Wilderland awakens With the threat of Smaug removed and the Misty Mountain Orcs driven back into their foul mountain holds the Free Peoples are seizing the opportunity to reclaim the region. Kings extend their realms boundaries merchants open up trade routes to long-sundered markets and previously strained relations blossom into true alliances. At the forefront of this resurgence are adventurers. Whether they are rediscovering isolated communities battling the remnants of the Shadow or exploring the land and opening it up for others to follow groups of Heroes are proving instrumental in the taming of the Wild.

There Are No Safe Paths In This Part Of The World. Remember You Are Over The Edge Of The Wild Now, And In For All Sorts Of Fun Wherever You Go. Wilderland Adventures Contains Seven Ready-To-Play Adventures For The 5E Ogl-Compatible Adventures In Middle-Earth Complete Scenarios That Can Be Played Separately, Or As An Epic Campaign.

Examining the mythic importance of wilderness in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth A study of myth suggests that the stories we human beings tell ourselves about who we are make us who we are. Amber Lehning extends such discussion into the ecocritical realm, arguing that the stories we tell ourselves about our relationship to the natural world are at least as powerful as science or government policy as drivers of our behavior toward our planet. The destructive modern myths underlying today's environmental crises create a kind of intellectual separation between humanity and its environment that can end up justifying the worst of environmental excesses--and perhaps, she argues, the only way to counter these negative humans-versus-nature stories is to shift some of the deep belief they command into new, positive, restorative stories. The Map of Wilderland argues for the position of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium as one of those good stories. Using source critical and ecocritical perspectives, Lehning traces some of the ancient Celtic, Germanic, and English mythic roots of Tolkien's work; examines how those roots influence Tolkien's own depictions of the wild natural world; and suggests ways that this wildly popular modern myth could serve to help counter today's destructive environmental ones. Through insightful close readings of Tolkien's texts, Lehning's work complements existing inquiries in ecocritical Tolkien studies and bolsters the general critical agreement that Tolkien's work presents positive environmental themes and a harmonious, inspiring vision.

The History of Middle-earth traces the evolution of J.R.R. Tolkien's literary world, stories, and characters from their earliest written forms to the final revisions Tolkien penned shortly before his death in 1973. Published posthumously by Tolkien's son Christopher, the extensively detailed 12-volume work allows readers to follow the development of the texts that eventually became Tolkien's immensely popular The Hobbit, The Lord of The Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales. This work provides a thorough study of Tolkien's life and influences through an analysis of The History of Middle-earth. The work begins with a brief biography and an analysis of the major influences in Tolkien's life. Following chapters deal with elements common to Tolkien's popular works, including the cosmogony, theogony, cosmology, metaphysics, and eschatology of Middle-earth. The study also reviews some of the myths with which Tolkien was most familiar--Greek, Roman, Finnish, and Norse--and reveals the often overlapping relationship between mythology, biblical stories, and Tolkien's popular works.

How the First World War influenced the author of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy: “Very much the best book about J.R.R. Tolkien that has yet been written.” —A. N. Wilson As Europe plunged into World War I, J. R. R. Tolkien was a student at Oxford and part of a cohort of literary-minded friends who had wide-ranging conversations in their Tea Club and Barrovian Society. After finishing his degree, Tolkien experienced the horrors of the Great War as a signal officer in the Battle of the Somme, where two of those school friends died. All the while, he was hard at work on an original mythology that would become the basis of his literary masterpiece, the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In this biographical study, drawn in part from Tolkien’s personal wartime papers, John Garth traces the development of the author’s work during this critical period. He shows how the deaths of two comrades compelled Tolkien to pursue the dream they had shared, and argues that the young man used his imagination not to escape from reality—but to transform the cataclysm of his generation. While Tolkien’s contemporaries surrendered to disillusionment, he kept enchantment alive, reshaping an entire literary tradition into a form that resonates to this day. “Garth’s fine study should have a major audience among serious students of Tolkien.” —Publishers Weekly “A highly intelligent book . . . Garth displays impressive skills both as researcher and writer.” —Max Hastings, author of The Secret War “Somewhere, I think, Tolkien is nodding in appreciation.” —San Jose Mercury News “A labour of love in which journalist Garth combines a newsman’s nose for a good story with a scholar’s scrupulous attention to detail . . . Brilliantly argued.” —Daily Mail (UK) “Gripping from start to finish and offers important new insights.” —Library Journal “Insight into how a writer turned academia into art, how deeply friendship supports and wounds us, and how the death and disillusionment that characterized World War I inspired Tolkien’s lush saga.” —Detroit Free Press