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When one looks in the box, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the cat.

Sam Gamgee’s Life After Lord of the Rings Is Beautifully Illustrated by Molly Knox Ostertag

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Sam Gamgee’s Life After Lord of the Rings Is Beautifully Illustrated by Molly Knox Ostertag

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Published on February 16, 2021

Screenshot: New Line Cinema
Lord of the Rings, the Return of the King, Sam at the Grey Havens
Screenshot: New Line Cinema

The movie of The Return of the King had so many endings, but here’s one more, and it’s worth it. Molly Knox Ostertag (The Witch Boy, Strong Female Protagonist) has illustrated the unpublished Lord of the Rings epilogue in which Samwise Gamgee has a sweet conversation with his daughter. It’s a story about yearning and absence and love, and Ostertag’s beautiful art makes it all the more affecting.

You can see Ostertag’s full comic here, and read Tolkien’s original text here.

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The Witness for the Dead

The Witness for the Dead

Ostertag’s black-and-white art bursts into full color for the elves:

Like Rosie-lass, I am very anxious about Ent-wives and look for them in all the forests. (Merry’s interest in horses didn’t make it into the illustration, but of course he was “very anxious for a pony of his own.”)

If you can read “I am a very rich hobbit” over that lovely image of Sam and his daughter and not be swamped with feelings—about different kinds of adventures and riches, what it means to stay or go, and the many stories that make up a person’s experience—you are made of sterner stuff than I. It’s a gorgeous reminder that there are still full lives to be lived for those who survive their adventures.

About the Author

About Author Mobile

Molly Templeton

Author

Molly Templeton has been a bookseller, an alt-weekly editor, and assistant managing editor of Tor.com, among other things. She now lives and writes in Oregon, and spends as much time as possible in the woods.
Learn More About Molly
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