If you could commission Tolkien to write something new...

[Barliman Butterbur]

I ran across this article, which gave rise to this thread: If Tolkien were alive today (or you could contact him in the afterlife), what would you commission him to write?

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Hall Of Fire This Weekend
Demosthenes @ 6:26 am EST

Even though many of his papers and Middle-earth tales were published posthumously, JRR Tolkien wrote prolifically throughout his life. Nevertheless, there remain huge gaps in many of his stories.

So this weekend we're going to ask ourselves: 'If you could commission Tolkien to write more on one thing, what would it have been and why?'

Stories such as the origins of the cats of Queen Beruthiel (which is reduced to little more than a few lines in LoTR), the travels and fate of the Blue Wizards or the early adventures of Thorongil/Aragorn.

Perhaps you might have liked some tales of the Fourth Age -- the dwarves at Aglarond, the elves in Ithilien or the glory days of Gondor under Aragorn.

Hobbit fans might want to know the details of the founding of the Shire, or the life of the Bullroarer and the Long Winter. Or maybe you'd like to understand better what drove the Dunedain of the north to self destruct and what they did in their long years in the Wild.

Which periods do you think it was a tragedy that Tolkien left unplugged? What enigmatic vistas intrigue you the most?

Join us this weekend for: 'Stories never told: If it had been possible what further books or tales would you have liked JRR Tolkien to write?'

Source: http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/8/1109244373

Barley

[baragund]

I would love to see more written about The Last Alliance, of Gil-galad and the Elves of Lindon, of Elendil and Isildur. Also more about the founding of Gondor and Arnor, how the Faithful of Numenor established their foothold in a land that was dominated by Sauron.

[Hammersmith]

I'd like to hear the story of Maglor, after he abandons the Silmaril and Maedhros dies. I always imagined that if Gandalf feared to throw the Ring in the sea, would not the final Silmaril also be in danger of eventual recovery? Maglor turning up - perhaps long into the fourth age - to chase down the last gem of Feanor would be a story worthy of Tolkien's hand.

[Narsil]

If Tolkien could continue his writing I would love to have heard about Gandalf and Aragorn's search for Gollum and Gollum's ordeal in Moria.

I would also like to hear more about the "other side" of the War of the Ring on how it pertained to the Dwarves, of how King Dain and King Brand fought Sauron's armies, as well as the Elven battles at Lothlorien and Rivendell.

I'd also like to hear more about the Fourth Age. The Glory of King Elessar, the adventures of Legolas and Gimli. I'd like to know more about Aragorn and the Dunedain as well.

I'd like to know about The Shire, both before and after the War of the Ring. I'd also like to know more about the glory days of Moria.

I'd also like Tolkien to finish The Lost Road. :)

[Theowen]

newcomer here.... :)

I'd want to know more about the Fourth Age. What happens next, in the Shire, and in Rohan, and in Ithilien. Maybe especially in Ithilien. :)

[Narsil]

Tolkien actually started a story about the Fourth Age..about a 100 years after the War of the Ring. Supposedly it had something to do with palace corruption and the Gondorians getting bored and stirring up trouble, trying to overthrow the king, etc, etc. I believe Tolkien abandoned it because it wasn't a very compelling story. Perhaps the very absence of a great evil, a dark lord of some sort, made it seem all rather ordinary. ;)

[Barliman Butterbur]

Tolkien actually started a story about the Fourth Age..about a 100 years after the War of the Ring. Supposedly it had something to do with palace corruption and the Gondorians getting bored and stirring up trouble, trying to overthrow the king, etc, etc. I believe Tolkien abandoned it because it wasn't a very compelling story. Perhaps the very absence of a great evil, a dark lord of some sort, made it seem all rather ordinary. ;)

Can you direct us to something that can give more details?

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Well, I liked my own advice so much that I actually took it! I googled around, and this is what I found in a Tolkien chat site:

King of the North

This has been on my mind recently, are there any works by Tolkien concerning the 4th Age?

Fingolfin II

There was one abandoned work by Tolkien set in Gondor during the Fourth Age, after Aragorn died (during Eldarion's reign). It's only about 12 pages long and can be found in Part Three of The Peoples of Middle-Earth (HoME 12) under the title 'The New Shadow'. Basically it's about a couple of Gondorian kids who are bored and start acting like orcs and creating havoc. Tolkien disliked the story and discontinued it, as he didn't see it able to be portrayed as anything but a 'cheap thriller'. Worth a read, though. In fact, I think you can even read it somewhere online. Hope that helps :).

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Googling around some more (using "The New Shadow" as keywords), I came up with this:

The New Shadow by J.R.R. Tolkien
His sequel to The Lord of the Rings

Tolkien started his sequel to The Lord of the Rings a number of times but never got very far. The links below are scanned images of the pages of the book.

The story begins one hundred and five years after the fall of the Dark Tower and is set in Gondor. Tolkien wrote about the story:

"I did begin a story placed about 100 years after the downfall of Sauron, but it proved both sinister and depressing. Since we are dealing with Men it is inevitable that we should be concerned with the most regrettable feature of their nature: their quick satiety with good. So that the people of Gondor in times of peace and justice and prosperity would become discontented and restless - while the dynasts descended from Aragorn would become just kings and governors - like Denethor or worse. I found that even so there was an outcrop of revolutionary plots, about a centre of secret Satanistic religion; while Gondorian boys were playing at being Orcs and going around doing damage. I could have written a 'thriller' about the plot and its discovery and overthrow - but it would be just that. Not worth doing."

You can do your own research at http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=Tolkien+new+shadow

I think this short passage reveals much insight into Tolkien's view of man, and of Christianity, and could be the basis of quite a discussion!

[no1liz]

I read about this somewhere Barli, I just cant remember where. Darn. Liz in Aberdeen

[*~Evenstar~*]

i love to if tolkin worte about the forth age, shire aswell as about elfs and the legloas and gimil adventures and what happened to frodo.

[Barliman Butterbur]

I read about this somewhere Barli, I just cant remember where. Darn. Liz in Aberdeen

Tolkien did indeed begin — and abort — a story that took place in the Fourth Age, called The New Shadow. I started a thread on it that you can go to by clicking on right here. (http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?p=442871#post442871)

Barley

[GuardianRanger]

After seeing a discussion in some other threads, I would like to read an indepth story on Aragorn's travels "pre-Fellowship" days. Particularly, when he was in both Rohan and Gondor under different names.

[Narsil]

After seeing a discussion in some other threads, I would like to read an indepth story on Aragorn's travels "pre-Fellowship" days. Particularly, when he was in both Rohan and Gondor under different names.

Agreed. That would make for some fascinating reading! Tolkien goes into it somewhat in the Appendices but I'd like to see a more detailed story about his adventures as Thorongil.

[Findulias]

i'd like to know more about the wizards!

[GuardianRanger]

i'd like to know more about the wizards!

That would probably be the second thing I would ask for. Or, couple it with the wizards and the east; as there is not a lot written about the east.