TORn Book Club | Lord of the Rings & Tolkien News - TheOneRing.net Fan Community, since 1999

If it’s July it must be San Diego Comic Con, and with that biggest of popular culture events you can bet TheOneRing.net is right in the middle of it all. No, there are no new Tolkien films on the horizon, but there are new collectibles, in a variety of styles, coming to fans bookshelves soon. There are also fan gatherings, at SDCC and beyond, and plenty of other tidbits of Tolkien news just waiting to be shared with one and all. And there will be a few Middle-earth alums attending the con this year, chiefly Elijah Wood and Graham McTavish. So keep a wary eye on TheOneRing.net for any and all Middle-earth news, rumors and cosplay. Oh, and don’t forget our panel, which is listed after the cut. Continue reading “TheOneRing.net’s panel at San Diego Comic con is this Friday”

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San Diego Comic Con 2015 is now in the books, let’s do a little recap for any all things related to Tolkien fandom and TORn. The TORn panel, titled “What’s next for Tolkien Fans?” was on Friday afternoon, and directly after the panel we had our annual Tolkien themed Cosplay photo Op, as seen in the first photo.

The panel itself began at 4pm, but without the snazzy little visual presentation we normally have. The laptop that the presentation was on, and had been operating just 2 hours earlier, decided it was taking the afternoon off. Apparently it helped the panel move along at a quicker pace, leaving plenty of room for questions at the end. So, what was discussed in the panel, what IS next for Tolkien fans? Continue reading “TORn’s SDCC 2015 wrap us”

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*Please Note: This was one of TheOneRing.net’s annual April Fools Jokes – We are not going anywhere…at least we don’t think we are!*
KENOSHA, WISCONSIN — An official press release is scheduled for tomorrow, but we, the TORn founders and staff, want to notify all those who have supported us for the past 15 years that TheOneRing.net is shutting down.

The final decision was communicated in an all-staff conference call over the weekend, but it has been discussed for months, speculated about for years, and we’ve cracked jokes about it from podiums at conventions (that nobody took seriously at the time), but now the long-dreaded hour is finally upon us.

The four TORn Founders (Erica Challis, Chris Pirrotta, Mike Regina and William Thomas) reached a tentative decision last week, discussed it with Senior Staff (identities top secret), then included world-wide staff, active and inactive, on the weekend conference call.

“We have a real sense of accomplishment that the purpose of the website has been fulfilled,” said Regina on the call. “Erica and I were interested in “some guy” in New Zealand adapting “The Lord of the Rings” into movies, and when Chris and Bill found us it really elevated the effort. The next thing you know it became far more than the hobby we envisioned.”

“It’s the perfect time to go out on a high note, fresh off the recent success of the Hobbit movies and The One Last Party,” said Challis. “It is still our collective baby, but the four of us just feel content that it has run its course. We don’t want to be like a “Transformers” sequel.”

Pirrotta agreed with her, pointing out how much of a commitment 15 years is: “I was in college when this started with time to sit in a computer lab. All of us have jobs and kids and responsibilities now. We stayed true to our vision, didn’t sell the website for millions when offered, and we can all feel good about that.”

Thomas offered more practical reasons: “We made a commitment to not make a profit and to give the money away to charity if we did. We accomplished that and I’m proud that we kept the site pure. Plus, Star Wars is back, so we can all follow our true love again. Remember, TORn was just an ode to The Force dot net anyway.”

Not all staff agreed with the decision and there was a period of open discussion about different ways the site might change hands. While we will not tell the media or general public, we can share with true fans, there were audible sobs during the conference call. Continue reading “TheOneRing.net to unplug, sail into The West (Not really…April Fools 2015!)”

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Yesterday, March 25, was officially Tolkien Reading Day. Celebrated annually by the Tolkien Society since 2003, Reading Day is exactly what it sounds like: a day “to encourage fans to celebrate and promote the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien by reading favourite passages.” March 25th was chosen to commemorate the day in Middle-earth history of the destruction of the One Ring and the downfall of Sauron, but events are often held throughout the week surrounding the official date.

