In a Hole in the Ground there Lived a Fed (hexbear.net)

submitted 1 month ago by GalaxyBrain@hexbear.net to c/chapotraphouse@hexbear.net

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Also, they had mayors and stuff, a VERY clear class division and were technically under the rule of Gondor after the Northern Kingdom fell but Gondor didn't really have the resources or urge to do any ruling over there. Once Aragorn was in they were essentially an autonomous zone under military protection in exchange for maintaining the local roads and bridges.

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[-] davel@hexbear.net 0 points 1 month ago

This tickled something in my brain, and I finally figured out what: Последний кольценосец

The Last Ringbearer is a 1999 fantasy fan-fiction book by the Russian paleontologist Kirill Yeskov. It is an alternative account of, and an informal sequel to, the events of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. […]

Critics have stated that the book is well-known to Tolkien fans in Russia, and that it provides an alternate take on the story. Scholars have variously called it a parody and a paraquel. They have interpreted it as a critique of totalitarianism, or of Tolkien's anti-modern racial and environmental vision coupled with a destruction of technology which could itself be called totalitarian. The book contains sections of Russian history, and while it says little directly on real-world politics, it can be read as an ironic riposte to American exceptionalism. In 2001 the book earned the Strannik Literary Award in the "Sword in the Stone" (Fantasy) nomination.

[-] combat_brandonism@hexbear.net 1 points 1 month ago

They have interpreted it as a critique of totalitarianism

jesus christ the western brainpan is absolutely cucked

[-] GalaxyBrain@hexbear.net 0 points 1 month ago

I've really gotta read that. I'm a giant Tolkien nerd and interact with some of well known Tolkien academics online and have added 'Do normal spiders exist in middle earth or are they all descendants of Ungoliant?' To the discussion with a degree of pot stirring. I'm also generally a pretty sympathetic to the orcs and have some criticism regarding elves.

[-] combat_brandonism@hexbear.net 1 points 1 month ago

It's a page-turner, but what no one ever says about it in the summaries is that it's like a geo-political spy thriller set in middle earth after the books. It's so good and not at all what I thought it'd be going in.