Wow this book looks stunning. So much respect for writing such a long story all in verse . I'm definitly interested in buying a hardcover copy. Just as I was planning not to buy anymore books for the moment after investing in a complete Tolkien collection overhaul thanks to your videos 😅👍
@@brewingbooks Well I did. I bought all the deluxe editions that were ever released and bought the new illustrated books as back up/spares. So it's complete but that costed me quite some money, but hell all worth it.
It is so cool to hear about an epic poem being crafted in our time. I’m working on a long verse project that I hope to publish next year. Your experience here gives me great motivation and insight. Thank you!
Just ordered a copy, looking forward reading it and adding it to my ever growing Tolkien collection. I'm just going through all your videos and and big 👍I'm now hooked on getting the deluxe edition's 😁
Oh wow thanks Mel for the kind words. And thank you for your support in purchasing my book :) I’m hoping to be able to add more video reviews in the coming weeks.
Congratulations for writing and publishing your book! It looks and sounds very interesting, and I love Anglo-Saxon poetry in a historical setting (especially about the events in 1066). I read and admireTolkien a lot, so I see the quality in your work. I'll definitely buy the hardback edition when I get the chance. As someone who wrote and published his first book recently (both hardcover and on paperback), I can understand the hard work and the joy of seeing your final creative work out in the world. Great videos by the way, and spot on approach in creating book reviews and presenting important works of literature. Been following your channel for maybe a year now and I can honestly say that I am very impressed! All the best to you! - Borislav
Most kind words, thank you! Always glad to meet a fellow Tolkien reader and Anglo-Saxon history buff :) Wish you all the best in your publication too and thanks for your support 😃
I just bought the paperback. Although I didn't use the affiliate links, because I'm buying in the German store. You made me really curious. And with something as cool and outrageous as this I wouldn't mind double-dipping. ^^
This is really cool! Something I enjoy doing is taking snippets of my favorite epic poems, the surrounding intricacies and delicacies of small sections within the story, and writing in verse my own spin and take on them, typically in iambic pentameter. When it comes to my favorite epic poem, it'd have to be 'The Iliad'. It's a shame epic poetry has lost its place in the modern age. There is such verve and spirit to it!
If readers like this subject in a literary rather than non-fiction historical form, then see "The Golden Warrior, the Story of Harold and William" by Hope Muntz published in 1951... a historical novel that gives the full story of Godwin Earl of Wessex and his son Harold the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.
I have to say I've just received a hardcover copy, and I'm greatly satisfied with its feel, I'm very eager to start reading it this very night and I find the idea for this book a very brave topic and a very brave format (to be written in verse I mean). Great job, and best of luck to you.
Oh wow thank you so much for supporting my work and for your wonderful words. It was a great project to work on and I loved every second of it. I hope you enjoy! 😁
I don't know if I'll succeed with writing my own epic style poem, but you have certainly inspired me and I was super impressed with the sample of yours you read. Hope some day to be able to get the book and hope you did well with it.
Thanks so much! All I can say is, if you have the passion to write it, go for it! It’s what will keep you going to finish. And look up others who have done something similar. It always inspired me to push a little further to get it done. It might not be my finest work or anything remotely well-known, but the satisfaction of having completed it and having a few readers comment on having enjoyed reading it has been truly rewarding 🙂
I’ve been on a Tolkien spree lately, getting back in touch with the stories of my youth and then diving further into his works. Recently I’ve reread Beowulf and some other poetic epochs from history. I just found your channel in exploring the world of Tolkien, but now I’m just as interested in your new book! Ordering a copy as soon as I can. Thanks for your efforts on this channel, it’s all a joy to watch. Is the cover of the hardback you show in this video the same as the final print? It looks great! When does it ship?
Hey sorry for the late reply, and thanks for your query! Hardback cover is the same as the video and is now available for purchase here: mxpublishing.com/products/haestingas-a-retelling-of-the-valiant-fall-of-england-in-verse
@@brewingbooks received and started reading. There’s a big crease in the jacket, but other than that I do love the hardback and am enjoying the early parts of the story.
@@cliffordduhh45 So sorry about the jacket crease! Hopefully that doesn’t tarnish your reading experience. In the meantime, thanks again for your support :)
This is excellent, I didn't realise there was a hardback and got the paperback though (I got the paperback but now I want the hardback)! The tetrameter couplets really seem to suit the tale. I am doing something similar, but a series of epyllions (that is short epics around 1k-2k lines) and plays in verse based on Biblical narratives, it is an immense labour, but often a lot of fun too! I hope you might write another something like this, such as your own Tolkienesque fantasy tale in verse? Good job!
