"The Fall of Númenor" Interview with editor Brian Sibley

Рет қаралды 47,193

Жыл бұрын

Today, we chat with Brian Sibley, the editor of the new Tolkien book "The Fall of Númenor", which assembles for the first time all of J.R.R. Tolkien's writings on the Second Age. Brian has taken all of these Tolkien writings and placed them in chronological order according to Tolkien's own Tale of Years in The Lord of the Rings appendices.
Order The Fall of Númenor: amzn.to/3h30jey
Deluxe Edition: tinyurl.com/32vxm475
Audiobook: amzn.to/3Undnd2
#fallofnumenor #tolkien #numenor

Пікірлер: 184

@fingersTitan Жыл бұрын

The last interview was superb. Such a nice guy with a ton of hands on experience within the Tolkien world.

@nemesis4852 10 ай бұрын

God bless, my body is 76 yrs old and I've been a Tolkien aficionado for 65 years since it was 1st read to me by my aunt. I grew up walking and riding under the stars of the southern hemisphere where my father was an astronomer. Tolkien and his legendarium has in some ways always been my polestar and touchstone to both my spirituality and grounding in material reality. Thank you for your contribution.

@remlenomis Жыл бұрын

Well done, Matt. Half the art of being a good interviewer is to get an interesting person to interview. The other half is to shut up and let him speak. You've done both. Brian Sibley sounds like he knows his matter and his spirit, and that Tolkien's texts are in good hands. Looking forward to receiving this for Christmas.

@stephenlyon2166 Жыл бұрын

Brian Sibleys radio play got me into Tolkien 40 years ago,. thank you for many years of joy.

@TrihardGamesWorkshop Жыл бұрын

Brian talking about these topics leaves me enthralled with the conversation, since as far back when I first stuck in the Lord of The Rings Trilogy extended edition appendices, he's always struck me as a very learnéd man and very enjoyable to listen to. Great guest to have. Well Done and thank you Mr Sibley!

@speedracer2008 Жыл бұрын

Glad to see Mr. Sibley smiling and in good health. I remember seeing him talk passionately in the making ofs for several Disney movies, like The Jungle Book and Pinocchio. Glad to see he’s still got the same energy when talking about Lord of the Rings.

@adpirtle Жыл бұрын

Sibley will always be the guy who made the best LotR adaptation.

@hamborgmedia6885 Жыл бұрын

1000 times yes

@johnferguson40 11 ай бұрын

The bbc radio adaptation in 13 episodes was near perfection.

@atrinder8944 8 ай бұрын

Absolutely correct.

@Baz1cTricks Жыл бұрын

Brian Sibleys radio dramatisation is an absolute favourite. I've heard it several times and just bought The Fall of Númenor. He's a great contributor to this wonderful universe. Also Thank you Matt for your work and putting together this interview.

@tonyajm8289 Жыл бұрын

Wonderful interview. What a guy! - you could listen to him all day.

@ChristaCrow Жыл бұрын

What a lovely, charming gent Brian is. Great interview, Matt. Loved it start to finish. It’s wonderful that you comfortably sit back and let Brian show us his expertise without forcing questions the way so many interviewers do. You have a great rapport with Brian, you can tell he really enjoyed this conversation.

@j-dmachado4349 Жыл бұрын

This is an incredible interview - brilliant! Brian is so knowledgeable and insightful! In particular, for me not that many people publicly consider how Tolkien's deep-rooted faith may have impacted his work and its overarching themes (beyond the old allegory question, which is long-settled by Tolkien himself). Fascinating to hear two Tolkien experts talk so widely and deeply!

@mikearchibald744 Жыл бұрын

An authors view of what their work is, is no more definitive than anybody elses. Shakespeare wrote some commentaries on his plays, nobody cares or even reads them. There are most certainly ASPECTS of Tolkiens work that are clear allegories. In literature there is no simply saying 'this book is an allegory about'. Nobody writes like that except morality plays that were SPECIFICALLY written as allegories. An allegory doesn't 'necessarily' mean a 'moral' or a simple analogy.

