Do you want more? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Turgon Philip Noldor · 08-24-2005, 01:23 AM

I have seen the Lord of the Rings movies several times before; I have read the books including the Hobbit and the Silmarillion. I play the games some, not a whole lot though. This may sound obsessive, and I won’t say it isn’t, but I wish there was more. I wish that there were more books, or that… I don’t know. It’s such a good story, I just wish there was more. I don’t mean some horrible life consuming game like Dragons and Dungeons, or some religion revolving around Tolkien’s books. I just wish that the story didn’t end. I guess that does sound kind of obsessive, maybe I am getting too caught up in the Lord of the Rings… I know there is more to life

. I understand that there isn’t much else that Tolkien can say (or could say) to complete the Lord of the Rings. I guess the story just stopped. Some times when I watched the movies, I just want to go back and watch them again. Does anybody else share this feeling with me?

Son of Númenor · 08-24-2005, 01:42 AM

Have you tried HoMe and Unfinished Tale? They may temporarily slake your thirst for more. The Middle-earth Legendarium feels very real and organic - the detailed histories, the scattered and partial documents, the different perspectives, even the revisions and addenda - and my natural inclination is to keep learning until I can learn no more. It is not, for me at least, the same as other fiction, where I want to find out what happens to characters later: I just want to experience the reality of Middle-earth as much as possible. The books (and in your case the movies) are a portal into another world as much as they are a fictional narrative, and I find myself re-reading things I have read dozens of times just to capture glimpses of the majestic history that Professor Tolkien created.

Er, translated.

Estelyn Telcontar · 08-24-2005, 01:59 AM

Modesty perhaps prevents Sono from mentioning another possibility which he knows well: fan fiction! I know there's much of it out there, of wildly varying quality, but some of it is well written and enjoyable to read. The Barrow-Downs Fan Fiction site, of which Sono is one of the moderators, has some good stories. I don't know all of them, but Mithadan's 'Tales from Tol Eressëa' are wonderful, just to mention one example.

The Squatter of Amon Rûdh · 08-24-2005, 03:46 AM

Yes, and I've found it too, although recently it's been leading further and further from the man himself.

There are some journals which have access to material that was not published in the HoME series, among them Vinyar Tengwar. This post by lindil discusses one of the texts they have published.

If you just want more Tolkien, there are Farmer Giles of Ham, Roverandom, The Father Christmas Letters, Leaf by Niggle and Smith of Wootton Major, all available in recent editions. I strongly recommend the annotated Farmer Giles and Roverandom, as Tolkien makes some pretty scholarly allusions that were certainly lost on me.

Then there's his non-fiction, which often helps to understand the legendary material: his translations of the Middle English poems Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl and Sir Orfeo are available in paperback, and his discussion of the characters Finn and Hengest in Beowulf and The Finnsburg Fragment has also been edited and published quite recently. Anyone who likes Tolkien's languages will certainly want to read 'A Secret Vice', which is published by HarperCollins in The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays.

That's by no means everything (thanks be to Tolkien mania, which has guaranteed that someone could edit his laundry list and publish it with some hope of profit); but once you've read that lot you'll probably find that you're out in the deep waters of medieval languages and literature. I can't go into that subject here because I need to do some serious work on it today, but if you end up there, good on you.

King of the North · 08-24-2005, 01:17 PM

Ya, I can empathize. That's one of the many reasons why RotK is my least favorite of the films, because it ends it all. However, I loved the RotK book. In my opinion though, the books never get old. There are many of them and every time i read them I swear I find something new.

Lalwendë · 08-24-2005, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turgon Philip Noldor

This may sound obsessive, and I won’t say it isn’t, but I wish there was more. I wish that there were more books, or that… I don’t know. It’s such a good story, I just wish there was more. I don’t mean some horrible life consuming game like Dragons and Dungeons, or some religion revolving around Tolkien’s books. I just wish that the story didn’t end. I guess that does sound kind of obsessive, maybe I am getting too caught up in the Lord of the Rings… I know there is more to life .

Obsessive? No. More to life? No.

Why, sir, you are getting hooked, just like many have before you and many will after you.

If you've watched the films, go back and watch them all over again! If you've finished the books, read them again! It wasn't very long at all after my first read that I had to go back and enjoy them again, and I've kept doing it ever since. I wish I could get that first rush of discovering Tolkien all over again!

