I wish it could have been this way.......

**Incredible Bulk** · January 01, 2014, 02:22 PM

I hope this thread is left open, Im curious what people would change.

Basically i want to know IF you could have it your way what change in the writings of Tolkien?
what I mean about is if you could have change something about the books anything what would be, that to you would have made the book better for you?
Do you wish certain characters or realms where more involved or had more exposure?
Do you wish that Gimli did not carry an ax, instead carried a sword?
Do you wish the climax of the war of the rings did not start outside the walls Minas Tirith but in some other city?
Lets keep strictly the writings and not the movies because you could easily say i wish the movies did it this way like the book....we been down that road.

For me, just to start off with I wish that at one point Elrond, Celeborn and Thranduil took council together and realizing that stuff was gonna get bad outside the Gondor and Capital. They came up with something like this "Ok, I realize us elves will be leaving middle-earth soon and we have our own borders to still protect but, I feel we should all sent between 500-1,000 each of our best Archers down to Minas Terith and help". Honestly i feel this would have been a class act on the elves to do so. and have them just stand long range picking off the Mumakil. That would have been sweet.

**Feanaro Curufinwe** · January 01, 2014, 02:39 PM

For me, just to start off with I wish that at one point Elrond, Celeborn and Thranduil took council together and realizing that stuff was gonna get bad outside the Gondor and Capital. They came up with something like this "Ok, I realize us elves will be leaving middle-earth soon and we have our own borders to still protect but, I feel we should all sent between 500-1,000 each of our best Archers down to Minas Terith and help". Honestly i feel this would have been a class act on the elves to do so. and have them just stand long range picking off the Mumakil. That would have been sweet.

Which is practically impossible. Let us look at the state of their realms at this point. Rivendell is essentially a big house, which people forget all too often. So, how would Elrond even manage to send even a miniscule amount of people? Besides Elrond sent his sons along with the Grey Company.

Lothlorien is fighting Dol-Guldur's forces at this point, which makes helping in a siege which takes place far away, at a point where they couldn't readily go, impossible.

Mirkwood? Thranduil's realm was fighting Dol-Guldur as well, and they didn't have any sort of way to get there anyway.

So, it would be impossible to help Gondor militarily in any way, shape or form.(Probably slightly paraphrased):

"Days are days and miles are miles"

(A fact which PJ and co didn't manage to understand, it seems)

**Red Viper** · January 01, 2014, 02:47 PM

Glorfindel somehow having a bigger part, he was send back by the Valar for the good of all the free peoples of Middle-Earth. He did fight in wars against Angmar though.
I would like to know more about the Blue Wizards. They are one of the biggest mysteries of the Third Age for me. Where are they? What was their part in the history?

**Incredible Bulk** · January 01, 2014, 02:48 PM

@ feanero You forgot the part that says I WISH as in if ONLY it where possible

Originally Posted by Red Viper

Glorfindel somehow having a bigger part, he was send back by the Valar for the good of all the free peoples of Middle-Earth. He did fight in wars against Angmar though.
I would like to know more about the Blue Wizards. They are one of the biggest mysteries of the Third Age for me. Where are they? What was their part in the history?

Actually the two blues was one I was thinking off too. What roles did they play? Who are they? To me it would have been cool if one sided with Gandalf and other with Sauron.

**Bladvak** · January 01, 2014, 03:54 PM

I wish the books would have been expanded, or at least the Unfinished Tales be, well, finished. The books are big, but there could have been written so many more stories

As for the characters, I would have liked Gimli to have used an axe AND a shield.
Legolas to use a two handed blade
Elrond to partake in the fellowship
Boromir to have lived and return at least once to the city
Ents to come and help with the battle on the Pelennor and then settle somewhere in the nearby mountain
Balin to have succeeded in settling Moria and to give the fellowship a royal welcome
Tom Bombadil to be explained a bit more thoroughly - even if as Beorn is described in Gandalf's few words, but at least you get an idea about what he is and what he does.

**ggggtotalwarrior** · January 01, 2014, 04:42 PM

I agree on the topic of Balin. It's very sad that he survives all the adventures alongside Thorin and Bilbo, and reclaims Moria, only to be killed by the Balrog and fail in his quest.

**chriskourou** · January 01, 2014, 05:05 PM

I am very glad someone finally started this topic even if it's strictly theoretical.

The biggest cinematic disappointment of my life, was the way that thing turned out at "the Return of the King" (although I consider it to be the best film of the trilogy)
The first strike, was Eowyn killing the witch King. Not Gandald (as the film prepared you to believe so), not Legolas, not Theoden, not even Gimli. A chick killed the witch king. What a waste

The second strike was the recrutiment of the army of the dead, that ruined the most awaited ballte of the trilogy, like a strong cheat in a video game.
The third and final strike, was Sauron NOT regaining his physical form, offering us the ultimate last battle and instead of the Sam-Frodo , Isildur - Elrond alike scene... we could have Aragorn facing Sauron.

Everything would be perfect

Damn you !!!

