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Bad guy triumphs temporarily, but its always darkest before the dawn, & just when you think all's lost, the sun comes out & everyone lives happily ever after. Pointless excercise & a waste of time & money for all concerned. We got that from LotR.
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Ouch!
I think this is an overstatement of what LotR is. My own perception is different.
Rather than everyone living happily ever after, I saw a woman who gave up immortality and embraced death, however unwillingly, for a lifetime with someone she loved. I saw a "hero" who was not a hero, one who paid an unknown price....unknown because the reader can not even sail West to find out what happened to him. I saw a good man like Boromir corrupted because he, like many, could not withstand the evil that infects every corner of Arda because of a train of events originally initiated by Morgoth and now carried on by many others. This list of examples could be extended.
For every glimmer of hope in LotR, and there are many, I also saw a burden of sorrow and evil. We are given a short glimpse of one victory but at a heavy price and no indication that there was a "happily ever after".
I do wonder how JRRT would feel about one of his stories (and this story in particular) being separated out from the Legendarium and examined in isolation, without reference to the rest of the structure, beliefs, powers etc. of Middle-earth that he so carefully defined and crafted. I am extremely grateful to CT for editing this story and making it available. I think Davem makes some excellent points about the tone of this tale and to what extent modern readers will have an easier time identifying with it. But in the end, for me at least, this story fails to capture my heart or attention to the same degree as LotR or Silm, which present a much broader picture.