@NerdoftheRings Жыл бұрын

ICYMI from the early days of the channel, check out my interview with Brian where we dive deep into his writing of the 1981 BBC Radio Dramatization of The Lord of the Rings: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jN2lda95uLfUknk.html

@mariannedole5165 Жыл бұрын

This was lovely! I bought the audio book on November 10, and have been reading and enjoying it. I'm a huge fan of the BBC production of The Lord of the Rings. In my opinion, it's the best adaptation, and that's not only because I'm blind! Blessings.

@patriciofernandez6500 Жыл бұрын

Love!

@v02max75 Жыл бұрын

This was a great interview! I really appreciate that you are able to bring a voice to the creative side of Tolkien's works. I also appreciate how....tactful Mr. Sibley was when describing his thoughts on RoP. I don't quite share his enthusiastic sentiment, but I appreciate that he can find the good in things. And I like how he did call out some on the janky script writing as well. I'm really looking forward to diving in to his book!!

@Unclejona Жыл бұрын

Would agree about Brian being such a gentleman after ROP really fucked him over.

@chris1lee1smith Жыл бұрын

I just bought the book online while listening to this interview. Thanks for all of the content! You are my first stop on KZfaq.

@AndrewCarlisle11B Жыл бұрын

Just finished watching the stream and I'll need to add the book to my reading list. I'm slacking but I'll catch up. Keep up the great work Matt!

@alainagall442 Жыл бұрын

Great interview! Can't wait to pick up a copy of the book. Also - after watching (and re-watching) the LOTR films DVD appendices over the years, hearing Brian Sibley's voice again is like listening to an old friend! 😂

@NerdoftheRings Жыл бұрын

EDIT: I was mistaken in believing that Timothy West had passed. He is still very much alive! Apologies to everyone. I truly don't know who I was confusing him with in that moment. The Fall of Númenor is available NOW! Regular Edition: amzn.to/3h30jey Deluxe Edition: tinyurl.com/32vxm475 Audiobook: amzn.to/3Undnd2

@markbarlow4296 Жыл бұрын

I could listen to Brian talk Tolkien all day. 👍👍🤗🤗

@aresaurelian Жыл бұрын

One of the great. Thank you Matt and Mr. Brian Sibley. Wonderful.

@Himathy_content Жыл бұрын

This channel is great! It changed my life, and influenced me to read more

@Mortys_Toilet_Attendant Жыл бұрын

I always enjoy seeing the work spaces of these great people, to quote Gandalf: “… like a lumber room, thing wanted, always buried”. Brian is always good value as a guest, great to see him again.

@fgdj2000 Жыл бұрын

I‘m looking forward to this. Thank you for doing this. Great channel.

@zachj2379 Жыл бұрын

Definitely getting this for Christmas

@hodgrix Жыл бұрын

This was such a lovely interview. Fascinating to hear an artist such as Brian's perspective from living with Middle Earth for 50 years and how it relates to all other things mythology/story/etc. So much to learn from these experienced people

@blackcatredriver5878 Ай бұрын

I'm really looking forward to being able to buy and read this book at some point!

@dantrethekid1539 Жыл бұрын

I have the day off for this too! Very excited after getting caught up on some of your previous interviews. Gonna enjoy this with my coffee and a smoke.

@Klaaism Жыл бұрын

Alan Lee did the cover art? Awesome, he's a very talented artist let alone all of his Tolkien work.

@fgdj2000 Жыл бұрын

He also did a lot of new art for this book akin to The Great Tales books.

@mnomadvfx Жыл бұрын

Lee pretty much did all of the new cover art for the Chris Tolkien edits of JRRT's work in the past decade including Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien, Fall of Gondolin, and various others unrelated to Tolkien's own writings such as The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, and The Fall of Arthur.

@fgdj2000 Жыл бұрын

@@mnomadvfx Actually I love the style of recent Tolkien editions with artwork by Alan Lee and Ted Nasmith (an artist I enjoy a little bit more for being more different from the films).

@cfrost87 Жыл бұрын

He did the art throughout the book.

@joshuamontgomery1597 Жыл бұрын

Excellent interview. Thanks for the excellent videos and thoughts, Matt! In particular, I appreciate your friendliness and balanced approach to these videos. You're obviously a superfan (like myself), but also definitely an objective expert on this stuff, and (most importantly) you remain just a nice guy about it all. That's nice to see. I always get excited every time you release a new video.

