Christopher Tolkien at it again....

[davem]

Yep, CT has let slip Clive, (his wild boar) on another author: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/201...-fiction.shtml

An author by the name of Stephen Hilliard has written a bit of historical fiction, that includes a bunch of historical characters and a fictionalized version of Tolkien. The book is supposed to be a historical novel and a form of literary criticism of Tolkien -- though I would imagine it's partly called that in order to aid with any potential "fair use" claims.

The Tolkien estate, of course, objects to the entire concept of the book, and sent a cease-and-desist letter to Hilliard, claiming that the book violated JRR Tolkien's publicity rights and "alleged that the cover art and typefaces in "Mirkwood" were similar to Tolkien's work to a degree that it would provoke unfair competition." That may be one of the more ridiculous assertions we've seen in a long time. "Unfair competition" to whom or what? Is anyone going to buy this novel and then say "well, that satisfies my need for Tolkien's work?" It seems like a pretty extreme argument, putting in the cease-and-desist just to pad out the threats part.

Get the book here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mirkwood-Ste...8314819&sr=8-2

or Kindle it in a few seconds: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mirkwood-Tol...8314819&sr=8-2

Get yours now - before Clive eats it.... & then comes for you

(EDIT: I just downloaded it - I knew about the book previously but had decided not to bother getting it just yet. But now CT has just annoyed me enough to buy the thing.....I'm just off to get me boar spear......)

[Mithalwen]

Or don't waste your money on what looks like utter drivel. Any one whose opening sentence includes the word "deplaned" deserves everything they get. By which I mean a wild boar spearing the nether regions rather than royalties. But I am a bit chary of this sort of fictionalising a real person - especially one whose life is in living memory still.


And he has Edith or a presumably English travel agent writing "favorite" . Clive..I'm holding your coat...

[davem]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

Or don't waste your money on what looks like utter drivel. Any one whose opening sentence includes the word "deplaned" deserves everything they get.

Well, I suppose you have a choice whether or not you buy the book or ...well, unless Christopher gets his way, & then you won't have any choice at all.

But I am a bit chary of this sort of fictionalising a real person - especially one whose life is in living memory still.

There have been a number of novels which use Tolkien as a character - the Imaginarium Geographica series http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Dragons-...8320806&sr=1-1, the recent 'Looking for the King http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Dragons-...8320806&sr=1-1 & a graphic novel which has Tolkien, Lewis & Charles Williams as the central characters http://www.amazon.co.uk/Heavens-War-...321170&sr=8-12 among others.

And far be it from me to accuse Christopher Tolkien of hypocrisy in this matter, but in his discussion of the Notion Club Papers (HoM-e vol 9) he quite openly admits that his father based the members of the Notion Club on the Inklings (all of whom were alive at the time the work was written, btw) & is quite admiring of the way it is all done...

(EDIT) I see that the Estate are requesting the 'destruction of all copies of the book' - perhaps a big bonfire, which CT could be asked to ceremonially ignite himself. ...I wonder how he would respond to a request from surviving relatives of the Inklings members his father used as characters were to request that all copies of Sauron Defeated were destroyed?

[Mithalwen]

Although Tolkien at least knew the Inklings...

But you can get as agitated as you like but I have to say the extract I could see was the second worst piece of "literature" I have read in a decade. I would have hoped publishers would be more discerning and spare me the dubious option in the first place.

But I wouldn't burn it ..pulp it and use it as bog roll far better use of a tree...

[davem]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

Although Tolkien at least knew the Inklings...

But you can get as agitated as you like but I have to say the extract I could see was the second worst piece of "literature" I have read in a decade. I would have hoped publishers would be more discerning and spare me the dubious option in the first place.

But I wouldn't burn it ..pulp it and use it as bog roll far better use of a tree...

So, fine to burn 'poorly written' books? And yet, who shall decide? You? Christopher Tolkien?

Christopher is turning into a bit of a book burner, tbh, & sorry, but book burning (or 'pulping' if you're of the 'collateral damage' school of thought) is immoral & barbaric, & I'd rather have a million badly written, trashy novels out there (& there are far worse novels out there than this one appears to be) than see books being 'burned' simply because some old rich bloke decides he doesn't 'want them to be'.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by davem

Christopher is turning into a bit of a book burner, tbh, & sorry, but book burning (or 'pulping' if you're of the 'collateral damage' school of thought) is immoral & barbaric, & I'd rather have a million badly written, trashy novels out there (& there are far worse novels out there than this one appears to be) than see books being 'burned' simply because some old rich bloke decides he doesn't 'want them to be'.

Ah. Paperback writers have it so rough don't they? Perhaps CT objects to people wanting to use the Tolkien name merely to give an air of importance and credibility to an otherwise inferior product? This'll no doubt come as a shock, but I'm not all that fussed about this.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by davem

So, fine to burn 'poorly written' books? And yet, who shall decide? You? Christopher Tolkien?

Christopher is turning into a bit of a book burner, tbh, & sorry, but book burning (or 'pulping' if you're of the 'collateral damage' school of thought) is immoral & barbaric, & I'd rather have a million badly written, trashy novels out there (& there are far worse novels out there than this one appears to be) than see books being 'burned' simply because some old rich bloke decides he doesn't 'want them to be'.

No need to be so melodramatic. Millions of books are pulped becasue no one wants to read them. I certainly don't want to read this dire stuff (it may only be the third worst - I remember now I did read two Dan Brown's - and if someone wrote such claptrap about my dad I'd be ballistic. Basically it is telling lies about him isn't it? Not exactly my idea of a novel.

would it be ok to use JRRT in a pornographic novel for example? Make him a criminal, a satanist? A paedophile? After all he's dead. You can't libel the dead.

Presumably since this is a matter of principle you'd buy the books of someone who used JRRT as a character thus. All right for anyone to rip off Tolkien and his works as much as they like not alright for his family to care and try to stop it. Maybe if someone was doing this stuff about someone you care about then you'd try and stop it too.

You persist in making CRT out to be a monster but that is what you really want him to be - someone who didn't give a damn about his father, his work and his reputation but just let it all go in to some shoddy and exploitative free for all.