Oh wow! Thanks so much for your support! I wish you the best of luck in your own project? How is it coming along? To me this was a fantastic writing journey and experience, and I’m definitely looking forward to working in a new project along the same lines very soon 😃
@@brewingbooks Progress has been good, very good in fact, I haven't counted my lines but I think around 10k lines in less than a year (but I have a lot of time to commit to it); but I feel like it could be even better as even though I have become more disciplined there are times I procrastinate. You're right, it is fantastic writing experience to do something like this. May I ask if you hired an editor at all? I know novelists are always recommended to get an editor, but it seems with poetry, where, generally, a lot more thought is put into each word by the writer an editor might not be a good idea. I imagine you didn't need one? You probably thoroughly went through your manuscript many times. I was thinking maybe for punctuation/typos it would be a good idea.
@@johnwatts219 that’s fantastic! So glad to hear you’re progressing well 🙂 And at least 10k lines? Wow 😱 A big well done indeed. Onto your question regarding the editor. As you said, for poetry it can be a bit tricky getting feedback from someone who may or may not be inclined to verse. An editor can certainly help you look at the structure and pacing of the narrative (without going into poetic choices per se). I personally did not hire an editor, but rather meticulously revised the manuscript over and over to make sure it was as consistent and flowing as possible.
@@brewingbooks Many thanks-- I may only use an editor to catch typos, although perhaps like you I will meticulously revise the manuscript (and I didn't catch any typos in your book), thanks for the advice.
Thank you for sharing of yourself and your creative process. Thanks for reading, aloud, a part of your book-that action sold me. Thanks for the direct link to Amazon, I have vision issues, so I need a Kindle book. Great price! Off to check out Tolkien’s “Beowulf.”
Hi, James. Congratulations on that amazing work. I’ll buy your book! Well, I thought I was the only one in the world, because I am writing an epic poem too. It’s written in Spanish, and I have written 8 cantos so far, with approximately 640 verses each one. I’d really like to show you my work. Let me know if you’re interested!
It looks incredible. Just a few questions; Did you have a strict syllable count, or is it all random? Also, do you have a personal connection to history, and is that what also inspired you? Thank you
Hi thanks! Basically the rhyme scheme was a series of octosyllabic couplets and I tried to adhere to that strict measure, sometimes- admittedly- at the cost of more effective and clear descriptions. I have a great affinity for British History and Hastings’s was always something I found attractive - the story behind it, the events leading up to it, and the major characters at play.
I hope you know that, one day, people will dedicate themselves to studying how you added some modifications to your second edition (hardback), vs. the first one. Very Hobbit-like, indeed! Now I gotta go get both 😉 And send them for you to autograph 😁
@@brewingbooks Hey, I just might take you at your word! 😉 And, I just watched a video explaining why "autograph" is not the term to use when it comes to books 😁
Mmm very interesting question. Arthurian lit is a mix of prose and poetry, but is follow Tennyson’s style and structure if I’m writing a new Arthurian piece in poetry
Hi there! Towards the end of completing the first draft, I did seek feedback and advice from a handful of readers, just to see whether they understood what I was trying to say, and if there were parts of the poem that were unclear, I could rectify that by revising it.
It is very impressive that you could write the story in 4000 lines of rhyming verse. How difficult was it to write in rhyming verse as opposed to a non-rhyming epic poem like Longfellow's Evangeline?
Hey! Thanks for the interest in this project :) It was quite a challenge ... but fun nonetheless. I guess the main thing I learnt about trying to write rhyming verse is that is does not always work. Sometimes you feel forced to write an odd verse just to make it work as a rhyme - sometimes, going for a non-rhyming scheme just liberates you as a writer. Something for next time I guess :)
That's why I think it takes more skill to write good poetry in rhyme compared to free verse. Precicly because of the creativity needed to make sense and use the beauty of the language, despite of being limited by the measure and rhyme. I'm glad you successfully finished the poem. I have 2 versions of your book.
Hi there! Thanks for your interest in Haestingas 😃 Hardback copies can be found here mxpublishing.com/products/haestingas-a-retelling-of-the-valiant-fall-of-england-in-verse
This seems like a facsimile of art. Why not write about something more personal or relatable? I missed if you explained your connection to the battle of Hastings. Seems like you are cashing in on nationalism and coffee table literature collectors.
