Sting (Middle-earth)
Sting has the magical ability to detect orcs or goblins nearby, glowing blue in their presence, as it did when the Fellowship encountered orcs in the mines of Moria. Tolkien establishes this as a common property of First Age Elf blades, particularly those forged in Gondolin. Sting is also exceptionally sharp. Bilbo manages to thrust it without effort deep into a wooden beam at Rivendell. Frodo also wounds a troll in Moria, after Boromir notches his own sword with his attempt. Sam uses Sting to cut through the giant spider Shelob's strong webs with ease, and also wound the spider, driving it away from the paralyzed Frodo.
Works inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien
Throughout the next two decades, the term "fantasy" became synonymous with the general aspects of Tolkien's work: multiple races including dwarves and elves, a quest to destroy a magical artifact, and an evil that seeks to control the world. The plot of Novelist Pat Murphy's "There and Back Again" intentionally mirrors that of "The Hobbit", but is transposed into a science-fiction setting involving space travel. J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" has been seen as having been influenced by Tolkien's work, particularly the wizard Dumbledore being partially inspired by Tolkien's Gandalf. The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini largely rehashed the setting and languages of "The Lord of the Rings", as well as creatures such as elves and dwarves having nearly identical qualities to the Elves and Dwarves of Middle-earth (though the plot is much more similar to that of Star Wars). Some people have gone so far as to accuse Paolini of plagiarism. S.M. Stirling's "Emberverse" series includes a character obsessed with "The Lord of the Rings" who creates a post-apocalyptic community based upon the Elves and Dúnedain of Middle-earth. The same plot point was used by the Russian writer Vladimir Berezin in his novel "Road Signs" (from the Universe of Metro 2033). Another Russian writer, Kirill Eskov, wrote "The Last Ringbearer", about the events in "Lord of the Rings" from the perspective of Sauron. Stephen King, best known for horror novels, has acknowledged Tolkien's influence on his novel "The Stand" as well as his fantasy series "The Dark Tower". Several other prominent fantasy writers, including Michael Swanwick, Raymond E. Feist, Poul Anderson, Karen Haber, Harry Turtledove, Charles De Lint, and Orson Scott Card, have all acknowledged Tolkien's work as an inspiration for their own fantasy work.