If you had the option to create an ending to LOTR.

[donut dunker]

... what would it be????
I would like samwise to go to the grey havens, because he was the character that impressed me the most, fierce, loyal and faithful... and although he left Frodo at the tower, he redeemed himself by single-handedly rescuing Frodo (with a bit of orc slaying in there as well ;) )

[X Rogue]

I thought he did go, dunker. And my mom borrowed my books so I can't even check.......

[Xivigg]

I wouldn't change it at all

and i don't think Sam goes to the grey heaven

[Fat middle]

yes he went. but only after Rosie's death. he had been a ring bearer too, so he could go

i'm to lazy now to look for the source <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/ohwell.gif ALT=":\">

[Finduilas]

According to the Tale of Years (Appendex B, page 1134) in the year 1482 of the Shire Reckoning:
Death of Mistress Rose, wife of Master Samwise, on Midyears Day. On September 22 Master Samwise rides out from Bag End. He comes to the Tower Hills and is last seen by Elanor, to whom he gives the Red Book afterwards kept by the Fairbairns. Among them the tradition is handed down from Elanor that Samwise passed the Towers, and went to the Grey Havens, and passed over the Sea, last of the Ringbearers.

I don't know if I believe this, but there is evidence for it such as the line,
Though you too were a Ringbearer, if only for a little while. Your time may come.
And more evidence in the Epilogue in Sauron Defeated:
And there is one other reason, which I shall whisper to you, a secret which I have never told before to no one, nor put in the Book yet. Before he went Mr. Frodo said that my time maybe would come. I can wait. I think maybe we haven't said farewell for good.

[anduin]

Excellent work, Finduilas. :)

I like to believe that he went over the Sea.

[Finduilas]

So do I. It wasn't much work to find the quotes (this time):) . I had them all on my website already. (makes things a lot simpler)

[arynetrek]

good job Finduilas!

i'd like to see a little more about what the rest of the Fellowship did after the Ringbearers departed - there's a little in the Tale of Years & the Tale of Aragorn & Arwen, but i want more!

Finduilas, Eruve, MM - does HoME go into this? haven't got a chance to read yet(grr).

aryne *

[Xivigg]

I think Gimli bring Legolas into the caves at helm deep

[Morkhon]

Gimli visits Fangorn, and Legolas visits the Glittering Caves, but they both go over the sea to Valinor.

This is in the Tale of Years, but I'm too lazy to look it up.

[Finduilas]

The last page of the Tale of Years.

[Elanor]

Yes, dad went to Valinor. I saw him get on the ship myself.

Anyway, I would definitely have Wormtongue eat Frodo if I could create an alternate ending. And the Old Willow would turn out to be Treebeard's long-lost brother Treemustache, and they would have a big party and steal Bombadil's yellow boots.

[Grand Admiral Reese]

I wouldn't touch the ending.

[Finduilas]

I might include the epilogue from HoME IX, but other than that... NO WAY I'd change it. I just remember that the first time I read the LOTR I was rather frusterated by the abrupt ending. "Well I'm back. He said" and that's all.

[Wizard of the Secret Fire]

I would not dare to touch it, it is so perfect.

[Finduilas]

I consider a really good book to be one that is almost depressing to finish (as in "What the heck do I read now? None of my other books can follow up to THAT."). JRRT is a prime example of this.

2 others in this category are "Magic's Price" by Mercedes Lackey and "The Deed of Paksenarrion" by Elizabeth Moon.

[Nazgoth]

Id throw my twist. Sauron wins, gets the ring and plunges middle
earth into death and darkness. But thats just me. <!--EZCODE
EMOTICON START ;) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/
images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)">

[donut dunker]

Speaking of The dark lord. It would have been cool if there was a book on Sauron and his quest for power, how he got his armies, etc. Or is there one already?

[Nazgoth]

Noone pays enough attention to the evil guys. The Silmarillian tells alot though.

[Fat middle]

perhaps you would enjoy reading "The Quest of the Ring" in Unfinished Tales. it focussed on Saurons plot and the travel of the Nazgul to find the Shire. you can feel the dread of being in such a company ;)

[Grand Admiral Reese]

The Quest of the Ring is a really great passage in UT.

