Unfinished Tolkien Story Is on Its Way

The manuscript is considered unfinished and is being presented as such, alongside notes from Tolkien about the Finnish poetry that inspired this work and commentary from Tolkien scholar Verlyn Fliegar.

As listed by Amazon, Kullervo, son of Kalervo. or’Hapless Kullervo’, “is a luckless orphan boy with supernatural powers and a tragic destiny”.

The Story of Kullervo is Tolkien’s reimagining of the Kullervo cycle from the Karelian and Finnish epic poem Kalevala.

The story is one of his earliest prose writings that would after some time steer Tolkien in to making Middle Earth, according to Andrew Liptak of io9.com.

The Story of Kullervo will be released in the US on 27 October.

Tolkien – and especially Rings – fans will recognize the reference to the First Age and The Silmarillion, and possibly Kullervo.

“The Story of Kullervo” is about the titular Kullervo, a boy sold into slavery who vows revenge on a cruel wizard who killed his father. Famed Tolkien biographer John Garth offered his expert knowledge to the Sunday Times, stating that The Story of Kullervo “led to [Tolkien’s] Elvish languages for Middle-Earth”. “It remains a majore matter in the legends of the First Age (which I hope to publish as The Silmarillion)”, wrote the English author. When Kullervo is sold into slavery he swears revenge on the magician, but he will learn that even at the point of vengeance there is no escape from the cruellest of fates.

A quick synopsis of The Silmarillion isn’t easy, but the complicated book was published by J.R.R.’s son Christopher in tandem with fantasy authors pulling from J.R.R.’s notes. A previous version was published included in 2010’s Tolkien Studies: Volume 7.

It is a relatively unknown story, and a significant read for Tolkien addicts. HarperCollins is publishing the story as a package that will include Tolkien’s original draft as well as nonfiction about the source material.