In Yeskov’s retelling, wizard Gandalf the Grey/White is portrayed as a warmongerLondon: Every story has two versions. However, for the longest time J R R Tolkien’s epic three-part novel Lord of the Rings was the only version of life on Middle Earth and the dark lord Sauron its main villain. However, a new book titled The Last Ringbearer looks at the War of the Ring (the climactic battle at the end of LOTR) from the perspective of the people of Mordor.
The novel was written by Kirill Yeskov, a Russian palaeontologist, and published to acclaim in his homeland in 1999. However, last year Yisroel Markov posted his English translation of the book as a free download. It is the official version, having been approved by Yeskov, and is fast gaining in popularity now.
In Yeskov’s retelling, the wizard Gandalf the Grey/White is a warmonger, 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!†The elves aim to become “masters of the world†and turn Middle Earth into a “bad copy†of their magical homeland across the sea.
Barad-dur, also known as the Dark Tower and Sauron’s citadel described as “that amazing city of alchemists and poets, mechanics and astronomers, philosophers and physicians, the heart of the only civilisation in Middle Earth to bet on rational knowledge and bravely pitch its barely adolescent technology against ancient magic.â€ÂÂ
Kirill Yuryevich Yeskov The protagonist of The Last Ringbearer is a field medic from Umbar (a southern land), who is assisted by an Orocuen  that is, orc  scout, who is not a demonic creature like the orcs in The Lord of the Rings, but an ordinary man.
They’re given the task of destroying a mirror in the elf stronghold of Lorien before the elves can further use it to infect Middle Earth with their alien magic. Meanwhile, the remnants of Mordor’s civilisation fight a guerrilla campaign to sustain the “green shoots of reason and progressâ€ÂÂ, in opposition to the “static†and “tidy†pseudo-paradise of Middle Earth under the Elven regime.
Translations have appeared in other European nations, but fear of the vigilant and litigious Tolkien estate has prevented its publication in English. However, with the free online version, more LOTR fans will be able to compare the two perspectives on Middle Earth.
Source :
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