Fans worldwide celebrate Reading Day with a variety of events. Wheaton College’s Tolkien Society in Illinois and the University of New Mexico Hobbit Society in Albuquerque hosted gatherings this year to share their favorite Tolkien pieces. And tomorrow (3/27), the Israeli Tolkien Society will host a picnic in Tel-Aviv. In Los Angeles, the local smial of the Tolkien Society, Tolkien Forever, will host a Reading Day event this Saturday, 3/28, at the famous Last Bookstore.

The theme for this year’s Reading Day is Friendship, chosen not only to commemorate how Frodo and Sam’s friendship triumphed in Mordor, but also to “celebrate the deep friendships that Tolkien developed in his own life and in his work.” By extension, a shared love of Tolkien’s work has inspired countless friendships, traversing continents and oceans. So share your love of Tolkien by joining a Reading Day event, or simply sharing your favorite passage with a friend!

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It’s all happening as we head into our final week of fundraising for The One Last Party. These are the final days to reach that goal, so we can all celebrate the journey of fandom we’ve been on together. You can pledge for a party ticket; but if you can’t join us in person, there are still many ways to be involved:

– pledge $10 to be part of the ‘Thank You’ we will send to Peter Jackson
– claim a ‘Supporter of Special Magnficence’ tshirt (which reminds us that ’17 years is far too short a time to party among such excellent and admirable fans’)
– get access to the exclusive Live Stream of the event
– or lay your hands on one of the other fabulous perks on offer!

We’ve just added three NEW perk items!

Incredible artist Eeva, who created TORn Book Club’s logo, has drawn two amazing images of Mirkwood’s own party elf, Thranduil. There are only NINE prints available of each of her two illustrations (‘Dark Thranduil’ and ‘Mirkwood in Winter’), and each will be signed by Eeva. Elf lovers should snap them up before they’re gone! See the ‘Thranduil Special’ perks and choose which one you want – or get them both!

We also have a new perk for the Bookworms amongst you! (We know how Tolkien fans love to read!) Our own Kili, of Happy Hobbit fame, is also a talented author. She has generously given us FIVE copies of her debut novel, Darkling, to use as perks. Here’s a description of the book:

“How far would you go to save your family?

Midsummer used to be a day of feasts and bonfires. A day when cares were set aside for the joy of grass between our toes, warm hands in our palms, laughter in our hearts. Our celebrations dimmed with the light. Something upset the balance of our woods. Something so deep that even our bonfires can’t lure the sun back. And he has something to do with it. Of that we’re sure, which is why I’m being given to him.

DARKLING is K.M. Rice’s suspenseful debut novel about a young woman’s sacrifice to save her village and the unexpected strength that comes from first love. ”

None other than Richard Taylor has read Darkling and loved it! He said, “I’ve just finished reading a delightful, … beautiful ghost story book called Darkling. And that’s one I’d definitely recommend. …it’s a haunting, creeping, wonderful story .”

You could have a copy of this book, signed and inscribed to you by Kellie/Kili – just pledge for the ‘Happy Haunted Hobbit’ perk!

Later today, party planners will be joining staffer Sarumann on his TORn Book Club to chat about what we have lined up for The One Last Party – tune in at 12noon PST today to hear more, or to ask us questions!

You can also leave questions or comments for us on the ‘Comments’ page of the Indiegogo campaign – where you can read about all the exciting perks available.

We are so close now – and every little pledge helps. Don’t forget, any pledge made before 11pm GMT today (Jan 11th) enters you in the draw to win the stunning Dragon Bodice created by Marie Porter Costuming! Even a pledge of $1 qualifies you for this giveaway – and helps us get nearer to our goal! Let’s celebrate together the Fellowship of Fans!

One Last Party fundraiser!

Our One Last Party fundraiser on Indiegogo is almost 80% funded and we’re pretty stoked!

If you’d like to join us as a Party of Special Magnificence in Hollywood in February — a toast to all SIX Middle-earth movies, then now is the time to throw in your support! Even if you can’t make it to Hollywood (or if you’ve already contributed), you can help out by retweeting or sharing our fundraiser across social media to get the word out.

Visit our campaign page to see how you can help — so we can all celebrate Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth movies together!

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