The Last Ringbearer (2011)

by Kirill Yeskov

  Eskov discovered several new genera of spiders. Among seven discovered by him in 1988 is Kikimora palustris Eskov, 1988. It belongs to the Linyphiidae family, is found in Russia and Finland, and the name translates from Latin as "marsh Kikimora". Kikimora is a female spirit in Slavic mythology and is well-known in Russian common language.

  He is also the author of the book "History of the Earth and its Life Forms", intended as a cutting edge biology textbook for high schools.

  As a fiction writer he published several books, one of the most famous being The Last Ringbearer ,an alternative retelling of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, as told from the point of view of Sauron's forces, based on the proverb: "History is written by the victors. The book was "published to acclaim” in his homeland in 1999. Translations of the book have also appeared in other European nations, but fear of the vigilant and litigious Tolkien estate has heretofore prevented its publication in English."

  In late 2010, however, an English translation approved by Eskov was posted on LiveJournal Critics have called The Last Ringbearer "a well-written, energetic adventure yarn that offers an intriguing gloss on what some critics have described as the overly simplistic morality of Tolkien's masterpiece."

  In October 2010, "The Last Ringbearer" was translated into English, and made available under a non-commercial license.

  Among his other books is The Gospel of Aphranius (Russian: Евангелие от Афрания), a dramatic portrayal of Jesus. In the novel he attempts to construct a demythologised account of the events of the Gospels.