Fan fiction not sold in stores?

"Richard Fangnail" <richardfangnail DeleteThis @excite.com> wrote in message
news:1109267510.391231.191490@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
 > I never see fan fiction based on Tolkien in the stores yet there are
 > Sherlock Holmes stories not by Doyle and James Bond books not by
 > Fleming. Did the Tolkien family just not want fan fiction sold? Of
 > course that's understandable.
 >
 > Has anyone written sequels or prequels worth reading?
 >

The Sherlock Holmes stories are long out of copyright; the JB books were
licenced. LotR is still copyright.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Fan fiction not sold in stores? 

Richard Fangnail wrote:
 > I never see fan fiction based on Tolkien in the stores yet there are
 > Sherlock Holmes stories not by Doyle and James Bond books not by
 > Fleming. Did the Tolkien family just not want fan fiction sold? Of
 > course that's understandable.
 >
 > Has anyone written sequels or prequels worth reading?

I don't care for them myself, but you might try Dennis McKiernan's
Mithgar novels: The Dark Tide, Shadows of Doom, The Darkest Day, etc.
As I heard it, McKiernan wanted to write Middle Earth stories, but the
Tolkien estate refused permission. So he changed a few names and went
ahead anyway. He's published quite a few, so apparently there are lots
of readers who like them.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Fan fiction not sold in stores? 

 > Ian Fleming's heirs wanted someone to continue the series, Tolkien's
 > don't

And with good reason, imho.

--cd<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Fan fiction not sold in stores? 

Quoth "Richard Fangnail" <richardfangnail.RemoveThis@excite.com> in article
<1109267510.391231.191490.RemoveThis@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>:
 > I never see fan fiction based on Tolkien in the stores yet there are
 > Sherlock Holmes stories not by Doyle and James Bond books not by
 > Fleming. Did the Tolkien family just not want fan fiction sold?

I think that's pretty much the story. And as far as I can tell, it's
not out of line with Tolkien's own wishes.

 > Has anyone written sequels or prequels worth reading?

The short answer is probably "no" (unless Tolkien himself counts: I
don't know how many of his books about Middle-earth you've read). At
the very least, any such work is probably violating copyright at this
point. There are a handful of "serious" fan-fiction works out on the
internet, which I've never looked for or read; I haven't heard that
they're particularly good. And I've heard that there's a veritable
industry of published Tolkien spin-offs and Tolkien spin-off spin-offs
in Russia, but then, they don't seem to be too concerned with Western
copyright law over there. Again, I have no idea how good they are,
but I would be pretty dubious (just look at how bad fantasy can be
when it's only _mostly_ derivative of Tolkien!).

    Steuard Jensen<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Fan fiction not sold in stores? 

"Richard Fangnail" <richardfangnail.TakeThisOut@excite.com> wrote in message
news:1109267510.391231.191490@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
 >I never see fan fiction based on Tolkien in the stores yet there are
 > Sherlock Holmes stories not by Doyle and James Bond books not by
 > Fleming. Did the Tolkien family just not want fan fiction sold? Of
 > course that's understandable.
 >
 > Has anyone written sequels or prequels worth reading?

I am aware that I am opening a can of worms here. I am in a very small
minority (possibly a minority of one) of folk on this newsgroup who
appreciates fanfic.

You will never find any *published* fanfic, such as the Sherlock Holmes or
Star Trek books, the Tolkien Estate holds tightly to the rights to any money
to be made.

But for some, it is a labor of love. If you care to dabble, here are the
links to some stories by various authors that I consider of high quality:

I Return

<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=1162" target="_blank">http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=1162</a>

A Small and Passing Thing

<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=796" target="_blank">http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=796</a>

Reckoning

<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=2705" target="_blank">http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=2705</a>

The Care and Feeding of Hobbits

<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=221" target="_blank">http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=221</a>

A Path With No Returning

<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=1794" target="_blank">http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=1794</a>

The Green Knight

<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=686" target="_blank">http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=686</a>

All of them are located on the Stories of Arda archive. If you want to
satisfy your curiousity about my own indulgence in fanfic, I have a number
of stories archived there as well, under the name of Dreamflower.

I know the reasons why I write these stories, and they suit me, so
reprimanding me for doing it will not work. I hope that I don't totally
disgrace JRRT's vision of Middle-earth.

