Get ready for the new Tolkien launch

Date for your diary: Waterstone's Piccadilly will be holding the world wide launch for JRR Tolkien's The Children of Hurin , on Tuesday 17 April from 10am.

We’re very excited about this book, the first original Tolkien work since the great writer’s death. His son Christopher has completed this unfinished tale based on work he left behind. It is set long before the events of Lord of the Rings , in a time before Hobbits came to Middle-Earth. SFX commented upon the story in the Independent on Sunday last week.

Silvana Ambrosiou is the Events and Marketing Coordinator of Waterstone's, and she told us that Alan Lee - the Oscar-winning designer for the film trilogy, who has created the cover for the new book - will be at the store from 10am until 3pm for the launch. Likewise, we understand Bernard Hill - King Theoden of Rohan from Peter Jackson's films - will also be there to read from the novel. Cast from the new Lord of the Rings stage play are also anticipated, and there will be signed bookplates for the first 50 attendees (signed by Christopher Tolkien not JRR, naturally).

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