What else is there? All the extra books like HoMe as has been mentioned, the things which inspired Tolkien - one of my first non-Middle-earth reads was the Humphrey Carpenter biography which then fired me up for more. And the fan-fiction, but what about the RPGs on the 'Downs? There's some great stuff in those and they are a perfect outlet for the imagination too.

Then there are hundreds of critical books, some heavy, some light-hearted, books on learning Elvish languages, books on Tolkien's art, and so on. Admittedly not all of the books are easy to find depending on where you live but the US and UK Amazon sites are good sources, as can be e-bay. You could even join the Tolkien Society as they send out their journals Amon Hen and Mallorn - and maybe you could even end up attending one of the events?

Honestly, you could go on forever...

Glirdan · 08-24-2005, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turgon Philip Noldor

This may sound obsessive, and I won’t say it isn’t, but I wish there was more. I wish that there were more books, or that… I don’t know. It’s such a good story, I just wish there was more. I don’t mean some horrible life consuming game like Dragons and Dungeons, or some religion revolving around Tolkien’s books. I just wish that the story didn’t end. I guess that does sound kind of obsessive, maybe I am getting too caught up in the Lord of the Rings… I know there is more to life .

I know exactly how you feel. I have all the LotR books, movies and games(for x-box) the Sil, the Unfinished Tales and the Hobbit books. I'm in the middle of reading the Sil and I honestly can't put it down. I swear, after I finish reading it and the Unfinised Tales, I'll probably reread them within a week from finishing them. The games I've been playing less and less (dont know why, just not as intriguing as they used to be I guess) and I watch the movies at least once every two weeks. I just wish there was more, like a never ending story. For example, they continue on with another great evil to challenge the forth age. And then they move on and on. I don't know, I just don't want it to end.

Estelyn Telcontar · 08-25-2005, 12:36 AM

Let's not forget the ultimate possibility for all of us to keep involved with Middle-earth: The Downs!! There are so many fantastic threads to read on the forum, with five years' worth of wonderful posts. The Chapter-by-Chapter discussions are all open, so you can go back to your favorite chapters to read and post there. I also encourage you to go back to the last page of the Books forum and start reading old threads - there are gems just waiting to be discovered! The possibility of joining the writing team of an RPG on the Downs has already been mentioned.

I think it's safe to say that all of us who stick around here do so to prolong our stay in Middle-earth - perhaps the Barrow-Downs forum is the last of the great embalming rings?!

Child of the 7th Age · 08-25-2005, 12:12 PM

Quote:

the last of the great embalming rings....

I could not help but smile at this!

Turgon

You also sound as if you are a prime candidate for the Shire, which is the beginning RPG forum. Just come down to the Green Dragon Inn and introduce yourself in character. What Esty says about fanfiction also goes for RPGs. One of the most fulfilling aspects of interjecting yourself in Middle-earth in this way is that you can fill in the gaps in the story that Tolkien never had a chance to do. What happened to Frodo when he was younger? Why did the Elves ever get taken in by Sauron and agree to craft the lesser rings? There are a hundred stories waiting to be told.

Drop me a pm if you have any questions about the RPGs on the site.

Child of the 7th Age

The Squatter of Amon Rûdh · 08-25-2005, 05:06 PM

Of course the closest thing to another Lord of the Rings is The Revenge of the Entish Bow. I suppose one could liken its sequel to a new Silmarillion, which makes two on the Downs. I'm surprised that Estelyn failed to provide the shameless plug that I've just finished writing.

Estelyn Telcontar · 08-26-2005, 04:29 AM

Oh, I missed an opportunity?! Thanks for being so obliging as to help out, old chap! I must have been too busy writing my new post there...

08-24-2005, 01:23 AM	#1
Turgon Philip Noldor Animated Skeleton Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Indonesia Posts: 32	Do you want more? I have seen the Lord of the Rings movies several times before; I have read the books including the Hobbit and the Silmarillion. I play the games some, not a whole lot though. This may sound obsessive, and I won’t say it isn’t, but I wish there was more. I wish that there were more books, or that… I don’t know. It’s such a good story, I just wish there was more. I don’t mean some horrible life consuming game like Dragons and Dungeons, or some religion revolving around Tolkien’s books. I just wish that the story didn’t end. I guess that does sound kind of obsessive, maybe I am getting too caught up in the Lord of the Rings… I know there is more to life . I understand that there isn’t much else that Tolkien can say (or could say) to complete the Lord of the Rings. I guess the story just stopped. Some times when I watched the movies, I just want to go back and watch them again. Does anybody else share this feeling with me? __________________ "Covered by a love divine, Child of the risen Lord, To hear You say 'This ones mine', My heart is spoken for...." -MercyMe, Spoken For-

