New Tolkien book to be published next month

[David Gentle]

> LONDON (AFP) - An unfinished book by "Lord of the
> Rings" author J.R.R. Tolkien, which was completed by
> his son, will go on sale on next month, a newspaper
> said. 
> 
> "The Children of Hurin", which Tolkien began in 1918,
> will be in bookshops on April 17, the Independent on
> Sunday added. The author's son, Christopher, spent 30
> years completing the story from the many drafts
> produced by his father.
> 
> Publisher HarperCollins is keeping exact details of
> the story under close wraps but its description as "an
> epic story of adventure, tragedy, fellowship and
> heroism" will be familiar to the legions of Tolkien
> fans.
> 
> Artist Alan Lee has provided 25 pencil sketches and
> eight paintings for the book.
> 
> Lee won an Oscar for art direction on        Peter
> Jackson's "The Return of the King", the third
> blockbuster film based on the "Lord of Rings" trilogy
> that brought the stories to a worldwide audience.
> 
> "The Children of Hurin" is the first "new" Tolkien
> book since a collection of his works -- "The
> Silmarillion" -- was published posthumously in 1977,
> four years after the writer's death. It was also
> edited by Christopher Tolkien.
> 
> The chairman of the Tolkien Society, Chris Crawshaw,
> was quoted by the Independent on Sunday as saying: "It
> ('The Children of Hurin') would probably make a very
> good movie, if anyone can secure the film rights."
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070325/ennew_afp/entertainmentbritain
Excited?