Much like the wildly popular book “Wicked” mixed up the good/bad dichotomy in the Wizard of Oz, “The Last Ring-Bearer” shows us the Mordor’s take on the Lord of the Rings.

The work of a Russian paleontologist, Kirill Yeskov, “The Last Ring-Bearer” frames the conflict in the Lord of the Rings from the perspective of the citizens of Mordor. Salon magazine offers this summary, as part of their larger review:

In Yeskov’s retelling, 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!” He’s in cahoots with the elves, who 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, 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.”

Hit up the link below to grab a PDF of the official English translation of Yeskov’s work.

The Last Ring-Bearer [via Salon]