@midgard2024 Жыл бұрын

Just picked up my copy, fresh from the trolley not even on the shelves yet. Department store is super busy with the rest of Christmas decorating. Thanks Brian for the interview and "Nerd of the Rings" for the video.

@LeGadabout Жыл бұрын

It’s so nice how much you two seem to enjoy talking to each other, feels natural!

@nickbergtv Жыл бұрын

This was great! I was not going to buy the book at first, but the point you made in your review, and this interview with Brian (the awesome illustrations as well) had me sold. Ordered the book today!

@Katharina_Lieblich Жыл бұрын

Can't wait to hear it! Fantastic that you got him to come on the channel for a second time! Will you be doing any more interviews with people from PJ's LOTR? (Or is that classified information? 😉)

@NerdoftheRings Жыл бұрын

Ah! Time will tell. 😁

@Katharina_Lieblich Жыл бұрын

@@NerdoftheRings I will be waiting in eager anticipation! 😊

@HazelPlace89 Жыл бұрын

A week late, but it's always a pleasure to hear Brian Sibley talk Tolkien!

@matthewgaudet4064 Жыл бұрын

I still have his Lord of the Rings map on my wall and his radio play on CD. Ian Holm was the perfect Frodo and then the perfect casting for Bilbo in the movies. Thanks Brian.

@davidhimmelfahrt3732 Жыл бұрын

Ganfalf was the perfect Frodo? Confusion of da highest orda.

@matthewgaudet4064 Жыл бұрын

@@davidhimmelfahrt3732 , Ian Holm was Bilbo in the films and Frodo in the radio drama when he was younger. Gandalf is Ian Mckellen in the movie. Brian Sibley wrote the radio play.

@tolstukha Жыл бұрын

What a sweet man! Totally love him

@NerdoftheRings Жыл бұрын

He’s such a nice guy. I love chatting with him.

@tolstukha Жыл бұрын

@@NerdoftheRings And you’re a good interviewer! It’s always a pleasure to see nice people talking about what they love

@Omnilatent Жыл бұрын

Amazing interview. The understanding of Brian has about Tolkien was partly mindblowing. I especially liked his point about the big battle not ending on the battle field but at home, with your closest people and within yourself.

@johnlennartsson4816 Жыл бұрын

Great chat! Ordered my copy today. Hopefully it arrives next week.

@TheD4vie 29 күн бұрын

great interview, thanks for sharing

@carterlink Жыл бұрын

Loved the chat. Brian is always worth listening to. Of course, you are too😆 Also, I had to check that Timothy West hadn’t passed away without me hearing about it.

@mancal5829 9 ай бұрын

This could have lasted two hours. Wonderful interview. Thank you! P.S. I need that mug 😊

@GerardHammond Жыл бұрын

A very good interview! Well done. You reacted and responded to Brian's answers in a listening manner!. and you asked probing and non-leading, interesting questions! Nice work!

@MatthewCaunsfield Жыл бұрын

Great having Brian back again!

@cbrettb Жыл бұрын

Amazing interview. Thank you.

@panic2372 Жыл бұрын

My copy is coming on Tuesday. Very excited! This got me even more excited.

@WhoIsCalli Жыл бұрын

Great interview, thanks Matt

@colinleat8309 Жыл бұрын

Great interview. Can't wait to get my copy of the book! 🤘🖖

@thebrotherskrynn Жыл бұрын

This was a great interview, am VERY interested to get my mitts on this book to read it. I do hope that there will be extra versions of the Mariner's Wife, expanded references to Elros and also a bit more information about the later Numenorean kings such as Tar-Atanamir.

@michaelsmyth3935 7 ай бұрын

I read The Silmarillion upon paperback release US. Discovered a certain role playing game soon after. Still read Tolkien, still running that world.

@teresaharris-travelbybooks5564 Жыл бұрын

Wonderful interview. I kind of think of Alan Lee as an architect of Middle Earth. And some of the best movie companion books I have, are by Brian Sibley. My book is due to arrive on Tuesday. I remember when the LOTR was VERY difficult to even get; in the U.S. And now, we have so many editions and all of these different versions of this resource material. And a big thank you to Matt, for just nudging the interview along and letting Mr. Sibley run with it.

