The One Ring: Moria: Through the Doors of Durin is a source book for the role playing game based on the work of J.R.R. Tolkien. Like others, it takes certain liberties, albiet in expansion terms rather than deviation. It is also a wealth of art and writing simply for a fan of the setting or fantasy in general.
Much of the book is devoted to a detailed description of the mountains and mines of Moria. This includes not only interior tunnels and chambers, nor the terrain which they are underneath, but also the groups and individuals inhibiting these or vying for power over them. It is a large assortment and includes a variety of characters mentioned in the classic works as well as new individuals extrapolating from fleeting mentions. The descriptions of the internals of the mountains and mines are similarly fleshed out, explaining locations seen and going into more detail about ones which would have been assumed. There is material included which Tolkien probably wouldn’t have written himself, mind, though it even feels fairly reverent.
One interesting aspect of this particular book comes from the assumption of familiarity. That is to say that the creative team is aware people playing might, and frankly most likely will, be familiar with certain twists like the meaning of the riddle at the doors and the nature of Durin’s Bane. While it treats them as their traditional nature throughout the book, it reserves some space to allow these to be changed if it is considered more entertaining (page 149 for the doors and page 62 for Durin’s Bane).
As an art book this is not the host volume one could get from Free League’s The One Ring series, but it is a good one. One of the chief flaws comes from the simple fact that page for page it has less of the large Two page colour pieces that divide sections which the others sported. That said, the ones which are present are still most definitely beautiful. An evocative gloomy look at the doors in one frame to a stark and hot feeling illustration of the Balrog roaming in another both suit their portions well. The latter even manages to do a decent job of keeping the wing question at least a little ambiguous, a nice easter egg alone.
At the same time, the illustrations both major and minor continue contributing to the book as a beautiful and entertaining volume while not feeling overly reliant on the style of the films by Peter Jackson. Indeed the color and black and white illustrations of Durin’s Bane sport no resemblance to the version from the films which wouldn’t be required from the words of the original author. It is similar for most, if not all, of the other shared characters and places. Given the long arm those movies have had, any new interpretation separate from them is a greatly appreciated addition.
For fans of the game, this one cannot be missed. It is bursting with content that can expand on existing material, and in the process allows those involved access to a piece of the setting they have desired for some time. For non gamers it is one of the higher interest books as well, including a lot new and wonderful art, some impressive expansions on classic Middle-Earth material, and clever thoughts on and categorization of earlier material.
(Free League’s, k2024)
