“Nine for Mortal Men, doomed to die . . .” The Elves, known as the Children of Ilúvatar, were immortal, forever bound to the world and its fate. The race of Men awoke many thousands of years after the Elves, and were known as The Younger Children. It was to them that Ilúvatar gave his greatest gift: Death. At first glance, that doesn’t seem like much of a gift. In the lore of Tolkien, it was meant as only part of a much larger gift;that of being able to shape their own destinies, and that after their mortal lives ended, their fëar, or souls, would depart for a destination unknown to even the Valar themselves. The Elves were often envious of The Gift and the freedom it represented. Some of the race of Men accepted this Gift, but others did not. Inspired by Edward Gorey and The Gashlycrumb Tinies, Tom Racine’s Doomed to Die is a fully illustrated, deliciously gothic exploration of this “gift” – a darkly glittering, A-Z journey through the heroes and villains of Middle-earth, and the innu