08-24-2005, 01:59 AM	#3
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,645	Modesty perhaps prevents Sono from mentioning another possibility which he knows well: fan fiction! I know there's much of it out there, of wildly varying quality, but some of it is well written and enjoyable to read. The Barrow-Downs Fan Fiction site, of which Sono is one of the moderators, has some good stories. I don't know all of them, but Mithadan's 'Tales from Tol Eressëa' are wonderful, just to mention one example. __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

08-24-2005, 03:46 AM	#4
The Squatter of Amon Rûdh Spectre of Decay Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Bar-en-Danwedh Posts: 2,206	Further readings in Tolkien Yes, and I've found it too, although recently it's been leading further and further from the man himself. There are some journals which have access to material that was not published in the HoME series, among them Vinyar Tengwar. This post by lindil discusses one of the texts they have published. If you just want more Tolkien, there are Farmer Giles of Ham, Roverandom, The Father Christmas Letters, Leaf by Niggle and Smith of Wootton Major, all available in recent editions. I strongly recommend the annotated Farmer Giles and Roverandom, as Tolkien makes some pretty scholarly allusions that were certainly lost on me. Then there's his non-fiction, which often helps to understand the legendary material: his translations of the Middle English poems Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl and Sir Orfeo are available in paperback, and his discussion of the characters Finn and Hengest in Beowulf and The Finnsburg Fragment has also been edited and published quite recently. Anyone who likes Tolkien's languages will certainly want to read 'A Secret Vice', which is published by HarperCollins in The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays. That's by no means everything (thanks be to Tolkien mania, which has guaranteed that someone could edit his laundry list and publish it with some hope of profit); but once you've read that lot you'll probably find that you're out in the deep waters of medieval languages and literature. I can't go into that subject here because I need to do some serious work on it today, but if you end up there, good on you. __________________ Man kenuva métim' andúne? Last edited by The Squatter of Amon Rûdh; 08-24-2005 at 11:44 AM.

08-24-2005, 01:17 PM	#5
King of the North Haunting Spirit Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Washington State Posts: 60	Ya, I can empathize. That's one of the many reasons why RotK is my least favorite of the films, because it ends it all. However, I loved the RotK book. In my opinion though, the books never get old. There are many of them and every time i read them I swear I find something new. __________________ Ask for everything, recieve nothing

08-25-2005, 12:36 AM	#8
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,645	Let's not forget the ultimate possibility for all of us to keep involved with Middle-earth: The Downs!! There are so many fantastic threads to read on the forum, with five years' worth of wonderful posts. The Chapter-by-Chapter discussions are all open, so you can go back to your favorite chapters to read and post there. I also encourage you to go back to the last page of the Books forum and start reading old threads - there are gems just waiting to be discovered! The possibility of joining the writing team of an RPG on the Downs has already been mentioned. I think it's safe to say that all of us who stick around here do so to prolong our stay in Middle-earth - perhaps the Barrow-Downs forum is the last of the great embalming rings?! __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

08-24-2005, 01:42 AM	#2
Son of Númenor A Shade of Westernesse Join Date: May 2004 Location: The last wave over Atalantë Posts: 527	Have you tried HoMe and Unfinished Tale? They may temporarily slake your thirst for more. The Middle-earth Legendarium feels very real and organic - the detailed histories, the scattered and partial documents, the different perspectives, even the revisions and addenda - and my natural inclination is to keep learning until I can learn no more. It is not, for me at least, the same as other fiction, where I want to find out what happens to characters later: I just want to experience the reality of Middle-earth as much as possible. The books (and in your case the movies) are a portal into another world as much as they are a fictional narrative, and I find myself re-reading things I have read dozens of times just to capture glimpses of the majestic history that Professor Tolkien created. Er, translated.

08-25-2005, 05:06 PM	#10
The Squatter of Amon Rûdh Spectre of Decay Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Bar-en-Danwedh Posts: 2,206	The sound of inevitability Of course the closest thing to another Lord of the Rings is The Revenge of the Entish Bow. I suppose one could liken its sequel to a new Silmarillion, which makes two on the Downs. I'm surprised that Estelyn failed to provide the shameless plug that I've just finished writing. __________________ Man kenuva métim' andúne?

08-26-2005, 04:29 AM	#11
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,645	Oh, I missed an opportunity?! Thanks for being so obliging as to help out, old chap! I must have been too busy writing my new post there... __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'