When someone goes through the effort of composing an entire epic poem, is that not indicative that maybe they’ve just taken a great deal of interest in the subject matter? Like, does he need to have any more reason than that?
Wow this book looks stunning. So much respect for writing such a long story all in verse . I'm definitly interested in buying a hardcover copy. Just as I was planning not to buy anymore books for the moment after investing in a complete Tolkien collection overhaul thanks to your videos 😅👍
Oh cheers Tom for your kind words. No pressure here hehe. Between this and Tolkien - even I would suggest you go for Tolkien first ;)
@@brewingbooks Well I did. I bought all the deluxe editions that were ever released and bought the new illustrated books as back up/spares. So it's complete but that costed me quite some money, but hell all worth it.
Tolkien Rules!!!
It is so cool to hear about an epic poem being crafted in our time. I’m working on a long verse project that I hope to publish next year. Your experience here gives me great motivation and insight. Thank you!
Thanks! And that’s great that you’ve embarked on a similar project. Wishing you the best of luck 😃
I've been worldbuilding for a sci fi story for some time now, and seeing a fellow Tolkien fan publish his own work is very inspiring :)
Just ordered a copy, looking forward reading it and adding it to my ever growing Tolkien collection. I'm just going through all your videos and and big 👍I'm now hooked on getting the deluxe edition's 😁
Oh wow thanks Mel for the kind words. And thank you for your support in purchasing my book :) I’m hoping to be able to add more video reviews in the coming weeks.
Congratulations for writing and publishing your book! It looks and sounds very interesting, and I love Anglo-Saxon poetry in a historical setting (especially about the events in 1066). I read and admireTolkien a lot, so I see the quality in your work. I'll definitely buy the hardback edition when I get the chance. As someone who wrote and published his first book recently (both hardcover and on paperback), I can understand the hard work and the joy of seeing your final creative work out in the world. Great videos by the way, and spot on approach in creating book reviews and presenting important works of literature. Been following your channel for maybe a year now and I can honestly say that I am very impressed! All the best to you!
- Borislav
Most kind words, thank you! Always glad to meet a fellow Tolkien reader and Anglo-Saxon history buff :) Wish you all the best in your publication too and thanks for your support 😃
Dropping by because I'm planning an epic of my own based on the Book of Jeremiah. I will definitely buy this book soon! Brilliant stuff
I just bought the paperback. Although I didn't use the affiliate links, because I'm buying in the German store. You made me really curious. And with something as cool and outrageous as this I wouldn't mind double-dipping. ^^
Oh my, thanks so much for your support :) Hope you enjoy reading it
just found your channel - but this looks incredible - I will be picking this up
Oh wow you're the best, cheers mate :D
Just got my hardcover today, cannot wait to get stuck into this :)
Oh wow cheers! Thanks so much for your support :D Enjoy!
That's so awesome! I'm working on my own epic poem of sorts, so, seeing this is very motivational! The hardbook looks great.
Thank you very much! And you should certainly go for it 🙂 best of luck!
I am dying to read this fascinating book! I love poetry so this is definitely going on my TBR
Thanks so much!
This is really cool! Something I enjoy doing is taking snippets of my favorite epic poems, the surrounding intricacies and delicacies of small sections within the story, and writing in verse my own spin and take on them, typically in iambic pentameter. When it comes to my favorite epic poem, it'd have to be 'The Iliad'. It's a shame epic poetry has lost its place in the modern age. There is such verve and spirit to it!
Thanks! And what a fantastic suggestion 😃
If readers like this subject in a literary rather than non-fiction historical form, then see "The Golden Warrior, the Story of Harold and William" by Hope Muntz published in 1951... a historical novel that gives the full story of Godwin Earl of Wessex and his son Harold the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.
Thanks for the heads up 🙂
I have to say I've just received a hardcover copy, and I'm greatly satisfied with its feel, I'm very eager to start reading it this very night and I find the idea for this book a very brave topic and a very brave format (to be written in verse I mean). Great job, and best of luck to you.
Oh wow thank you so much for supporting my work and for your wonderful words. It was a great project to work on and I loved every second of it. I hope you enjoy! 😁
I don't know if I'll succeed with writing my own epic style poem, but you have certainly inspired me and I was super impressed with the sample of yours you read. Hope some day to be able to get the book and hope you did well with it.
