Mirkwood: A Novel About JRR Tolkien

From Tolkien Gateway
The name Mirkwood refers to more than one character, item or concept. For a list of other meanings, see Mirkwood (disambiguation).
Mirkwood: A Novel About JRR Tolkien
Mirkwood A Novel About JRR Tolkien.jpg
AuthorSteve Hillard
PublisherBookSurge Publishing
ReleasedJanuary 18, 2010
FormatPaperback
Pages460
ISBN978-0615312545

Mirkwood: A Novel About JRR Tolkien by Steven Hillard gives a fictional portrayal of J.R.R. Tolkien.

In February 2011, the Guardian reported that the Tolkien Estate is demanding the destruction of all copies of the novel and an immediate halt to further sales, stating that Hillard "trivialises the name, personality and reputation of the late professor".[1]

From the publisher[edit | edit source]

Mirkwood: A Novel About JRR Tolkien by Steve Hillard tells of Tolkien hiding secret documents that the forces of evil will do anything to obtain, and the young orphan girl, Cadence, who discovers them. In the opening pages of Hillard's novel, world-renowned author and linguist Tolkien lands in New York City on a mysterious errand. He carries with him a collection of ancient documents, many in an unknown language that hint of a heroine, a halfling named Ara, who lived in the same ancient landscape that inspired Tolkien's Middle-earth. Fearing that possession of the documents will lead to great harm, Tolkien entrusts them to a simple scissor sharpener named Jesse Grande. Almost four decades later, Grande has disappeared and the documents have been found by Grande's orphaned granddaughter, Cadence. As dark forces from the realm of fantasy hunt down the documents and their guardian, Cadence must protect the story of Ara. "Tolkien fervently hoped, indeed believed, that there was no divide between belief and reality," says Hillard. "My novel asks the question, 'What if he experienced this borderland first hand?'" Blending historical fact with fantasy, Hillard interweaves Tolkien's philosophy, his role as a World War II spy and imagined conversations between the great author and his friend, C.S. Lewis. Hillard was inspired to write the novel by his experience reading the Lord of the Rings series to his daughters, who enjoyed the books but asked, "Where are the heroines?".

External links[edit | edit source]

References

  1. Dalya Alberge, "JRR Tolkien novel Mirkwood in legal battle with author's estate" (26 February 2011) at Guardian.co.uk (accessed 8 March 2011)
Published fiction books relating to J.R.R. Tolkien and Arda
 The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica:
 Here, There Be Dragons | The Search for the Red Dragon | The Indigo King | The Shadow Dragons | The Dragon's Apprentice
 Ring of Darkness:
 Elven Blade | Black Lance | The Adamant of Henna
Stand-alone works:
 Heaven's War | Looking for the King | Mirkwood: A Novel About JRR Tolkien