I am also aware of the thousands of stories out there that are dross. It's
worth it, in my opinion, to find the gems.

Barbara









 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Fan fiction not sold in stores? 

aelfwina <aelfwina.DeleteThis@cableone.net> wrote:

<snip>

 > I am aware that I am opening a can of worms here. I am in a very
 > small minority (possibly a minority of one) of folk on this newsgroup
 > who appreciates fanfic.

I sometimes appreciate it, but haven't read much. I tend to avoid
stories set at the time of the War of the Ring, or involving the main
characters, as (more so than a film) I find the possibility of the
stories merging in my head to be a terrifyingly awful prospect.

Stories set before or after the WotR tend to be OK for me.

 > You will never find any *published* fanfic, such as the Sherlock
 > Holmes or Star Trek books, the Tolkien Estate holds tightly to the
 > rights to any money to be made.
 >
 > But for some, it is a labor of love. If you care to dabble, here are
 > the links to some stories by various authors that I consider of high
 > quality:

Thanks for the links.

 > I Return
 >
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=1162</font" target="_blank">http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=1162</font</a>>

I stopped reading this, as it was getting too much into the mind of
Legolas for my taste. I appreciate the craft of writing such things, but
even with such a relatively minor character I prefer Tolkien's brief
brushstrokes to a deep and detailed characterisation.

<snip others>

 > A Path With No Returning
 >
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=1794</font" target="_blank">http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=1794</font</a>>
 >
 > The Green Knight
 >
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=686</font" target="_blank">http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=686</font</a>>

These two looked interesting for me, being set respectively before and
after the War of the Ring.

<snip>

 > I am also aware of the thousands of stories out there that are dross.
 > It's worth it, in my opinion, to find the gems.

Thanks for those links. Do you mind if I ask one quick question? It is
whether people go on from writing fanfic to writing stories independent
of other people's created worlds? Is it a starting point, or an end in
itself?

Christopher

--
---
Reply clue: Saruman welcomes you to Spamgard<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Fan fiction not sold in stores? 

"Christopher Kreuzer" <spamgard DeleteThis @blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:2NATd.23028$8B3.2176@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
 > aelfwina <aelfwina DeleteThis @cableone.net> wrote:
 >
 > <snip>
 >
  >> I am aware that I am opening a can of worms here. I am in a very
  >> small minority (possibly a minority of one) of folk on this newsgroup
  >> who appreciates fanfic.
 >
 > I sometimes appreciate it, but haven't read much. I tend to avoid
 > stories set at the time of the War of the Ring, or involving the main
 > characters, as (more so than a film) I find the possibility of the
 > stories merging in my head to be a terrifyingly awful prospect.
 >
 > Stories set before or after the WotR tend to be OK for me.
 >
  >> You will never find any *published* fanfic, such as the Sherlock
  >> Holmes or Star Trek books, the Tolkien Estate holds tightly to the
  >> rights to any money to be made.
  >>
  >> But for some, it is a labor of love. If you care to dabble, here are
  >> the links to some stories by various authors that I consider of high
  >> quality:
 >
 > Thanks for the links.
 >
  >> I Return
  >>
<font color=green>  >> <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=1162</font" target="_blank">http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=1162</font</a>>
 >
 > I stopped reading this, as it was getting too much into the mind of
 > Legolas for my taste. I appreciate the craft of writing such things, but
 > even with such a relatively minor character I prefer Tolkien's brief
 > brushstrokes to a deep and detailed characterisation.
 >
 > <snip others>
 >
  >> A Path With No Returning
  >>
<font color=green>  >> <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=1794</font" target="_blank">http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=1794</font</a>>
  >>
  >> The Green Knight
  >>
<font color=green>  >> <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=686</font" target="_blank">http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=686</font</a>>
 >
 > These two looked interesting for me, being set respectively before and
 > after the War of the Ring.
 >
 > <snip>
 >
  >> I am also aware of the thousands of stories out there that are dross.
  >> It's worth it, in my opinion, to find the gems.
 >
 > Thanks for those links. Do you mind if I ask one quick question? It is
 > whether people go on from writing fanfic to writing stories independent
 > of other people's created worlds? Is it a starting point, or an end in
 > itself?


