Its funny given how popular the books were/are and how popular the movies are, and the fact that movies are still being made. In over 10 years of reading fanfiction I have come across sweet fuck all good LOTR or any form of Tolkien Fanfiction.

This might be because Tolkien had so fully developed his world that there was little room to play or change or make it better, the golden age of Potter fanfiction was post OOTP when the story was only half told.

But the other night I spent about two hours searching for any form of decent Tolkien story and couldn't find any. I searched FF.net which was useless since 80% are very short fluff romance fics, 15% and cross overs which doesnt interest me and 5% were mary sue 10th walker stories.

I would have thought that in the time pre movies when it was more about the story then people being in love with Legolas that there would be a wealth of good fics out there written in the 40 years before the movies. Google came up empty, ff.net is loaded with more crap than even HP fandom, and Tolkien specific sites didn't have much to offer.

Does anyone know of decent Tolkien Fanfiction either based around LOTR or exploring the greater world?

 

The only decent pure-LotR fanfic I've come across so far is:

Boromir's Return
Boromir awakens from his death and finds himself in an unexpected situation. Basically book universe with some AU bits, but inspired by Sean Bean. Complete! Chapter 29 up, nine years after I started writing this.

It's a complete fic, 522k words. Boromir centric, with good characterisation. I especially liked Denethor's depiction. Boromir's is quite good as well, but a bit angsty at times. Story itself is really slow paced and more of a character driven one overall.

Reading the first two chapters will give a pretty good idea of what you're in for.

 

I read like half the first chapter and it's really good.

 

Stand by: This rec list is going to take me awhile.

 

The fact is, a lot of what counts for Fantasy fiction mainstream today is pretty much Tolkien fanfiction.


That being said, Tolkien's works are sorta the holy grail for me. To the point that, I don't want to read fanfiction about it.

But I'll wait for a look at what is most recommended in this thread.

 

Eh, this. I've come accross it twice, and I never could read more than few chapters in.
I'm pretty sure the beginning is the weakest part and that it does actually get more interesting, but I just can't stomach the first few chapters.

 

I remember The tenant from Staddle as being good.

 

I think good Tolkien- fanfiction is so rare because many authors hesitate to play in a literary universe which they associate with epic language and a narration style they could never pull off.

Here my rec:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2468503/1/Saruman-and-the-Blue-Wizards

My review in the DLP- library:

https://forums.darklordpotter.net/showthread.php?t=16556

I thought about producing a list, but most fics that would end up on it are romance, and some are just plain wired, like that one OFC/Uruk Hai short with smut elements...

I second "Boromir's Return" though, it's in the DLP library, here the thread:

https://forums.darklordpotter.net/showthread.php?t=21998

 

This is not an exhaustive rec list. Many of this fics are downright ancient, and some of them fall under the umbrella of 'something everyone in the fandom has read, that hasn't aged well at all.' I killed most of these, but left the most well known for variety's sake.


Author Recommendations

Larner is a very prolific author who writes in a solid 4/5 range. Many of their stories are some form of drama or another, with some adventure, and most of them take place within the same story-verse.

Evergreene is one of many authors who favors writing about the possible history of the friendship of Legolas and Aragorn, with some bits about the Fellowship.

Neoinean has a number of decent one-shots and one long fic: Eagle of the Star. The author favors Aragorn, the one-shots easily slot into book canon, and the long fic is about his travels as Thorongil. Eagle of the Star is incomplete.

Canafinwe is a 5/5 author. Every fic of theirs is completed, with the exception of their most recent fic, which was updated only a few days ago.

Lialathuveril writes straight up romance/adventure. Her favored pairing is Eomer/Lothiriel, the latter of whom she reinvents for every story.

Baylor writes about hobbits, and never bothered to put 'Complete' on most of their completed stories. 4/5

Kasmi Kassim is an author who has not aged well at all, with works that range from 1/5 to 3/5.