Thanks so much! All I can say is, if you have the passion to write it, go for it! It’s what will keep you going to finish. And look up others who have done something similar. It always inspired me to push a little further to get it done. It might not be my finest work or anything remotely well-known, but the satisfaction of having completed it and having a few readers comment on having enjoyed reading it has been truly rewarding 🙂
I’ve been on a Tolkien spree lately, getting back in touch with the stories of my youth and then diving further into his works. Recently I’ve reread Beowulf and some other poetic epochs from history. I just found your channel in exploring the world of Tolkien, but now I’m just as interested in your new book! Ordering a copy as soon as I can. Thanks for your efforts on this channel, it’s all a joy to watch.
Is the cover of the hardback you show in this video the same as the final print? It looks great! When does it ship?
Hey sorry for the late reply, and thanks for your query! Hardback cover is the same as the video and is now available for purchase here: mxpublishing.com/products/haestingas-a-retelling-of-the-valiant-fall-of-england-in-verse
@@brewingbooks The response is appreciated! I ordered myself a hardback copy a couple of weeks ago. Looking forward to it.
@@cliffordduhh45 Oh wow thanks!
@@brewingbooks received and started reading. There’s a big crease in the jacket, but other than that I do love the hardback and am enjoying the early parts of the story.
@@cliffordduhh45 So sorry about the jacket crease! Hopefully that doesn’t tarnish your reading experience. In the meantime, thanks again for your support :)
Absolutely brilliant...definitely going to buy your book!
Oh wow thanks!
This is excellent, I didn't realise there was a hardback and got the paperback though (I got the paperback but now I want the hardback)! The tetrameter couplets really seem to suit the tale.
I am doing something similar, but a series of epyllions (that is short epics around 1k-2k lines) and plays in verse based on Biblical narratives, it is an immense labour, but often a lot of fun too!
I hope you might write another something like this, such as your own Tolkienesque fantasy tale in verse?
Good job!
Oh wow! Thanks so much for your support!
I wish you the best of luck in your own project? How is it coming along? To me this was a fantastic writing journey and experience, and I’m definitely looking forward to working in a new project along the same lines very soon 😃
@@brewingbooks Progress has been good, very good in fact, I haven't counted my lines but I think around 10k lines in less than a year (but I have a lot of time to commit to it); but I feel like it could be even better as even though I have become more disciplined there are times I procrastinate.
You're right, it is fantastic writing experience to do something like this.
May I ask if you hired an editor at all? I know novelists are always recommended to get an editor, but it seems with poetry, where, generally, a lot more thought is put into each word by the writer an editor might not be a good idea. I imagine you didn't need one? You probably thoroughly went through your manuscript many times. I was thinking maybe for punctuation/typos it would be a good idea.
@@johnwatts219 that’s fantastic! So glad to hear you’re progressing well 🙂 And at least 10k lines? Wow 😱 A big well done indeed.
Onto your question regarding the editor. As you said, for poetry it can be a bit tricky getting feedback from someone who may or may not be inclined to verse. An editor can certainly help you look at the structure and pacing of the narrative (without going into poetic choices per se). I personally did not hire an editor, but rather meticulously revised the manuscript over and over to make sure it was as consistent and flowing as possible.
@@brewingbooks Many thanks-- I may only use an editor to catch typos, although perhaps like you I will meticulously revise the manuscript (and I didn't catch any typos in your book), thanks for the advice.
Have you any plans to publish an edition of this epic poem in Old English?
That would be the ultimate dream! But I’m not very skilled in Old English. Perhaps I could find someone much better than myself to translate 🤔
I really enjoy epic poetry, and Haestingas, with that stunning hardcover, seems right up my alley! Does it ship to India?
Oh wow thanks! I’m pretty sure it does ship, though best to check in the publisher website to make sure.
SENSATIONAL
Many thanks!
Thank you for sharing of yourself and your creative process. Thanks for reading, aloud, a part of your book-that action sold me. Thanks for the direct link to Amazon, I have vision issues, so I need a Kindle book. Great price! Off to check out Tolkien’s “Beowulf.”
You are so welcome!
Awesome!
Thanks!
Omg this is soo cool! I want to buy it 😍🙌
Thanks! You most certainly can buy it :)
Hi, James. Congratulations on that amazing work. I’ll buy your book!
