augustbergquist5649
    @augustbergquist5649 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    My two favorite tolkein stories have got to be 1) Beren and Luthien, 2) Sam confronting Shelob.
    I really like the short and concise version of Beren and Luthien in the Silmarillion, so I think that makes it my favorite book of Tolkein's. I also like how the Silmarilion ties Beren and Luthien to the larger story of middle earth. The whole story of Beren and Luthien, in my opinion, is continued in such a beautiful way with Sam and holding up the vial of Galadriel to fend off Shelob, since it was the same silmaril that Beren and Luthien got from Morgoth, which was then taken with Earendil off into the sky, after he convinces the Valar to drive out Morgoth.
    The fact that the whole Sam and Shelob story is in the Two Towers makes it my second favorite Tolkein book. Both of these stories just gave me chills the first time I read them. I see a lot of similarity in these two stories, especially with both of them being sort of "unlikely heroes" (Sam, Beren, Luthien, and Frodo are all unlikely in their own special ways), as well as how its about hope in defiance of overwhelming darkness. Also, I think there's a cool similarity between Beren dying and Frodo appearing, from Sam's perspective, to die.

  • @rycolligan
    @rycolligan 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    His essay/lecture on Beowulf "The Monsters and the Critics" is one of my favorite things I've ever read. I do recommend it to anyone.

  • @iannicholson5107
    @iannicholson5107 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I am married to an Irish nazgul, the most charming of that frankly disreputable crew. It keeps a hobbit agile. There's about three people I follow online, I trust not inappropriately. Excepting until now I have always made a point of thanking them. I shall correct the otherwise unfortunate omission. by thanking you. Years ago when an erstwhile academic I visited an Oxford don and somewhat underperformed. He offered me biscuits with a fortuitous tea. He was like J R R Tolkien and madam I was affeared. Such is youth. My best wishes..

  • @airixxxx
    @airixxxx 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    The Silmarillion a C? You are playing with fire here.

  • @markp6062
    @markp6062 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Good job! Thanks for taking the time to go through it all.

  • @SunKou7
    @SunKou7 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    My top tiers (ranked internally):
    S: Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, The Children of Hurin
    A: The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, The Hobbit, Leaf By Niggle, The Lay of Leithian
    B: Farmer Giles of Ham, The Homecoming of Beortnoth Beorthelm's Son, On Fairy-Stories

  • @jasonknight8581
    @jasonknight8581 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    Just got the notification! At work now, but happy I'll have a video from you to check out later tonight. I binge watched your obscure adaptations and loved them!

  • @c.l.7525
    @c.l.7525 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thank you Jess, you must made my weekend much better!❤

  • @TheHoneyBadger-yh5vj
    @TheHoneyBadger-yh5vj 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    I admire your passion and beautiful passionate narration miss Jess. God bless you and your work miss. respect from Croatia ❤❤❤

  • @necromanzer52
    @necromanzer52 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    I have been searching for Farmer Giles of Ham for over a decade. It's a book I have vague memories of reading as a kid, but I had no idea what it was until now. So thank you.

    • @alanpennie8013
      @alanpennie8013 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I haven't read it for years but I remember it extremely well.
      It's a very donnish sort of book, which never made me laugh out loud but often made me smile appreciatively.

    • @michaelsommers2356
      @michaelsommers2356 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      It should be easy to find. If you don't want to order it online, go to your local bookstore and they'll get if for you.

    • @necromanzer52
      @necromanzer52 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@michaelsommers2356 Oh yeah, I found a pdf through google. It was a good yarn.

    • @paulpasche7853
      @paulpasche7853 9 วันที่ผ่านมา

      You can find "Farmer Giles" in the book, "Tales from the Perilous Relm." Along with "Leaf by Nigle" "Roverrandom" "Smith of Wottan Major," and many of Tolkien's poems. It's alot of his works without having to buy them separately.

    • @necromanzer52
      @necromanzer52 7 วันที่ผ่านมา

      @@paulpasche7853 Well yeah. Or you can just type "name of the book pdf" into google and it'll pop right up

  • @tomhoornstra9533
    @tomhoornstra9533 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    Most influential: On Fairy Stories.
    Most inspiring for artists and writers: Leaf By Niggle
    Most noble-romantic: Beren and Luthien
    Most memorable scenes: Return of the King: Mt Doom, Gandalf on the Bridge, Eowyn whipping her helmet off and saying "I am no man!" (though this is more the movie), The Grey Havens
    Most heartbreakingly beautiful and personal: Letters from Father Christmas. I cry, too.