Nili is a 3/5 to 4/5 star author who got attached to the idea of Aragorn's childhood with the elves, and proceeded to write several adventures/mishaps that might have occurred. Most of these fics are angst/adventure, and they all seem to take place in the same universe. The author even believed this to be ridiculous, and parodied themselves in one story.

shirebound is a mediocre author who writes hurt/comfort and friendship fics, and focuses on the hobbits and Aragorn. Most of them rate a solid 2/5.

plasticChevy is another 2/5 author who wrote what some might consider fandom staples, focusing on Boromir and Aragorn.

lindahoyland is a 4/5 author with a few longer fics and several one-shots. She prefers to write about Aragorn and Faramir.

Lady Bluejay is another author who has invented the characterization behind Lothiriel of Dol Amroth for her stories.

majorbee is a 2.5/5 author who has written a handful of long Boromir lives fics.

Thundera Tiger is a solid 4/5 author. Most of their longer fics are incomplete and abandoned, but they still have several completed fics between 10000 and 40000 words long.

The only crossover author I'm recommending is Jedi Buttercup. Her Tolkien fics can be found here and here on archiveofourown.



Fic Recommendations

The Strange Case of the House at Hollinport by Russ
Summary: 'There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world.' A Lovecraftian future fic.
WARNING: This fic is a DOWNLOAD, because it is ancient. Downloads as .rtf.
Word count: 13649
Complete
Rating: 5/5

The River by Indigo Bunting
Summary: The Fellowship must cross a river before it can enter the land of Hollin. When disaster strikes, Sam and Legolas find themselves trapped between the river, a party of malicious strangers, and each other. A story about friendship and sacrifice.
Word count: 148512
Complete
5/5

The Price of Freedom by Erin Lasgalen
Summary: AUAdventure. In the aftermath of the War of the Ring, Eowyn comes to the painful realization that the wounds of the heart she still bears cannot be healed by going back to the cage, however gilded, however loving the master. Four years and hundreds of leagues later…
Notes: AU pairing Eowyn/Legolas. The first chapter is a bit of a bump in the road.
Word count: 147915
Complete
Rating: 7/5

Back Again by Waugh
Summary: Bilbo Baggins wakes up. He is twenty-one again, with all his life ahead of him. But first, there are things he must do. Time-travel, fix-it, friendship fic. Slow build. Cross-posted to Ao3.
Notes: The author seems to prefer Ao3 when she posts. The fic is intended to be completely gen. The first four chapters have very little happening, and are build-up for the first arc of the fic (the Fell Winter). Side stories/outtakes fic here.
Word count: 89476
WIP
Rating: 5/5

Tales of a Dark Continent by Morthoron
Summary: The untold history of the Far-east of Middle-earth as told by the great chronicler of the 4th Age, Greagoir the Scribe, whose life & love is inextricably wound with the shadowy lore of the East.
Word count: 87662
Complete
Rating: 4.5/5

The Patient by Scribe
Summary: When Dr Aaron Stone is asked to conduct a psychiatric examination of a patient with severe schizophrenia, he becomes the key to unlocking a mystery that alters everything he knows of the world and his own past.
Notes: A reincarnation fic with several sequels. As of chapter four, they stopped formatting with all bolded letters.
Word count: 97069
Complete
Rating: 5/5

Aglarond by ErinRua
Summary: A dwarf, a cave and a claustrophobic elf. Wherein Gimli and Legolas venture into the Crystal Caves of Aglarond at war's end and Legolas is lost for words.
Word count: 2759
Complete
Rating: 5/5

Boromir's Return by Osheen Nevoy
Summary: Boromir awakens from his death and finds himself in an unexpected situation. Basically book universe with some AU bits, but inspired by Sean Bean. Complete! Chapter 29 up, nine years after I started writing this.
Word count: 522949
Complete
Rating: 5/5

Secret Gate by Elanor
Summary: A letter from Rohan in the spring of 1484 foreshadows*Merry and Pippin's last journey in Middle Earth.*How the elderly Thain and Master of the Hall said*goodbye to the Shire forever, and who remained*after their deaths to tell how the tale ended,*far away in Gondor.
Notes: The fic is hosted on the author's website, which can be a bit painful to read.
Word count: 40,000+ (too lazy to get an actual word count)
Incomplete (last updated 2009)
Rating: 4/5