[Eowyn99]

if i had my way, Smeagol would flap his webbed-ears and fly right out of Mt. Doom, then assist Sauron in world domination.
Then Tom Bombadil comes along and beats Sauron with a hickory stick, and takes back what is rightfully his. Sauron is locked up in a cave with smeagol for the rest of his life, where they discover what a great invention the games Hearts is, albeit smeagol had a tendency to cheat at it.
Then Fangorn.. hmm.. was that his name? i believe so.. went crazy, and cut down Entmoot to start a llama farm.

[jaguar909]

for all the members of the band, i shall be publishing my book on luckywebsite.com soon im just waiting to see what format it will be in probably pdf format but who knows, i am releasing this as a free-book just for the sake of publicity, but beleive me you will not be dissapointed #(hard to beleive but try) ive been an avid reader for years and know all the nooks and crannies in his books, mail me at rgrandles@yahoo.com

[jaguar909]

for all the members of the band, i shall be publishing my book on luckywebsite.com soon im just waiting to see what format it will be in probably pdf format but who knows, i am releasing this as a free-book just for the sake of publicity, but beleive me you will not be dissapointed #(hard to beleive but try) ive been an avid reader for years and know all the nooks and crannies in his books, mail me at rgrandles@yahoo.com

[Gilthalion]

Actually, I've got a book in progress that you can look at right now. It's called THE HOBBITS. I'm trying to write it in the style of THE HOBBIT. It starts with the death of Rosie Cotton Gamgee and centers around the birth of Aragorn's and Arwen's heir. Eruve helped me with details. I've only written three and a half chapters, but the book is mapped out (though I may change the map somewhat).


As for alternate endings to LOTR, we have obvious turning points each time the Ring becomes a real temptation to each major character.


BILBO might have refused to leave it to FRODO.

In this case, GANDALF might have had to take it from him by force. Then the wizard himself would have been in peril! GANDALF THE BLACK!


GANDALF might have accepted the Ring from FRODO.

Again, GANDALF THE BLACK!


GANDALF might have been seduced to SARUMAN'S cause.

Again, GANDALF THE BLACK! (SARUMAN THE BLACK AND BLUE...)


FRODO might have taken the Ring early.

The Ringwraiths would have taken it to Sauron.


ARAGORN might have taken the Ring.

Aragorn, Dark Lord of Middle-earth! Arwen would be his unwilling slave-queen!


ELROND might have taken the Ring.

Elrond, Dark Lord of Middle-earth! Arwen would be his unwilling slave-queen! (Eeeeeuuuuw!) So would Galadriel!


BOROMIR might have taken the Ring.

Same deal. New Dark Lord. Every leading lady gets to be in the slave harem.


GIMLI or LEGOLAS might have taken the Ring.

Everyone lives either in the caverns or in the trees.


MERRY or PIPPIN might have taken the Ring.

Nah.


SAM might have taken the Ring.

I hope you like Gardening...

[SilvaRanger]

The saddest thing about LoTR is no more elves in Middle Earth, so I'd change that and have elves forever.

[Fuor]

I know what you mean about all the elves leaving. They are the best race by far. Why do all the best books have to tie in with real life.

And don't you reckon that as soon as Sauron had gone another dark, evil, brooding guy would have tryed to 'take over the world' or something. Another magic talisman could be created or something. First there was the Silmarils, then the rings, now there could be something else equally as cool and dangerous.

What do you think ???

[afro-elf]

i'd only change one thing

i'd marry arwen

[Renille]

I couldn't bring myself to change anything at all. Everything is exactly where it should be, all in place. The ending is bittersweet, maybe, but still in place.

[easterlinge]

GIMLI or LEGOLAS might have taken the Ring.

Everyone lives either in the caverns or in the trees.





LOL Gilthalion!!!

:D :D

What if Arwen took the Ring?

Glorfindel takes the Ring: Everyone glows in the dark.

[arynetrek]

how about...

Frodo gives the Ring to Tom, who quicky misplaces it... 99.99% of the book never happens, when Gandalf goes to have his "long talk with Bombadil" it turns into an interrogation over where the Ring is, Gandalf eventually finds it (Tom dropped it while picking waterlilies)...

again, GANDALF THE BLACK!, to quote Gilthaliion.

or Gandalf brings it back to Frodo, who is happily living at Crickhollow, & gives him a stern lecture on giving away potential doomsday devices...

aryne *

[afro-elf]

The saddest thing about LoTR is no more elves in Middle Earth, so I'd change that and have elves forever.



All of the Elves didn't leave.

As far as the Noldor Celeborne took over Rivendell
and Cirdan will stay until the last ship sails west.

Many avari stayed also.