    • @tomhoornstra9533
      @tomhoornstra9533 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Oh, I forgot: Gandalf on the Bridge is Fellowship....

  • @hugocharneca7651
    @hugocharneca7651 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thanks for another great video Jess! I watch your videos while i do cleaning

  • @ericgeddes3353
    @ericgeddes3353 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thank you Jess! I love these videos.

  • @iannicholson5107
    @iannicholson5107 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    That was shire genius A very old journalist friend had bought me Tolkien' letters. I am fond of Tolkien as one would be of an ageing hobbit. Thank you for your work.

    • @iannicholson5107
      @iannicholson5107 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      You have almost certainly inadvertently emailed me an invitation to massage you. I am a married man and even when single would never be so forward in the company of hobbits. I found it a delightful error. My wife perhaps less so but I have always considered her to be an agent of Sauron. Apart from that she's pretty nice. You probably wouldn't want to visit Weathertop in her company. As always with thanks.

  • @captainboots
    @captainboots 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I totally understand all of your rankings and enjoyed the video greatly. It can be tough to put yourself 'out there' and rank things, so thanks for this!

  • @robertpearson8798
    @robertpearson8798 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    I personally don’t separate the three LOTR books from each other, I think that that’s something that more people do who first became familiar with the world through the movies (I’m old). I’d have to rank The Silmarillion higher myself if I were doing the list. I agree that it reads more like a history book than his other two biggest works but I read a lot of history books so I have a definite taste for them. While both The Hobbit and LOTR have a greater feeling of intimacy and immediacy to them the Silmarillion gives me a greater sense of majesty and antiquity. When I re-read the books as I do every few years I always start with The Hobbit, progress through LOTR (including the appendices) and inevitably go to The Silmarillion.

    • @Paramurasaki
      @Paramurasaki 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Exactly. It's kind of odd to me to separate Lord of The Rings, because it is one story. That's why it is not understandable to put Fellow in A, but Return in S

  • @Jman3862
    @Jman3862 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    When I was reading the Silmarillion, I felt like I was reading a bible for Middle Earth. I've gotta say, it's the only book I've read like it.

    • @alanpennie8013
      @alanpennie8013 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      It's exactly that.

  • @mattyladd
    @mattyladd 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I think you did a masterful job. You brought out some works I was unaware of. Mission accomplished ;)

  • @carlcramer9269
    @carlcramer9269 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    "Leaf by Niggle" (which I have not read) makes me think of "Before the Law" by Franz Kafka. In that story, a man sits before a gate all his life, hoping it will open. When he is aged and about to die, he asks the guardian if someone else will be able to open this door at later time. And the answer is no, this door was here for him alone.
    Most people read this with a pessimistic framing, but I do not. What the story tells me is that there is a door for each of us, something only we of all people can achieve, and we should not just sit there, we should work on opening this gate. And this seems to be what happens in Leaf by Niggle, with less room for putting a negative spin on it.

    • @carlcramer9269
      @carlcramer9269 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I love Smith of Wotton Major and rate that A.

    • @carlcramer9269
      @carlcramer9269 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I have a Swedish edition of The Hobbit (Bilbo is the Swedish title) with illustrations by Tove Jansson, of Mumin fame. Cute, but some are also quite scary for a children's book. Look them up if you can. I do love the Mirkwood elves with horns!
      www.google.com/search?q=bilbo+illustrations+by+tove+jansson&rlz=1C1CHBD_svSE1041SE1041&oq=bilbo+illustrations+by+tove+jansson&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRifBTIHCAMQIRifBdIBCDc2MjlqMGo5qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

  • @mch12311969
    @mch12311969 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    I absolutely love your channel. I also find you completely charming. Leaf by Niggle is a favorite, partially because it is wonderful story and partially because I found my copy purely by accident in my local used bookshop.

  • @aflatironwade27
    @aflatironwade27 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    Have to commend you, Return of the King is so good. Aragorn superseding Gandalf as Middle Earth’s protector is such a delicate but empowering storyline, and witnessing the fellowship’s interpretation of Aragorns subtle but humble sense of power grow into a “Servant Leader” after the Battle of Pelennor Fields (my favorite of all battles) gives the reader such a sense of the delicate power balance that follows the succession of a King’s departure (Or steward, Denethor). I for one cannot think of a more deserving King than Aragorn in that moment. So powerful

  • @tomklock568
    @tomklock568 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thanks for giving this a try!

  • @allisongliot
    @allisongliot 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Seeing everything ranked like this made me realize how many children’s stories Tolkien really wrote. I’ve never thought of him specifically as a children’s author before, but I love that!

