The author’s reason? Spiders. Mirkwood. Beorn. Wood-elves. Lake-men. And Smaug.

No, seriously. “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” is going to be the best part because hello, all the best stuff happens in it. “The Hobbit” Part Three-ie (out on December 17, 2014) is going to be the worst snooze cruise since Helm’s Deep. That’s because certain dragons are going to get whacked in the first of many hours and the rest is just going to be a big battle and then a long walk home.

Have a read of the rest and see whether you agree, or not.

[Read More]

What could possibly occur that drives both men and women to the destroyed city? Surely it isn’t a flashback as the snow settling on the burnt stonework is clearly visible — and hence during the time the Company passes through Dale.

Could they be fleeing, exiles of sort — after Smaug’s attack? The man seems to be carrying a basket with him too…

For some reason, I keep thinking this is part of the third Film, possibly before the Battle of the Five Armies, which sees a skirmish between the Lake-towners and the Elves against the Goblins/Orcs — hence, why we see Gandalf, Legolas, Tauriel and Thranduil all in Dale (in the Vlog), seemingly fighting (but that could be part of the BOFA itself).

Then again, it still doesn’t explain what these citizens are doing so far away from home…

Plus, I’ve noticed that, when Luke Evans (at the end of the vlog) explains what happened to him on the first day back on set (and he almost falls in the water), he grabs hold of a man standing there with a basket — he looks very similar to the “dead” guy a few minutes before. There are some subtle differences between the two, but the resemblance is nonetheless uncanny…

There are some fabulous, exclusive pieces up for grabs – including some things which, usually, money can’t buy! Time is running out on some of our auctions too, so best check them out now. Here are just a couple that might tickle your fancy:

Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun Tolkien signed by Dwalin & Bifur

PICTURES OF AUTOGRAPHS ADDED

Autographed during 2013 DragonCon in Atlanta, GA by The Hobbit Dwarves Bifur (William Kircher) and Dwalin (Graham McTavish) in generous support of TORn’s Fundraiser. More pictures will be coming.

This is a brand new copy of a recent Tolkien publication, ‘The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun’, which was edited by Christopher Tolkien and published 2009. The hardback book is in excellent condition; there are some minor scuffs/creases to the paper sleeve, plus a slight sticky mark where it looks like a price label was removed off the back. Otherwise in perfect condition.

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published: 2009
By JRR Tolkien; edited Christopher Tolkien
ISBN: 978-0-547-27342-6

The winner may have to endure a bit of a delay in this UNIQUE bag’s shipment as it is still at DragonCon with our TORn reps. They still have a long journey home after the Convention.

Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun Tolkien signed by Dwalin & Bifur Auction

Autographed Official DragonCon Contest 1 Cert. by Bifur, Dwalin, Radagast

Autographed by 2 Dwarves and a Wizard; William Kircher (Bifur), Graham McTavish (Dwalin) and Sylvester McCoy (Radagast the Brown). This is a NEW and OFFICIAL 2013 DragonCon “Costume Contest Comedy Category” Winner’s Certificate [First Prize!]. They generously signed this certificate in support of TORn’s Fundraiser. Picture discoloration is due to lighting. Certificate color is off white as seen in picture of contestants on stage.

DragonCon’s Costuming Contest is a fashion show that focuses on the craftsmanship of the costumes created by Con-goers from all over the world. Hundreds of costumes are seen in the hallways, panels, and other competitions throughout DragonCon, but little attention was paid to the efforts taken to make these wearable works of art. For this reason, in 2006 the contest was created to acknowledge those efforts and abilities as opposed to just presentation skills. Each year, a panel of prestigious and professional judges in the costuming business host and judge the contest. One of the most exciting things for contestants is to receive recognition and an award for their own work from these judges.

The winner of this auction may have to endure a bit of a delay of shipment as it is still at DragonCon with our TORn reps. They still have a long journey home after the Convention.

Autographed Official DragonCon Contest 1 Cert. by Bifur, Dwalin, Radagast Auction

Members are eagerly watching the number of members at the top of the Message Boards as we inch closer and closer to our 10,000 member.  Membership is currently at 9,999, will you be number 10,000?

On the Main board this week, Ethel Duath continues to develop the fictional country of Tolkienia.

Whilst in the Reading Room, Rembrethil is leading us in discussing the Akallabeth.

On The Hobbit board Semper Fi is sharing their displeasure over the depiction of Bard the Bowman.

And in Off Topic Ethel Duath was shocked to discover she’d wandered onto Valinor.

We’ll share more topics next week. We hope you’ll come and join in the conversations!  Don’t forget, TheOneRing.net’s message boards has nearly 10,000 registered Tolkien fans, just like you.  Let your voice be heard!

If you like what we do, and would like to see your Tolkien community keep growing and growing, consider making a contribution to our Pledge Drive. Every bit helps defray our costs!

For more details, read the article here.

