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....would we be satisfied with any other versions?
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Good question,
Mithalwen ! I would say that 99% of fanfictions and RPGs could be quickly read on the internet and then filed to the back of our minds. Still, occasionally, we find something that goes far beyond the usual.
I am most interested in things that "fill in the holes" in Middle-earth. I am least interested in AU pieces. But that is a personal preference.
On our own website, two examples come to mind. I feel that Gilthalion's Hobbit story and Mithaden's haunting tales are a definite step above most routine fanfiction. They are
not Tolkien, but they do add something to Middle-earth, at least for me, that's worth remembering.
I would truly be interested to know if the copyright to Hobbit will be expiring in a few years and exactly what that means. Is that really true? For example, could one publish a story with Bilbo Baggins because he's part of Hobbit, or would that be "prohibited" because he's still protected under the LotR copyright? There would seem to be a curious dilemma here.
Hookbill,
I personally feel that there is a greater problem in the Silmarillion than in HoMe in knowing what is JRRT and what is his son. At least in Home, CT was very carefully to identify his own comments as opposed to the original text. The same can't always be said for Silm where we have to figure out what was changed, either by actual composition or by selecting a particular manuscript from many.
But I would also
not put CT in the same category with fanfiction and RPG writers (of which I am one). He did have a special mantle placed on his head....