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Черная книга Арды
На заре времен Единый создал духов Айнур. И велел им своей музыкой творить мир.
Мелькор-бунтарь посмел ослушаться — нарушил стройность музыкальной темы Творца. Ввёл в неё новые нотки... и создал смертных существ. За это братья-духи отреклись от него, объявив отступником.
Небесспорный, но при этом — и нестандартный взгляд на события, известные нам по «Сильмариллиону» Толкина.
Мелькор-бунтарь посмел ослушаться — нарушил стройность музыкальной темы Творца. Ввёл в неё новые нотки... и создал смертных существ. За это братья-духи отреклись от него, объявив отступником.
Небесспорный, но при этом — и нестандартный взгляд на события, известные нам по «Сильмариллиону» Толкина.
672 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 10, 2025
The Black Book of Arda, by Elhe Niennah (Natalya Vasilyeva) and Illet (Natalya Nekrasova). The 1st (original) edition.
An alternative look at The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
This book had been on my reading list for over 25 years, and I’m sort of proud of myself for finally crossing it off—even if I read it with mixed feelings. It earned its place on the list as it became a serious phenomenon in the mid-1990s and an essential element of Tolkien fandom culture in the Post-Soviet lands, sparking followings, splits, debates, and a great number of very specific songs. To my own surprise, despite knowing a lot about the book, I’d never actually read it… until now.
In brief, the Black Book of Arda tells the story of The Silmarillion not only from the point of view of Melkor, as people usually say, but from the opposite perspective: Melkor here is kind, compassionate, wise, and the only one who understands and deeply loves Arda (or Arta, in his version), while the Valar are egotistical, vengeful, quick to anger, and without honor—only blindly obedient to the plan of Eru (and it’s doubtful they know his plan anymore or are in touch with him). All morals and ethics in the stories are twisted. As the Traveling Wilburys sang:
I knew about the difference between the first edition (with two authors together starting a fire) and the second (only one of them trying to polish and reorganize the text). I tried the revised edition first, and it didn’t work for me. I almost dropped it after about 100 pages—too polished and somewhat soulless. Maybe if I went farther, it would change, I can’t say. But there also was the first edition, the one that started the fire in the fandom: unpolished, uneven, rough, overemotional, way too romantic (probably, thought as a tragic romance with characters (and readers) falling in love with the Dark One one after another) and too graphic, oversweet and overpompous pretty often, but still—somewhat sincere, edgy, open-hearted, and rebellious (in other words, it’s pretty teenagy).
If only it weren’t based on—and badly twisting—the universe I know so well and like so much, and if there were fewer attempts to openly manipulate the reader (at least not on every other page), both emotionally and mentally, constantly using the same set of pretty obvious literary and psychological tricks, I might be more generous toward it.
I can’t say I liked it, but I enjoyed some pages here and there. I can’t say I’ll ever read it again, but I’ll understand some cultural codes and similar phenomena better now. I can’t say I’d recommend this book easily, but it made me meditate upon certain themes of history, philosophy, ethics, and literature in a much deeper way, and I really wish there were someone close by to talk through its ideas and stories together. It’s that kind of book. Well, someday, maybe.
An alternative look at The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
This book had been on my reading list for over 25 years, and I’m sort of proud of myself for finally crossing it off—even if I read it with mixed feelings. It earned its place on the list as it became a serious phenomenon in the mid-1990s and an essential element of Tolkien fandom culture in the Post-Soviet lands, sparking followings, splits, debates, and a great number of very specific songs. To my own surprise, despite knowing a lot about the book, I’d never actually read it… until now.
In brief, the Black Book of Arda tells the story of The Silmarillion not only from the point of view of Melkor, as people usually say, but from the opposite perspective: Melkor here is kind, compassionate, wise, and the only one who understands and deeply loves Arda (or Arta, in his version), while the Valar are egotistical, vengeful, quick to anger, and without honor—only blindly obedient to the plan of Eru (and it’s doubtful they know his plan anymore or are in touch with him). All morals and ethics in the stories are twisted. As the Traveling Wilburys sang:
When your outside's in (Inside out)
And your downside's up (Upside down)
Yeah, your upside's right (Right side up)
Yeah, don't it make you wanna twist and shout
I knew about the difference between the first edition (with two authors together starting a fire) and the second (only one of them trying to polish and reorganize the text). I tried the revised edition first, and it didn’t work for me. I almost dropped it after about 100 pages—too polished and somewhat soulless. Maybe if I went farther, it would change, I can’t say. But there also was the first edition, the one that started the fire in the fandom: unpolished, uneven, rough, overemotional, way too romantic (probably, thought as a tragic romance with characters (and readers) falling in love with the Dark One one after another) and too graphic, oversweet and overpompous pretty often, but still—somewhat sincere, edgy, open-hearted, and rebellious (in other words, it’s pretty teenagy).
If only it weren’t based on—and badly twisting—the universe I know so well and like so much, and if there were fewer attempts to openly manipulate the reader (at least not on every other page), both emotionally and mentally, constantly using the same set of pretty obvious literary and psychological tricks, I might be more generous toward it.
I can’t say I liked it, but I enjoyed some pages here and there. I can’t say I’ll ever read it again, but I’ll understand some cultural codes and similar phenomena better now. I can’t say I’d recommend this book easily, but it made me meditate upon certain themes of history, philosophy, ethics, and literature in a much deeper way, and I really wish there were someone close by to talk through its ideas and stories together. It’s that kind of book. Well, someday, maybe.
July 20, 2018
Прекрасно..Ожидала языка Толкина, но вместо этого повествование по большему счету лёгкое, воздушное..сотканное из едва уловимых образов плавно перетекающих друг в друга. К сожалению, иногда вплетаются фразы и моменты не совсем увязывающиеся с общим стилем написания. Жаль, что сам Толкин не описал происходящее в Силмарилионе со стороны Мелькора и его последователей, ведь на самом деле такая точка зрения имеет место быть.
Работа построена на философии и недосказанности. Автор позволяет читателю самому делать выбор, показывая, что не бывает абсолютно чистого Света и беспросветной Тьмы.
Работа построена на философии и недосказанности. Автор позволяет читателю самому делать выбор, показывая, что не бывает абсолютно чистого Света и беспросветной Тьмы.
June 17, 2014
Book itself is magnificent. Book jacket is totally unrelated and should be thrown out.
June 17, 2014
Намного слабее первого издания. Переделка книге на пользу не пошла.
January 13, 2017
Если вы думаете, что Толкиен писал слишком пафосно, за эту книгу и вовсе можете не браться. Тут пафос, нет, даже ПАФОС - основное содержание, отличие от других фанфиков и весь смысл текста.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews