What happened afterwards?

[Eliot]

I was just curious what happened after the War of the Ring?

I know that Gondor let many men of Harad, Khand, etc. go back to their land because they were forced into fighting. Does anybody know if they let the Orcs go back to the Sea of Nurn? Thousands of Orcs just went along because Sauron would punish them badly. I'm just wondering if they showed mercy.

 

[Ithrynluin]

I don't think there was much dialogue between the men of the West and the orcs. The orcs fled mindlessly, and whether they returned to the Sea of Nurnen is unknown.

 

[Eliot]

OK, thanks anyway. I didn't expect there to be much of an answer.

 

[Turin]

I was wondering the same thing.

 

[FoolOfATook]

There is some stuff in the Appendices about the events following the War of the Ring and the crowning of Elessar, and if you want a peak at Gondor about 100 years after Aragorn's death, you can read the begining of an abandoned sequel to LOTR called "The New Shadow" in Volume 12 of the HoMe, The Peoples of Middle-earth.

 

[Eliot]

Ok, thanks.

 

[Goldberry]

Originally posted by Eliot
Does anybody know if they let the Orcs go back to the Sea of Nurn? Thousands of Orcs just went along because Sauron would punish them badly. I'm just wondering if they showed mercy.

I thought the orcs were inherently bad.

 

[DurinLongBeard]

Is HoMe Volume 12 worth reading FoolOfATook so I can read about the abandoned sequel or should I just stick the order that I am pursueing, ex. Sil, Unfinished Tales and so on?

 

[FrankSinatra]

Mercy

Mercy to orcs?

I am sure they would have all been killed if they had stayed to fight, instead of fleeing following Saruon's demise.

 

[FoolOfATook]

Is HoMe Volume 12 worth reading FoolOfATook so I can read about the abandoned sequel or should I just stick the order that I am pursueing, ex. Sil, Unfinished Tales and so on?

I really like the book, but I think that you should know that Tolkien did not progress very far with The New Shadow- less than a full chapter (although that chapter is, in my opinion, quite compelling and well-done). The main part of The Peoples of Middle Earth is taken up with presenting JRRT's evolving drafts of the LOTR Appendices. The book also includes a few essays that Tolkien wrote late in his life, where he discusses things like Glorfindel (and how many Glorfindels there really were in Middle-earth history) and Lembas.

I'd probably work through UT and The Sil before I moved on to any part of the HoMe, but if a library near you has Vol. XII, then go ahead and spend an afternoon with the book.

 

[FrankSinatra]

Review

Does anyone have a rough review of 'The New Shadow'.

I would purchase the book, but i want to know if that chapter is worth paying the fee for.

I dont like the other 'appendix/timeline' type history books.

 

[Walter]

Here's what Tolkien himself says about it (Letters #256):

I did begin a story placed about 100 years after the Downfall [of Sauron], but it proved both sinister and depressing. Since we are dealing with Men it is inevitable that we should be concerned with the most regrettable feature of their nature: their quick satiety with good. So that the people of Gondor in times of peace, justice and prosperity, would become discontented and restless - while the dynasts descended from Aragorn would become just kings and governors - like Denethor or worse. I found that even so early there was an outcrop of revolutionary plots, about a centre of secret Satanistic religion; while Gondorian boys were playing at being Orcs and going round doing damage. I could have written a 'thriller' about the plot and its discovery and overthrow - but it would be just that. Not worth doing.

The "story" itself is about 8 pages long (out of some 400 pages of the HoMeXII), consists mainly of a dialog and is abandoned before something like a storyline develops.

The better half of the book deals with the making of the prologue and appendices of LotR. According to your own statement this is not the book you would want to buy.

However I have to say that "The Peoples of Middle-earth" is just another highly interesting Volume of the HoMe series, and one of my favourites...

 

[Anamatar IV]

On the same topic, I plan on reading the History of Middle Earth soon. I know it is 12 volumes and will probably take me a year to read so this is why I am asking:

Should this be read straight from Volume I to XII? Or is there another order you would recommend? Or since it is an entire series would you recommend reading certain ones first before going on to the others?

 

[FrankSinatra]

Not worth it!

"Not worth doing" he said!

Oh dear me.

No, i dont own the History Of Middle Earth collection.

I use the library for them, its far to reference like for me.

 

[DurinLongBeard]

Thanks for helping me out FoolOfATook!

 

[Walter]

You don't have to read them cover to cover, Vol I to Vol XII, at least I didn't. If your main interest lies in the events of the ThirdAge you could just read Vol VI - IX first, if you're interested in the earliest versions of the Sil, you should start with Vol I & II, and if its the post-LotR developments of the Sil (which are partly not included in the published Silmarillion) you're curious about, then Vol X and XI are the ones to check out.

For an overview of the contents of each volume you could check out the book descriptions over at the TolkienWiki: The History of Middle-earth. For a brief description just follow the links to each Volume.

 

[FrankSinatra]

Thanks

Thankyou Walter - i will look.

The only one i currently own is 'Return Of The Shadow'.

I enjoyed that, because i find the first five/six chapters of LOTR as the most enjoyable.

 

[Walter]

You're welcome

 

[Celebithil]

Who would be a new enemy is one were to arise after the fall of Sauron? Maybe one of the Ithryn Luin gone over to the "Darkside" like Saruman.