Doomed to Die: An A–Z of Death in Tolkien

By Tom Racine

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings meets Edward Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies in this darkly satirical illustrated parody of the Tolkien universe: ‘A is for Arwen broken by sorrows; B is for Boromir punctured by arrows. C is for Celebrimbor hung out to dry; D is for Denethor…'

‘Stories – frankly, human stories are always about one thing – death. The inevitability of death.’ J.R.R. TOLKIEN

A distinguished linguist and scholar, J.R.R. Tolkien is celebrated as the father of the fantasy genre, drawing on his knowledge of legends and folklore to create a new mythology and write the ultimate epic novel. He populated his books with Hobbits, Orcs, Elves, Dragons and Dwarves, but as in all epic tales, there can be only one fate for Mortal Men…

Doomed to Die is a uniquely irreverent glance at the world of Tolkien. It started life as an innocent Inktober project, but somehow grew in the telling to become a book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Nov 18, 2025
• ISBN: 9780063517592

Tom Racine

Tom Racine has a degree in English and a long career in illustration, design, voice acting, and film and video production. His body lives in San Diego and his head in Middle-earth, and he blames the great illustrator and satirist Edward Gorey for much of his very dark sense of humor [sic].

Book preview

Doomed to Die

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A is for ARWEN broken by sorrows

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B is for BOROMIR punctured by arrows

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C is for CELEBRIMBOR hung out to dry

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D is for DENETHOR who elected to fry

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E is for ECTHELION drowned in a fountain

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F is for FËANOR burned to ash on a mountain

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G is for GOLLUM doomed for failure

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H is for HÚAN, Luthien’s saviour

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I is for ISILDUR betrayed by the Ring

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J is for J.R.R. to whom we owe everything

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K is for KILI who defended most grimly

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L is for LEGOLAS, undying with Gimli

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M is for MORGOTH shackled in a chain

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N is for NIMRODEL, tears flowing like rain

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O is for ORCS twisted to evil ends

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P is for PIPPIN buried with friends

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Q is for QUEEN TAR-MÍRIEL in Númenor drowned

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