**Redgrave** · January 01, 2014, 05:10 PM

I agree with Bladvak in that I would have liked Boromir to live (I still tear up a bit when I see him die in the film). I would have also liked Balin to succeed in the recolonisation of Moria.

I would have liked Thorin, Fili and Kili to have lived.

I would have liked more members of the fellowship (e.g. Glorfindel)

I would have liked the two blue wizards to have been mentioned a bit more than they were in the books.

I would have liked Saruman to have successfully destroyed the shire and to have ruthlessly murdered everyone in it, including Bilbo. In front of Frodo.
</deranged_worrying_fantasy>

I would have liked Théoden to survive the Pelennor Fields.

I would have liked Theodred to live.

Finally, I would have liked MOAR BOOKS BY J.R.R. TOLKIEN IN MIDDLE-EARTH!!!!

**Veteraan** · January 01, 2014, 05:37 PM

I wouldn't change anything, not even the parts I at first reading liked less. Often those parts prove to be an important factor in making a story really stand out amongst the competition.

**orclover5** · January 01, 2014, 06:10 PM

I think Beregond in the books makes the point that the people of Minas Tirith are self-centered in that they think Minas Tirith was the center of the war. It was not so. All of the major powers were attacked, and some with greater force, there were hosts in Erebor, Dale, Mirkwood, Lothlorien, Eastern Rohan, Southern Gondor, and Minas Tirith, and that was only a tithe of Mordors strength as he was forced to fight too soon once the hobbits and aragorn were revealed through the palantir. Legolas and Gimli both hope for help from their peoples but both realize their own peoples are under attack as well.

**Þiudreiks** · January 01, 2014, 06:29 PM

The only thing I would change would be Tolkien not living to be 200 years old. Then, he would have solved many of the mysteries of the books that he was addressing but never finished. After all anything that I could change, what ever that might be, would just be my hack writing and there is so much complexity with what was going on in the world it would mess it up.

**Incredible Bulk** · January 01, 2014, 07:11 PM

Truthfully too in also wished Thorin and his 2 nephews survived the battle of the five armies and lived long enough to enjoy their reclaimed home

**Axis Sunsoar** · January 01, 2014, 07:29 PM

Redgrave, I'm a little worried about the whole Saruman/shire one, but... to each their own I guess.

Personally, I would have liked to see some of the other rangers of the north a bit more. All we get of them are the Grey Company, who show up to help Aragorn out, and then almost all of them wind up dead. Very depressing, really.

Also, if some of the other Lords of Gondor had some personality or a part to play in Denethor's councils, he might not have turned out so crazy, which would have been nice to see. (Even if most of the craziness is just Peter Jackson and company)

**Dude with the Food** · January 02, 2014, 02:37 PM

In the Silmarillion it mentions some sort of haunted look about men when they are first encountered similar to how the Noldor fled from the kinslaying. I'd like to know what that was.

**Greymane** · January 02, 2014, 03:00 PM

Originally Posted by Dude with the Food

In the Silmarillion it mentions some sort of haunted look about men when they are first encountered similar to how the Noldor fled from the kinslaying. I'd like to know what that was.

Isn't that just the shadow of Morgoth? I think Tolkien even explained somewhere in Sil that there was a shadow in the East corrupting the hearts of men.

OT:
I would have liked the Dwarves to be involved more. Just to learn more about their culture. In the Hobbit you follow 13 dwarves around for a journey that took like a year, and still you learn more about Hobbit cuisine than about any part of dwarven lifestyle. Not to mention that in Sil I would have loved Tolkien to elaborate on the 7 houses of the Dwarves and their birthplaces. If he took the time to divide the Elves into ten thousand different groups based on when or if they went to Valinor and what language they spoke, he might have at least given us the birthplaces of all the Dwarven fathers and a small account of what happend to their houses.

**Duke of Metz** · January 02, 2014, 04:33 PM

The Glorfindel snafu. The only elf to return to Middle Earth from the Halls of Mandos (well and Luthien too I guess, but she came back as a mortal) and all he does is make a prophecy about the Witch King and race to the Fords with Frodo. Yes, those are two key parts of the legendarium, but geez that doesn't seem like its worth breaking the Doom of Mandos over. His role could've very easily been played by one of the sons of Elrond.

Also, I would've liked to see some more development out of the sons of Elrond - we really get no look into their personality or their achievements - they are just allotted as best friends of Aragorn more or less. They should be some of the most revered of the Elves left in Middle Earth, descendants of Earendil and Finarfin, and all we get is some rather uninspiring mentions of them fighting on the Pelennor and in front of the Black Gate...

**LuckyPistol** · January 03, 2014, 12:35 AM

Expansion on the Blue Wizards and of the culture of Orcs, Easterlings, Haradrim, and Khan. Even though Tolkien gives more detail about his "evil" races 100% more than anyone else to this day. But a little more description on how the evil men were governed and their lifestyles/origins would be cool.

But most importantly, a recipe for Lembas