why no gnomes?

[Wormwood]

There aren't any Vampires, Zombies, or Mermaids in Tolkien's work either.

Ackem is correct, the traditional Vampire is absent from Tolkien's works.

That said, I wouldn't be a pedantic geek if I didn't include some of Tolkien's references to 'vampires' from the Silmarillion:

[Thuringwethil] She was the messenger of Sauron, and was wont to fly in vampire's form to Angband; and her great fingered wings were barbed at each joint's end with an iron claw.

Then Sauron yielded himself . . . And immediately he took the form of a vampire, great as a dark cloud across the moon, and he fled, dripping blood from his throat upon the trees, and came to Tar-nu-Fuin, and dwelt there, filling it with horror.

Tolkien's 'vampire' seems to refer to a large, bat-like shape---not the bloodsucking undead.

 

[Nightfall]

Well, he had to leave Terry Brooks something, or people might think Sword of Shannara was just a LotR rip-off.

-Hyp.

It WAS an LotR rip off. The only thing was he used Druids instead of Wizards.

 

[Hypersmurf]

It WAS an LotR rip off. The only thing was he used Druids instead of Wizards.

And gnomes instead of orcs. And Valemen instead of hobbits. And Skull Bearers instead of Ringwraiths. And a sword instead of a ring. And his dwarves lived in the forest.

They're completely different!

-Hyp.

 

[Nightfall]

Only to untrained layman. I'll grant you he covered it nicely and it was convincing...but they are almost the same other than Sauron keeps changing around and not staying dead. Sort of.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Only to untrained layman. I'll grant you he covered it nicely and it was convincing...but they are almost the same other than Sauron keeps changing around and not staying dead. Sort of.

Look, Mt Doom was in the east, and Skull Mountain was in the north.

You're just being ridiculous trying to draw parallels here.

-Hyp.

 

[Nightfall]

Directions are meaningless. I'm just saying the guy stole and re-wrote LotR with half elves involved. If you think I'm being rediculous fine HP. But it's true.

 

[Capellan]

I think Hyp's just being facetious, somehow

But why all the focus on just Sword? Couldn't one argue that Elfstones (which is actually a half-decent novel) is just a rip-off of the siege of Gondor? Right down to the younger son sub-plot, and the unexpected aid from a traditionally 'evil' source?

 

[Nightfall]

Mm true.

I guessed I missed the fascitiousness of his post. In any case more post power to me!

 

[Hypersmurf]

Directions are meaningless. I'm just saying the guy stole and re-wrote LotR with half elves involved. If you think I'm being rediculous fine HP. But it's true.

Good grief.

Okay, Allanon fell to an apparent fiery death while holding off a Skull Bearer so the rest of the group could escape (but later returned).

When Gandalf fell to an apparent fiery death while holding a creature off so the rest of the group could escape (but later returned), it was a balrog.

Your ludicrous rip-off theory could only be correct if Gandalf had fallen to an apparent fiery death while holding a Nazgul off so the rest of the group could escape (but later returned).

It's just crazy talk!

-Hyp.

 

[Nightfall]

You are nuts!! HP needs to be locked away!! He is blind! Blind I tell you!