  • @danielpenney1455
    @danielpenney1455 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    So much fun to watch! The struggle was real. heh. I particularly enjoyed when you exclaimed a little. Too cute. :)

  • @samburchard9921
    @samburchard9921 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Great video. My dad gave me Tolkien's translation of Beowulf for Christmas. I found a great gem at the end of the book, a poem/song of a shortened version of the Beowulf story written by Tolkien that he sung to his children. I just wish I knew the tune that he used when he would sing it.

  • @djparn007
    @djparn007 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thank you, Jess. ❤❤

  • @cadian101st
    @cadian101st 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    This video is relatable in two ways. The first is that I live near a US airbase in Japna and frequently hear the thundering of jets and wonder if I am finally going to be killed by an airstrike or ballistic missile. The other is that I have the first lines of Beowulf in Old English memorised and would recite it so often that my brother could recite it from when he was like 11 years old

  • @meechabevan3718
    @meechabevan3718 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I just want to say that I recently found your channel while doing research for a Lord of the Rings LARP I’ll be attending in June and I’ve become so captivated by your ability to convey the magic that lies in Tolkiens works. Your deep dives into folklore, myths and cultural history has me tingling with inspiration. I think you truly are of the fae world and you carry so much magic with you! Every video of yours I watch makes me want to take my shoes off, go touch grass and lay in the sun with a book. Thank you for what you do! ❤

  • @hunleypants7752
    @hunleypants7752 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I'm so glad the algorithm sent me to your channel.😊 I'm a little sad it was so late in the evening because I can't stop watching your Tolkien content. 😂

  • @karlkutac1800
    @karlkutac1800 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Excellent vid!

  • @fortyofforty5257
    @fortyofforty5257 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Good summary of Tolkien's works. And good effort by Jess, under rather unusual circumstances. I've read some of these works, but only LOTR and the Hobbit stand out in my mind. I've got Beowulf in my queue to read, one of these days.

  • @jimmod7833
    @jimmod7833 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    "Laptop broken, doing on paper" ... LOVE YOU already!

  • @spencerbacon
    @spencerbacon 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I just found your channel, I adore your enthusiasm, I’m motivated to try and tackle lord of the rings one more time. (I’ve tried a few times, it’s dense I mean you know) but I had no idea he had some of these books, the letters from Father Christmas sounds lovely.

  • @PhinAI
    @PhinAI 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    You are so easy to listen to, and I enjoy your presentations. Thank you, and I wish you well!
    My daughter entered into a marriage that is very Tolkien-esque. I gave her a very nice copy of Beren and Luthien as a wedding gift. I'm not sure she fully understood many of the nuances of what I was trying to say.

  • @paulbrickler
    @paulbrickler 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Haven't seen Dillon in a bit, glad to hear about him, he seems nice and just the right sort of quirky that I can support.

  • @BleuetsBleuets
    @BleuetsBleuets 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    “We’re going to put that in C, continuity isn’t great”. - Jess on Christmas letters Tolkien wrote to his children.
    You’re brutal Jess, love it! 🤣😜

  • @danielwatcherofthelord1823
    @danielwatcherofthelord1823 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I love your channel and find it easy to watch you talk about LotR for some reason....

  • @mikebuck4841
    @mikebuck4841 28 วันที่ผ่านมา

    “It sold very well” understatement of the day

  • @isaachester8475
    @isaachester8475 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    So glad you put the Hobbit in S tier :) It was my introduction to Tolkien and holds a very special place in my heart. And is just a very enjoyable and well-written story!

  • @zworm2
    @zworm2 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Simply You're Ranking and leave it at that. I enjoyed it and it was not confused at all. I had not heard of the Bliss book and will look for it.

  • @johnsaporta4633
    @johnsaporta4633 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I like hearing your personal opinions on the books. I'm engaging!

  • @thedarkdane7
    @thedarkdane7 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    "I cry at a lot of things." Me too, Jess. Me too.

  • @gimphandjeff
    @gimphandjeff 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Than you for this video! I recently purchased the Easton Press collection of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. I finished The Hobbit and I will break out Fellowship of the Ring tonight and get started because of your video.

  • @iannicholson5107
    @iannicholson5107 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I enjoy your hard work. I follow you and two other lads who indefatigabley talk about miniature wargaming. It is a joy and hardly won. Thank you.

  • @JoanieAdamms
    @JoanieAdamms 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    You have added a new page to my book bingolist, Jess! Time to ruffle through numerous book shops, preferably second hand ones, with my nose right in the paper in the search for these titles.

