Beren and Lúthien was published posthumously in 2017 as a standalone book edited by Christopher Tolkien.
The book collects versions of Tolkien’s central love story about the mortal man Beren and the immortal Elf Lúthien. Their quest involves the theft of a Silmaril from the crown of Morgoth, the great enemy of the First Age.
Christopher Tolkien edited the volume to show how the story changed across his father’s writings. J.R.R. Tolkien developed it in prose, verse, and later forms, so the 2017 book is not a single newly discovered final novel in the usual sense.
The names Beren and Lúthien also had personal significance for Tolkien. He and his wife, Edith, had the names inscribed on their gravestones, reflecting the story’s association with their relationship.