Books
Tolkien left an incomplete Lord of the Rings book about the Fourth Age
J.R.R. Tolkien had plans to continue the story of Middle-Earth beyond Aragon’s reign, but the book was never properly completed.
The Lord of the Rings doesn’t go out of style. J.R.R. Tolkien’s stories have accompanied us for almost a century, and they have done so with a series of books and stories that have taken us to worlds of magic and conflict. The epic fantasy genre would not have existed without the great classic among classics, which is why there are always those who reread the saga to return to Middle Earth.
The novels and numerous stories that have been published to date may not be enough for the most passionate fans, who would have loved for Tolkien to publish some more works. And the reality is that it was close to happening, as the writer began work on a novel called ‘The New Shadow’, but he abandoned it when it had only thirteen pages.
This is what ‘The New Shadow’ would have been like
Tolkien’s incomplete book would have been located chronologically in the Fourth Age of the Sun, during the reign of Eldarion. Although the Briton never wrote anything beyond the early years of the Fourth Age, we know from a letter he wrote to Douglas Carter that he did think about writing a sequel referring to the end of the kingdom of Eldarion, about 100 years after Aragorn’s death.
He wrote 13 pages in which the plot advanced. ‘The New Shadow’ was about the restlessness and boredom of some boys who played at being orcs in the years of the King’s Peace.
Why didn’t he finish the book?
The main reason Tolkien abandoned ‘The New Shadow’ shortly after starting it is that he felt that the story had no narrative relevance. He only got to the thirteenth page because he realized that what he was writing wasn’t interesting enough, nor would it be at the same level as the works he had already published. Furthermore, the story was too dark and sinister, so he preferred to focus on other projects.
His third son, Christopher Tolkien published what little he did write in his book ‘The Peoples of Middle-Earth’, in which he compiles his father’s writings. Fortunately or unfortunately, we will have to settle for thirteen pages of an incomplete book that would have continued the saga of The Lord of the Rings.
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