@r.blakehole932 Жыл бұрын

I just got the book, which I ordered June 23rd. It was originally supposed to arrive with the launch of Rings of Power! Then, it was delayed until yesterday November 15th....Well after Rings of Power had finished. Hmmmmmm. I can honestly say this book is the single GOOD thing that has come from Rings of Power. I can well understand why Rings of Power fired Sibley from consulting. He actually cares about what Tolkien wrote unlike the people behind Rings of Power. And, evidently, unlike the people now controlling the Tolkien estate. Yes, I went there.

@petertaylorarts Жыл бұрын

So wonderful to see Brian back. Could listen for hours.

@franciscordon9230 Жыл бұрын

Amazing! Thank you!

@TheDopestOlivellaOnEarth Жыл бұрын

Got my copy sitting right here on my desk. Can't wait to dig in!

@ian-clayton Жыл бұрын

Mine has just arrived! Looking forward to reading this

@AG-io5wr Жыл бұрын

Looking forward to this.

@Geckoboy1.0 Жыл бұрын

Just ordered the book today. Looking forward to it.

@stuartnelmes348 Жыл бұрын

I love your content, it has really helped me understand Tolkien’s world. Could pls do a video on Dain iron foot 🙂

@leafarasta4517 Жыл бұрын

to bad he is a sellout and sold his soul for amazon

@aaron.ward. Жыл бұрын

Great interview. A very interesting guy.

@Himathy_content Жыл бұрын

So excited

@MarcelDempers Жыл бұрын

Pre-ordered my copy some time ago and it came in the mail yesterday :D

@MachasDaughter Жыл бұрын

Thank you! ❤

@crehenge2386 Жыл бұрын

I loved this book! I've already read it one time through!

@wannesverhoeven1825 Жыл бұрын

Great interview, Matt, thank you. Fascinating to hear two people speak who are as passionate about Tolkien's stories as I am. And you're right: the everlasting appeal of them surely comes from the trees, mountain peaks and the legends glimpsed from afar, but never quite reached. The genius of JRRT was to play into that essential human curiosity, via the beauty of language. Anyway, I do wonder, rather impertinently: how do you get your wife to keep putting up with your extreme hobbyism? 😅

@YamiSpyroX Жыл бұрын

Honestly it was really refreshing to see an Tolkien Scholar be chill about Rings of Power and yet not fully side with it like a few others. (Cory Olson to an Point.) One thing Brian Sibley is right about Rings of Power is it does convey the look and image of Tolkien's cultures and while it mostly doesn't deliver there's still a few redeeming things in it like Elrond and Durin's relationship. That being said Episode 6 still Scarred me! I feel like I got hit by Mount Doom's eruption there.

@GeekofMordor Жыл бұрын

Good work Brian Sibley 👏

@Symbioticism Жыл бұрын

What a gent!

@TolkienAnswers Жыл бұрын

1:03:10 - LOL, you were about to tell Brian that Tolkien's later writings have the blue wizards arriving in the 2nd age, but then you decided to let him talk. I can see that took some restraint, lol.

@ef2293 Жыл бұрын

I caught that too, made me chuckle

@NerdoftheRings Жыл бұрын

Haha! You bet that’s exactly what happened! 😂

@GetMeDrinkingThinkingGreek Жыл бұрын

One does not simply walk into the world of Numenor except of course Brian Sibley

@StrawberrySoaps Жыл бұрын

Per Wikipedia: A BBC Radio 5 series The Hobbit radio drama is an 15 part adaptation abridged by Brian Sibley, produced by Dickon Reed and read by Michael Hordern, first broadcast Monday 6th Jan 1992, 19:15 on Radio 5. Transmitted again on 4th Mar 1997 00:30, for BBC Radio 4 The Late Book. Are there any indications that this version is to be released at some point?

@loribenton5975 Жыл бұрын

Always enjoy Brian Sibley (long time fan of that radio version since the 1980s, which had its own superb Gollum performance). Great interview, Matt. Very glad to know of this book. I adore Alan Lee and John Howe's illustrations so I've just ordered a copy, plus the ROP show has made me want to learn more about Numenor. Any chance of hosting Charlie Vickers for an interview?