    • @Jess_of_the_Shire
      @Jess_of_the_Shire  3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      They really are so lovely to read!

    • @JoanieAdamms
      @JoanieAdamms 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@Jess_of_the_Shire Also, ta for the perfectly timed squarespace ad!

  • @markcohen7991
    @markcohen7991 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    You are amazing. Love you and your videos. LLAP 🖖

  • @beansnrice321
    @beansnrice321 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Children of Hurin sounds like Tolkien's version of Oedipus Rex.

  • @floriangeyerHUN
    @floriangeyerHUN 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I still remember reading the hungarian translation of Farmer Giles of Ham. I really loved this fella when I was a kid. Also, Tom Bombadill rules. Thank you for bringing up these memories in me.

  • @kaffee4ever
    @kaffee4ever 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Hey Jess,
    Your videos are incredibly well done and super interesting! A Sam Gamgee book vs movie video would be awesome! And also the topic that Sam was the real hero of the story in Tolkin's own opinion would be a great video topic!😊😊😊

  • @fresholiveoil6490
    @fresholiveoil6490 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I quite enjoyed the Father Christmas letters as a kid who was never brought up to believe in Santa. If I could read them again now, I'd probably appreciate them all the better.

  • @bisque6448
    @bisque6448 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Jess, I have to say i fully agree with your rating of On Fairy Stories. Its easily one of my favorite essays of all time, and i cant stop shilling it 😂

  • @thehonoredone2361
    @thehonoredone2361 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

    There can only be one book to rule them all.

    • @Darilon12
      @Darilon12 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Regarding the pages it's also the one to in the darkness bind them.

    • @lauramathews3151
      @lauramathews3151 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Teehee😄

  • @sirjedisentinel
    @sirjedisentinel 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    I know you said you weren't gonna include everything, but I was hoping to see The Fall of Númenor & The Fall of Gondolin for your thoughts, just because I've been curious about them

  • @stevewatt4819
    @stevewatt4819 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    After you talking about Niggle, I have to wonder how long this took to edit? As one of the original hippies that first read TLOR , I was so very excited when the Silmarrilion came out and I was not disappointed. And you are right about that first chapter, absolutley beautiful! don't worry about how you rated them, everyone will have their own rating but I just rate them ...to misquote Howard Carter, "wonderful things!"

  • @ericwarner7254
    @ericwarner7254 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I am going to try some of these that you brought to my attention. I loved Farmer Giles and the Smith (and of course LOTR and the Hobbit). I have tried the Children of Hurin twice, and man, I just couldn't hang. It was like if a crappy midwestern winter day was a book, full of greyness, snirt and the death of hope.

  • @animalmother8037
    @animalmother8037 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I just started the legendarium a few years ago. Never knew he wrote all these other stories. Good to know. Just read Beren and Luthien for February. Just finished Children and Hurien. Currently reading Fall of Gondolin. Hope to tackle Silmarillion some day. Return of the King was also my favorite but may change when i do a reread.

  • @LordEriolTolkien
    @LordEriolTolkien 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Leaf By Niggle is S Tier. The ''It's a gift'' line is a gift itself.

  • @williampalmer8052
    @williampalmer8052 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    A very good, thorough, and honest effort at a very dificult task. I see it as ranking from "most favorite" to "just a little less favorite." For tiers, I'd go Smeagol, Aragorn, Boromir, Celeborn, Denethor, Elrond, and Faramir. All great characters, but some are more favorite than others. Edit - or maybe Farmer Maggot, since I think Faramir deserves a higher spot.

  • @bolverkvolsung6142
    @bolverkvolsung6142 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Turins story takes massive inspiration from the volsung saga. Very good

  • @sylvanaire
    @sylvanaire 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I have not yet been able to get thru the Silmarillion (I’m on my 3rd try), but before I even tried once, I listened to a podcast about it to help me familiarize myself w/the names & so on. Something that the host explained helped me visualize it so much better. I think it was actually in one of the History of Middle-earth books that has the manuscripts that Tolkien started with & shows how he grew the stories. It seems his initial concept was to have a frame narrative around it. An Anglo-Saxon sailor gets washed ashore on the island of Tol Eressea & the elves tell him the stories that become the Silmarillion. He then takes them back to England to share w/his people & it eventually comes down to us in various writings found along the ages. By using this frame, it gives a better perspective on the stories & helps make more sense of them, in my mind. It’s not just a bible handed down by the gods. I will keep attempting to read it, this time I have the audiobook, & I hope that will help me get thru it at least once, lol.

