Sellamillion (A.R.R.R. Roberts) - Gollancz/Orion Publishing - 2004 (283 pages)

The author of The Soddit (2003), the best-selling parody of The Hobbit, took the ultimate challenge: write a parody of the unreadable, Tolkien-tome (The Silmarillion).  The Sellamillion has an apt sub-title: "The disappointing 'other' Tolkien parody."  Like The Sillymarillion (D.R. Lloyd) published in the same year, Roberts spins out some unfunny stories with a few joke names but it all seems so pointless except to ply a few more dollars from the wallets of fantasy fans. 

The evil guy in Silmarillion is Sauron.  Roberts calls him "Sharon" (and Lloyd calls him " Saurry").  Are those funny names?  You guys can do better than that.  How about "Sorethumb", "Soretoe" or "Sauerkraut?"  The evil minions of Sharon are called "orks" (after Tolkiens "orcs").  Lloyd calls them "irks" which is a bit funnier than "orks."  I would have called them "dorks."  Etc., etc., etc.

Roberts wrote a lot a words but its not very funny.  He (and Lloyd) could learn a lot from the guys at Harvard Lampoon who did a much better job of it 35 years ago with Bored of the Rings. [JAM 3/15/2009]