Just Started Return of the Shadow

[bombadilsboots]

I just started reading, "Return of the Shadow," for the first time. Does anyone have any insights on the book or memorable parts or facts they learned from the book?

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

Because my interest centers on LOTR (pace "Sil First" members 😁), the LOTR volumes are my most-read, most-marked of the HoME series.

As for insights, most fascinating to me is seeing how an author's mind works, as he stumbles and fumbles his way toward creating the story -- or perhaps it might be better to say, how the story shapes itself, sometimes in spite of the author's intentions.

One specific thing I noticed in the early drafts is how Frodo is closer to the Accursed Wanderer archetype than the Quest Hero he became.

 

[bombadilsboots]

I also felt that way. I love the fact that these stories and characters all seemed to pop into his head and from there were crafted and refined.

I also really enjoyed that they included a visual of the very first page of LOTR ever written and that such small details were kept and put into the published versions. Such as the usage of golden ink used to write his birthday party invitations.