@robertherring9277 Жыл бұрын

Ordered it for my bday (thanksgiving day this year) and will read over winter break (perk of being a teacher)!

@tuhkathri9126 Жыл бұрын

Excellent book, putting all the writings of the second age in one place and in a chronological order. Now do this for the first and third ages 👍🏻

@str.77 10 ай бұрын

I'm intrigued about the Rings Of Power series he is talking about. It shares the title with a show I have seen but his description of positive sides sounds different.

@vincemilner5500 Жыл бұрын

I've often wondered why the BBC didn't do a second audio adaptation of The Hobbit after the success of the Sibley LOTR - the 1968 one is a bit wobbly, though has its moments.

@atomskthepirateking2776 Жыл бұрын

The Ringed City in Dark Souls 3 is a clear inspiration of Numenor

@flixerdk7947 Жыл бұрын

This guy can talk 😂loved the interview, looking forward to the book

@filipaantoniabaratadearauj1749 Жыл бұрын

He's being interviewed. He's supposed to talk.

@mrmu7ammed1 Жыл бұрын

There is a tempest in me to to buy the book, which I won't resist

@Everyoneisanartist776 Жыл бұрын

Finally, a sound mind on the current edition! 😩

@haradan9036 Жыл бұрын

There are great data of the 2nd age in the Unfinished Tales. Hopefully this next book will talk about the Numenoreans and their dealings with the men of Eriador, and how they treated them according to their appearance and language. And if one reads the Silmarillion carefully, it is mentioned there that the Numenoreans warred for centuries with the Haradrim. Certainly there is a lot of colonialism and imperialism in the 2nd age. I don't say it, it's what the books say, and I hope that "The Fall of Númenor" will not overlooked that information.

@ellietobe Жыл бұрын

I cannot wait to read this! Well, actually….I guess that I am getting to the age that when I read for an hour I start to fall asleep no matter what the material is about. I will get the audio addition first and then the book itself. Audios are great but I need a hard copy for reference.

@0G0G3x0G Жыл бұрын

My copy just arrived 🎉

@vincemilner5500 Жыл бұрын

Listening to the excellent audiobook - definitely recommended! I'd like something similar for the early third age to be honest - though NOTR's videos on the WitchKing etc. have done a great job of explaining a lot of it.

@davidhimmelfahrt3732 Жыл бұрын

True. The storyline with the downfall of Arnor and the war with Angmar is very interesting.

@Hero_Of_Old Жыл бұрын

Seems to be the best 'new' Tolkien book since Children of Hurin!

@Mdetailing Жыл бұрын

Great video

@isaacdavid1958 Жыл бұрын

Wonderful interview! One small point: Sam West’s father, Timothy West, is still very much alive. ☺️

@carterlink Жыл бұрын

Sweet! Hope it’s as long as the last interview😂 I took a week off work to listen to that one.

@NerdoftheRings Жыл бұрын

Haha! Not as long as the last one, but still a substantial length!

@carterlink Жыл бұрын

@Dm_NerdoftheRings-on-Bestgram Stop trying to spam me you moron. Reported.

@colocolo1546 Жыл бұрын

Question, was this book supposed to be the Estate's way of making sure people realised that this is the real story and not whatever the Amazon show was going to produce? Or was it just coincidence that they cover the same time frame of the Legendarium? I ask because it definitely seems that way. Whether it is or not, I'm glad this palette cleanser has come out at this precise moment in time.

@mazikainen Жыл бұрын

I'd say it was an opportunity for Harper Collins to benefit from any interest generated by the show. I think Sibley says at some point in this video that HC was the initiator of this project. It's clearly an attempt to make Tolkien's second age writings as palatable for a general audience as possible, without getting bogged down by the fragmentary nature of these writings.

@gaebren9021 Жыл бұрын

You haven't listen to the interview have you. Brian mentions rings of power. Listen to the interview and listen very careful to what Brian says about the show.

