Tolkien and Dickens Join Forces for New Books

Thu, 04/19/2012 - 9:54am by Spectacular Reference-Man

The grandson of J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the great-great grandson of Charles Dickens are working together on a pair of new children’s stories. Michael Tolkien is writing two novels based on stories his grandfather told him as a child. Gerald Dickens will narrate the audiobook versions.

The first book is titled Wish and is inspired by Florence Bone’s 1923 story, “The Rose-Coloured Wish” which tells the story of two children who set out to use an evil enchanter’s wishing chain of stones to save their alpine valley, only to fall into trouble. Michael Tolkien said he wanted to pay tribute to the old tale and “recreate the spirit of the original in new dress.” Dickens added, “Wish is a timeless story which children will enjoy for years to come. Michael Tolkien has brought it to life in narrative verse.”

The second book, Rainbow, is based on another story by Bone, The Other Side of the Rainbow.

Both are expected to be released by the end of the year.