  • @tarmaque
    @tarmaque 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Excellent. Rankings are of course subjective, but I appreciate your thoughts.
    Can't wait for you to dive into Ursula K. LeGuin.

  • @NerdilyDone
    @NerdilyDone 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Would you consider doing a video on the Dagor Dagoroth? I'm honestly super inspired by the idea...this would never happen, but a movie about Tolkien's end of the world would be fantastic.

  • @van8ryan
    @van8ryan 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    ROVERANDOM was actually a story he made up for his little brother after he lost his toy dog at the beach, and he would eventually write it after retelling the story to his own kids.

  • @melangellatc1718
    @melangellatc1718 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    At 60, I have read the trilogy and Hobbit and a few others many many times yearly. I've never been able to get through the Silmarillion, sadly enough. Mayhaps I'll try again before I die. Retired, I have the time. Cheers, beautiful Jess!

  • @josephfisher426
    @josephfisher426 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    The Hobbit is essential---but it's also very much a children's book that I have thought to crack in ~3 decades for only two reasons:
    - to refresh my memory of the spider song
    - to confirm the meaning of "tosspot" when I learned of the "professor" who goes by that name.

  • @markcohen7991
    @markcohen7991 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I love you and your videos. Please do more. LLAP 🖖

  • @adamdavis1648
    @adamdavis1648 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    You're a really entertaining speaker and it was fun to learn more about these stories! Would you consider doing videos on "Tak-Elmar", "The Notion Club Papers" or "The Last Ringbearer"? (I know Tolkien didn't write that last one, but it is a published story based on "Lord Of The Rings" and I'm curious to hear your thoughts on it.)
    Also, I love your choice of music at the end of your videos!

  • @fr.andygutierrez5356
    @fr.andygutierrez5356 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    So, I almost stopped watching when I saw how you ranked Father Christmas , but I’m glad that I pushed through!
    I definitely agree with your rating of the Lord of the Rings. The eucatastrophic endings are so cathartic, even when I just sit and remember them. Although I agree that the Silmarillion is a more difficult read than some of his other works, I think I would’ve rated it as B tier because when it’s good, it is GOOD 😊 great vid, as always!

  • @bsa45acp
    @bsa45acp 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Many of his dark and tragic works are like a classic Greek tragedy as told through the lens of Middle Earth. Difficult to read through because of all the emotional angst it provokes. That is what makes Tolkien such a profound and talented writer.

  • @Peregrin3
    @Peregrin3 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Cabbage Man - "My Cabbages" 😭

  • @richardrose2606
    @richardrose2606 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    1. Leaf By Niggle is an allegory (Gasp!). The workhouse is Purgatory. The final place where Niggle and his neighbor can become whole is Heaven. You have to understand Catholic theology to understand the story.
    2. The Lord of the Rings is ONE NOVEL! It was written as one novel.
    3. I believe the The Silmarillion should be S tier.

  • @alanpennie8013
    @alanpennie8013 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    The Letters are rather dry but worth it for Tolkien's very amusing remarks about Eagles in a letter to (of all people) Forrest J. Ackerman.

  • @iannicholson5107
    @iannicholson5107 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I waited sixty years to make my old school friend and Tolkien fan laugh. Got him today with some littile inspiration from you. Was it worth it. Absolutely yes. Madam you have my thanks. Got him. You have made an old hobbit very happy. Got him.

  • @WinsteadB73
    @WinsteadB73 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Great video, not an easy task ranking these! Makes me interested in reading some of these I haven't read yet. However I would have put The Silmarillion in A! I understand some of your points though that detract from it a bit, and it is sort of lopsided as a whole. But several of the stories in it are some of the most brilliantly conceived tales I've ever read, and to me they're like the seeds for dozens of other possible "Lord of the Rings" level epics. Curious how you started calling it the Sillymarillion...🤔

  • @LordEriolTolkien
    @LordEriolTolkien 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Only some of his poetry falls short of greatness.

  • @richardwales9674
    @richardwales9674 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Brave to rate Tolkien's books as you yourself know. There's a few on there I will read, some due to this video and some I had my eye on anyway but you've helped persuade me. The world building stuff coming from Tolkien I'm really interested in for example. Letters would be interesting but I'm only really interesting in what Tolkien (JRR) thought.

  • @amer6706
    @amer6706 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    The Two Towers is my favorite part probably, because of the interaction of Frodo, Sam, and Gollum.

  • @TheGunter77
    @TheGunter77 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    your voice is AMAZING

  • @ethanarnold4441
    @ethanarnold4441 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Dear Jess of the Shire,
    This video was great. How would you rank The Fall of Gondolin?