Theoretical sequals to LOTR: Discussion of possible story lines..

Cafe Society
1

Not wanting to Hijack the current thread on could another author write sequals to LOTR with a strict discussion on possible story lines. I’ll start this one about what possible themes of a new LOTR could be. With strict adherence to the Master Tolkien’s concepts and personal character…

I’ll start->

The Dark Lord is gone, Orcs are on the run. Some go into hiding, Aragorn sends many quests to rid Middle Earth of the beasts.

Intoduction of a new Dark Wizard. Gandalf has a new foe…He creates another race of orc-like beasts that are smarter, stronger and posess other powers…They are elvish more than anything.

…

2

Wouldn’t work, phlo. The age of Elves and wizards is past. Olorin has returned to the West of West and Gandalf is no more. It is the age of Man. All other races fade. To write otherwise is to go against the canon as per JRRT.

3

Qadgop is right, Philosphr. The end of the Third Age marks the end of “magic” in the world; any conflicts that come afterward are merely conflicts of Men against Men. Evil will never again take on a monolithic, superhuman form, so any attempted canonical sequel will pale in comparison to LOTR. And who would want to read a non-canonical one?

One of the things that makes LOTR special is the fact that it DOES end so definitively (like all the best legends do, and completely unlike the bulk of most second-rate fantasy tales told today).

4

Well, you could fill out the appendices. Cover the foounding of the Glittering caves, Re-pupulation of Moria, Sam’s terms as Mayor, etc. But not a whole lot of conflit there (well, maybe getting rid of all the baddies in Moria- but no “master baddie”)

JRRT started a 4th age tale but only got a few pages in before abandoning it.

Brian

5

Sure. You could also flesh out earlier parts of Arda’s history (such as the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Arnor, or the collapse of Ereigon when “Annatar” reveals himself to be Sauron and attacks the Mirdain). But those sorts of tales won’t have the epic sweep of LOTR, and probably aren’t what most people would consider a satisfying “sequel” for that reason alone (although I’ve read some dandy fanfics which to a great job with such gapfilling).

6

In one of his later letters (sorry, I don’t remember which one), Tolkien wrote of considering a sequel. IIRC he mentioned just a few thoughts involving a new religion worshipping evil and the wizards who went to the east and disappeared. He wrote that that was just too depressing and dropped the idea.

7

How about the Witch King of Arnor (about the time he got the ring), and that struggle? A “prequel”?

8

Tolkien did actually start writing a sequel. He never did more than a few pages, then dropped it. Probably a good thing.

The full text (if “full” is the right word) is in one of the latter volumes – I forget exactly which – of the “History of Middle Earth” series edited by Christopher Tolkien. It’s not terribly interesting, but does more or less fit what rowrrbazzle says.

9

It’s called “The New Shadow”, and can be found in The Peoples of Middle-Earth (the History of Middle-Earth, volume 12).

10

oic.

11

Here’s an idea:

Some insightful peasant girl comes to the realization that governmental authority and the legitimate use of force can only come from the consent of the people and not some racist idea of superior royal blood. As her realization and theory of governance grow during a trek to the capitol city, fraught with dangers from the as yet not quite civilized hinter lands, to see the king and discuss the nature of his legitimacy, we see the the true nature of Aragorn become visible as he has people arbitrarily arrested, detained and tortured, as he imposes ruinous taxes while stocking up on gold for his coffers, and as he engages in a series of brutal political assassinations to solidify his iron-fisted grip on the land.

As news of the king’s true nature spreads across the countryside, and as the the girl contemplates and sharpens her theory, stopping at numerous villages to hone her thoughts on the whet stone of the home-spun wisdom of village elders and leaders, her revolutionary ideas become a powerful populist movement, invigorating and inspiring the peasants to throw off the shackles of their truly illegitimate monarchy. Insurrection is well nigh unavoidable as she is propelled, quite against her will, into the position of leading a full scale revolt.

As the war begins, we see the revolt beseiged on two sides: Aragorn has made a pact with the Dark Lord! Indeed, a true foe of consentual governance, the Dark Lord has become Aragorn’s ally in the fight against individual rights and political representation. With Aragorn’s army as the hammer and the Dark Lord’s army as the anvil, Gandolf acts as the tongs holding the beseiged girl and her beleaguerd peasant army in place to be crushed by a truly cruel and wicked alliance.

But wait! The new Dark Wizard has arisen! Calling himself Payne (I’ve never been good with names), the Dark Wizard engineers the escape of the girl and her army. “But why? Why? What do you have planned for us?!” She asks him in exhausted desperation.

“My dear,” he replies calmly, “Who do you think gave me the title of Dark Wizard?” Her confusion prompts him to have his guards bring forth a captured captain of Aragorn’s army. Under a spell of truth-telling the captain informs Payne and the girl of the movements of Aragorn’s army and the army of the White Lord. The realization hits her like the fist of a mountain troll. She collapses to the ground.

“It’s true,” she cries in barely audable tones. “It’s true. The Sauron wasn’t the Dark Lord because he was evil, he was the Dark Lord because he opposed the king!” She breaks down into tears, and the Dark Wizard cries with her, being so moved by the tragedy of her realization. But it is a triumph as well! Inspired by the truth, she leads her army to victory through a series of daring and dangerous battles. The king’s family and the White Lord are sent into exile with the corrupt elves, and rapproachement and trade obtain between humans and their closest ally: the orcs.

12

js_africanus…you blasphemer!

Although I’ve read the appendices and some of the Lost Tales and such, I would really like a fleshing out of the war between the Witch King of Angmar and the North Kingdom.

I don’t know if anyone else could do it justice, though.

13

What about the story of the 10,000th age? Isn’t Morgoth going escape eventually and all the Elves in the halls of Mandos get called up for the final battle?

Brian

14

Heh, heh. Actually, the question about the legitimacy of the monarchy was a real distraction for me during my last reading.