Revision by Teasel
Summary: Bilbo attempts to revise his book with the truth of his encounter with Gollum.
Word count: 1432
Complete
Notes: Creepy. And very old, which necessitated the use of the WayBack Machine.
Rating: 5/5

The Burning of the Year by Raksha The Demon
Summary: Faramir and Denethor celebrate the year's end and beginning for what will be the last time. How much do they know, or guess of what may come? First Place, MEFA 2007, Times: Late Third Age: Gondor.
Word count: 2169
Complete
Rating: 4/5

A Conversation Between Wood and Stone by A Tye
Summary: Friendship must start somewhere. Gimli and Legolas in Lothlorien.
Word count: 1324
Complete
Rating: 4/5

Of Shape and Hue and Home by Thundera Tiger
Summary: Take a master of shape and hue. Stir in a troubled wizard and four hobbits. Add a dash of surprising Ranger. Mix thoroughly until shape and hue begin to blend…
Notes: LotR fandom's version of a body swap.
Word count: 11539
Complete
Rating: 5/5

The Elflord: A Ballad by Earendilion
Summary: Some people are just too hot to handle – an entirely too raunchy moment in the Last Homely House. T for thematic elements, but no smut.
Notes: Humor. The author has written a number of good fics - including a dark fic where Frodo fails the quest, and several Silmarillion one-shots.
Word count: 1495
Complete
Rating: 5/5

as sunshine falls on the wretched by Kivrin
Summary: Bilbo Baggins, the newly appointed Master of Bag End, has just reached his majority. He lives alone in his house, managing his estate, and ignoring the people of Hobbiton as much as they avoid him. When a storm lands him with an unexpected (and unwelcome) little visitor, all Bilbo wants to do is find his missing family so he can get back to his own life. That's not what happens.
Notes: AU, drama, deliberate mutilation of the timeline.
Word count: 19303
Complete
5/5

Saruman of many Devices by Saphroneth
Summary: Alone of every power in Middle-Earth, Saruman innovates, notably gunpowder. But he lost. What if he had a little help? Actually a cross-over between LOTR and the General series by David Drake. Uses both book and movie elements.
Notes: AU, humor. Saruman uses his orc army for the betterment of Middle Earth.
Word count: 89259
WIP
Rating: 3.5/5

Stone of Erebor by Primsong
Summary: Having left the Shire for good, Bilbo finally visits Lonely Mountain and his old friends, but Dain is suspicious of a non dwarf among them and when something goes missing, Bilbo finds himself drawn into ensuring its return.
Word count: 73238
Complete
Rating: 5/5

The Sell Sword and the Prince by Lady Bluejay
Summary: 'Story No 3 in The Tide of Destiny series.' - The Battle of the Pelennor was not Imrahil's first meeting with Isildur's Heir. Years before the future king had led a young prince in a daring raid on Umbar. The story starts as a high adventure and ends as a light- hearted romance. Complete!
Notes: Part of a series, but can stand on its own.
Word count: 70086
Complete
Rating: 5/5

The Sword of Elendil by Gandalfs apprentice
Summary: Aragorn, age 20, leaves Rivendell to rejoin the Dunedain. A tale of love, friendship, betrayal and personal growth. (A coming of age story.)
Word count: 111526
Complete
Rating: 4.5/5

The White Ladies of Rohan by Yasmin M.
Summary: "To us She has always been the Queen of the Mark, child of kings, the maiden who rides at the head of the White Ladies of Rohan."
Notes: 'Another character comes across the Ring.'
Word count: 934
Complete
Rating: 4.5/5

Thread of Faith by Forodwaith
Summary: “She wrought it in secret, and long was the making.”
Word count: 1499
Complete
Rating: 5/5

In the Deep Places by Lamiel
Summary: Legolas and Gimli set the foundations for friendship in Moria and Lothlorien.
Notes: A pseudo-novelization canon rehash from Legolas and Gimli's POV.
Word count: 99954
Complete
Rating: 4/5