We recently added a couple of amazing items from our friend artist Jerry Vanderstelt covering his The Lord of the Rings Trilogy prints as well as his newest print of Dwalin the Dwarf from The Hobbit Trilogy. We’ve also added a couple of autograph items from Graham McTavish and William Kircher who play Dwalin and Bifur in The Hobbit Trilogy.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 3-Piece Print Set

This auction offers a beautiful three-piece set of The Lord of the Rings Collector Edition Lithographs by prominent artist, Jerry VanderStelt. Best known not only for his works inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien, he also captures the worlds of Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and much more in the Fantasy/SciFi genre. Each Lithograph of the three-piece set has a unique Remarque or sketch drawn on the bottom left corner, signed separately from the normal signature and a certification of authenticity.

TORn Collector’s Edition of The Hobbit Magazine signed by Dwalin and Bifur

This is a new copy of TheOneRing.net’s premier magazine tribute to The Hobbit! A collaborative effort between Topix Media Lab and your friends here at TheOneRing.net, it covers everything you need to know about The Hobbit movies from a fan perspective. Side-bars and feature articles, contributed by our own volunteer staff, include interviews, a feature on book versus the movie, articles on games and collectibles, a Middle-earth timeline, and much more! The high-quality, glossy paper used for this magazine is also packed with colorful pictures of cast and crew members, locations, collectibles, gorgeous fan art and a few exclusives! One thing that makes this truly a collector’s edition is that there are only two ads in the entire 82-page magazine.

Dwalin the Dwarf Print by Jerry Vanderstelt

Jerry Vanderstelt is also offering the winner of this Auction the choice of the frame-ready canvas or to have the canvas Gallery Wrapped.  The two images displayed with this Auction show the raw, canvas form and also how the Gallery Wrap option gives it a mounted, more dimensional look.  The canvas measures 18 x 24 inches, NOT counting the border that is designed to be Gallery Wrapped. Once it is Gallery Wrapped, the canvas will measure 18 x 24 inches.  Please allow 2-3 weeks for completion. The work uses the finest materials available of archival inks as well as Breathing Color’s exclusive “Lyve” canvas and “Timeless” protective finish.

he Hobbit Paperback signed by Graham McTavish and William Kircher

This is a NEW paperback copy of The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien with a movie tie-in picture from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey film released in December, 2012.  This copy has travelled to DragonCon 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia and has found itself autographed by two Dwarves (William Kircher and Graham McTavish) for TORn’s Fundraiser Auction.

Azog the Defiler

In particular, he examines whether persistent criticism of this key villain might be a result of flaws inadvertently introduced by the relatively late switch from two films to three.

Did Azog defile An Unexpected Journey?

By Rud the Spud

Azog is an aspect of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey that has perturbed me for some time now.

Did he or didn’t he work in An Unexpected Journey? And, if not, was he the victim of the late change from two to three films?

I don’t know if it was the massive hype (which I’m glad there is less of for Desolation of Smaug), the huge expectations off the back of The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy or whether it was simply the basic love for the book itself, but I found An Unexpected Journey mildly disappointing.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it and I loved so many aspects of it but there remains an uneasy feeling that I’ve only recently been able to define.

And that is Azog.

AZOG IN THE TOLKIEN’S LEGENDARIUM

The Battle of Azanulbizar.

In Tolkien’s Legendarium, the Battle of Azanulbizar was fought in retaliation for this dishonour.

In An Unexpected Journey, the battle is condensed into Thrór’s large-scale attempt to retake Moria. It is during this battle that Azog decapitates him in the film. Events are altered: in the book it was Náin, father of Dáin Ironfoot, who Azog slew. And it was Dáin (who will be played by Billy Connolly in There and Back Again) who leapt after Azog and hewed off his head before Moria’s East Gate.

At Azanulbizar, Thorin did fight off several orcs with an oak branch, but Tolkien does not report that he went near Azog. But the upshot is that Azog was truly slain in the battle. He does not return; it is his son, Bolg, who nurses the grudge against Dáin and the dwarves. And it is Bolg who leads the wargs and goblins into the Battle of the Five Armies. Bolg’s role in the movies is yet to unfold.

The alteration of events for the sake of making a concise screenplay is understandable and acceptable. The filmmakers instead use the Azanulbizar to emphasise the heroism of our central character Thorin and establish back stories for Balin and Dwalin. Even the survival of Azog wasn’t a major issue for me initially. It was a little contrived how Thorin believed him to be dead (doesn’t he know how movies work?) but even that was acceptable.

It was the depiction of Azog that irks me the most.

On the Main board this week, Ethel Duath invited us all to create an anthem for the fictional country of Tolkenia.

Whilst in the Reading Room, noWizardme wants to know which Tolkien book character would you have lunch with, and why? 

The Hobbit board is buzzing over why we haven’t seen any major images of Bolg, Dain or Beorn (apart from the blurry Sonic Hedgehog image of Beorn and a toy of Bolg).

In Off Topic we’ve been checking up on our friends in the Wellington area after the big earthquake last week.

And in the Pollantir, Maciliel wants to know how many books we have in our personal libraries.

We’ll share more topics next week. We hope you’ll come and join in the conversations!  Don’t forget, TheOneRing.net’s message boards have over 9,950 registered Tolkien fans, just like you.  Let your voice be heard!