J.R.R. Tolkien's The Story Of Kullervo To Be Published In August

The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien has announced that they will publish The Story of Kullervo, a previously unreleased work from the late author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, in August.

Tolkien's unfinished story follows Kullervo son of Kalervo as he quests for revenge on the magician who killed his father. Here's the official plot synopsis:

Brought up in the homestead of the dark magician Untamo, who killed his father, kidnapped his mother, and who tries three times to kill him when still a boy, Kullervo is alone save for the love of his twin sister, Wanona, and guarded by the magical powers of the black dog, Musti. When Kullervo is sold into slavery he swears revenge on the magician, but he will learn that even at the point of vengeance there is no escape from the cruelest of fates.

According to the site, Tolkien referred to The Story of Kullervo as "the germ of my attempt to write legends of my own." The story is a retelling of a Finnish myth, but one that Tolkien incorporated into the "legends of the First Age" of Middle-earth, with Kullervo being an acestor to Túrin Turambar from The Silmarillion.

The Story of Kullervo will be released Aug. 27.