anubis2814In 9 years, The <a href="https://friendica.myportal.social/search?tag=Hobbit" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Hobbit</span></a> will enter the <a href="https://friendica.myportal.social/search?tag=publicdomain" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>publicdomain</span></a> in the US but not the version you know. In this version, the agreement is that if <a href="https://friendica.myportal.social/search?tag=Bilbo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Bilbo</span></a> loses, <a href="https://friendica.myportal.social/search?tag=Gollum" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Gollum</span></a> gets to eat him, if Gollum loses he will give him a gift of the invisibility ring. Its basically a retelling of the Spinx. Gollum loses, can't find his ring as Bilbo already has it. So he good-naturedly shows Bilbo the way out instead and they leave on good terms.<br>Its not until 17 years later that the version of the hobbit we know will come into public domain. At that time Tolkein had finally figured out what was going on in the <a href="https://friendica.myportal.social/search?tag=LOTR" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LOTR</span></a> and that the ring was addictively evil.<br>He sent a version of the retelling of the story to his publishers saying that the earlier version of the hobbit was Bilbo's retelling in the Red Book to put himself in a better light as he didn't feel right having used trickery to escape. It's also the version he told the Dwarves. Only <a href="https://friendica.myportal.social/search?tag=Gandalf" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Gandalf</span></a> and <a href="https://friendica.myportal.social/search?tag=Frodo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Frodo</span></a> knew the truth.<br>His publishers to his surprise published the new editions of the hobbit with the new version of the story, and is been cannon ever since.<br>So in 9 years you can make any new alternative universe sequel or prequel to this earlier version of the book, or make a full movie of it if you like, so long as you leave out anything from LOTR about it.