Review: Mirkwood by Steve Hillard narrated by William L. Hahn

Mirkwood by Steve Hillard narrated by William L. Hahn

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.