Well, I thought I was the only one in the world, because I am writing an epic poem too.
It’s written in Spanish, and I have written 8 cantos so far, with approximately 640 verses each one.
I’d really like to show you my work. Let me know if you’re interested!
Absolutely! Sounds fantastic 😃
That sounds very interesting. If you don’t mind, would you care to elaborate on the subject of your epic?
5:09 it was my birthday 🥳
Professor Tolkien would be proud :’)
Wow! hehe cheers
@@brewingbooks I promise I’ll buy the hardback edition in some months when I’m back in the US. Cheers! 🍺
Impressive. Very nice.
Thank you very much 😃
This is awesome
Thanks very much!
It looks incredible. Just a few questions;
Did you have a strict syllable count, or is it all random?
Also, do you have a personal connection to history, and is that what also inspired you?
Thank you
Hi thanks! Basically the rhyme scheme was a series of octosyllabic couplets and I tried to adhere to that strict measure, sometimes- admittedly- at the cost of more effective and clear descriptions.
I have a great affinity for British History and Hastings’s was always something I found attractive - the story behind it, the events leading up to it, and the major characters at play.
I hope you know that, one day, people will dedicate themselves to studying how you added some modifications to your second edition (hardback), vs. the first one. Very Hobbit-like, indeed! Now I gotta go get both 😉 And send them for you to autograph 😁
Oh cheers! Thanks so much for your kind words 🥹 And I’d be more than happy to sign the book 😃
@@brewingbooks Hey, I just might take you at your word! 😉 And, I just watched a video explaining why "autograph" is not the term to use when it comes to books 😁
Hello James, highly interested!! One question, is there any textual difference between both versions paperback or hardback?
Thank you! There are some minor differences (the hardback contains the most recent revised text), but the changes are minor.
@@brewingbooks thanks! I will go for the hardback! Congrats!
If you would be to write another one, let's say, about King Arthur, how would you do it now?
Mmm very interesting question. Arthurian lit is a mix of prose and poetry, but is follow Tennyson’s style and structure if I’m writing a new Arthurian piece in poetry
@@brewingbooksWhat advice would you give to a person who works also to creat an original epic poem?
You should write in old english or old norse
What style of poetry did you write in?
The style of verse is in rhyming octosyllabic couplets.
Out of interest did you use any beta readers? I have been wondering if I should find any for my own poetical work.
Hi there! Towards the end of completing the first draft, I did seek feedback and advice from a handful of readers, just to see whether they understood what I was trying to say, and if there were parts of the poem that were unclear, I could rectify that by revising it.
It is very impressive that you could write the story in 4000 lines of rhyming verse. How difficult was it to write in rhyming verse as opposed to a non-rhyming epic poem like Longfellow's Evangeline?
Hey! Thanks for the interest in this project :) It was quite a challenge ... but fun nonetheless. I guess the main thing I learnt about trying to write rhyming verse is that is does not always work. Sometimes you feel forced to write an odd verse just to make it work as a rhyme - sometimes, going for a non-rhyming scheme just liberates you as a writer. Something for next time I guess :)
That's why I think it takes more skill to write good poetry in rhyme compared to free verse. Precicly because of the creativity needed to make sense and use the beauty of the language, despite of being limited by the measure and rhyme.
I'm glad you successfully finished the poem. I have 2 versions of your book.
I am looking for a hardcover copy of this poem. I guess I am quite late for the party but if anybody has seen one for sale plwase let me know.
Hi there! Thanks for your interest in Haestingas 😃 Hardback copies can be found here mxpublishing.com/products/haestingas-a-retelling-of-the-valiant-fall-of-england-in-verse
Thanks. I just ordered one. Google was not helpful in this search.
@@andrewlevangie2043 oh wow thanks so much! Would appreciate an honest review of it once you read it. Cheers!
I imagine in a few centuries in the future kids in school will be forced study this book
No that is not an insult
Haha thanks! 😃 people may start to wonder if the events in the book actually happened or not 😂
This seems like a facsimile of art. Why not write about something more personal or relatable? I missed if you explained your connection to the battle of Hastings. Seems like you are cashing in on nationalism and coffee table literature collectors.
Wow, this comment feels like a facsimile of an internet troll. Good job 👍
When someone goes through the effort of composing an entire epic poem, is that not indicative that maybe they’ve just taken a great deal of interest in the subject matter? Like, does he need to have any more reason than that?