As I sat watching the last of The Hobbit trilogy of films I realized something. We take so much for granted in the 21st Century. Imagine if I had a time machine and could go back to 1936. I’d step out (fighting the desire to find a newsstand and buy copies of Weird Tales in pristine condition) and meet some fan of Fantasy (after a very long search) and we’d talk. We could discuss Lord Dunsany, perhaps the recently deceased Robert E Howard, or ER Eddison’s The Worm Ouroboros. Then I’d mention something about vast orc armies and I’d get a strange stare. Of course, Tolkien’s The Hobbit hasn’t been published yet. My mistake.
But it isn’t the word “orc” that is the problem. It’s the entire concept of vast, epic battles between men and orcs that is the stumbling block. The Battle of Five Armies is the first of these. My 1936 companion may be ready for the idea, but he hasn’t got it yet. I jump back into my time machine, whispering one beautiful word in his ear, “Hobbit,” and disappear. (Unfortunately the experience of seeing me disappear in my time machine drives him to read Amazing Stories or Astounding instead and we lose him from the Fantasy pool. What can you do?)
Read the rest:
https://www.michaelmay.online/2015/02/the-battle-of-five-armies-of-orcs-and.html