With Gentle Hands by Muse10
Summary: A young mother finds help from the most unlikely of sources. Who knew the dwarf could deliver?
Word count: 8111
Complete
Rating: 3.5/5

The Battle of the Golden Wood by Marnie
Summary: What Haldir was really doing during the Battle of Helm's Deep! Celeborn, Galadriel, Haldir and Thranduil (and a host of OC's) battle against Dol Guldur.
Notes: An interesting view of Galadriel and Celeborn. The author has a number of other stories concerning elves and Valinor.
Word count: 63009
Complete
Rating: 3.5/5

Valour Without Renown by Forodwaith
Summary: The Ring War cost Hama's daughter everything. Now she must find the strength to rebuild her life. The War & its aftermath, as seen by a very ordinary inhabitant of ME. No explicit violence, but mature themes. OC main character with asides from canon characters.
Word count: 35714
Complete
Rating: 4/5

Legolas Shall Be For The Elves by Teanna
Summary: Glorfindel, Elrond, Legolas, Merry and Pippin, and some Dwarves; and how Elrond's dinnerware kept Glorfindel from having to face another Balrog. Complete! (And really short)
Notes: Character study, book canon. The author has a few interesting notes concerning the history of Legolas's character.
Word count: 3470
Complete
Rating: 3/5

In Imladris by Evergreene
Summary: A tale of the Fellowship in Rivendell. They had to meet sometime…
Word count: 44952
Complete
Rating: 3/5

Elf Root by Soledad
Summary: Bilbo Baggins is presumably dead, his belongings are to be sold on an auction. But he brings back more than just gold and silver from the foreign lands when he returns.
Notes: Outsider POV from scandalized hobbits. One always-a-girl dwarf 'revealed.'
Word count: 24423
Complete
Rating: 4/5

The Long Road Home by Scribblesinink
Summary: Against all odds, Boromir survives Amon Hen. Ashamed and filled with remorse, he goes on a quest for redemption. Bound by his promise to a sick man, Faramir keeps the secret of his brother's survival. But as secrets are wont to do, the truth comes [...]
Notes: First few chapters are transparent plot devices to set up the rest of the fic. Tightens up later.
Word count: 97352
Complete
Rating: 3.5/5

For Every Evil by Mirrordance
Summary: Legolas is a policeman in 2004. Though life's fallen into a routine by now, he knows there's trouble ahead when he runs across the Fellowship and some old friends (and foes!) in new incarnations…
Word count: 154309
Complete
Rating: 2/5

Sleepless by Muse10
Summary: Oneshot. A sleepless night for Sam leads to an interesting conversation with Legolas as well as a new position for the hobbit. Frodo was not the first to speak of Samwise the Brave.
Word count: 3612
Complete
Rating: 2/5

Light Fingers by Aearwen22
Summary: The story of the lives of the Sons of Elrond after the end of the Ring War, as seen through the eyes of a child of Minas Tirith who has lost almost everything.
Notes: Focuses on several very young OC children. Angst, minor character death.
Word count: 47376
Complete
Rating: 3/5

The Princes of Ithilien are Dead by Muse10
Summary: Spring will come...if we are not here to see it." After a violent attack on the elven settlement in Ithilien due to ancient prejudice, the lives of thirty one elves and a single human hang in the balance as their friends attempt to bring aid from Gondor.
Notes: Post-book canon, angst, sap, and anti-elven 'terrorists.'
Word count: 121876
Complete
Rating: 3/5

Comes Now The Plaintiff, Frodo Baggins… by Edoraslass
Summary: WHEREFORE, Plaintiff prays for judgment against Defendants for damages, including, but not limited to, loss of body parts, peace of mind, sanity, a great deal of weight, his entire house, pain and suffering, punitive damages, as well as all costs and attorneys fees incurred herein.**
Notes: Not a proper fic.
Word count: 2441
Complete
Rating: 4/5

