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LotR Rewritten From a Mordor Perspective

Posted by samzenpus on from the up-is-down dept.

Hugh Pickens writes writes "It's been said that history is written by the winners but Laura Miller writes in Salon about a counterexample as she reviews a new version of Lord of the Rings. The Last Ring-bearer was published to acclaim in Russia by Kirill Yeskov, a paleontologist whose job is reconstructing long-extinct organisms and their way of life. Yeskov performs essentially the same feat in his book. The Last Ring-bearer is set during and after the end of the War of the Ring and told from the perspective of the losers. In Yeskov's retelling, available in translation as a free download, the wizard Gandalf is a war-monger intent on crushing the scientific and technological initiative of Mordor and its southern allies because science 'destroys the harmony of the world and dries up the souls of men' and Aragorn is depicted by Yeskov as a ruthless Machiavellian schemer who is ultimately the puppet of his wife, the elf Arwen. Sauron's citadel Barad-dur is, by contrast, 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.'"

3 of 583 comments (clear)

  1. flusten prlost by Noog · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    what what on topci disuccsions

  2. Hooray for political statements by drinkypoo · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Some people condense them into a single phrase, or slogan. Some people need an entire pamphlet. Some people require a full book to express what should be a fairly simple thing. And SOME people have to dress that book up in armor or they're not happy.

    Content above, rant below

    It's been 1 minute since you last successfully posted a comment

    Chances are, you're behind a firewall or proxy, or clicked the Back button to accidentally reuse a form. Please try again. If the problem persists, and all other options have been tried, contact the site administrator.

    No, chances are I'm just not a fucking idiot who can't string two thoughts together within one minute. Assholes.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  3. Re:I tried to read it by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    So: Hitler wasn't evil, but the USA is evil because it does the same things as him. *rolls eyes* Also, Godwin's Law.

    --
    Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!