Mirkwood

A Novel About J. R. R. Tolkien

De: Steve Hillard

Narrado por: William L. Hahn

Enter Mirkwood, the Great Forest of Doubt.

Bold new author Steve Hillard's wildly original debut, Mirkwood, reinvents J. R. R. Tolkien as a man haunted by the very myths he rewove into his famous works. As much literary criticism as boisterous epic, this episodically driven plot explores the blurred borderlands where ancient tales, lost heroines, and epic journeys are stalked by dim monsters that will not be still. In 1970, Professor Tolkien makes a little-known visit to America - and sets in motion elvish powers embodied in a cache of archaic documents. Destinies are altered, legends become real, and two heroines must race for their lives in vastly different worlds.

This is a work of fiction which is neither endorsed by nor connected with the J. R. R. Tolkien estate or its publisher.

©2010 Stephen C. Hillard (P)2021 Stephen C. Hillard

A Critical New Chapter of the Lord of the Rings

This book is a must read for anyone who loves J.R.R. Tolkien’s, The Lord of the Rings. The novel is based upon the idea that Middle Earth exists and that Tolkien had access to several manuscripts which became his published works. In addition, he had several more manuscripts that he did not publish, and the dark lord wants one of them (maybe all) destroyed as part of his “come back” strategy. He is trying to wipe out a tale of resistance to him by destroying a young hobbit woman who has a peculiar opportunity to frustrate him.

Yet that is only a small part of this book, because most of the action doesn’t happen in Middle Earth, it happens here, in our world with flashbacks to J.R.R. .Tolkien’s past and his decision to pass on these manuscripts. It’s a mystery story in which the young heiress to these manuscripts is trying to find out what they are and what happened to her grandfather who was their caretaker for so long. Oh, and she’s also trying to survive an assassin from Middle Earth who has come to kill her and destroy those precious manuscripts.

This is a tale of beauty and sophisticated layering of plot brought to even-more-engaging life by the fantastic vocal talents of narrator William L. Hahn. Like the original Lord of the Rings which inspired it, I don’t think you can glean every depth of this novel in a single perusal. I’m going to have to read it again.

Good story, but…

Could be a really good story but I couldn’t finish. Not sure if it’s the narrator on the writing or a combination. I’m definitely not a literary critic but it felt over the top of that makes sense. I really wanted to like this so I’m kind of bummed out.