@colocolo1546 Жыл бұрын

@@gaebren9021 I made the comment before getting to that part of the interview :-)

@gaebren9021 Жыл бұрын

@@colocolo1546 So now you know. Adaptations are made of source material all the time. The 1979 Bakshi's Animated "Lord of the Rings" is my favorite of the Tolkien adaptations. Like Brian said, it is great that Rings of Power was made because it instigates interest in the original source material. Brings people who may not have known Tolkien's work to his work and that is a good thing. RoP might not be lore but it is a lot of fun and a lot of people enjoyed it. And if people are drawn to Tolkien's work because of it, all the better.

@colocolo1546 Жыл бұрын

@@gaebren9021 Sure, if you want to go with "no publicity is bad publicity". If people pick up the books due to RoP, then good, but now there is also an additional book that might also attract new readers, and I find that to be even better.

@atrinder8944 8 ай бұрын

Looks like I’ve found another present for my husband this christmas.

@geistersound937 Жыл бұрын

Brian adapted Mervyn Peake's 'Titus Groan' and 'Gormenghast' for Radio 4 in 1981, and then returned to Peake's writings in 2011 with 'The History of Titus Groan' - six one-hour plays for BBC based on 'Titus Groan', 'Gormenghast', 'Titus Alone' and Maeve Gilmore's 'Titus Awakes'. I loved both of these adaptations excellent castings in both occasions. I WISH Brian could go back and do the same with The Lord of the Rings and we could have a re-working/ expansion of it, Bombadil and all. Maybe Tolkie fans could do a crowd-funder and we could have an a 'REDUX'- a redux for Radio!

@TurinStark5 Жыл бұрын

Fantastic book!

@BitigoBlack Жыл бұрын

My brain hurts trying to reconcile this level of content and love of lore....with the RoP coverage. I'll definitely be checking Sibley's book! Looks amazing

@NerdoftheRings Жыл бұрын

Brian's book is indeed great! I highly recommend it. As for the other portion of your comment, the idea that simply *talking* about a tv series adapted from Tolkien's works is some betrayal is one that baffles me, to be honest. I'm afraid I will never understand how personally offended folks are about others talking about the positives/negatives of an adaptation. 🤷‍♂️

@BitigoBlack Жыл бұрын

@@NerdoftheRings funny mate....I didn't mention betrayal or any of the critical* words you've used here in this response. But, since you're here - what's more likely to happen? Rings of Power Season 2 gets shelved or Season 2 gets completely redone?

@roddo1955 Жыл бұрын

@@BitigoBlack ooooh. You are tricksy! 😄Way to turn it on him. You can't blame him for his reaction. The comment section during the RoP screenings was brutal. And even to him. Calling him a 'shill' and accusing him of selling out by the thousands. He has been doing this for years, providing great content and all of the sudden he is hit with 10 weeks worth of hundreds of passive or outright agressive reactions and posts. This video is about a book. Not the show. Yet some people can't help but still bring up RoP. I can imagine Matt being a bit reactive to that after he just posted an interview with a writer for us to enjoy.

@filipaantoniabaratadearauj1749 Жыл бұрын

Matt kept a sensible and professional tone. The show had positive and negative points. Amazon didn't produce it just for LOTR experts.

@filipaantoniabaratadearauj1749 Жыл бұрын

@@BitigoBlack The show was always a success regarding audiences. As you'd know if you bothered to Google instead of listening to the usual hysterics.

@Geckoboy1.0 Жыл бұрын

Great interview Matt, Brian is a wealth of information with his rich background in middle earth. His new book 'The Fall Of Numenor' will well be worth a read. Also finally nice of you to admit (although only with nods) that Amazons ROP is badly written and acted for the a large part of the show.

@Blade-Thing Жыл бұрын

Does it include the Notion Club Papers account of the fall of atlantis?

@marcognudi664 Жыл бұрын

Numenor was inspired by Venice, pretty cool

@OutlawStradegyGaming Жыл бұрын

Hell yeah

@chappy9817 Жыл бұрын

Timothy West is still with us (as of Nov. 11th, 2022)

@chloe-historyandgames Жыл бұрын

sorry to nitpick but i think Brian made a mistake, at 40:00 isildur’s journal is in the extended version and i think it’s briefly in the original movie version as well where he says it was not hot and is his precious