[narfforc]

The Blue Wizards have always fascinated me, I even attended the costume gala at the 50th anniversary in Birmingham as Pallando. I believe The Blue Wizards to be the most enticing loose thread Tolkien left behind. If we treat Tolkien as translator, as oppose to author, then he only says that HE does not know what success they had, he feared they failed, as did Saruman, though doubtless in different ways, he Suspected they were founders of secret cults that outlasted the fall of Sauron. They were most probably still around during The War of the Ring, taking Sarumans 'Staffs of The Five Wizards' statement into account, maybe Saruman even had knowledge of them. The fact that Tolkien believed them to be still alive into The Fourth Age makes me think it would have been a good storyline to expand into The New Shadow, the page is almost empty and the possibilities of writing a new story are enormous, I for myself have written this story, it is not for others, for there are purists that scream canon, and there are fans who would accept The Further Adventures of Frodo by Disney, so I keep it to myself. What I will say, is that The Blue Wizards do appear in my Lord of the Grins parody as Palindrome and Avatar, who go into the east and each become a powerful DOG-GOD.

P.S I have been trying to get Ted Naismith to do a Blue Wizard painting for years, well I can report success, he sent me a marvelous picture by email, of The Blue Wizards travelling East, keep an eye out for it, the scenery is amazing.