I am a huge fan of J.R.R. Tolkien. If I saw a cookbook with his name on it, I would buy it. When I saw the Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, there was no hesitation in picking it up.
If you are looking for more of Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit, you will not find it in this book. The book is basically Tolkien’s translation of Norse poems regarding Sigurd and Gudrun. It is by no means a feel-good love story. It is a story of betrayal and murder with no good endings for the characters. It is still fascinating if you can keep track of the story in verse.
If it was just the story, the book would be very short. The rest of the book is an introduction and commentary by Tolkien’s son Christopher. This is one of Christopher’s ongoing projects to put together and publish some of Tolkien’s less known works.
This will be of some interest to fans of Lord of the Rings. You will find where some of the names came from and there is a similar atmosphere. Tolkien was deeply influenced by Norse literature and they naturally make their way into his fiction.
I definitely enjoyed the book even though (or because?) it was a different experience for me. If you are a Tolkien fan, I recommend picking up the Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun.
