Morlindale: Song of Illuminate Darkness

The Morlindal? is a parody embracing J.R.R. Tolkien's Silmarillion and Lord of the Rings.

Parodies are usually assumed to be humorous, but the Morlindal? is anything but that: a dark, tormented tragedy reminiscent of the ancient Greek classics.

In Tolkien's original masterworks we see remarkably little of Melkor and Sauron, despite their ominous shadow over events. Here in these nine scrolls we finally meet them face-to-face, feel their emotions, hear their voices.

Do they become heroes and those of the original stories villains? By no means. Tolkien's history is unchanged, and his champions retain their character and virtue. But perhaps judgments about good and evil, life and death, love and hate are herein less simple and summary.

The Morlindal? is not a parody of sympathy, but rather one of empathy: a recognition of and respect for the mystery and dignity of all life despite its many different manifestations.

The famous comic parody Bored of the Rings added to Tolkien enthusiasts' enjoyment of the treasured Trilogy by humanizing its heroes [and villains]. The Morlindal?, if readers' responses since it first appeared in 2003 are any indication, serves to enrich appreciation of Professor Tolkien's immortal epic in a more sobering, but no less provocative perspective.