No Living Man by Elana
Summary: In which the Witch King realizes that, for an inhabitant of Middle Earth, the knowledge that you cannot be harmed by any living man is no reason to get cocky.
Word count: 810
Complete
Rating: 2/5

Orturmoriwen by Twinkledru J.
Summary: Orturmoriwen they called them: the Maidens who Conquer Darkness.
Notes: Crossover with Buffy. Origin of the Slayer.
Word count: 2072
Complete
Rating: 5/5

 

After watching the second Hobbit movie I searched for a couple good fics that were along the lines of Back Again - A Hobbit's Tale by Waugh that would explore the universe in interesting ways. None of these are amazing, apart from maybe the last rec, but would fit well in the recycling bin.

Stoneflower by notsilver
Essentially a fic where Thorin survives the Battle of Five Armies and becomes King Under the Mountain. Once Erebor is settled and prosperous again he travels to the Shire to meet with Bilbo and convince him to return to Erebor again but finds Bilbo has adopted Frodo. The fic starts off pretty average but more recent chapters where they have finally set off for Erebor look to be far more interesting. 3/5

The World Spins Madly On by thedisgruntledone
A groundhog day fic set during the months Bilbo spends questing with Thorin and company. Bilbo discovers that he loops whenever a member of the company dies. Pretty interesting. 3/5

How Holman Greenhands changed the fate of Middle-Earth by Pinlie
A sort of fix-fic that's just recently started for The Hobbit. Gandalf has a chance meeting with Bilbo a year before the quest and convinces him to prepare himself for the arrival of the dwarrows. Dunno about the rating as it's a little early for that.

A Distant Light by Valandhir
Kíli survived the battle of the Five Armies, though he lost his family and home in the process. Decades later a grim dwarven warrior encounters a man searching for Imladris, thus begins a journey across the lone lands that will lead into war. Basically a surviving Kili and Boromir befriend each other. It's got a whole series of stories along this vein but the first is the only really good one, in my opinion. 3/5

A Long and Weary Way by Canafinwe
After fifteen years of fruitlessly searching for the creature called Gollum, Gandalf forsook the hunt. Though Aragorn persevered for a time, tracking his quarry on the marches of Mordor, he too despaired at last and began his homeward journey... Probably the better of the fics recommended. Aragorn tracks Gollum in the wastes of Mordor. Well written. 4-5/5

 

Any recommendations for fics focusing on Maia?

 

Any new, readable ones? Time travel, alternate universe, etc. etc.

Archiveofourown is impossible to navigate, and after coming across some freaky shit I stopped trying to find a decent one in ffnet either.

 

There are some decent fics, although I'm struggling to find new ones among the Garbage. Taure here has just started one, if I'm not mistaken, a crossover between LotR and Harry Potter. You might be able to check it out either here or on ff.net.

 

Don't do it. It's great but there's not going to be an update for a few weeks - better to just wait until he can write again instead of torturing yourself.

Seriously.

 

LotR fanfiction? Isn't that what they call the Fantasy section at Barnes and Noble?

Spoiler

Sorry, but I just had to. Fantasy is my favorite genre, but you've got to admit there's a lot of shameless borrowing of Tolkein's ideas and often without understanding.

 

That's ridiculous. There's always going to be a point that you reach where the story hasn't been updated past - that's just how fan fiction rolls. By that logic you'll never touch it until it finishes (because again, you'll be torturing yourself with incompleteness) which, with no offence to Taure, could well be years away.

I mean, when he updates in a few weeks, he's not going to be writing non-stop, anyway. He'll write when he can/wants to, and we'll almost certain to have another break of as long - or longer - in the future.

This just reads like you taking another opportunity to bitch about Taure not writing for a while.

Edit: Xpost. Addressed at Flame.

 

I can recommend 'Saruman of Many Devices'. Saruman has a small amount of help when he develops gunpowder and he realizes the full potential for the substance.

 

Anybody know of a good fic where a LotR character winds up in modern Earth? I've seen lots of shitty ones and I want to know if there are any quality ones out there.

 

Not only do I not know of any, I can't even conceive of a scenario where that wouldn't be terrible.