For a number of fellow writers on my friend's list and message boards, it is
a springboard. There are even one or two who are established as writers of
original fiction, but use fanfic as a means of relaxation. For myself, I
once had an interest years ago in writing original fiction, but the fact is
that at this time of my life all I really want to do with it is "wallow in
hobbits" LOL! I have ideas about the characters and the world of M-e that I
find I can explore best through writing about them. So you could say that
for me, and for any number of us they are an end in themselves.

You would probably not care for the majority of my stories, for although
they are mostly either pre- or post-Quest (though I do have a handful set on
the Quest, mostly very short vignettes) they almost all concern the four
hobbits. I have long found myself fascinated by the idea of the close
relationship between them, in spite of the age differences, and so I like to
explore their childhoods and the ways in which they relate to one another.
I *do* like stories which attempt to "get inside a character's head"
precisely because JRRT did *not*, and so left a fertile field for
speculation. I may not always agree with a writer's interpretation, but I
find it interesting, nevertheless.

Thank you for your interest.
Barbara


 >
 > Christopher
 >
 > --
 > ---
 > Reply clue: Saruman welcomes you to Spamgard
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Fan fiction not sold in stores? 

On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 20:28:14 GMT, sbjensen.TakeThisOut@midway.uchicago.edu
(Steuard Jensen) wrote:

 >Quoth "Richard Fangnail" <richardfangnail.TakeThisOut@excite.com> in article
 ><1109267510.391231.191490.TakeThisOut@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>:
  >> I never see fan fiction based on Tolkien in the stores yet there are
  >> Sherlock Holmes stories not by Doyle and James Bond books not by
  >> Fleming. Did the Tolkien family just not want fan fiction sold?
 >
 >I think that's pretty much the story. And as far as I can tell, it's
 >not out of line with Tolkien's own wishes.
 >
  >> Has anyone written sequels or prequels worth reading?
 >
 >The short answer is probably "no" (unless Tolkien himself counts: I
 >don't know how many of his books about Middle-earth you've read). At
 >the very least, any such work is probably violating copyright at this
 >point. There are a handful of "serious" fan-fiction works out on the
 >internet, which I've never looked for or read; I haven't heard that
 >they're particularly good. And I've heard that there's a veritable
 >industry of published Tolkien spin-offs and Tolkien spin-off spin-offs
 >in Russia, but then, they don't seem to be too concerned with Western
 >copyright law over there. Again, I have no idea how good they are,
 >but I would be pretty dubious (just look at how bad fantasy can be
 >when it's only _mostly_ derivative of Tolkien!).
 >
   > Steuard Jensen

Actually, LOTR is out of copyright in Russia, because the books were
published before USSR signe the Berne Convention.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Fan fiction not sold in stores? 

Nevertheless, somehow, Andre Norton wrote two. _The Jewels of Arwen_
and _The Parting of Arwen_, both published 1974. I haven't heard
particularly good things about them, but they do exist as examples of
published Tolkien fanfic. By an SFWA grandmaster no less.
 >> Stay informed about: Fan fiction not sold in stores? 

Christopher Kreuzer wrote:
 > quuxa23.DeleteThis@yahoo.com <quuxa23.DeleteThis@yahoo.com> wrote:
  > > Nevertheless, somehow, Andre Norton wrote two. _The Jewels of
  > > Arwen_ and _The Parting of Arwen_, both published 1974. I haven't
  > > heard particularly good things about them, but they do exist as
 > examples
  > > of published Tolkien fanfic. By an SFWA grandmaster no less.
 >
 > I thought those were by Marion Z. Bradley?
 >
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.timelineuniverse.com/MiddleEarth/ThePartingofArwen.htm</font" target="_blank">http://www.timelineuniverse.com/MiddleEarth/ThePartingofArwen.htm</font</a>>
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.timelineuniverse.com/MiddleEarth/JewelofArwen.htm</font" target="_blank">http://www.timelineuniverse.com/MiddleEarth/JewelofArwen.htm</font</a>>

My mistake. That's what I get for trusting the first link on a
websearch.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Fan fiction not sold in stores? 

quuxa23 DeleteThis @yahoo.com <quuxa23 DeleteThis @yahoo.com> wrote:
 > Nevertheless, somehow, Andre Norton wrote two. _The Jewels of
 > Arwen_ and _The Parting of Arwen_, both published 1974. I haven't
 > heard particularly good things about them, but they do exist as
examples
 > of published Tolkien fanfic. By an SFWA grandmaster no less.

