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Sauron Defeated

Sauron Defeated

FantasyLiterary Fiction
Pages
400
Published
1992
Language
English

Synopsis

Volume Nine of the History of Middle-earth completes the manuscript history of The Lord of the Rings, covering the drafting of the final chapters -- the destruction of the Ring, the scouring of the Shire, and the Grey Havens. Christopher Tolkien reveals alternative endings that Tolkien considered, including a version in which the Shire was not scoured and a different fate for Saruman. The volume also contains a continuation of the abandoned Lost Road project under the title The Notion Club Papers, a remarkable two-part frame story set in an Oxford common room of the future, where scholars dream their way back to Numenor -- Tolkien's most sustained experiment with metafiction and one of his most unusual and personal late writings.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

Thought-ProvokingIntellectualMelancholicReflective
Dual TimelineQuestSacrificePortal Fantasy

Genres

Fantasy Literary Fiction

About the author

J
J.R.R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa in 1892 and raised in England after his mother brought him home at age three. Orphaned before he was thirteen — his mother died a devout Catholic convert — Tolkien went on to study Old and Middle English, Germanic languages, Welsh, and Finnish at Oxford. He graduated in 1915, married Edith Bratt before shipping out to the Western Front, and fought in the Battle of the Somme. Nearly all of his closest friends were killed. He contrac...

Characters

Frodo BagginsProtagonist

The final chapters of his story -- the destruction of the Ring and the Grey Havens farewell -- are documented here in their evolving draft forms.

SarumanAntagonist

The alternative fates Tolkien considered for Saruman are among the most surprising revelations in the manuscript history.

Samwise GamgeeSupporting

His role in the final chapters, including the scouring of the Shire and the conclusion of the story, is traced through manuscript evidence.

All characters in Sauron Defeated

Frequently asked questions

  • What is Sauron Defeated?

    Volume Nine of the twelve-volume History of Middle-earth. It completes the manuscript history of The Lord of the Rings and also contains The Notion Club Papers, an unfinished metafictional story set in an Oxford common room.

  • What alternative endings does Tolkien consider?
  • What are The Notion Club Papers?

    An unfinished two-part story set in a future Oxford common room, where academics dream their way back to the fall of Numenor. It is Tolkien's most sustained experiment with modern metafiction and one of his strangest, most personal late writings.

  • What is this volume's position in the History of Middle-earth?

    Volume Nine of twelve.