Literature has for the longest time inspired alternative looks and reinterpretations of nearly every work ever written, and on several occasions people write full length novels inspired from these interpretations. While most can be dispelled as simple fan fiction, a select few, known as parallel novels, manage to rise from the pack and become genuine examples of literature themselves. One such example is John Gardner's Grendel, which as it sounds, is the Norse saga Beowulf told from Grendel's perspective, and it remains to this day one of the most deep and thoughtful books I've read and enjoyed. Another favorite of mine is The Wind Done Gone, a retelling of Gone With the Wind from the point of view of one of Scarlett O'Hara's slaves, and it is merciless in attacking the originals glorification of slavery and the old South. More recent additions include Seth Gramme-Smith's attempts to infuse Jane Austin's work with zombies and sea monsters, or my new personal favorite, Kirill Eskov's The Last Ringbearer.
I am a longtime fan of the Lord of the Rings, having adored both the books and the movies since my early teens. So when a Russian friend of mine recently pointed out that one of his countrymen had penned a parallel novel to the Trilogy, I was both intrigued by the idea and worried over its execution. So it surprised me, after downloading and reading the story, to find that it is probably one of the most enjoyable works I've read this year.
Taking the old motto 'History is written by the winners' to heart, The Last Ringbearer attempts to give the more complicated and less sentimental story behind the fall of Mordor, whereas in Yeskov's new view of Middle Earth, the The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a highly romanticized and mythologized version of history, and it may even perhaps even be pure propaganda.
In the whole of modern culture, aside from maybe Nazi Germany or the Sith, you'd be hard pressed to find a set of villains more despised than Mordor's rogues gallery of demonic orcs, goblins, trolls and barbarians, single minded in their service to the Dark Lord Sauron and his goal of enslaving the free peoples of middle earth. In light of this, it is no small feat that Eskov manages to take the forces of Mordor, and mold them into sympathetic protagonists.
The story follows a field medic from Umbar (The southern region home to the swarthy barbarians that side with Mordor in the Lord of the Rings) and an Orocuen - the orcs we've come to loath, are in fact as human as we are - who shares his mission to go behind enemy lines and destroy a mirror in elvish Lorien so the elves can no longer use it as a weapon against Mordor. All the while, the remnants of Mordor's military fights a guerrilla campaign to preserve what is left of their nation.
As you might be able to tell from that plot summery, there are quite a few key differances in the story and setting in Eskov's Middle Earth. In his retelling, Mordor, which while not entirely free, openly embraces scientific advancement and change. Barad-dur, better known as Sauron's dark tower to fans of the Trilogy, is described as "that amazing city of alchemists and poets, mechanics and astronomers, philosophers and physicians, the heart of the only civilization in Middle-earth to bet on rational knowledge and bravely pitch its barely adolescent technology against ancient magic." Sauron is portrayed to be an elightened despot, mandating a 'universal literacy law' - a stark contrast to the men and women of Rohan, who pride themselves on thier illiteracy. Against it all, the elves are scheming villains in the background, ploting to become masters of the world, and turn Middle Earth into another version of thier magic obessesed homeland across the sea.
While most of the characters are original, some of the characters from Lord of the Rings do make appearances, and are themselves portrayed in a new light. Gandalf is changed most, having been turned into a religious zealot and warmonger, openly boasting of having found a 'Final Solution to the Mordor problem', and is willing to side with the . Some characters, like Faramir or Eowyn, are portrayed sympathetically, and are more detailed then they were in the original trilogy. Others have been transformed entirely, including my long-time favorite Aragorn, who is portrayed as a ruthless Machiavellian schemer who is playing puppet master to events in Middle Earth, only to not notice his own strings being manipulated by his Elvish wife Arwen. Others, like the hobbits, are gone entirely, apparently as mythical as the 'Free-Peoples' own moral high ground.
In addition, there are alot of themes which I felt were done very well. The founding theme of the novel, as stated before, is the old axiom that the winners write history. In addition to the sardonic Russian wit, a lot of themes from Russian history leek trough the pages, much as Tolkien's own prose was alove letter to his own Anglo-Saxon origins. Above all else, it carries a very relavent theme of people fearing the ever advancing pace of technology.
That's not to say that there are not some flaws with the novel. Eskov tends to give into the traditional pitfall of Russian novelists, giving long schpeels on military and political situations, yet I never felt like it took away from the work. More importantly, the translation is still rough around the edges in parts, especially in the first few chapters involving mix ups of the past and present tense, and it would do well to have a more formal translation. As a whole though, these flaws never seriously take away from the story, which, even in light of those flaws, remains one that is both high quality and enjoyable.
Overall, I found The Last Ringbearer to be as a whole quite enjoyable, my love for Tolkien's work not withstanding. It was a good read, had compelling theme work, and true to it's goal, certainly provided a new perspective on the entirety of Middle Earth. So for any of you who love the Lord of the Rings, or perhaps found Tolkiens rosy-eyed views of Hobbiton and Minas Tirith to idealistic to your tastes, please give The Last Ringbearer a read. I have included the link below to where you can download it, and I urge you to do so at once!
http://ymarkov.livejournal.com/270570.html
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