I thought those were by Marion Z. Bradley?

<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.timelineuniverse.com/MiddleEarth/ThePartingofArwen.htm" target="_blank">http://www.timelineuniverse.com/MiddleEarth/ThePartingofArwen.htm</a>
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.timelineuniverse.com/MiddleEarth/JewelofArwen.htm" target="_blank">http://www.timelineuniverse.com/MiddleEarth/JewelofArwen.htm</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Fan fiction not sold in stores? 

  >> Sherlock Holmes stories not by Doyle and James Bond books not by
  >> Fleming. Did the Tolkien family just not want fan fiction sold? Of
  >> course that's understandable.
  >>
  >> Has anyone written sequels or prequels worth reading?
 > I am aware that I am opening a can of worms here. I am in a very small
 > minority (possibly a minority of one) of folk on this newsgroup who
 > appreciates fanfic.

Hardly!

There's quite a bit of garbage out there, as there is in most endeavors. But
for some of the
better ones, try here:
The Mithril Awards
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.viragene.com/tolkien/finals_2004.html" target="_blank">http://www.viragene.com/tolkien/finals_2004.html</a>

From there you can also link the 2003 winners.

My foray into it can be found here:
The Cursed Queen of Angmar
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.geocities.com/khazar_khum/cursed_queen.html" target="_blank">http://www.geocities.com/khazar_khum/cursed_queen.html</a>

Other outstanding locations for fanficiton are:
Henneth Annun
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.henneth-annun.net/" target="_blank">http://www.henneth-annun.net/</a>

Open Scrolls Archive
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.scribeoz.com/fanfic/index.php?sid=fad9a31eef71b3bfdcab1801316b883c" target="_blank">http://www.scribeoz.com/fanfic/index.php?sid=fad9a31eef71b3bfdcab1801316b883c</a>

Tolkien Fan Ficiton
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.mikekellner.com/Library/Index.html" target="_blank">http://www.mikekellner.com/Library/Index.html</a>

Again, there are all sorts of things at these sites, but at least these
attempt to maintain quality.

Khazar<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Fan fiction not sold in stores? 

"Khazar-Khum" <dlmbyrne RemoveThis @gte.net> wrote in message
news:gBTUd.70469$uc.20330@trnddc04...
 >
 >
   >>> Sherlock Holmes stories not by Doyle and James Bond books not by
   >>> Fleming. Did the Tolkien family just not want fan fiction sold? Of
   >>> course that's understandable.
   >>>
   >>> Has anyone written sequels or prequels worth reading?
  >> I am aware that I am opening a can of worms here. I am in a very small
  >> minority (possibly a minority of one) of folk on this newsgroup who
  >> appreciates fanfic.
 >
 > Hardly!
 >
 > There's quite a bit of garbage out there, as there is in most endeavors.
 > But for some of the
 > better ones, try here:
 > The Mithril Awards
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.viragene.com/tolkien/finals_2004.html</font" target="_blank">http://www.viragene.com/tolkien/finals_2004.html</font</a>>
 >
 > From there you can also link the 2003 winners.
 >
 > My foray into it can be found here:
 > The Cursed Queen of Angmar
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.geocities.com/khazar_khum/cursed_queen.html</font" target="_blank">http://www.geocities.com/khazar_khum/cursed_queen.html</font</a>>
 >
 > Other outstanding locations for fanficiton are:
 > Henneth Annun
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.henneth-annun.net/</font" target="_blank">http://www.henneth-annun.net/</font</a>>
 >
 > Open Scrolls Archive
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.scribeoz.com/fanfic/index.php?sid=fad9a31eef71b3bfdcab1801316b883c</font" target="_blank">http://www.scribeoz.com/fanfic/index.php?sid=fad9a31eef71b3bfdcab18013...883c&lt</a>>
 >
 > Tolkien Fan Ficiton
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.mikekellner.com/Library/Index.html</font" target="_blank">http://www.mikekellner.com/Library/Index.html</font</a>>
 >
 > Again, there are all sorts of things at these sites, but at least these
 > attempt to maintain quality.

Those are all excellent archives, as is my favorite, Stories of Arda. Of
course, the less said about fanfiction.net, the better, unless you want to
laugh hysterically. And that is just reading the summaries.
Barbara


 >
 > Khazar
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Fan fiction not sold in stores?