I just found out that there was actually a sequel to LOTR written by a Russian author named Nick Perumov. Here's some information from a forum regarding the novel.
What do you think? How do you like the idea of a LOTR sequel?
In 1982, Fellowship of the Ring of the LotR trilogy is published in Russian for the first time (TTT and RotK, along with most other fantasy is still banned under the Soviet regime). A micro-biologist by the name of Nick Perumov buys the book, reads it, loves it. He then, wanting desperately to read the rest, gets ahold of smuggled English publications of TTT and RotK.
In 1983, Perumov translates the entire trilogy into Russian.
In 1985, Perumov begins to write a "sequel" of sorts. He knows perfectly well that his writings will never be published under the current government, and he writes exclusively for himself.
Six years later, in 1991, Perumov finishes writing Ring of Darkness. Around the same time, the Soviet government begins to crumble, giving way to a far more liberal government. Perumov meets some people that become interested in his writings now that there is total freedom for publication.
In 1993, Ring of Darkness is published in Russia. The novel goes on to sell hundreds of thousands of copies, making Perumov one of the pioneers of Russian fantasy.
So far, the only countries to have Ring of Darkness published outside of Russia are Poland and Bulgaria, and the book was very well recieved in both markets. Right now, Perumov and his people are trying to get Ring of Darkness published in English. But, this process is long and strenuous, because of obvious complications, since Ring of Darkness is not an "official" sequel authorized by those who now have the rights to Tolkien's writings.
Still, I expect this endeavor to happen sometime soon, so keep an eye out!
Now, a little bit about the novel. Yes, I have read it, because I am Russian myself. There are 3 tomes: Elvish Blade, Black Spear, Adamant of Henna, for a total of about 1800-1900 pages.
The novel begins 300 years after events of LotR. The Eldar are no longer around, as this is the Age of Humans. For 300 years there is nothing but peace and prosperity. The human kingdoms of Gondor, Rohan and Arnor have never been stronger, the dwarves have moved back into the mines or Moria, and the hobbits of the Shire never see a human within their borders, as per king Elessar's order.
Yet, signs impending darkness once again begin to envelop Middle Earth. Travelers are getting ambushed and killed on open roads, the dwarves of Moria are once again driven out by some strnage terrifying force, villages are being overrun and burglarized by strange looking bandits. New Evil is about to rise from the ashes of old.
Now, a little on the characters. First, there's the hobbit named Folko Brandybuck, who's a descendant of Merry. Then there are two dwarves - Torin and Strori; Strori's nickname is Tiny, because he's very short, even for a dwarf. I don't wanna give you the info on the other characters, especially the villain(s), because I'd be spoiling the book for ya. There are tons of characters that appear throughout the novel though.
Now, for my own personal critique... As many of you that are reading this right now probably feel, I was very conflicted when I first heard of a LotR sequel. I was obviously excited, but also concerned - is it really possible to write a worthy sequel to LotR when Tolkien himself abandoned that project long ago? Luckily, I knew Perumov from his latter books, which I found absolutely amazing, so I knew that if anyone could write a worthy sequel - it would be him.
The bad: there's not much here, but it does exist. At a few distinct parts of the novel, you are "reminded" that this was not written for publication, but rather as a game for author's imagination. The novel at times gets a little too complicated for its own good, and some loose ends never get tied. Also, while this isn't necessarily "bad", the novel builds upon many of the legends from the Silmarillion, so a casual reader of LotR that knows little about Tolkien's world may find himself very lost at times. Inversely, a real Tolkien freak who can name all of the Elven tribes on demand will find himself in paradise.
The good: this is NOT a formula novel. In fact, it is anything BUT the simple old "good vs evil" formula that the majority of writers (including Tolkien) use. And while others may disagree with me, I think that's absolutely awesome. Perumov does an outstanding job of creating a novel that is intelligent aside from being simply entertaining. He makes the reader question the established, and often blurs the line between Light and Dark. While Tolkien only touched upon these ideas of the abstract, Perumov develops them with uncanny precision. And THAT is what makes his characters so incredibly interesting and real (ex. Strori loves beer so much that it borders on alcoholism, which gets pretty hysterical sometimes).
Let's face it - Sauron was a crappy villain. He was strong and scary - yes - but he was also dumb and very linear. Perumov's villains are a lot more interesting and complex, and a hell of a lot smarter.
Another thing I loved is that Perumov doesn't simply stay within the world that Tolkien used. In their adventures, Perumov's characters travel to the unknown and exotic corners of Middle Earth - where Perumov is given the chance to show the reader just how well his own imagination works. The reader is introduced to tons of new races and cultures, which only enhance Middle Earth.
Yet another thing I loved with this novel - the battles. Woooow... Yes, Tolkien did give us some incredible battles in LotR, but Perumov might have done an ever better job at that. There are some truly epic battles in Ring of Darkness that span over entire chapters; there is simply unprecedented amount detail and strategy involved in each one. There are plenty of great twists in these battles as well.
What do you think? How do you like the idea of a LOTR sequel?
