The Last Ringbearer is a 1999 fantasy book by Russian author Kirill Eskov. It is an alternative account

Parallel novel

This is a partial list of works of fiction that are written within, or derived from, the framework of another work of fiction by another author. This list does not include franchised book series, which are typically works licensed by the publisher of the original work to use its settings and...

 of and an informal sequel

Informal sequel

An informal sequel, also called an unauthorized sequel or unofficial sequel, is a sequel to a novel, film, television show, or video game that is produced without the consent of the creators or rights owners of the original material...

 to the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy, The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...

.

Plot

The premise of the novel is the proverb "history is written by the victors", and that the Tolkien account is just that – the history as dictated by the victorious side. In Eskov's version of the story, Mordor is described as a peaceful country on the verge of an industrial revolution

Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...

, that is a threat to the war-mongering and imperialistic faction represented by Gandalf

Gandalf

Gandalf is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, Gandalf appears as a wizard, member and later the head of the order known as the Istari, as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West...

 (whose attitude has been described by Saruman

Saruman

Saruman the White is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. He is leader of the Istari, wizards sent to Middle-earth in human form by the godlike Valar to challenge Sauron, the main antagonist of the tale, but later on aims at gaining...

 as "crafting the Final Solution

Final Solution

The Final Solution was Nazi Germany's plan and execution of the systematic genocide of European Jews during World War II, resulting in the most deadly phase of the Holocaust...

 to the Mordorian problem") and the elves. For example, Barad-dûr

Barad-dûr

Barad-dûr is the fortress of Sauron in the heart of the black land of Mordor and close to Mount Doom in the fantasy world of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...

, Sauron

Sauron

Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...

's citadel, is described in chapter 2 as
The story of The Last Ringbearer begins at the end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, as survivors of the defeated Mordor are organizing resistance and trying to save what they can of their civilization. Their story is mixed with another one, set hundreds of years in the future, as archeologists in a "modern day Middle-earth" are rediscovering their true history, and finding artifacts that shine doubt on the established history known to us from The Lord of the Rings.

Reception

The book has been translated into several languages, but it has not been commercially released in English. Several English language publishing houses have considered undertaking a translation, but the plans have always been abandoned due to the potential litigation from the Tolkien estate, which has been known for its strict objection to any derivative works, especially in English. In 2010 the book was translated into English by Yisroel Markov and released as a free and non-commercial

Non-commercial

Non-commercial refers to an activity or entity that does not in some sense involve commerce, at least relative to similar activities that do have a commercial objective or emphasis...

 ebook; this release has been officially approved by Eskov. Mark Le Fanu, general secretary of the Society of Authors

Society of Authors

The Society of Authors is a trade union for professional writers that was founded in 1884 to protect the rights of writers and fight to retain those rights .It has counted amongst its members and presidents numerous notable writers and poets including Tennyson The Society of Authors (UK) is a...

, opined that despite it being non-commercial, the book still constitutes a copyright infringement

Copyright infringement

Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...

.

External links

translated into English

• http://theblogthattimeforgot.blogspot.com/2011/02/last-ringbearer.html Criticism on wrong potrayal of Tolkien in the Last Ring Bearer
• Official page of the English ebook (free non-commercial distribution)
• Early unofficial translations (very incomplete)
• Kindle Formats, Calibre, Conversions and “The Last Ring-bearer”
• Kirill Yeskov, Why I reimagined "LOTR" from Mordor's perspective, Salon, February 23, 2011
• The Back Story to the Last Ring-bearer, by Kirill Eskov
• Editions at LibraryThing