Saruman
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Is "The Lord of the Rings" an unpopular book?
And regarding people escaping into quasi-reality, yes, it's important not to get too carried away with it, as we can say that we also escape into quasi-reality when reading "The Lord of the Rings" or playing "Heroes of Might and Magic." The main thing is that it doesn't interfere with normal life. Otherwise, some people escape into the quasi-reality of Middle-earth, and then even that doesn't satisfy them, and they move on to the world of Nienna (already re-imagined by Tolkien).